In the modern day it’s easy to forget that watches were once more than an accessory. Different types of tool watches were designed to fulfil key functions for specific jobs. They were meant to make your job easier. Today technology and the digital evolution has reduced the reliance on tool watches as actual tools. You no longer buy an Omega Seamaster because you want to take up scuba diving and you certainly won’t see Max Verstappen wearing his Tag Heuer Monaco to keep track of his lap times.
Whilst that might be true, these watches that were built and designed for a purpose are still fully capable of fulfilling their job roles. Therefore, it is important to understand why tool watches function, look and feel the way they do. As watch lovers the design and history of tool watches is what we buy into. And who knows, if you work in one of these professions perhaps these watches will still be practical.
Diver: Dive Watch
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
The dive watch is one of the most common tool watches you’ll find on the market today. The rise of the steel sports watch over the last few decades has meant the dive watch has become a firm favourite in the product catalogues of Rolex, Omega and many others.
A dive watch has a couple of key functions and elements you might be aware of. Firstly, waterproof-ness. This goes without saying in a watch designed for aquatic environments. However, it’s the depth and how this waterproof-ness is achieved that gives the dive watch this function. Almost all dive watches will come with a screw down crown. The crown is fitted on the inside with a seal which when fully screwed down is completely watertight and will hold up under high pressures as you dive deeper.
The other element you will find on dive watches with a high depth rating, such as the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, is a helium escape valve. This can most readily be seen on the Omega with what looks like an additional crown at 10 o’clock on the case. The helium escape valve is released at extreme depths to alleviate helium gas build up in the watch.
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m GMT with a helium escape valve
Next, dive watches are equipped with unidirectional bezels which only rotate anticlockwise. For those who have ever been diving you will know that timing your dive is incredibly important as it ensures you won’t run out of oxygen. Rotating the bezel allows you to mark when you start your dive. Most dive bezels are then equipped with a 15 minute marker scale as this is a common time frame for diving. The reason the bezel only rotates in a counter clockwise direction is so that it can’t accidentally be knocked forwards and you therefore end up submerged for longer than you should be.
The final element of a dive watch to be aware of is legibility. Reading the time whilst underwater needs to be easy so dive watches don’t have complicated dials. They also have high amounts of lume or super-luminova on the markers and hands so time can be read even in low light.
Pilot: Pilot’s Watch
Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium
Watches have been worn by pilots since the early 1900’s when Louis Cartier created a wrist watch for pilot Alberto Santos Dumont. Since then pilot’s watches have evolved and can include several complications. For example, a flyback or split seconds chronograph is used for measuring flight time in a given direction. This tool watch function was crucial in the early days of flight when navigation systems didn’t exist. A GMT function is extremely valuable when time zones differ between origin and destination and a day/night indicator helps pilots determine whether it’s AM or PM. Which can be confusing when crossing multiple time zones.
Perhaps the best example of a pilots’ watch that helps with the day/night dilemma is the Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute. Which instead of the hour hand completing two rotations in 24 hours only completes one. The dial has 24 hour markers on it, so instead of reading the watch as a 12 hour display you can easily see if it’s 06:00 or 18:00 by the markers.
Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute
Other key attributes to the pilot’s watch are the oversized crown, much like you find on the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch. The crown is larger than usual in order that it can be operated with gloves on. This is a key design element for pilots who are often in full flight gear including thick, insulated, fireproof gloves.
Much like dive watches, legibility is crucial for pilot’s. It’s why you will find many pilot’s watches with diameters of 44mm and above and very few with case sizes smaller than 40mm. This larger case size isn’t the only feature to improve visibility. Pilot’s watches are characterised by high contrast dials, often dark dials with bright white numeric hour markers. The numeral hour marker is important when trying to read the time at a glance. Baton or roman numeral markers would only slow things down.
IWC Big Pilot Top Gun Edition
The final element you will notice on the majority of pilot’s watches is very subtle. Near or around the 12 o’clock position you will notice a small triangle. Often printed on to the dial in red or a contrast colour or painted with lume so it stands out in low light. The triangle shows the pilot instantly which way up the watch should be. The last thing you want is your pilot reading his watch upside down.
Doctor / Medical Professional: Pulsometer
Longines Pulsometer Chronograph
It’s hard to think of how a tool watch function might aid a doctor or nurse in their everyday jobs. That’s until you understand the function of a pulsometer. A pulsometer is an adapted function of the chronograph and characterised by a unique scale on the dial or bezel. The purpose of the pulsometer is to measure a patient’s pulse without the need to count the pulses or beats for a full 60 seconds.
In a pulsometer watch you will find written somewhere on the dial or bezel the number of pulsations you need to count in order to read the scale. Usually it’s 15 or 30 pulsations. Simply start the chrono and count the patient’s pulse, once you’ve counted the desired number stop the chrono and read off the scale to see the patient’s beats per minute. The Longines Pulsometer Chronograph is a great example of a chronograph with a pulsometer display, you’ll notice the text ‘Gradue Pour 30 Pulsations’ written on the outer part of the dial. If you see the phrase pulsometer or pulsations written anywhere on a watch you now know that this isn’t your usual chronograph. It is in fact a tool watch function for medical professionals.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Tru-Beat
One other example of a medical tool watch is the Rolex Tru-Beat. The Tru-Beat, much like a pulsometer watch, was aimed at medical professionals for the sole purpose that it made timing a pulse or heart rate easier. The Tru-Beat uses a deadbeat seconds complication. In short, it’s a mechanical watch that ‘ticks’ like a quartz watch with the seconds hand ticking once per second. A mechanical movement usually gives you a constant sweeping seconds hand.
Soldier: Field Watch
Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical
Field watches were originally designed for soldiers during the First World War. Military watches started life as pocket watches but as the wristwatch grew in popularity many factions of the military saw the benefits. Fumbling for your pocket watch whilst in the trenches was not ideal.
Very quickly field watches became a staple piece of equipment for soldiers. Their ease of use meant timing and coordination of manoeuvres vastly improved. As you can imagine a soldier’s watch would go through a pretty tough ordeal so delicate and complex movements were not the order of the day. Instead, field watches are known for their simplicity and durability. Take a look at the CWC Mellor-72 and you’ll see what I mean. The Mellor-72 is a recreation of the 1970s British Military W10 watch. The time only, enlarged numerals and thick steel case are iconic of a field watch.
CWC Mellor-72 Mechanical
Case materials on these watches need to be hard robust metals, such as steel. Whereas the straps are usually canvas or leather for two primary reasons. Most importantly these soft materials are lighter and therefore more comfortable for the wearer who will likely be wearing the watch 24/7. Secondly, steel bracelets with links can break if hit hard enough whereas a single piece of leather or NATO style strap can’t be snapped or broken.
Given the types of environments field watches will encounter, a good field watch will be at home near water. They won’t have the depth ratings of a dive watch but a decent level of water resistance and tolerance to dust is essential. As a result, field watch cases will usually be made from a single piece of stainless steel with a single crown. When fully sealed this protects the movement from any foreign materials entering the case.
Finally, simplicity. A soldier’s tool watch has to be accurate, after all, the military are rather fastidious about being on time. Therefore, the traditional field watch is time only so that no power is used to operate any other function and compromise on accuracy. This simplicity is carried over to the dial design. There is no need to clutter the dial with unnecessary paraphernalia. Instead numeric hour markers for ease of reading coupled with high amounts of lume for time telling at night are the only tool watch functions you should find on a true field watch.
Scientist: Magnetic Resistance
Rolex Milgauss
Mechanical watches go well together with many things. Motor racing, deep sea diving, a matching tuxedo. However, they do not pair well with magnetic fields. One sure fire way to ruin the accuracy of your mechanical watch is to place it next to a high powered electromagnetic source. The force from scientific or technological equipment that generates electromagnetic activity has an effect on the components inside the movement, (usually the balance spring and escapement) and can play havoc with the timekeeping.
In most professions this isn’t something to worry about, however for scientists or engineers spending many hours a day inside laboratories with high powered machinery this causes a problem. In 1956 Rolex led the way in producing a watch which could withstand high levels of electromagnetic activity and could be worn by scientists and engineers. The Milgauss was born. The term milgauss refers to the fact that the watch can withstand magnetic fields to the measure of 1,000 gauss. A standard watch is normally about 60 gauss.
The original Rolex Milgauss from the 1950’s
Alongside Rolex other brands have followed suit in creating these scientific watches. The key feature of all these types of watches is that the movement is housed inside a faraday cage. The faraday cage can’t be seen as it sits inside the case. However, this separate housing made from iron or similar materials is what protects the movement from electromagnetic activity. As material science has continued to evolve, modern watches have adopted silicon balance springs and other additional materials to use inside the movement. Further increasing the magnetic resistance of watches.
Yacht Racer: Regatta Timer
Rolex Yacht-Master II
Yacht racing watches, also known as regatta timers, share many similarities to dive watches. A yacht racing watch is worn in or near water so high levels of water resistance are essential, they usually contain a rotatable bezel and offer a timing function that differs from a chronograph. Where the main difference to your traditional dive watch comes in is with this timing function.
Unlike a dive watch where timing of your dive is measured using the bezel the regatta timer does use a separate timing complication. To understand the purpose of the regatta timer you need to understand how the start of a yacht race actually works. Unlike a motor or athletics race lining up all participants on the start line in a stationary position is impossible. Instead, the start of a yacht race is a rolling start whereby your yacht mustn’t cross the start line before a specific time. It is therefore your aim to cross this start line as close to this time as possible whilst travelling as fast as possible.
Frederique Constant Yacht Timer Regatta Countdown
To signal the start time the yacht crews are given a 5 or 10 minute countdown warning. It’s then up to the crews to ensure they cross the start line at the right time. The regatta timer is a tool watch function that you will only find on a yacht racing watch such as Frederique Constant Yacht Timer Regatta Countdown. On the Frederique Constant the countdown is signified by a set of circles, one for each minute. As the orange coloured circle moves across the register it signals the countdown to the start of the race. Whilst several regatta timers use this circular representation for the countdown due to how easy it is to see whilst on a boat others revert to the more traditional hand and minute track or sub dial.
Explorer: Explorer Watch
Breitling Emergency from the 1990s, image credit: Watchcollecting
This tool watch function is very niche. In fact, probably the most niche tool watch on this list. In 1995 Breitling released the world’s first watch with a built-in distress beacon. The Breitling Emergency is a chunky dual analogue and digital display wrist watch which contains a radio transmitter only to be used in case of emergency.
In order to activate the distress signal, an antenna needs to be pulled out from the lugs at the bottom end of the case. Once the antenna has been activated a dual frequency distress beacon is emitted and the signal will guide emergence rescue services to your location. At present the Breitling is the only watch on the market with this function, although digital watches like the Apple watch now offer an emergence feature via satellite connection even if you don’t have phone reception.
Racer: Chronograph
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona Platinum
The final professional watch on our list which helps you to do your job is a racing watch. Initially designed for racing drivers and their teams the racing watch primarily has two functions. The first to measure lap times and the second to calculate speed.
The most distinguishing feature of a racing watch is the presence of a chronograph. Without a chrono the watch isn’t a racing watch. The chronograph can be a three sub dial layout like the Zenith Chronomaster Sport or a two sub dial layout like the Tag Heuer Monaco. One of the key characteristics to watch out for on the subdials of a racing watch is the contrasting colours. At a minimum you could expect to see the subdials with coloured chapter rings, like on the Rolex Daytona. Or more commonly, the subdials themselves are in an entirely separate colour. These colours are designed to provide high contrast and make the chronograph function easier to read when travelling at high speed.
Zenith Chronomaster Sport Boutique Edition
The second key feature of a racing watch is a tachymeter scale. The tachymeter scale is used to calculate speed by timing how long it takes the car to travel a set distance. The tachymeter scale can be found either on the bezel or around the out edge of the dial. Unlike bezels on dive watches the bezel on a racing watch is fixed and can’t be rotated. This is because the chronograph function can always be reset to zero so the bezel doesn’t need to move.
In general most racing watches will contain a tachymeter alongside a chronograph. However, it’s worth noting that perhaps the most famous racing watch of them all, the Tag Heuer Monaco, doesn’t contain a tachymeter.
Tag Heuer Monaco Chronograph Racing Blue
The final element to look out for on a racing watch is the strap. True racing straps offer breath-ability to the wrist in the form of holes or perforated leather. Racing cars are often ill equipped with luxuries such as air conditioning so the drivers get very hot. A lightweight breathable strap is very much called for. Modern day racing watches have embraced steel straps mainly because the metal will last longer and very few are actually wearing these watches for racing. If you want to spot a true racing watch however a leather or rubber strap is one to look out for.
In the modern day the tool watch functions aren’t fulfilling the roles they once did quite as regularly. However, from time to time these watches still offer practical capabilities that might help you to do your job. For that reason It’s probably best to have one, just in case.
