TIME NEVER PASSES FOR
AN ORIGINAL
REINTRODUCING TYPE II
THE WATCH OF AMERICAN HEROES
CASE DIAMETER:
42.5mm
CASE TYPE:
Sandblasted 316L SS case w/ screw-in high-grip textured crown
CASE HEIGHT:
15mm
CASE LENGTH:
47.5mm (top lug to bottom lug)
MOVEMENT:
Soprod P024 automatic movement w/ 38-hour power reserve
STRAP:
Black two piece seatbelt nylon NATO
Lug Width (strap size):
20mm
WATER RESISTANT:
30ATM
Double domed sapphire crystal
BW G9 Super-LumiNova markers and hands
Limited Edition engraved case back
Bi-directional rotating 12-hour bezel
Swiss Made
BENRUS had an extraordinary history with the U.S. armed forces as one of the preferred suppliers of the government starting in the early 1960s. Throughout the 1970s watches played a critical role in military service. With the experience gained through the beginning of the Vietnam War and the increasing use of covert and specialized military teams such as, the US Navy UDT/SEALs, US Navy EOD, US Navy Divers, Army Rangers, Green Berets, and CIA operatives, the Department of Defense determined that these specialists needed a more robust dive watch that would be purpose-built to meet the highest standards of the military and its operatives. The military wrote Mil-Spec MIL-W-50717 that specified the design details for the BENRUS Type I watch, with an additional specification for a version more suited to field operations and quick conversion of 12/24 hour time, known as the BENRUS Type II.
The original BENRUS Type I and II were produced from 1972 through 1980 with no changes to the design in that time, signaling the importance of the design itself. Just like the Type I, the Type II had Class A and Class B designations for whether the hands and dial had luminous material or not. Class B watches featured a non-luminous dial and were thought to have been issued to servicemen who worked around equipment sensitive to radiation, such as submarines.
Approximately 16,000 Type I and II and Class A and B versions were produced and issued to the Elite Forces from the Vietnam War through the 1980s, but were never made available to the public, making the Type I and II some of the most famous and coveted U.S. military dive watches ever. The Type II holds an important place in the BENRUS Military Type series, since many prefer the fast legibility of a field dial with the added robustness of the Type series case.
