Celebrating 100 Years
of Watchmaking

CASE DIAMETER:

39.5mm

CASE TYPE:

Bead Blasted 316L SS case

MOVEMENT:

Sellita SW200 Automatic

STRAP:

20mm High Quality Seatbelt Nylon Single Pass NATO

WATER RESISTANT:

5ATM

5mm Double Domed Acrylic Crystal

Super-LumiNova markers & hands

Exact recreation of original DTU-2A case back markings

Assembled in the USA

The BENRUS "DTU", originally issued in 1964, was the result of modifications requested by the US military for combat watch specifications in the early 60s. The revision was meant to simplify the requirements for a 17-jewel hacking wristwatch with an extended service life. BENRUS created the DTU-2A/P per this request, which subsequently led to the development of the iconic Type I.

Since its inception in 1921, BENRUS has remained an American watchmaking company rooted in supporting the US military. The 1960s saw a major evolution as BENRUS became a key supplier and was the first military supplier to win the commission of the MIL-W-3818B contract to produce a field watch for U.S. soldiers in Vietnam. Both the steel and later plastic version of what has become nicknamed the ‘DTU’ were well received by all troops. The ‘DTU’ was an important model for BENRUS since they were the only company to secure the MIL-W-3818B contract. It was not until the next revision that other brands tried to address the specifications.

The original DTU-2A/P featured a parkerized steel case, black dial with numerals and indices in white and an inner ring with military time, hands filled with green luminescent paint (tritium), a fully luminous second hand and an acrylic crystal. The movement used was BENRUS’ DR2 F2, which was a Swiss Made 11.5 ligne, 17-jewel hand-wound movement with hacking capability.

To mark 100 years of watchmaking, the brand looks back to this popular vintage military timepiece and unveils a re-edition of the original BENRUS DTU-2A/P field watch.