For anyone who has attended a Bills game this year, you may have noticed two new clocks by BENRUS in the stadium. As the official timepiece provider for the Buffalo Bills, BENRUS has been making military style watches since 1921. Started by three brothers in New York City (Oscar, Benjamin and Ralph Lazrus), the name is a combination of Benjamin’s first and last name: “BEN” jamin laz “RUS”. BENRUS outfitted U.S. aviators during WWII with their “Sky Chief” model, while their TYPE 1 and TYPE 2 models were used by CIA and Navy Seal operatives during the Vietnam War. These original models are highly sought after by collectors and what BENRUS largely based their new H-6 model on. Recently, BENRUS relaunched itself as a full blown lifestyle brand, creating not only vintage style watches but also backpacks, apparel and sunglasses. I reached out to BENRUS and asked to feature one of their impressive timepieces on Buffalo Dandy and they were kind enough to send me one to review.

Having a background in design, I am always a sucker for packaging. So naturally I was instantly hooked when the H-6 arrived in a military-inspired waxed cotton canvas carrying pouch. Traveling with watches is always tricky when it comes to storing them and this pouch will certainly come in handy for that. Extra attention was paid to the design of the instruction booklet as well which was inspired by old field manuals. Lastly, when the watch finally came out of the pouch, everything fit together to complete the look perfectly.

The name “H-6” was chosen to acknowledge one of the most important events in all of horology… Centuries ago, there was a royal competition to accurately assess longitude on the open seas. This was the age of dangerous seafaring trade where fortunes were won or lost depending on the survival of a ship and crew. John Harrison won the prize by revolutionizing the time keeping craft and developing a series of ever improving clocks, the H-1 through the H-5. Carrying on the tradition, BENRUS came up with the H-6.

At 44mm, the watch is far from bulky due to it being so well balanced by its 22mm nylon strap. The unidirectional coin edge rotating bezel features the hours rather than the minutes which is common on most diving watches. The stainless steel lugs have a fantastic antique finish on them, with extra care taken to have the watch look weathered at all the right places. The face features a textured matte black finish while the hour markers are a great off-white color which (when combined with the antique finishing) makes the watch look much older than it really is. Further down the face, just below the H-6 name, is a more traditional callout of depth measurement of 10 ATM, which stands for 10 meters of static water pressure resistance per 1 ATM or Atmospheres. While a little math is required, this basically means the watch is water resistant up to 100 meters. The H-6 pays even further homage still to it’s Navy Seal background with an anchor symbol featured on both the second hand and crown. Lastly, the nylon strap is extremely comfortable and I love the fact that the holes on the band are reinforced with a wax sealant to keep them from fraying.

In conclusion, the H-6 is a smart, rugged, military-inspired workhorse ready to take just about anything you can throw at it. From top to bottom, the overall look and attention to detail on this watch is masterfully done. Best of all, BENRUS timepieces are very affordably priced, so your wrist game will be on point without breaking the bank. Many thanks to BENRUS for allowing me the opportunity to review this watch which has quickly become a favorite of mine. I received many a compliment on it during last weekends Johnny Onion Ride and it was great to find out so many people were already familiar with the history behind BENRUS and that it’s such a respected brand among watch fans. Head on over to benrus.com to check out not only their impressive watches, but also their selection of ties, bags and apparel from their FALL15 collection.  $255

Lastly, as we mentioned earlier in the post, BENRUS recently announced they were the Official Timepiece of the Buffalo Bills and have been featuring the Best Dressed Bills on Instagram each week. Each winner receives a piece from BENRUS’s new collection and I love seeing how the team shows up on game day dressed to impress. Be sure to follow not only the Buffalo Bills on Instagram, but alsoBENRUS to check out some of the Bills most fashionable players.