You can't get much more iconic than the General Issue, or "GI" wristwatch. Produced since the 1960s, these simple spec. watches were fashioned by a handful of American manufacturers for American servicemen. Many of these timepieces were used extensively - forged in the infernos by the heroes that wore them. Sometimes, a like-new version surfaces, pulled from a footlocker or a forgotten cache, and is brought back into action.

That is exactly what we have here. This watch, from 1985, features luminous paints on the dial and hands, and fixed spring bars.

While Timex was producing these same MIL-W watches in plastic cases, Hamilton, who had been among the first to win the military contract in 1964, continued to fashion theirs from corrosion-resistant steel.

With a simple 17-jewel manual-wind movement and the spartan military styling, these timekeepers are the perfect companions for everything from everyday wear to fighting battles in dank jungles.