I picked up this watch from an old watchmaker, who told me that he had bought it at an auction of MOD (ministry of defence) equipment and surplus items. He’d bought a handful of this type of genuine British Army issued W10 watches and parts, some from Hamilton and some of the later issued CWC versions who took over the MOD contract.

He serviced the movements and checked them over, leaving them as original as possible with the option of re luming, new crystals and polishing etc of your chosen serial number available. I chose to keep mine as it was, it’s a 1973 Hamilton W10 that must have seen light wear or use as it’s in great condition, basically NOS (new old stock).

I love the watch, it shows its age and patina which gives it that old school charm and feel. I like its genuine British army history, no nonsense function and styling. The dial and hands have tritium lume that now glows softly and beautifully dull showing its age. It has fixed spring bars, as of the MOD specification and contract, so throw it on a nato of your choice and you’re ready to go.

It has a manual wind mechanical Swiss movement, which seems solid and capable, with hacking second hand to allow for the synchronisation of timepieces on missions. It still keeps good time and winds with a strong reassuring resistance.

Hamilton recently re created this watch as a re issue staying pretty true to the original. I did think about buying one before I got mine but it seemed cooler getting the real deal. Maybe if you were to wear it all of the time, the modern re issue would be the correct choice, for peace of mind as older watches come with their cautions.

Overall it’s a great watch, with history, charm and that no nonsense form and function required from a military timepiece. It’s capable and reliable making it a great watch for everyday general wear.