Ever since 1945 and the delivery of approximately 150,000 “Dirty Dozen” field watches commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense to twelve watch manufacturers, we watch enthusiasts have been driven—highly driven—to acquire one of them or something that looks like one. 150,000 watches is quite a few watches, regardless of unsure we are about the actual total number of timepieces that were manufactured and shipped out. But originals in good condition are said to be difficult and expensive to acquire. And any watch that was made around 1945 is ancient in today’s world and many folks (me and you probably) do not care to spend thousands of dollars for a watch we would be too afraid of wearing for fear of damaging it, even though it must have already been graced with a few non-battle scars*. That is why a plethora of brands from around the world have made their own versions of the 1945 military watches. 

Some are better than others. Some are more expensive than others. Some are allegedly fully made in Switzerland and others not at all. At the time of writing this article, only one of the twelve original brands that made the Dirty Dozen still makes one just like it was aesthetically-wise, Timor and the Heritage Field WWW, though it should be noted that the re-created Vertex popped a modern and largely faithful version of it in 2016, the M100, and that someone recently revived Grana and that they are about to release, I assume, a version of it as well. The problem is that I couldn't figure out how much dough the British M.O.D. spent on these watches in the 1940s, but I will assume a modest sum of money for each, as I’m of the thinking that a tool watch, a piece of practical equipment, shouldn’t cost more than an arm. And ideally $139 USD which is what Baltany asks for its Retro 39mm Dirty Dozen S2081. 

*The Dirty Dozen didn’t see combat save for the Vertex Cal 59 delivered in 1944, according to the brand. 

Specifications 

Baltany is a Chinese brand which specializes in fairly priced and generously spec’ed homages of mostly vintage watches and many military ones. It won’t win an award for creative singularity and inventiveness, but it should certainly win one for the excellent value it offers. Baltany, just like many other Western-based brands, creates modern re-editions of past models, made with modern tech, and often with a few twists in design. But because we know it is a Chinese brand it is ok to dismiss it as being just another homage brand that makes watches on the cheap. There are many brands today which produce similar watches as Baltany, and which draw inspiration from the same historical models as Baltany does, but because they are headquartered in North America or Europe, it is okay to speak positively about them. Spoiler alert: the Retro 39mm Dirty Dozen S2081 is better spec’ed and better made at this price point than many other homages I’ve seen. 

And I would say that this model makes a lot more sense spec-to-dollar wise as I care more about having a good overall package that I can wear everyday worry-free rather than having a watch that has a sophisticated movement or a rare case material. Brands which make the latter types of Dirty Dozen-inspired watches often miss the mark regardless of how cool their watches might be. So, as far as the Baltany goes, we find a 316L stainless steel case measuring 39mm in diameter, 46mm lug-to-lug, 12mm thick including the AR-coated sapphire crystal, dimensions which have become commonplace measurements for a field watch in 2025. The slightly conical-shaped crown screws down, the case-back too, which endows the S2081 with 100 meters of water resistance which is more than good. (The crown is not signed, horror!) The aforementioned crystal is domed, sits high, and has nicely rounded edges that fit perfectly within the fixed bezel. 

The caliber inside is a non-hacking Seagull ST1731 which beats at 3Hz and comes with 38 hours of power reserve, equipped with a date complication located at the six o’clock (more on that later.) I don’t own a timegrapher and because the movement doesn’t hack I cannot check how accurate it is, but already we get a lot of watch for the asking $139 USD. (Changing the date on this caliber comes with a distinct “click” akin to that found on the Seiko NH34 when changing the GMT hand. I like it.) Lume on the Baltany is generously applied and we find a combination of GL old SuperLuminova on the hands and circular/baton-shaped markers on the dial, and BGW9 for the Arabic numerals. I don’t wake up in the middle of the night to check if a watch’s lume is still glowing but I can tell you the one found on the S2081 charges quickly and glows intensely. Lastly, the finishing on the case is excellent and better than most watches at this price point. 

I just wanted to throw it out there. 

Design 

As I mentioned earlier, Baltany mostly makes homages of vintage military watches as many other brands do. So neither Baltany nor the others will win awards in the design department. But that statement alone is something I could easily argue with myself because the brand did a few things which are different and interesting. The most important of them, and the reason why I wanted to review this model in the first place, is the placement of a date aperture at the six o’clock inside the running seconds sub-register. Encastrating a date there isn’t new and found on many fancy Swiss tool watches (Tag HEUER’s Carrera Glassbox for one,) but I like the unconventional and impure addition of a date on a field watch, and particularly how Baltany went about integrating it within the dial design: it’s small, blends in perfectly, and remains legible despite its modest size. In other words, it is “there” when we want it to be and not “there” when we wish it to be gone. 

This is a small departure from the design of the traditional Dirty Dozen watches from 1944/1945, whilst the rest of the dial is rather conventional although superbly laid out and executed. There are large and modern printed Arabic numerals for the hours, pencil-style hands, polished to a mirror effect, large and legible, where the tip of the minute hand curves down towards the dial to counter the parallax effect. This, and many upcoming things denote a particular attention to detail which is non commensurate with the price tag of this model. The lumed plots on the railroad minute track are crisp and ideally proportioned in relation to the numerals, the seconds hand is of the shape of a tiny arrow and equipped with a lumed element, and the fully graduated seconds track is also printed crisply. All of this put together endow the Baltany Retro 39mm Dirty Dozen S2081 is an air of refinement which typically doesn’t go hand-in-hand with its modest asking price. 

As mentioned earlier, the case is finely finished and better so than many Dirty-Dozen inspired watches at this price point, and of any genre of watches for that matter. The upper section of the fixed bezel displays a fine circular brushing which is complemented by a mirror-polished chamfer which sits above another radially brushed section which is answered by another similarly finished section on the bottom of the mid-case. Seen from the side, the case is symmetrical thanks to the repetition of these two elements and of how, visually, the domed crystal matches the raised screw-down case-back. Again, that’s a lot of watch for the asking $139 USD and more than what one could hope for. The rest of the case is fully brushed, vertically on top and horizontally on the sides, and its edges are particularly smooth to the touch, something I’ve never mentioned about a watch before. This goes to show again that…well, you know. 

The Heart of the Matter

When I posted the first couple of photos of the Baltany Retro 39mm Dirty Dozen S20081 on my Instagram account, whilst most comments were positive, a couple pointed out negatives I’m sure they would have never pointed out should the watch dial had been emblazoned with a Western name. One person commented that 39mm is too large for a Dirty Dozen homage, a comment I never got posting photos of the Tuul Filthy 13 (which has a diameter of 38mm) or the Praesidus Dirty Dozen-45 (which also has a diameter of 38mm.) Though the Baltany measures 39mm, the cases of the original Dirty Dozens measured anywhere between 35 and 38mm, which means today’s protagonist is not far off. It isn’t akin to making a 32mm watch into a 39mm one, but yet again this is the type of comment people only reserve for Chinese-made brands even though many others made by North American or European-based brands are also made in China.  

All of this is to say that certain watches made in certain countries will be looked down upon by snobs whilst they should be looked up on the merits of their incredible specifications and finely executed designs. As we know, the Baltany S2081 is as stuffed with good specs as is my belly at Thanksgiving, and the brand has the same rights as any other to homage the Dirty Dozen, or any watch for that matter. (Sorry but Western brands do not have the monopoly on rightful homages.) So at the heart of the matter today is the fact that the Baltany Retro 39mm Dirty Dozen S2081 is an excellent watch, both mechanically and visually, which offers a modern and slightly different take on the iconic Dirty Dozen watches, and which is rendered more interesting than many other ones on account of the date aperture integrated within the running seconds sub-register and of its excellent manufacturing and finishing. This model is indeed better than most field watches. 

Conclusion

It would have been easier for me to talk about the relevance of the Baltany Dirty Dozen in today’s market should I have opted to review its second variant called the Gradual Brown. A brown dial with both a sunburst and dégradé effect for the exact same price of $139 USD, which further drives home the point that the Baltany makes for an excellent value proposition. Ideally we would live in a world where it wouldn’t matter where a brand is headquartered and where a watch is made, because we can find excellence and mediocrity in horology anywhere in the world. I myself was concerned to review this Baltany for all the terrible and subjective reasons I mentioned earlier, but I took upon myself to prove myself—and the others—wrong because any watch deserves a fair evaluation. Now I know why so many like Baltany and buy their watches, and I’m glad I educated myself about this outstanding brand. 

Thanks for reading.