(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK — Historic American timepiece brand, BENRUS, unveil more of their military heritage with the newly released iconic Type II dive watch. Directly related to the highly sought-after Type I, the Type II shares the same significant asymmetrical case shape, but different dial design.
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.
“Since the release of the Type I, we have made it our mission to retell the significance BENRUS had in watchmaking history with the U.S. military, says Michael Goeller, COO BENRUS. “The new BENRUS Type II completes that story and we couldn’t be more excited to launch this highly anticipated timepiece.”
Like the Type I, the new BENRUS Type II reissue faithfully follows original design details with improvements for everyday use and to meet and/or exceed the original military specifications. The new BENRUS Type II is Swiss Made, featuring a 42.5mm asymmetrical sandblasted 316L stainless steel case, housing a Soprod P024 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve. The dial preserves its same sterile look with no company logo and only the 12/24-hour ring with BWG9 Super-LumiNova hands and markings. Finished with a bi-directional rotating 12-hour bezel and upgraded double domed sapphire crystal, the watch is water resistant to 30ATM.
Only 500 individually numbered pieces with a special engraved case back featuring original markings will be made available. BENRUS will not offer the original case backs again.
The new Type II is presented on a black two-piece nylon seatbelt NATO strap with quick release functionality and 20mm lug width for easy strap changing. Priced at $1,495.
To shop the new BENRUS Type II Limited Edition reissue visit, here.