A-11 Service Watch Men's Military Automatic Watch, 38mm/42mm Stainless Steel Case, 50M Water Resistance, Black/Beige Dial with Green/White Lume, Black/Brown/Green Leather/Canvas/Nylon Strap, Combat Tactical Field Spec Ops Commemorative Vintage

Instant classic…. Literally. A good looking addition to the wardrobe that is a reproduction of the field watches used in WW2.

Very handsome watch "in the style" of the A11 service watches issued during WWII. The hands aren't right, the "fauxtina" color is too consistently even, and yes, it's way too big. But I like it. It's actually colorful in the sun with shades of green as well as beige.I knew it had a phantom date position, so I cannot complain except to ask, "why not use an NH38?" It would be hard to find fault in this watch with that small change.I DID NOT receive the Tom Rice model I ordered, (plain case back, no "Tom Rice" engraving,) but that's fine, for what I paid, I was expecting the regular service model anyway (same price as the Praesidus website, $90 less than the Tom Rice model.) I guess that means mineral crystal instead of sapphire crystal, but that'll be a heck of a lot more scratch resistant than the acrylic.If you want a 36mm case with acrylic crystal, Praesidus makes one, but I'm hard on watches and over plastic crystals.The green nylon band was uncomfortable and unadjustable; the stitching around the holes makes adding another hole unsightly, so I just threw on an extra Vaer band I had laying around.They "try it now, pay later" feature was the clincher -- figured I'd wear it for a week and see if I wanted to keep wearing it; I did.

First off I wanted a watch with no branding or text (besides the aribic nimbers). I wanted a basic automatic with now date or day window. I also wanted something with a common movement. This checked all the boxes.I like the look utilitarian of it.Thee numbers are slighly raised on the dial giving it a little dimension.Buyer beware though, I ordered what I thought was the A-11 Tom Rice based on the "42mm Tom Rice" that I clicked. I received the 42mm A-11 Service Watch. After a little research, the only difference I found is that the Tom Rice now has sapphire glass and "the lost watch of D-day" engraving which inflates the cost $100 more while the Service watch has K1 glass according to the website.I think they changed the model line up recently, as in changed the A-11 Tom Rice model to sapphire and renamed the old Tom Rice model the now A-11 Service Watch.That being said, I was expecting K1 glass so I'm not upset, because I based my decision of reviews from a couple years ago. Mine also doesn't have the Tom Rice engraving on the back, it just says Type A-11. Besides, I wouldn't be willing to spend an extra $100 just for sapphire, since I'm not hard on my watches anyways.

Fantastic watch, looks great and overall function is top notch for the price range. The strap leaves a bit to be desired but that’s an easy fix. Overall would definitely recommend this watch.

I like the historical aspect, a WWII era classic! It is self winding, but can also be mechanically wound. The quality is great, but the scratch resistance is not amazing. Mine loses a few minutes per week, so I’m not sure how it compares to others.

Pro's-First of all, this is one VERY comfortable watch. Pretty slim, lightweight, and the included leather band is extremely comfortable. The NH-35 movement is thus far dead on accurate since I set it with my phone this morning. And it's also a very nice looking homage to the A-11. At lunch today it received 100% approval from the guys in attendance.Con's- This is NOT the watch I thought I was ordering. I selected the button that clearly states, 'Tom Rice 38mm', but what I got was the standard A-11. No sapphire crystal, and no engraving on the back mentioning the 101st Airborne. As a former 101st trooper myself, that's 95% of the reason I chose this piece over others.The worst part of this piece is that there is essentially NO LUME on the hands. NONE. I've included a pic shot with night mode on a Samsung Ultra 4 minutes after being charged outside. The indices and numbers are quite bright (but fade quickly) and there is no more glow on the painted parts of the hands than there is on the bare metal frames. Utterly unacceptable. And utterly useless on a dark night. This piece is worth maybe $100 in my opinion, but nowhere near the $259 it costs. I will probably be returning this watch despite it's comfort and attractiveness.

The watch did not work. It was purchased as a new watch but clearly was not. I could tell from the packaging that this had been purchased and returned by someone else. I will never buy from this company. Too bad I can't give zero stars.

I swapped the brown leather band for an original bund strap I restored, the watch comes with a light brown comfy leather strap with textured liner.I didnt see any reviews for the 38MM version so here goes:It's still a large watch compared to the original issue and PX purchases of the time which were 34mm faces and down to 28mm.I love it. It's silent, period looking for WWII reenacting, and the band it comes with (I swapped it for an original black leather band) is comfy and sturdy. The dial is easy to see, and the instruction book is one page.I put the Praesidus next to a period WWII 34mm watch with a 1960's band. As you can see the 38MM still dwarfs the period piece. However, it is incredibly comfortable; even for someone who hates wearing a watch. I only wear one to work (fire department), or to re-enactments.So in summary, I highly recommend the watch, there's a 3 year warranty unless you destroy it yourself. There is a fee for repairs not covered but it's $15 so Praesidus backs their product. I have no idea how their customer service is and hope I never find out. If you want a big modern looking watch to wear around get either size, it's a beautiful watch. If you need it as a historical piece, get the 38MM it's excellent.Update: Years later and still going strong!