A field watch that redefines the wearing experience – the Milifortic M052

We could easily say that military watches started as field watches. Foot expedition is key for a tactical operations and as soon as modern missions started to deploy, the humble no nonsense field watch has been unnegotiable.

I have seen my fair share of field watches which are often labelled as boring or basic but in reality, to me, they are the pure essence of a watch. The main reason is because we do not need moonphases, chronographs, diving bezel and different time zones, we just need to tell the time.

Milifortic as a brand keep surprising us with well design objects at prices that I still cannot wrapped my head around and today, we have what I think is the unsung here on their lineup: the M052.

There are many reasons why this watch is special. The size, the looks and the details not only keep me interested but they are also done with the upmost detailed oriented execution.

This is a watch that feel as focus as possible and one that I haven’t been able to take out of my wrist. Join me to discover what it should be the best affordable military field watch in my collection. Let’s begin.

The specifications

Starting with the 38mm bead blasted case, the M052 right at the gate gives an utilitarian vibe, it is a very matte grey case that looks more like an equipment rather than a luxury product. The short lug to lug of 46mm is outstanding, making the watch wear like a charm on my 6.25 inch wrist. The thinness plays a big role here too, the 8.6mm feels even thinner that the numbers suggest and even with the boxed sapphire crystal, the 10.3mm makes the M052 feel unnoticed.

The dial is what I enjoy the most because of the thin bezel that allows the glossy black to shine. There are a lot of numbers on this dial but somehow they all work well. At the periphery you can find the seconds and then separated by a minute track in between, you find the hour markers on a warm beige colour. At the center, the military hours are displayed in a smaller size in white, not only looks great but it is also very intuitive.

Also, the lume is bright and lasting, gives another level of quality to the M052, very well applied I must add, hope the macros are doing justice.

The handset is also very unique, very vintage inspired with a heart tip shaped hand for the hours and for the minutes, a double stacked shaped one. It is an unique composition that I have been enjoying for a while, even the large seconds hand is in stark white which matches other parts of the dial. I love it.

The thinness we mentioned is aided by the Seiko VH31 caliber inside, a quartz mechanical engine that replaces the annoyance of a ticking seconds hand with a sweeping one. Another point to highlight is that the watch has a screw down crown with 100 meters of water resistance and 55 grams of weight, quite impressive and also enjoyable. GADA.

On the wrist

There is no denying that this is a light, thin and robust watch meaning that is all in favor of wearability. The case is very ergonomic and unlike many field watches, the M052 has lugs that curved down quite a bit, it really hugs your wrist.

The watch comes with a supplied black leather strap that matches the vintage feel, but any nylon or even CTS rubber strap in army green, would look just at home. The 20mm also assures that there are plenty of options for this little big watch.

legibility is also a high point because of the amount of information that delivers in a simple way, the domed crystal with AR coating makes the watch easy to read and with no only the branding at 12 o clock plus no date, the symmetry is assured.

The simplicity continues with the unsigned crown and sterile caseback, the M052 is an exercise of restrain mixed with tool porpoise, nothing is going to distract you from reading the time at a glance.

I wore the M52 everywhere, office, gym, at home, even at a casual event with a jacket, it just works. It uses a similar formula that many field watches but there is no fuzz or marketing around it, it is a watch for you but impresses every time you see it.

Concluding thoughts

There is no denying that the guys at Milifortic have a winning formula here. The M052 is a watch that doesn’t require any time adjusting but has sweeping seconds. It is a stainless steel case but it is lighter than titanium and then, there is the price. The M052 is offered at 82 USD!! Yes you read that right, it is by far the best watch I worn under 100 USD, even 150.

The price is not reflected in the quality of the watch, the finishing of the hands, the dial layout and the quality of the case are just 4x of what the M052 costs. To me this is a watch that is not leaving my collection because it reminds me that great watches can be done for so much less.

The package also includes a traveling pouch, tools to change the straps and cleaning cloth, how all of this is done at that price rage is beyond me, but I am glad to have it here and it will be displayed with pride vs watches that cost infinite more. A tool is a tool and this one delivers, bravo.

Technical specifications

Model: QD38M052 Quartz Field Watch

Movement: Seiko VH31 Quartz Sweep Second

Battery Life: 2 Years(SR920SW)

Case: 316L Stainless Steel, Bead Blasted Matte

Case Diameter: 38mm (including crown 41.2mm)

Dial: Black

Lug to Lug : 46mm

Thickness: 8.6mm (including glass 10.3mm)

Glass: Arch Sapphire Crystal Glass, AR Coating

Hands: Polished Hands,With Lumin

Luminous: Retro Color

Crown: Screw-in,316L Stainless Steel

Caseback: Screw-in, 316L Stainless Steel

Strap: Leather

Strap Width: 20mm

Buckle: 316L Stainless Steel,With LOGO

Waterproof: 100M(10ATM)

Weight: About 55g