A 1960s Military Field Watch Gets a Polished-Up Reinterpretation Ideal for Daily Wear

The Benrus DTU collection earned a spot on the Military Field Watch Mount Rushmore after being issued to US Servicemen during and after the Vietnam War.

It played a significant role in standardizing the look we know and love today — a triangle and dash outer track, large numeral hour markers, a small numeral military time track and syringe hands with an arrow seconds hand.

Benrus

As popular as mid-century military field watches are for daily wear, Benrus upgraded the DTU’s aesthetic versatility by polishing up the dial with a lustrous metallic finish.

The new DTU Shield is better suited for casual civilian use with a monochromatic look that complements a 38mm sandblasted steel case with a vertically brushed silvery dial.

It sports a classic field watch dial arrangement with the white detailing inverted to black, and the hour markers and hands filled with faded yellow Old Radium Super-LumiNova.

Benrus

The exceptional wearability is enhanced by a highly respected ETA caliber 2892 automatic movement, which is featured throughout the contemporary Benrus catalog. It beats at 4Hz and has a 42-hour power reserve.

Completing the look is a vaguely mil-spec khaki woven textile two-piece strap with a stitched soft leather lining and a steel pin-buckle.

Brush it off

The DTU Shield is one small printed brand name away from having a sterile dial, and the only identification on the case is etched in relief on the monobloc caseback. There, you will find the full Benrus logo with a coat of arms.

Benrus

The new metallic brushed dial creates a faint contrast with the sandblasted case. It is capped by a double-domed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on both sides.

Thanks to a screw-down crown, the DTU Shield boasts 100m water resistance — an improvement from 50m on older releases.

The skin diver-adjacent water resistance, combined with the durable case construction and refined look, makes the DTU Shield a true go-anywhere, do-anything accessory, which is the ultimate goal of a good field watch.

Benrus

My only note on the DTU Shield is that I would like to see it on a fancier strap, like a brown or black alligator leather. While the provided strap looks incredibly comfortable and durable, something more elevated would complete the look.

I understand this is out of character for Benrus, but I’d still like to see it.

Availability and price

The Benrus DTU Shield debuts on November 11 as a salute to Veterans Day, which is a fitting tribute because it is a perfect gift for any military veteran.

Benrus is asking $1,595, which is approximately three times the cost of the faithful DTU-2A/P reissue when it was released four years ago. However, Benrus has incrementally improved the specifications of the classic field watch collection, and the price increase reflects that.

Benrus

Benrus DTU Shield

Specs

Case Size	38mm
Movement	ETA caliber 2892 automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $1,595 at Benrus

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