Teddy Baldassarre
A-11 Watch: Bulova Reimagines The World War 2 Field Watch
Anyone with an interest in watches and military history is likely familiar with the A-11 watch aka “The Watch That Won The War” due to its role as the standard issue timepiece for the American military during World War II. Elgin, Waltham, and Bulova were the three American watchmakers tapped to produce these watches which came in a few variants with some differentiation in case style with some having coin edge bezels while others didn’t, some with lume and others without, some waterproof and some dustproof. It was the durability, reliability, and the ever-useful hacking seconds function that gave these watches their reputation and we’ve seen our fair share of tributes and rereleases. One that caught my eye when it was released a couple of years ago is likely the least “faithful” to the traditional design but succeeds in presenting something a little different and done a red, white, and blue dial color scheme. The watch, of course, is the Bulova Hack A-11. Bulova A-11 Watch Case: Done in a 37mm wide and 14.5mm thick steel case with a 44.5mm lug-to-lug measurement, the Bulova Hack A-11 is quite conservative in its sizing (even though the original was a now-diminutive 32mm) and works as a versatile unisex field watch. Still, those nice long curved lugs do add some wrist presence that make the watch wear a little bigger than its specs would lead you to think. The case thickness and the added heft of a NATO strap also adds to the substantial feeling of the watch. Th...