Canadian microbrand Redwood’s Standard Issue collection are love letters to vintage field watches

Time+Tide

Field watches, especially those with a connection to military history, are some of the most popular watches on the market. However, current field watch models from many watchmakers that traditionally supplied armed forces in the 20th century aren’t particularly accessible today. Take the Dirty Dozen brands: a Hamilton Khaki Field might be relatively affordable, but an IWC Mark Series isn’t – and Jaeger-LeCoultre and Omega don’t make field watches any more. In any case, today’s collectors are sometimes more interested in the spirit of traditional field watches than getting the real thing: they don’t want vintage pieces, faithful re-creations of past models or quick-and-easy homages of famous MIL-SPEC pieces, but rather creative reinterpretations of those watches and, more importantly, of their soul and what they represent(ed). That leads us to a relative newcomer in this niche part of the independent watch industry, Canadian brand Redwood Watches, and their new Standard Issue collection, which evokes the spirit of WWII-era-issued field watches at an affordable price point.

The cases

All four models in the Standard Issue collection – the Officer, Typhoon, Kilroy GMT and Commando GMT – share the same case design and dimensions, regardless of their functionality. (A first point of interest that explains the affordability of these watches.) The case is fully brushed and comes with a satin-like finish all around. Its design is straightforward, with short lugs that turn down towards the wrist, slab-sided flanks, and a bulbous case back. The latter screws down, so does the unsigned crown, giving all Standard Issues models a respectable 100 meters of water resistance. An additional military-like spec includes a domed sapphire crystal with an inner anti-reflective coating.

Redwood Standard Issue Officer on a two-piece black pebbled leather strap

These models also come with standard dimensions (pun intended) for contemporary field watches, having a case diameter of 38mm, a lug-to-lug of 44mm, a total thickness of 12.8mm, and a lug width of 20mm. This means they are neither too big nor too small for most watch enthusiasts’ wrists and are on par with both what people want and what brands offer. Note that the lugs are drilled for easy strap changes, which adds a little extra fun as all four variants of the Standard Issue appear to be genuine strap monsters. With these dimensions and case finishing, Redwood has aptly named this new collection to make for great no-nonsense, grab-and-go options that come with overall good specifications for very reasonable asking prices (and then some).

The dials

Redwood Standard Issue Typhoon on a single-piece black leather NATO-style strap

This is where things get interesting as Redwood managed to create four versions of a standard field/military watch where one could be satisfied with having just one – or having them all. All versions share a few common characteristics: matte black dials, pencil-style hands, the Redwood logo above the pinion, and about the same amount of text below it. The first line indicates the model’s name, then a mention that they are all automatic (which is highlighted in red on the two GMT watches), and then the depth rating which is the same for all models. Furthermore, all models also have the same design for the minute track except for the Commando GMT which has smaller hash marks for the minutes and the 24-hour GMT scale embedded at the one-hour increments.

Redwood Standard Issue Kilroy on a Bonklip-style bracelet

Each version is subtly different and matches iconic models Redwood drew inspiration from. (I recommend reading about each model’s background on the brand’s website.) First in line, we have the time-only Officer, which has a classic 3-6-9 dial layout and thick hour markers. Then the Typhoon, which has an almost full stack of Arabic numerals except at the three to make way for a day/date complication. The Kilroy GMT for its part has a date at the three, Arabic numerals, an inner 24-hour GMT scale, and a more pronounced 1970s style with its triangular hour markers sitting next to the numerals. Lastly, the Commando GMT has a dive watch layout, more negative space, and a GMT scale printed in small on the periphery. All models also come with lume on the hands and hour markers which are applied in more than satisfactory quantities.

The straps

Redwood Standard Issue Commando on a Tropic-style rubber strap

Being designed to be standard, and therefore to suit many people’s wrists and personal preferences, all models can be had on one of eleven different options for straps. NATO-style nylon straps come as standard, but there are also leather NATOs, two-piece leather and rubber options, and even a Bonklip-style bracelet (all of which attract a premium over the basic nylon NATO). So you’ll be able to find something that you like here! All two-piece options come with quick-release spring-bars and Redwood provides regular spring-bars when you opt for a pass-through strap.

The movements

Redwood Standard Issue casebacks — Each model in the Standard Issue collection has a slightly different caseback design: on the left we have the Kilroy’s, on the right we have the Typhoon’s.

Since each version of the Redwood Standard Issue has a different dial layout and functionality, they each come with a different Seiko-sourced calibre. Well, actually, two have the same. The Officer comes with a no-date Seiko NH38, the Typhoon comes with a Seiko NH36, and the Kilroy GMT and Commando GMT both come with an NH34. All beat at 3 Hz and offer 41-hour power reserves. These Seiko movements are reliable known quantities that are typical in the microbrand space.

Redwood Standard Issue pricing and availability

The Redwood Standard Issue collection is available now from Redwood’s online store. Price: Starting at US$319 (Officer, Typhoon), starting at US$349 (Kilroy GMT, Commando GMT)

Brand	Redwood
Model	Standard Issue Officer Standard Issue Typhoon Standard Issue Kilroy GMT Standard Issue Commando GMT
Case Dimensions	38mm (D) x 12.8mm (T) x 44mm (LTL)
Case Material	Stainless steel
Water Resistance	100 metres, screw-down crown
Crystal(s)	Sapphire
Dial	Matte black
Strap	NATO-style nylon strap as standard, options of leather NATO-style strap, Tropic-style rubber strap, two-piece leather strap and Bonklip-style steel bracelet
Movement	Seiko NH38, automatic (Officer) Seiko NH36, automatic (Typhoon) Seiko NH34, automatic (Kilroy GMT, Commando GMT)
Power Reserve	41 hours
Functions	Hours, minutes, seconds (Officer) Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date (Typhoon) Hours, minutes, seconds, date, GMT (Officer)
Availability	Now
Price	US$319 (Officer, Typhoon) US$349 (Kilroy GMT, Commando GMT)

Made in partnership with Redwood Watches. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.