Braindrain
·I had posted this in another forum but thought it may be of interest to others at OF.
The Jacques Bianchi "Armée de Terre" watch.
This watch was issued to divers in the French Army (note, not the Navy - or better known to mil collectors as "MN/Marine Nationale") - les plongeurs de l'Armée de Terre. There were two basic groups - the SAF (spécialistes d'aide au franchissement) and the TSIO (travaux subaquatiques/intervention offensive). The SAF had duties that included specialization in assisting with armored crossings, mine clearance, and recon missions in "dirty" water, or inner waters, rivers, lakes, and sewage. The TSIO were a specialized subgroup of the SAF, who were known as combat divers.
The history of these watches started in 1992, at the CEPAT (Centre Ecole de Plongée de l'Armée de Terre or the main Army Diving School). The Captains of CEPAT put together the specs/standards for the eventual contract.
In a French forum, one of the moderators happened to work in the J Bianchi workshop (atelier) in Marseilles, France, during the time the French army let out the contract. The Bianchi workshop was (and still is) quite a large outfit who handled all the dive watches of the French army/navy, including COMEX watches. He describes Mr Bianchi having designed the watch with the following characteristics in mind: shock resistance, oversized bezel (for that time), special notches on the bezel to make it easier for gloves to handle, satin finished to reduce reflections, maximal amount of tritium on the dial, and topped with a nylon perlon bracelet with a special buckle.
Bianchi sent 3 prototypes to the French army for testing, along with other competitors for the contract. Two protos were completely destroyed. Bianchi finally won the contract and the army put in an initial order for 300 watches, which were delivered in May, 1993. Following that, the army requested two additional orders (delivered through the end of 1994), for a total of 1000 watches delivered.
The watches were to be issued to divers when they were first assigned to the units. If they changed to another part of the army, the watches were to be returned and re-issued to new divers. These watches were supposedly never decommissioned nor sold to the public. And, contrary to the MN who kept all record-keeping of assets in a central location (in Lorient and Toulon), the Bianchis were registered within each individual diving unit. There were 16 individual diving units, thus, it's virtually impossible to completely trace a watch's history.
Here's the example that I just picked up. Unfortunately, it didn't have the original perlon strap. I just put on a MN parachute strap. However, according to some, the watches from the first order came with these elastic parachute straps.
This is a very substantial watch, considering it was made in the early 90s. When showing it to other watch enthusiasts, it's the first thing they notice. And solid, very solid. I do note the satin finish, the large bezel with substantial grooves (which I could imagine diving gloves easily gripping), nice large lume dots and lots of lume on the hands. Supposedly, the original batch had a protruding crystal, which were promptly replaced with a flat crystal.
Here's a shot of the caseback, showing the two star CETEHOR (CEntre TEchnique de l'industrie HORlogere) engraving and an manufacture date of November 1994. Mine is number 1XX.
These watches were not only made to be worn but they were also made to be put on an underwater navigation board. (Photos from the internet.)
A couple of other interesting observations about the watch:
- The movement is an ETA 2824 (throughout all batches). The width (without crown) is 42mm.
- The first order/batch had tritium lume. Later batches/orders had luminova. Mine is from the later order.
- Each hour index on the dial doubles up with the military/24h clock.
- Unidirectional bezel with 60 clicks. Minute markers extend throughout the entire bezel. As mentioned, large serrated bezel designed to allow for easy grip with gloves.
Lastly, it's worth mentioning these are the REAL DEAL military issued watches. They are (supposedly) difficult to find as they were never released to the public. Personally, I feel they are under the radar as they've been mainly found in France (and that's how I got mine). That fact allowed me to get a real issued mildiver at a very reasonable price.
I hope you've enjoyed this little history on a pretty obscure mildiver.
NB: The info on this watch is scattered throughout the web and I just tried to consolidate into a single spot. Much of the info is found in French watch forums, so the translation has already been done for you. However, I must give credit to:
mwrforum.net/forums/showthread.php?65741-Bianchi-Arm%E9e-de-Terre-vintage-french-army-diver
forumamontres.forumactif.com/t18362-montres-bianchi
forumamontres.forumactif.com/t68135-la-montre-des-plongeurs-de-larmee-de-terre-la-bianchi-300#942121[/QUOTE]
The Jacques Bianchi "Armée de Terre" watch.
This watch was issued to divers in the French Army (note, not the Navy - or better known to mil collectors as "MN/Marine Nationale") - les plongeurs de l'Armée de Terre. There were two basic groups - the SAF (spécialistes d'aide au franchissement) and the TSIO (travaux subaquatiques/intervention offensive). The SAF had duties that included specialization in assisting with armored crossings, mine clearance, and recon missions in "dirty" water, or inner waters, rivers, lakes, and sewage. The TSIO were a specialized subgroup of the SAF, who were known as combat divers.
The history of these watches started in 1992, at the CEPAT (Centre Ecole de Plongée de l'Armée de Terre or the main Army Diving School). The Captains of CEPAT put together the specs/standards for the eventual contract.
In a French forum, one of the moderators happened to work in the J Bianchi workshop (atelier) in Marseilles, France, during the time the French army let out the contract. The Bianchi workshop was (and still is) quite a large outfit who handled all the dive watches of the French army/navy, including COMEX watches. He describes Mr Bianchi having designed the watch with the following characteristics in mind: shock resistance, oversized bezel (for that time), special notches on the bezel to make it easier for gloves to handle, satin finished to reduce reflections, maximal amount of tritium on the dial, and topped with a nylon perlon bracelet with a special buckle.
Bianchi sent 3 prototypes to the French army for testing, along with other competitors for the contract. Two protos were completely destroyed. Bianchi finally won the contract and the army put in an initial order for 300 watches, which were delivered in May, 1993. Following that, the army requested two additional orders (delivered through the end of 1994), for a total of 1000 watches delivered.
The watches were to be issued to divers when they were first assigned to the units. If they changed to another part of the army, the watches were to be returned and re-issued to new divers. These watches were supposedly never decommissioned nor sold to the public. And, contrary to the MN who kept all record-keeping of assets in a central location (in Lorient and Toulon), the Bianchis were registered within each individual diving unit. There were 16 individual diving units, thus, it's virtually impossible to completely trace a watch's history.
Here's the example that I just picked up. Unfortunately, it didn't have the original perlon strap. I just put on a MN parachute strap. However, according to some, the watches from the first order came with these elastic parachute straps.

This is a very substantial watch, considering it was made in the early 90s. When showing it to other watch enthusiasts, it's the first thing they notice. And solid, very solid. I do note the satin finish, the large bezel with substantial grooves (which I could imagine diving gloves easily gripping), nice large lume dots and lots of lume on the hands. Supposedly, the original batch had a protruding crystal, which were promptly replaced with a flat crystal.
Here's a shot of the caseback, showing the two star CETEHOR (CEntre TEchnique de l'industrie HORlogere) engraving and an manufacture date of November 1994. Mine is number 1XX.

These watches were not only made to be worn but they were also made to be put on an underwater navigation board. (Photos from the internet.)


A couple of other interesting observations about the watch:
- The movement is an ETA 2824 (throughout all batches). The width (without crown) is 42mm.
- The first order/batch had tritium lume. Later batches/orders had luminova. Mine is from the later order.
- Each hour index on the dial doubles up with the military/24h clock.
- Unidirectional bezel with 60 clicks. Minute markers extend throughout the entire bezel. As mentioned, large serrated bezel designed to allow for easy grip with gloves.
Lastly, it's worth mentioning these are the REAL DEAL military issued watches. They are (supposedly) difficult to find as they were never released to the public. Personally, I feel they are under the radar as they've been mainly found in France (and that's how I got mine). That fact allowed me to get a real issued mildiver at a very reasonable price.
I hope you've enjoyed this little history on a pretty obscure mildiver.
NB: The info on this watch is scattered throughout the web and I just tried to consolidate into a single spot. Much of the info is found in French watch forums, so the translation has already been done for you. However, I must give credit to:
mwrforum.net/forums/showthread.php?65741-Bianchi-Arm%E9e-de-Terre-vintage-french-army-diver
forumamontres.forumactif.com/t18362-montres-bianchi
forumamontres.forumactif.com/t68135-la-montre-des-plongeurs-de-larmee-de-terre-la-bianchi-300#942121[/QUOTE]