Minuteman Watches: MM02 PVD Liberty

Sept. 5, 2014
Started by a disabled Vietnam veteran and his son, Minuteman was started to provide a quality product and assist veterans suffering physical and mental issues connected with their service.

I am a watch guy.  That’s not to say that I am excessively knowledgeable about watches, or that I collect them or that you’ll find exorbitantly expensive watches in my assortment.  What it means is that every watch I have is unique and serves a purpose (and I DO have a watch for every day of the week… plus maybe a couple more).  All of my watches are waterproof and will withstand a bit of abuse.  So when the Minuteman watch brand was brought to my attention, it piqued my interest.

The first thing I noticed was that the watches look basic in the older style of military issue timepieces.  In that, they have a “classic” flavor to their appearance.  The second thing I noticed was that this classic appearance was accompanied by contemporary design touches that said, “I may look basic but I am far from being your grandfather’s plastic case, OD Green won’t-miss-me-when-I’m-gone field watch.”  The third, and perhaps most important, thing I noticed was the published outlook of the Minuteman brand in supporting all things America and, in particular, our veterans.

So, I took the opportunity to reach out and see if I could get my hands on (wrist inside of?) a Minuteman watch for testing.  I was pleased to receive one of their Liberty models for T&E (the MM02 - see their available styles on this webpage).

Before I get into describing the watch and how the field test went, let me comment first on the American outlook I just mentioned.  Right on their webpage, Minuteman watches publishes the following information:

The Minuteman Company was created for three reasons:

  • To raise funds for the charities that assist veterans and their families (25% of the profit from each Minuteman product goes to those charities).
  • To provide work for Americans whenever possible.
  • To provide a quality product that will stand the test of time.

Started by a disabled Vietnam veteran and his son, Minuteman was started not only to provide a quality product but to assist those veterans suffering lifelong physical and mental issues connected with their service. Being a service veteran myself and with 29 more in my family (four generations), I can appreciate any company that actively supports our nation’s veterans, most especially if they do so while producing quality items that are useful every day.

So, I received my Minuteman watch, the MM02 Liberty model.  Here are the stats:

  • Built in the United States of America
  • 43mm width without crown
  • 200 meter water resistant
  • Stainless Steel case. Flat Dark Earth PVD coated in the United States of America
  • Screw down Stainless Steel crown. Also Flat Dark Earth PVD coated in the USofA
  • Swiss made ETA 955.112 quartz movement
  • Sapphire crystal with ant-reflective coating on the inside
  • Screw type case back
  • Luminous hands and dial
  • Free lifetime battery replacement
  • 5 year limited warranty
  • Comes with one American made Leather strap as well as a Nato/Zulu style nylon watch strap

The packaging was even impressive.  The watch, with the leather strap installed and the NATO strap beside it, was inside a padded zippered nylon case inside a box.  Upon unwrapping and opening it up my first thought was, “Wow! That’s a big watch!”  I don’t have dainty or feminine wrists, but at 43mm wide, THIS IS A BIG WATCH.  That said, it’s about the same diameter as many of today’s popular “special warfare” watches that run anywhere from 40mm to 44mm in width.  Most of the watches in my collection are slightly smaller so I was surprised at the width.  Then I realized just how much easier it was to read the time and see everything on the face of the watch.  That added size was helpful for my 50+ year old eyes.

The basic rugged appearance is stylish in its own way and the luminous dial / hands are easy to read.  With the Minuteman logo at twelve o’clock in replacement of the number 12, the 03, 06 and 09 are where you’d expect them.  Hash marks replace the 01, 02, 04, 05, 07, 08, 10 and 11 but, uniquely enough, what would be 04 is labeled as 16; the 05 as 17; the 07 as 19.  You get the idea.  The watch is labeled for 24 hour time as you’d expect from a military timepiece.

I’m not much of a fan of leather watchbands – although I know plenty of folks who prefer them – so I had the band swapped out at my local jewelers (if I tried to do it I’d be sure to lose a pin).  The OD Green nylon strap has ¼” adjustments and a double-d-ring loop back for the trailing end of the strap.  Thus prepared, and with the time set by the factory (but checked to match correct time using this website) and within a few seconds (18 to be precise) of accurate, I went about my days using this as my primary watch.

Two weeks later I gave it an examination for damage, scratches, dings, dents and accuracy of time. 

The watch looked no worse for wear and tear.  No scratches; no dings; no dents; no signs of abuse (and I HAD banged it inadvertently on a doorway or two).  The time was still accurate to within 18 seconds of the official U.S. time for my time zone.  I thought about how well the luminous hands and face had held their brightness and came to the conclusion that I’d only had any trouble reading them in the dark after eight to ten hours IN the dark.  They held their luminosity well enough.

My resulting conclusion?  I had received a quality time piece that was certainly durable enough, that was easier to read than other watches in my collection and manufactured by a company that supported my country’s service veterans.  What’s not to like?

Please check out Minuteman Watches online.  They have six models currently in production along with a knife manufactured by Zero Tolerance knives – a well-respected name in the industry.  Minuteman is looking to expand their product line with items made in the USA and have pledged to continue their assistance to our service veterans.  It’s a company you can feel good giving your business to – and their quality products will make it worth your dollars.

Stay safe!

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