Military watches speak to me even though I’ve never served. I did want to serve when I was a teenager but didn’t to make my parents happy. Ah, teens. But I’ve always been interested in and attracted to the military for one of many reasons. But because Mainspring is not where I write my memoirs, I will only stick to the part which relates to horology. So, soldiers have equipment designed for specific purposes. Each part of their gear was purposely (again, this word) designed and manufactured following strict requirements. They had to look and function in certain ways and for specific reasons and survive tough and dangerous environments. Just like, historically, our Neenderthals and Sapiens ancestors made specific tools to accomplish specific tasks. I have a need = I build a tool. Basically. 

This need-makes-tool approach is simple and natural to our species. Tools were just that, tools. They didn’t have to look particularly fancy nor did they have to be made out of rare and precious materials. Humans used the materials they could find and sculpt them with other tools they made. For military equipment, simple and tough materials are used and shaped into objects for which the principle of “form follows function” applies perfectly. So when a new brand calls itself Tuul and makes a watch called the Filthy 13, boy am I present to take a look at it! The Filthy 13 is Tuul’s contemporary revisitation of the Dirty Dozen from 1945 which were purpose-driven field watches made by twelve renown Swiss manufacturers. Retailing for $899.99, the brand has to offer something good to be worth your while. 

Let’s find out if it does. 

Specifications

From a specifications standpoint, you will find everything you need in this model to confidently use it on the battlefield or in any other situation in which you know you will put your watch through its paces. We find a bead-blasted stainless steel case, a flat piece of sapphire crystal with several layers of inner anti-reflective coating, loads of green glowing SuperLuminova, a screw-down crown and case-back endowing this model with 100 meters of water resistance, and a Sellita SW261-1 caliber (4Hz/41 hours of power reserve.) The Tuul Filthy 13 is offered in a total of four versions, black or white dial with a bead-blasted stainless steel case and black or green on a bronze case. Any version can be had on a sturdy nylon strap in black, khaki, or army green. So yes, the Tuul is ready for action, baby. 

The specs are good but rather common for a watch of this type and at this price point. The dial bears the “Swiss Made” label which should indicate a quality product. Although this is not always a given when I think back at the 250+ watches I’ve reviewed thus far (humble brag,) I can tell you that the Filthy 13 is well-made and that all aspects of its manufacturing and finishing indicate quality. And this is something I can only write about and attempt to show on pictures, as quality is something that you can only experience in the metal. So the Tuul has this je-ne-sais-quoi that makes me think I’m handling a genuine piece of military equipment, or at the very least, a good tool watch. If I was in the military or about to embark on a humanitarian mission tomorrow, I would feel I have the right equipment wearing the Filthy 13. 

So the Tuul Filthy 13 is indeed a contemporary take on the Dirty Dozen. First, by the aforementioned specs. Second, by its size. It comes with a diameter of 38mm, a lug-to-lug of 46mm, a thickness of 11.25mm (with the crystal) and a 20mm lug width. So it’s only 3mm larger than the average 1945 Dirty Dozen which is good. Tuul could have gone the route of slapping a 40mm diameter on this thing as I’ve seen done to a few miserable three-hander field watches before. And the crown comes in with a 7mm diameter which is also good as it makes it easy to grab and operate. I have a theory that bead-blasting, and sand-blasting for that matter, a crown or case make them easier to operate since they now have a matte, less-slippery surface. And maybe you figured this out years ago. (But I just did.)  

Design

If you’ve seen images of the Dirty Dozen before then you will recognize the design language of the Tuul Filthy 13 which follows specific requirements set out by the British Ministry of Defense. And although each of the 12 brands came up with their own twists, they all had to come with a running seconds sub-register, large and luminous hands, luminous markers, a minute railroad track, large Arabic numerals for the hours, and a black dial. And that is what we find on the Tuul Filthy 13: baton-style hour and minute hands, lumed, printed Arabic numerals complemented by lumed plots on the minute track, a matte black dial, and minimal branding. This particular combination of the hands and markers is legible, so is the juxtaposition of these elements with the matte black dial. From a legibility standpoint, it doesn’t get any better. 

Though the design of the dial is rather standard, there is one element of it which I find particularly interesting: the 15-minute markers on the running seconds sub-register which are highlighted with Arabic numerals and the needle-shaped seconds hand. Of all the 12 Dirty Dozen variants, only the Vertex one had this feature which is indeed interesting as Vertex is one of the two original brands still making this type of watch today. In a way, and perhaps I’m completely off the mark here, it was a way for Tuul to pay homage to Vertex. And if that wasn’t the case, heck, it still works and I still like this detail. Still looking at the dial, I appreciate the simple branding made up of the brand name and a symbol, similar to that found on the original models. 

As I’ve come to understand to be true of all (“proper”) tool watches I’ve reviewed thus far, the case of the Tuul Filthy 13 has a classic and simple design. And that is the case (pun intended), I believe, so that the case does not take the wearer’s attention away from the dial. Think of it as a pedestal presenting the most exquisite of sculptures in the fanciest and most elegant art gallery of New York City. It is there to support and show the work of art, not to steal the show. This is why the case of the Filthy 13 has, literally, a non-descript profile. But: long, narrow, and drilled lugs, no chamfers anywhere on the case, slab-sided flanks, and a discreet fixed bezel. It is so because it works and because the Filthy 13 was created to be a tool watch. 

The Heart of the Matter

At the heart of the matter is the simple fact that Tuul is a new brand and that its first model, the Filthy 13, is a worthy recreation of the Dirty Dozen. And one of the rare ones which faithfully follows the strict design codes of the original and which retails for $900. (The only other one I can think of is the mechanical version of the Vaer A12 Dirty Dozen.) What the Tuul has which the Vaer doesn’t is the more distinct military vibe that comes from the tactical appearance that stems from the bead-blasted case and the matte dial. The former helps in protecting the watch from scratches and minor shocks whilst the latter absorbs light instead of reflecting it. Two details which perhaps don’t matter to you but which matter to someone like me. 

Moreover, I would say that it was brave (not stupid) of Tuul to come up with a first collection retailing for $900 out of nowhere. I’ve been in contact with the brand ever since its first post on Instagram and it didn’t do much in terms of marketing and promotion. Even though I expressed a strong interest in reviewing this watch before it was released—because I’m insistent and slightly annoying but in a cute way—I thought the brand would jump on the occasion to loan me one but it didn’t. To this date there aren’t many reviews of this model (which is a shame because it’s really good) but that very fact indicates that Tuul is more interested in creating solid tool watches rather than creating a big buzz. But that’s only my impression and something I highly respect. 

Conclusion 

So, $899.99 you said? Yes I did. And that would be a good investment to make should you pull the trigger on a Tuul Filthy 13. I’ve reviewed many modern recreations and interpretations of the Dirty Dozen and this one comes close to being perfect. I would put it next to the Timor W.W.W.—the other one of the two original brands still making this model today—in terms of design, overall quality, and badassness. Though in December 2024 the Timor costs $400 more putting it above the stress-inducing $1,000 price mark. And a modern Vertex M100A costs three times the price of a Tuul. So, putting all of this into perspective, I would opt for the Filthy 13 should I be on the market for a good Dirty Dozen timekeeping device. 

Check out this link to discover the four versions of the Tuul Filthy 13. 

Thanks for reading.