The earliest documented, IDF-issued timepiece currently known to the watch community is a Longines ref. However, there were indeed instances in which special units received issued watches, mostly in the 1960s and 1970s when the IDF’s operational tempo was at its peak fighting both conventional and shadow wars. The country, like many in the post-War 20th century, had no native wristwatch industry, and most soldiers - as is the case today - simply purchased their own watches with personal funds. The IDF evolved quickly following its victory in 1948, establishing a dedicated paratrooper brigade, a highly capable air force, and numerous special operations units.
The country’s military, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), was established officially that same year as a consolidation of the pre-war paramilitary Haganah (the “defense”) and the Irgun and Lehi militant groups. Modern Israel was established during a war that followed a declaration of independence in May, 1948 and lasted over nine months, but that had been raging in one way or another, clandestinely or overtly, for several decades. In this installment of Military Watches of the World, we travel to the Middle East to examine the timepieces of the Israel Defense Forces.
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