Milsub’s don’t look cool

[The Laird]

Hi Everyone,

I have just been reading the excellent book – British Military Timepieces by Konrad Knirim.

There is an article inside about a chap called Mike O’ Leary, serving in the Royal Navy Portsmouth bomb disposal team. This was in 1980 and he was also the team store man.

He had four Milsubs in the store for ages and he tried to get some other members from his team to wear them. But nobody was interested because they didn’t look cool.

You could get a cool looking Seiko back then for about £30.

He eventually sent them back to the main store.

Also mentioned is a chap called Shorty Lougher who went to the diving stores to sign for his Milsub and lost one of them when serving in Scotland.
He had £20 taken from his wages.
This was back in the 1970’s.

I just really liked this fantastic article; especially about the chaps preferring the Seiko’s over the Milsubs. (I am a big fan of Seiko myself.)

Till next time…

The Laird

[Mike Wood]

I am very pleased to offer new Seikos in exchange for any tatty old issued Rolex Submariners. Please call me now! T. 01704 549 733...!

Mike Wood

(Happy to be "not-cool"!)

[Vincent65]

puts it in perspective, eh...

[onkyo]

I think Milsubs will be cool ..... one day.

[RC2]

I will give him a nice casio pathfinder that looks cool. Email me for trade. Rich

[poppydog]

Mike has his own website and is a solid guy. I wrote an article for a Brit dive magazine a couple of years ago on the history of dive watches and the editor need photos. I contacted Mike via his website and he sent me several pictures to pass on if the editor needed them. In the end the article was published but the pictures weren't used, but it was a very generous offer, especially since we'd never met. A good guy

[jedly1]

yup, mike a top bloke...should be outta the baby bubble sometime soon ...between that and the fact hes still diving under north sea in sat every other month he's not been around as much lately which is a shame...


ps. his mate tony groom from same cd squad also has an excellent book on their time in ..great read.

[964RS]

Here's a story for you from a fellow Porsche friend......


"Thought i would tell my tale of woe...

From 1979 when i qualified as a salvage diver till 2004 i worked for the M.O.D doing various underwater tasks. On joining the team i was entitled to a diving watch which i duly ordered from the naval stores. At the time you would receive either a omega seamaster or a rolex submariner depending on what was available.

When the stores phoned up i went down and signed for a slightly shop soiled rolex which i duly wore for the next few years. By this time (1984) i was married and had a young son in tow who was having a terrible time teething. The only thing which could placate him was if he chewed on the nylon N.A.T.O watchstrap which was attached to the watch.

I left him happily slobbering away while i popped in the kitchen to put the kettle on only to be alerted by a loud banging noise coming from the recently vacated front room!

Rushing into the living room i was greeted by the sight of my son banging merrily away with the watch on his tin routemaster london bus. On taking the rolex off him it was obvious it no longer functioned as a time piece so i phoned the stores up the following day for a replacement (one for one basis ).

This arrived after a couple of weeks so i duly went down to the stores to collect, on arrival i handed over the rolex and was handed a plain brown envelope which contained the replacement which turned out to be a CWC!

In the intervening years the M.O.D had budget cuts and had replaced the rolex/omegas with cheaper watches which were immediately dubbed The "cockroach watch company".

Fast forward 26 years and my destructive son is now a clearance diver in the Royal Navy and blithly informs me that these so called Mill-Subs are quite sought after by the rolex purists?

At the time we just regarded them as a used working watch which didn't keep great time as they had been round the block a few times and were serviced by anybody that was the cheapest."


I told him how much his son had cost him.....think he is paying him back by Direct Debit over 30 years!!

[waspy1]

I've personally worked with shorty lougher on diving vessels prior to joining the wis crowd. Stunned to hear his history on the site, wish I could sit down an discuss his experiences.

[AH0RSEY]

I almost spat my bacon and eggs out when I read the title..... glad I read on now!!!!

I love mine and it aint going nowhere

[The Laird]

Hi Everyone,

The article also talks about clearance diver Mo Crang and shows a fantastic photo of him wearing his Milsub and holding what looks like a type of bomb?

I’d just like to add that all of the chaps mentioned in these articles sound like a fantastic bunch of characters.

It really is a good book about all types of British military watches and clocks, etc…

Till next time…

The Laird

[wokafu]

interesting ...but im curious to know how can one prefer a seiko over a rolex..is the milsub really looks THAT ugly..??