The 2025 Benrus Type 1 MilSpec, a Tough and Purposeful Combat Tool

Benrus is one of the few American watch companies with a claim to fame for practical, no-nonsense timepieces. Founded in 1921 by the Lazrus brothers, Benjamin, Oscar, and Ralph, the company combined Swiss precision with American assembly and marketing to carve out a spot in watchmaking history. Starting in New York City, the brothers pooled their savings to import Swiss movements and build watches in Manhattan. But before we explore the history of this American watch brand, let’s immediately state what matters: Benrus is back and so is the emblematic Type 1 MilSpec, in a modernised, more compact form. 

Background

Benrus watches caught on fast in the U.S., helped by smart endorsements with big names like pilot Charles Lindbergh and baseball legend Babe Ruth. In the 1940s, Benrus produced its standout Sky Chief chronograph, powered by the Valjoux 72 movement, built for pilots and airline crews during the boom in commercial aviation.

Lesser known but just as interesting were Benrus’s 1950s steering wheel self-winding clocks, which used the wheel’s motion and rotor movement for winding. In the 1960s and 1970s, Benrus expanded into rugged dive watches, such as the Ultra Deep series. The early models used the Swiss EPSA Super Compressor case.

At the same time, Benrus became one of the U.S. military’s trusted suppliers. During the Vietnam War, it produced the DTU-2A/P, meeting MIL-W-3818B specs. Simple and robust, this field watch used an ETA movement with hacking seconds, tritium lume, and a front-loading case to prevent leaks, a reliable tool for soldiers in the field.

In the 1970s, Benrus cemented its military reputation with the Type I and Type II dive watches, designed to meet the strict MIL-W-50717 specs for Navy Special Forces, Rangers, and CIA teams. Both featured tough stainless steel cases with a high water-resistant rating, a simple rotating bezel, and minimalist dials, all with a focus on function over frills. The Type I had a clean 12-hour dial; the Type II added a full 24-hour layout. 

Like many heritage brands, Benrus struggled during the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s and 1980s, eventually fading out and changing hands multiple times. But its legacy lived on with collectors and military watch fans.

The new Benrus Type 1 MilSpec 39.5mm

Today, the independent New York brand is back, led by an experienced management team, offering modern reissues of its classics, including the Type I. In 2020, Benrus reintroduced it as a limited edition, rekindling interest while incorporating modern features. Now, we’re kicking off our Benrus series with a look at the 2025 Type 1 MilSpec 39.5mm.

This new Type 1’s 39.5mm 316L stainless steel case has a sandblasted finish that keeps glare to a minimum and is a near match for the vintage issued models, which used corrosion-resistant Parkerized steel with a matte, non-reflective surface. It’s got that classic asymmetrical barrel shape that shields the screw-down crown at 3 o’clock, a distinctive feature that made it less likely to catch on wetsuits or gear. While the original 1970s watch measured 43mm x 16mm, the new and more compact Type 1 is 14.4mm thick. The case is topped with a double-domed sapphire crystal with AR coating producing slight vintage distortions at extreme angles, but stays clear and legible straight on. Water-resistance is 365m.

The steel, sandblasted bezel is classic Type 1, bi-directional, with a firm but smooth action, easy to grip thanks to deep, coin-edge knurling, and an aluminium insert featuring numerals for the hours, sharp markings for the first 20 minutes and a triangle at the 12 o´clock position. Unlike the contemporary Type 1 41.5mm versions, the 39.5mm sticks to the original spirit with a solid screw-down engraved caseback, and keeps multiple lines of information, to include production month and year, serial number, MIL-W-50717 and model name, pretty much like the original, with an added Swiss Made designation right under the U.S. Not to complain, but the limited 2020 reissue had its caseback designed to look much like the 1970s model, and it will be missed.

On the wrist, the new Benrus Type 1 MilSpec 39.5mm fits more discreetly, as a mission-ready watch should. The case sits flat enough to slip under cuffs but still carries enough wrist presence to feel reassuringly rugged.

Like the original and the 2020 version, the dial stays faithful to the Type 1’s clandestine roots: spartan, matte black, no logo or date window. The large applied geometric hour markers, rectangles at 3, 6, and 9, dots, and the downward-pointing triangle at 12, are now filled with modern BW G9 Super-LumiNova, which is brighter and longer-lasting than the original tritium paint. The broad, simple sword hands, also lume-filled, sweep over a dial that’s all about true, at-a-glance legibility. Even in full daylight, there’s a crispness to the printing and the negative space that reminds you this watch was never about flash, only function. Swiss Made, however, appears on the dial, too, at its usual position.

Inside its stealth case, the 2025 Benrus Type 1 MilSpec relies on an ETA 2892, a thin, reliable Swiss automatic with a 42-hour power reserve. The watch comes ready for the tour of duty with a durable 20mm black rubber strap, soft but robust, with a straightforward stainless steel pin buckle. With the fixed bars of the original gone, swapping it for a NATO or canvas band is quick work. 

The new Benrus Type 1 MilSpec 39.5mm is priced at CHF 1,590 (excluding tax); it remains true to the spirit of the original, balancing upgrades with its rugged, combat-ready heritage. While mil-spec reissues are hardly rare these days, the Benrus Type 1 stands apart thanks to its genuine historical roots and a design that feels connected to the legacy of those who wore it in the field.

For more, visit benrus.com.