ahtishambuttOn December 20, 2019, a presidential pen stroke created the newest branch of the U.S. military, the U.S. Space Force. And for those paying attention, the advent of space as a warfighting domain was not a surprise. America’s “near-peer” (China) demonstrated the ability to shoot down satellites as early as 2007. While driving, it takes only a brief interruption of a smartphone’s GPS to remind us of our increasing reliance on space-borne technology. That considered, perhaps the formation of the United States Space Force wasn’t so crazy after all.
As these things go, the work of establishing an “identity” for the Space Force was soon underway. The brass decided that servicemembers would be called “guardians” and just seven months after its inauguration, a motto was adopted: “Semper supra”, or “Always above”. Soon, a couple of Air Force and Coast Guard musicians teamed up to compose the official march. Before long, all that was left to do was sort out the uniforms. But one question remained: what about the Space Force’s watch?
From full branches to individual units, it’s a proud military tradition for a military cadre to have its own watch. Here, Norwegian Micromilspec steps in, having developed bespoke watches for land, air, and sea sections worldwide, from the U.S. Asymmetric Warfare Unit to the Swedish Fallskärmsjägarklubben (yes, that’s its real name). With this impressive resume, Micromilspec has introduced what it simply calls The U.S. Space Force Watch. A 42mm, ruggedly designed automatic tool watch, it brings together versatility, solid specs, and futuristic geometry that make for a terrific first watch for America’s newest military branch.
A standout feature of the U.S. Space Force Watch is the cleverly designed dial. Emblazoned with the official Space Force “Delta” logo above the abbreviation “USSF,” it’s immediately clear that this is a watch made for a mission. Concentric oblong rings punctuated with silvery stars create orbits around the central post, while applied hour markers — Super-LumiNova painted and outlined in polished steel — take on a capsule shape that itself seems very astronomical. This gentle outline appears in the hands, as well, whose lack of right angles is evocative of spaceships. The watch even has an Easter egg: at just the right alignment, the seconds hand pairs with either the hour or minute hand to create the silhouette of a rocket launch. A date window whose porthole design would be well-matched on the hull of a spacecraft aligns nicely with the 3 o’clock crown while another notable feature appears on the watch’s rehaute: The USSF motto printed at the top to really drives home the concept.
Apkmusk
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