Regardless of what type of utilitarian watches we can think of, the design and spiritual inspiration for many of them goes back to the same dark period of the 20th century—World War II. It might seem odd at first to see so many brands insist on going back again and again to a conflict which claimed the lives of at least 35 million people globally, with some higher estimates putting that number closer to 60 million. As most stories which were woven from what happened during World War II are those of horror, cruelty, and despair, which many of us either would prefer to forget or cannot handle to hear about once more. However, what many brands do by creating timepieces inspired by the war is to remind us of the few positive things that did happen: the solidarity of civilians risking their lives to save one another, and the bravery of many soldiers who put the common good before their own survival and who believed that people can be moral and that mankind’s fairness can be portrayed through their actions. 

At Mainspring, we believe there is a benefit to telling these stories and we support the work of brands which put themselves through the difficult exercise of revisiting the 20th century’s darkest historical chapter which could seem like a pointless endeavour to many. Which is why recently we told the story of the brave American UTD divers operating in the Pacific through a review of the MKII Hellion-BAKU, and we’ve touched upon other chapters of WWII through the Lorier Merlin (Allied pilots) and Praesidus A-11 Type 44 (U.S. Paratroopers), but there was another story that needed to be told. And to do so, we must surrender the stage to Gavox, the Belgium brand we’ve featured twice before, through the AvidDiver II and Squadron, which not only produces great watches, but has been telling numerous stories of various branches of the world’s military through an extensive catalog. With the Bastogne 1945, Gavox invites us to get a sense of U.S. soldiers' bravery and grit defending Bastogne in December 1944. 

Specifications 

Creating yet another military inspired field watch—because that is what the Bastogne 1945 is at its core—could seem to be a simple exercise for any brand to go through in 2026 since so many of them have been designed, manufactured, and worn in the past…we don’t know how many years. Because more often than not, World War II-inspired field watches are look-a-likes of either the A-11 Type 44, which served during the conflict, or of the iconic Dirty Dozen, which did not serve during the conflict which is shocking news for some. For it appears that in order for a brand to create a field watch inspired by a piece of military history it must follow the rigorous previously-established design codes for such type of timekeeping device, which is something Gavox did not do, luckily. What it did do was to glean from these ubiquitous military-inspired field watches the idea of robustness and reliability—though one could argue Gavox already knew how to do this—by endowing the Bastogne 1945 with a comprehensive suite of specifications. 

What Gavox also knows how to do very well is to place its horological creations within the perfect price bracket given how they look and how they’re built—making a purchase the most sensical. Thus, the Bastogne 1945 retails for 550€/$629 USD but is currently on sale for 500€/$573 USD, prices against which we’re going to measure what follows. And the first piece of spec you should know of, and which is to me the most important one, is the Bastogne’s dimensions: a reasonable 36mm in diameter, 45.8mm-lug-to-lug, 10.4mm thick (Gavox indicates 10mm excluding the crystal but I measure a total to 10.4mm,) and a 19mm lug width. These dimensions were considered to be on the larger side of things in 1944 but small in 2026, albeit perfect for someone like yours truly with a 6.5”/16.5cm wrist. Yes, a 19mm lug width is less than ideal for strap combo nerds but it makes sense given the diameter of the watch, as Gavox focused on creating the perfect proportions for this model. Plus, the three-link bracelet makes for the perfect pairing. 

Speaking of the latter, it is composed of thin articulated links held together with push-pins, matched with a clicky double-pusher deployant clasp equipped with six holes of old-school micro-adjustment. In other words, the bracelet behaves akin to a vintage Rolex Oyster bracelet which to me is absolutely charming given the Bastogne’s vintage inspiration. Inside the case beats the tried-and-tested Miyota 9015 (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve,) a true no-date caliber, protected from water ingress down to 100 meters by way of a 5.8mm screw-down crown and case-back. Moreover, the crystal is a flat piece of scratch-resistant sapphire and below it we find good applications of Old Radium-colored SuperLuminova on the hour and minute hands, as well as the printed hour markers, which comes with a burnt-orange tint (although Gavox’s press images show a yellow one.) Clearly, the Bastogne 1945 is equipped with 21st century specifications which are the equivalent of what field watches got during World War II given where horology was then. 

Design

As we know, the Gavox Bastogne 1945 was inspired by the defense of the city of Bastogne in December 1944, which took place as part of the broader Battle of the Bulge which began that month and lasted through January 1945, during which Nazi Germany conducted a massive offensive in the Ardennes—an expansive area of treacherous dense forests and rolling hills in southeast Belgium which extends into Luxembourg, Germany and France. During the siege of Bastogne, the American Commander leading the defense of the city is said to have sent a particularly gritty message to the German Commander, the latter demanding American forces to surrender or face obliteration, to which the former allegedly replied: “Us surrender? Aw nuts!” Whether or not this brief intense exchange took place, the story of the defense of Bastogne and of the resilience of American soldiers in the face of possible annihilation inspired Gavox’s founder, Michael Happé, himself of Belgium and American descent, to crowd-source the design of the Bastogne 1945.

Something that a rare few brands do is to enlist the help of their fans to design new collections to ensure that they best represent the collective’s vision for the history it pays homage to. In a way Bausele went through a similar process with the Elemental Coorong Mist we looked at a few weeks ago, but Gavox took it a step further: the brand organized a design contest for the Bastogne and the winner, Lorant Sarkozi, came up with a rather compelling dial design paired with Gavox’s stainless steel platform, which we will get back to in a second. The dial showcases a clean arrangement of inward-facing teeth-shaped hour markers and large Arabic numerals at the cardinal points, a la Rolex Explorer 1, printed in what I described earlier as an Old Radium lume (which however glows green when charged,) set against a matte black dial, complemented by a minimalist minute track composed of white hash-marks. Above the dial a lovely set of polished Cathedral hands complements the vintage-inspired design of the Bastogne 1945. 

Moreover, the dial is decorated with the brand’s logo above the pinion, and the word “Bastogne” and Roman numerals “XLV” for “45,” printed below it in red alongside the depth rating. The case of the Bastogne 1945 seems to be a new platform on which Gavox is going to design a few collections of moderately-sized robust tool and everyday watches, which we will go back to soon in an upcoming review. From its fully-polished bulbous case flanks, it has whiffs of the Rolex Oyster case which is by far one of the most iconic steel chassis in the history of watchmaking, which visually lands itself perfectly for the Bastogne—a modern interpretation of a classic field watch, wrapped in the spiritual clothing of an everyday elegant sports watch. Which is why, for example, we find a small polished crown, a narrow bezel showcasing a superb mirror-like polishing, sharp elongated lugs which barely angle down, and a see-through case-back*, the whole being complemented by the timeless elegance of the Oyster-style three-link bracelet. 

*The press images on Gavox’s website show a closed case-back. 

The Heart of the Matter

As we’ve seen in the past here on Mainspring, there are many ways by which brands can go to create vintage-inspired, military-souled timekeeping devices. Many of them, unfortunately for creativity’s sake, go to the well-travelled path of directly homaging iconic models. For World War II, the inspiration is generally gleaned from the A-11 or Dirty Dozen, for the 1960s and 1970s (the Vietnam War,) ideas are taken from the Benrus DTU-2A/P or one of the numerous iterations of the Hamilton Khaki Field. Gavox did something different which made the Bastogne 1945 so interesting to review. It created a canvas for a crowd-sourced design, in the choice of the 36mm classically-styled stainless steel case which works for wrists of any gender and size, on top of which a classically designed, and vintage-inspired dial was placed to complement the case and create a visual narrative we can all follow and easily comprehend. Through the use of Cathedral hands, printed markers, and the vintage styling of the aged lume, it feels as if a World War II dial was extracted from a battle-worn case and placed into a new housing. 

The final effect is striking as it feels as if wearing a semi-vintage, semi-modern field watch. It’s a concept that appeared a bit nuts at first to be frank, but not so much so in practice. 

Conclusion

Gavox is a prolific brand which has put many collections under its belt already. From chronographs and GMTs to field and pilot watches, the Belgium brand has touched upon all popular styles of tool and sports watches, always remaining on the affordable side of things and using good sets of specifications. It does very well in offering balanced timekeeping devices which we can all afford to buy, and through which we can learn something. With the Squadron it was the life of fighter jet pilots; with the AviDiver II we were invited us to put ourselves in the shoes of a modern-day James Bond; the Bastogne 1945, for its part, constitutes a bridge between us living in 2026 and the brave soldiers and civilians who sacrificed everything to freedom and the survival of their own cultures. As Gavox engraved on the rotor, “du courage naît la paix,” or “from courage freedom is born.” A message we all ought to be reminded of everyday. 

Thanks for reading.