Born from a desire to cater to the demanding needs of military personnel, MTM (Multi-Time Machine) watches have been constructing purpose-built timepieces designed to withstand the rigors of active-duty wear for over 25 years. Founded by Joe Casis, who served in the IDF Airborne Division, MTM set out to design watches that worked as well on deployment as in the boardroom.
As MTM explains the origin of the brand, “With his experience in the military, our founder recognized the needs for special and unique timepieces that would serve the soldiers on the field, while being stylish enough to wear when off-duty. Through this collaboration with his peers, Casis began developing the MTM watch line, designed exclusively for soldiers’ needs on the field. From those initial designs, the brand launched with the first and brightest flashlight ever put on a watch (FALCON) to a watch with a radiation detector (RAD), and we haven’t stopped since.” In other words, these watches are truly purpose-built.
All MTM watches are designed and assembled in Los Angeles, California, and are built to the exacting specifications required of those in the field. MTM notes, “We are truly an American brand that designs, engineers, develops, and assembles the watches in downtown Los Angeles. We have been designing, assembling, and manufacturing watches in the U.S. for over 28 years, and will continue the tradition building our dream here in America for generations to come.”
The MTM US-744X is a limited edition of only 500 pieces that draws its inspiration from the U.S. Navy’s Virginia class submarines launched in the wake of the Cold War — these subs began as smaller, more economical alternatives to the Seawolf class subs they replaced but have evolved over the years to be hardly recognizable to their forebears. The current class of these nuclear-powered cruise missile fast-attack submarines can house everything from medium-range ballistic missiles to (potentially) 300-500 kilowatt high-energy laser weapons. Or, as MTM puts it, the Virginia class submarine “incorporates the cutting-edge in stealth, intelligence, and weapons systems technology.” All this is to say that, if you’re going to build a bad-ass watch, Virginia class subs are a great source of inspiration.
Designed with functionality at the forefront of its design, the MTM US-744X is constructed from a mix of titanium and carbon, materials renowned for their outstanding strength-to-weight ratio. When used in combination, these materials create an aggressive, purpose-driven aesthetic. The case itself is rated for depths of 1000m — over four times the test depth of even the Virginia class submarines. And, if your mission requires saturation diving, the US-744X features a helium escape valve at 8 o’clock, just in case. A unidirectional rotating bezel surrounds the 5.5mm-thick sapphire crystal, with clearly raised demarcations for the critical 20-minute timing window and raised markers at 30 and 45. It’s a bezel you won’t find on any other watch and just one of the design elements that sets the US-744X apart from any other diver on the market.
Not content with bright-burning, but quickly-fading, lume, MTM utilizes tritium gas tubes for the hands and hour markers. The two-tone tritium tubes — blue for the hands, green for the hours — ensures high legibility at all hours. Oh, and the tritium tubes will glow for 25 years with no need for a charge. The MTM 744X is all about functionality, whether you’re on active duty or at a desk. The dial features day and date complications along with a power reserve indicator, ensuring that all the information you need is readily available at a glance.
MTM allows you to customize your watch, choosing the colors and style that make the watch uniquely your own. The case and bracelet are available in brushed titanium or DLC black, and the dial comes in four colorways: black, silver, black/grey, or yellow. With 16 possible combinations, there’s a style for everyone.
The custom-built bracelet on the US-744X is crafted from solid titanium, with hex screws securing each link, making for easy strap adjustments. Plus, every watch comes with a ballistic Velcro strap and a rubber strap. Powering the MTM US-744X is the tried-and-true Seiko caliber 6R20 automatic movement, featuring 29 jewels, a 45-hour power reserve, and a beat rate of 28.8kbph. The movement, along with its custom rotor, is proudly displayed under a 3mm sapphire crystal exhibition caseback.
Each limited edition watch is individually numbered and comes in an extra-large barracuda box. The MTM US-744X starts at $2,800 USD, and more information can be found on the brand’s website.
