The Praesidus Jungle Field Automatic 38mm

Praesidus is well known for military-inspired collections, and the Jungle Field line is a modern take on the GG-W-113 US military specification introduced in 1967. The spec called for a lightweight pilot and aircrew watch at 33mm or 34mm with a matte black dial, 12/24-hour numerals and hacking seconds. The 34mm Jungle Field OG was a very close interpretation, but the latest Jungle Field Automatic 38mm has a case size and movement more aligned with contemporary tastes. The overall design and military vibe are intact, so those less concerned about absolute authenticity get better wrist presence with a piece still faithful to later military proportions.

As the name implies, the new Jungle Field Automatic 38mm has a 38mm case in sandblasted 316L stainless steel. This anti-reflective finish is a modern take on the parkerized coatings required for the original GG-W-113 spec. It’s slim at 10.2mm in height (46mm lug-to-lug), and the screw-down crown is slightly recessed at 3 o’clock – not enough to form an effective crown guard, but still a nice detail. A double-domed sapphire crystal protects the dial, and there’s a solid caseback with “Assembled in the USA” engraved. Water-resistance is 100 metres. This compares to the Jungle Field OG, which features a mineral glass crystal and a 50m water-resistance rating. The watch comes with a 20mm green canvas or dark brown leather strap, quick-release levers, and a steel pin buckle. The straps are quite long, so they’ll fit larger wrists without issue (they may be too long for smaller wrists).

There are two dial options: standard matte black and a “popcorn”- textured black. Twelve Arabic numerals are triple printed in white for a raised aesthetic on the matte dial, while the numerals are beige on the textured dial. Small 24-hour white numerals circle just inside on both dial variants. The hour and minute hands, and five-minute triangular outer marks (within a simple track) have beige Super-LumiNova for a vintage radium(ish) appearance. There’s no dial text to be found, keeping this as simple and to the point as possible – a true no-nonsense field watch.

Powering the Jungle Field Automatic 38mm is a Miyota 9039 automatic with 24 jewels, 28,800vph (4Hz) and a 42-hour power reserve. Functions include central hours, minutes and hacking seconds, and it’s a true no-date movement. The 9039 is part of Miyota’s Premium Automatic line and has an accuracy rating of -10/+30 seconds per day (usually within those parameters in practice).

The Praesidus Jungle Field Automatic 38mm retails for USD 550, which isn’t bad for a well-thought-out, to-the-point field watch from a brand that knows a thing or two about military-inspired watches. It might seem a bit plain to some (particularly without dial text), but that’s exactly what Praesidus was going for – a military tool that can be worn in harsh field conditions or tucked away under a cuff.

For more information and to place an order, please visit praesidus.com.