When I was young, one of my favourite movies was The Great Escape with Steve McQueen, especially when you watch him run away from the Germans on the recently commandeered motorbike. To me he was one of the coolest people to ever live, his style, the cars he owned, there just will never be anyone like him ever again. Fast forward a decade and a half and I have entered the watch world, from starting with a Lorus, to eventually acquiring a Tissot Visodate as my first Swiss watch and amongst that a few others I was definitely on my way to getting really deep into this hobby. One day I was watching McQueen in another one of his classic movies, Bullitt! It is while watching him race his 68 Mustang around San Francisco’s hilly streets hot on the tail of baddies in a 68 Dodge Charger that I noticed a cool little piece on his wrist, a quick Google search and hey presto! A few weeks later a Benrus 3061 was sitting on my wrist!

The Benrus 3061 is the civillian version of the U.S Military issued MIL-W-46374 watch which was mainly issued to soldiers in the Vietnam War. unlike its military counterpart the 3061 features a seconds hand with the red arrow tip, the polished case and the caseback having the Benrus logo on the back as opposed to a military stamped code. Movements however were both exactly the same.

So what is the Benrus 3061 like? Well let’s start with the dial, it’s a simple black matte finish featuring both 12 hour as well as 24 hour numerals if you wish to use 24hr format when asked for the time. The hour hands are syringe hands with some lume in the centre whilst the eye catcher here is the seconds hand featuring a little red tip on its end. For a watch of its era I find that little detail really cool considering this watch would first been really cheap to buy at the time and secondly the fact it’s been made just a touch more interesting as opposed to its military counterpart is a detail that was well worth including during its design. Well done to the designer for that!

The case on the other hand is very slim and comfortable especially for me as it’s 34mm size makes it well suited to smaller wrists like mine. The crown is signed with the Benrus logo and suits the watch well due to its size however I must admit, by modern standards it is quite hard to turn so you will have a few temporary marks on the side of your thumb after you’ve wound this watch all the way, but I must admit the clicking noise it makes when its wound is super loud and so satisfying. If you do however decide to buy one of these, don’t leave it next to your bedside table if you wish to fall asleep, for such a small watch it ticks very loud!

So what’s the Benrus 3061 like to own? Well firstly due to its rugged DNA borrowed from its military brother, i don’t need to worry too much about scuffing this watch as its shockproof and can handle day to day perfectly well. The crystal is acrylic however since I already own a Hesalite Speedy as well, i’m used to the fact that occasionally a bit of Polywatch will clean up the crystal very well. Ever since owning it I have worn it on a black leather strap, however I am sure it would look fantastic on a thin Nato strap as well if you do indeed want to connect it to its military brother.

So, if you are a huge fan of Steve McQueen like me or just want a really cool wearable everyday vintage watch that won’t break the bank like per say McQueen’s 4 digit Submariner, this would make a fantastic addition to your collection! Getting a Benrus 3061 will also mean you have something interesting on your wrist next time you meet up for a watch gathering, there just really aren’t too many of these in Australia and even my own A.D was excited to see it! So if you are pondering on getting one of these, do it! You will love and cherish it forever!