Founded in the USA in 1921 by Benjamin Lazrus and his two brothers, Benrus started life as a watchmaker’s shop in New York where it continued until the late ‘20s when the company transitioned into manufacturing watches by importing parts from Switzerland. Built on the back of the popularity of those watches, Benrus emerged as the watch of choice for soldiers within the US military, with their watches becoming synonymous with the Vietnam war and WWII. Offered here, we have the Benrus Type 1 Class A US Military Dive Watch, built to appease the United States Department of Defense’s MIL-W-50717 standard, which was devised after the need for a more robust dive-orientated watch for military personnel was identified. Built for almost a decade from circa 1972 until 1980, these watches featured an asymmetrical monocoque bead-blasted stainless steel case, a black dial with large luminous indices and hands that created its incredible legibility. Featuring a caseback with the mil-spec number, manufacturer, NSN, manufacturer part number, contract number, production date, and serial number stamped into it, the Type 1 Dive Watch is a true military-issue piece of kit. Powered by the automatic Benrus cal. GS1D2, which is based on the ETA cal. 2620 but modified to military specifications to have hacking seconds, the Type 1 is as robust and capable as any other watch from its time.

Watch is in excellent overall condition. As this is a military issued watch, there are some expected visible surface marks and tiny dings along some of the edges, but the case retains thick and full lugs. The dings are primarily located along the bezel edge of the case, as well as lug corners. The original dial is in excellent condition, and the luminous dots are all intact and off white in tone. The hands retain their original luminous, but they are slighty darker in tone than the dial. The crystal is crazed and has some scratches as seen in the images. The bezel has a hairline crack going thru the 12 o'clock triangle and minor surface wear and marks can be seen on its surface.

Physically imposing, aesthetically unique, and historically important, Benrus created a watch that would become a cult classic in the decades that followed thanks to its unusual construction and rich heritage.