What Watches Do Navy Seals Wear?

Navy SEAL Watches

Tactical watches are an asset for anyone with an active lifestyle, especially Navy SEALs. These watches must be durable, water-resistant, and easy to read because anything is possible when part of an elite task force.
Overall, every watch has slightly different features depending on the company and the model. 

Seal Team Top Watches

The watch industry is constantly evolving because of the changing needs of society. After World War 1, there was a resurgence of desire for watches that were durable, water-resistant, shatter-proof, and other features that would be helpful in the field. The Navy SEALs are notorious for their elite missions and accomplishments. Part of their tactical gear is military watches. As the SEALs started to publicly wear these watches, the tactical watch market has boomed for both military personnel and civilians. Today, there are hundreds of brands and models of tactical watches. Continue reading to find out what watches real Navy SEALs wear!

Watches Used By Navy Seals

G-Shock DW-6600 

The G-Shock DW-6600 watch is an all-time lightweight classic that is trusted by military personnel from around the globe. This model is shock protective, water resistant up to 100-meters of water, and has a 2 year battery life. DW-6600 watches are equipped with an electro-luminescent backlight with afterglow, 1/100-second stopwatch and a full calendar to the year 2099. Most importantly, G-shock watches are immensely popular because of their affordable price point. 

Luminox Navy SEAL Watch 

Luminox Navy Seal Watches are the most dependable watches for night missions because of their self-powered illumination capabilities. Each watch has been individually tested and proven to be water-resistant for 200 meters. Although Luminox is more expensive, these swiss made watches have 60 months of battery charge and are highly rated amongst consumers. 

Timex Ironman Watches

From athletes to military personnel, Timex Ironman watches are designed to keep up with the user’s every need. Within the Ironman collection, there is a range of features differing on which model best suits your necessities. These watches are equipped with variations of interval training times, INDIGLO light-up watch dial, long battery life, calorie tracking, and bluetooth connectivity capabilities. 

Suunto Core 

Since 1936, Suunto has pushed the limits in exploration and support adventurers all over the globe. The Suunto Core watches have a 12-month battery life, 30-meter water resistivity, and a built-in compass. All watches operate in a wide range of temperatures, calorie tracking, and satellite systems for GPS.

What are Navy SEALs?

The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams, commonly known as the Navy SEALs, complete special operations to fight terriorism all around the world. In order to engage in highly dangerous missions, SEALs are devoted to honor, courage and commitment. This elite unit operates in the most extreme climate conditions from scorching deserts to humid jungle to the freezing arctic. Navy SEALs are called on to perform missions of strategic importance on behalf of the United States. Their direct action is to neutralise, capture and kill enemy forces through offensive strikes like raids and ambushes.

The History of the Navy SEALs

The Navy SEALs can be traced back to five elite units in World War 2; the Scouts and Raiders, Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDUs), Office of strategic Services Operational Swimmers, Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs), and Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons. These groups trained together for the immediate national security issues in the 1940s, such as the Normandy D-Day invasion, but were called upon year after year due to their high success rates. They were heavily involved in the South Pacific region such as China, Korea, and Vietnam. President John F. Kennedy officially founded the Navy SEALs in January of 1962. Each unit specialized in a section of combat, but together they mastered unconventional warfare. Since their establishment, the Navy SEALs carry out small-unit, high impact missions that affect high level platforms. 

Navy SEAL Gear List

Protecting Navy SEALs is critical in order for missions to be completed successfully. The constantly evolving warfare directly creates the need for updated gear. 

Tactical Helmet 

Protective headgear is critical for the safety and survivability of any soldier. From shrapnel to homemade bombs, tactical helmets are essential for any modern-day soldier. Typical helmets are equipped with a multi-layer internal foam cushion, a comfortable chinstrap, and a hard outer shell. Navy SEALs wear a variation of tactical helmets due to the nature of the mission. 

Night Vision Goggles

Navy SEALs engage in high level risk operations in all types of environments. Soldiers need to be prepared for any condition. Night vision goggles are a necessity in dark night time conditions. Night vision goggles use thermal imaging technology to capture infrared light in order to see what is going on in the dark. Thermal imaging uses the heat being produced by an object to create an image for the user. Night vision goggles have been an incredible asset in the most high profile missions such as the Bin Laden raid. 

Tactical Backpack 

The primary purpose of a tactical backpack is to store your gear in a convenient location. The most important factors in choosing a backpack is durability and practicality. Navy SEALs endure extreme conditions and are constantly on the move. Any soldier needs to know their belongings are secure and readily available.

Body Armor 

Body armor is protective clothing designed to deflect and protect from a physical attack. From the beginning of time, people have always used materials to create body armor to protect themselves. In medieval times, knights wore metal plates. In World War 1, body armor technology allowed protection from gunfire. By the second World War, recognizably modern forms of body armor such as nylon were developed. Today, armor technology allows soldiers protection and mobility. Navy SEALs wear the highest level of protective body armor that money can buy. The armor includes gloves, bulletproof vests, tactical boots, and more. 

What are the watches that Navy SEALs really wear on missions?

According to the United States Government, the Navy SEALs do not have an official watch. Watch preferences are individualized decisions based on several factors like purpose, weight, and functionality. Jocko Willink, a famous SEAL lieutenant commander of Team 3, wears the Timex Ironman watch because he “prefers the practical, robust, and affordable kind” (watchranker.com). On the other hand, Richard Machowicz, a former Navy SEAL who specializes in weaponry and military technology, prefers the Suunto Core Watch because of its multi-function digital capabilities. 

Sum up

After completing extensive market research, it is apparent that Luminox and G-shock are the most popular companies in the market. Together, the two companies hold a huge share of the tactical watch industry. At the end of the day, Navy SEALs choose their own watch based on personal preferences. What watch will you wear on your next elite mission?