The chief task in our lives of watch enthusiasts and collectors is to figure out what kind of watch speaks to us the most and to wear these watches with bold confidence and with complete disregard for whatever anyone would say or think about them. And personal experience has shown that it takes a while to understand what we like and why. Sometimes, we come across the right type of watch but not in the exact configuration for us; some other times we think we would like this or that watch but we don’t. And, as if it was a theoretical life-or-death situation, we need to study the whys and hows of watch collecting and that which fits our personality the best. For example, whilst many rave about the Hamilton Khaki Field, it never spoke to me but this Benrus DTU-2A/P does—why? Because of dimensions and proportions. Something we will get back to later on. 

Benrus is the type of brand I’ve been curious about ever since I got into watches and began to understand myself. Although historically the brand has delved into many genres of watches—everyday, dressy, and chronographs—it is mostly known for the models it made for the U.S. Military and that in several versions: the Type I and Type II for elite units starting in the 1970s, and the DTU field watch. The latter is the topic of this review as we’re taking a close look at the newest and truest of its re-creation in a glorious 34mm case. However, the Benrus DTU’s story began in 1962 when the American brand was the first and only one to win the contract to make watches for the U.S. Army following the then new MIL-W-3818B specification. The latter fact is probably unknown to many and makes for the perfect starting point for this article. 

So you know, a few discerning enthusiasts like yours truly bask in the experience of wearing period-correct, smaller field watches. 

Specifications 

So let’s begin with a bit of history of MIL-SPECs as far as they relate to the U.S. Military (the British Ministry of Defense had its own specifications for military watches and the Dirty Dozen are the best known examples of them.) As far as I can tell, the 1962 MIL-W-3818B specification the Benrus DTU-2A/P is based on, was preceded by MIL-W-3818A from 1956 which was itself preceded by the FSSC 88-W-800 specification from 1942 (watches which fell under this specification were designated A-11*), which was itself preceded by the 94-27834B specification from the 1940s. And the 1962 specification was followed by MIL-W-46374B from 1977 and GG-W-113 from 1979. What’s interesting is that, if you look for watches by typing these series of letters and numbers, you will most likely come across a whole bunch of models which look very similar. That is due to the fact that each new specification called for technical improvements and not necessarily visual ones. 

*I believe that A-11 watches were considered pilot watches and not field ones. 

More importantly perhaps, is that MIL-W-3818B was released to respond to the need to make field watches that could be serviced. Previous models were discarded when broken. This is important because it means Benrus, by responding and being the first brand to win the contract, had to make it so their watches would be more robust and repaired if the need arose, which I believe explained why the DTU-2A/P, the Government nomenclature under which these watches were registered, are so iconic yet misunderstood. The original DTU-2A/P shined for having a hacking caliber—the DR 2F2 movement which was an ETA 2370 modified by Benrus to hack, a shock-proof hesalite crystal, a stainless steel case with parkerized treatment (for added protection against corrosion and shocks,) and tritium lume on the hands and hour markers. In other words, it was made of all the good things we now take for granted in a proper field/tool watch and knowing that all of this existed as early as 1962 is, to me, mind-blowing. 

If we look at the latest re-edition Benrus DTU-2A/P, we find an equally capable watch now equipped with what many of us—watch enthusiasts, collectors, and utilitarian horology nerds—expect to see in a modern field watch, yet specs which we don’t always get even when looking at the current catalogs of iconic Swiss brands. In other words: a double-domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating, 100 meters of water resistance thanks to a screw-down crown and case-back, sandblasted 316L stainless steel case, intense applications of BGW9 lume on the hands and triangular-shaped markers nestled on the minute track, and an ETA 2671 caliber (4Hz/38 hours of power reserve.) I believe that this Benrus DTU-2A/P is the best spec’ed 34mm field watch currently in existence, and at the very least, the only one to be so which can claim a legitimate heritage. (I’m not dissing homages watches because I do have a fond appreciation for them, just stating a fact.) 

P.S. The case of this gem of military horology measures 34 x 40.2 x 10.9mm

Design

Let’s now turn our attention to the design of the 34mm Benrus DTU-2A/P, one that is seemingly simple yet complex. Earlier I mentioned the ever-so-famous Hamilton Khaki Field every watch collector should have in his/her collection, one that never spoke to me as we know on account of its dimensions and proportions. And I can explain why I never jived with it now that I have handled the 34mm Benrus. As its core, this watch was created with superlative legibility and ultimate practicality in mind and as such was endowed with several sets of information one should be able to quickly read and comprehend: the local time indicated on a 12-hour scale by way of large and matte hands and large printed Arabic numerals, the military time indicated on a smaller 24-hour scale, and one had to be able to easily read the time at night and under any climatic conditions for strategic purposes. 

This meant indeed large hour markers for the local time and lumed triangular elements on the outer edges of the dial for nighttime legibility. Well, to put it simply, enlarging all of these elements to fit in a 38mm case (that of the Hamilton Khaki Field and of many other similar watches,) was just visually overwhelming to me. This type of dial design doesn’t need to be—and shouldn’t be—made larger as it is perfectly legible in a 34mm case. (You all know how legible I find the 32mm Praesidus A-11 Type 44 for the exact same reasons.) Larger, the hands and hour markers and lumed elements command a greater visual presence, a bolder one, a more in-your-face one, and therefore don’t look as good in my own opinion—and don’t make for a legible dial either. (I know, I’m getting a little intense here but this topic is a source of passion for me.) In other words, this dial layout was made to fit smaller cases—and therefore smaller dials. 

In additional more words, if you want to make a bigger field watch—to match the preferences of misogynistic snobs and that of contemporary watch enthusiasts—then please come up with a new design instead of recycling an old one best fitted for smaller watches. Now, if we want to look at the 34mm Benrus DTU-2A/P from a pure design standpoint, we find the following: large and white printed Arabic numerals for the main/local time, smaller ones for the 24-hour scale, syringe-style hour and minute hands, lumed, an arrow-shaped seconds hand almost fully lumed, a matte dial with a fine sandy texture, lumed triangular elements marking the 1-hour (or 5-minute) increments, white printed minute hash-marks, the appropriate absence of branding**, and a case coming with a classic profile and a twist. The latter being the horizontal break where the lugs level with the upper section of the mid-case. 

**What we generally consider to be pure tool watches do not show branding which is the case here. However, below the six we find the word “Swiss” and above the twelve the letter “L” which refers to Luminova to distinguish the modern luminescent compound from the old radioactive ones. 

The Heart of the Matter

At the heart of the matter is the fact that Benrus is listening and paying attention to what hardcore military and tool watch enthusiasts are secretly asking for. Secretly because I believe that there are more watch nerds seeking smaller field watches than it appears to be—again because I believe that still to this day, and despite all of the progress we’ve made in regards to gender-specific stereotypes, that many males consider men wearing smaller watches as being effeminate***. The latter is absurd and sad but does not make it impossible for us—all of us watch enthusiasts regardless of gender—to find and enjoy wearing period-correct field watches like the 34mm Benrus DTU-2A/P. But more than being a declaration of horological freedom, this model is a little gem of historical military timekeeping, re-created by a brand that has legitimacy in the field (nice pun, right?) and which, with elegance and restraint, brought back an icon. 

***If 34mm field watches were alright for soldiers then they should be us as well. 

Conclusion 

The Benrus DTU-2A/P has therefore been around for a long time, since 1962, and making a comeback in its original format in 2025 simply shows that the best things never go out of fashion. The modern 34mm edition is currently available on pre-order on the brand’s website and will set you back $990 USD for which you will get a period-correct brown leather brown strap and a green NATO-style strap. That’s a good amount of money to depart with for a Swiss made watch equipped with an ETA caliber and lots of good specs, two straps, and a quality of finishing and manufacturing—which you can only take my word for it—which, I’m sorry to say, will never be equalled by the myriad of other brands that make look-alikes. There is something about a Swiss made field watch and this particular Benrus that feels especially premium, and I can’t really put words to my impressions right now. 

Note: deliveries are slated to begin at the end of May 2025. 

Thanks for reading.