Tutima × Revolution M2 Coastline Chronograph

“United We Serve” — the Bundeswehr’s oath of honor and loyalty to serve their homeland finds expression in this latest pilot’s chronograph, a collaboration between Tutima Glashütte and Revolution. 

Words by Bhanu Chopra, editor-in-chief, Revolution USA.

In the early 1980s, when the market was flooded with quartz watches, the German Armed Forces’ central procurement department developed a set of stringent criteria for a mechanical pilot’s chronograph and solicited bids from German watch companies. Tutima bid on the contract and begin developing what would become known as one of the toughest pilot’s chronographs to date.

The Tutima Chronograph ref. 798 became official standard equipment of NATO and the German Armed Forces under the NATO reference and is in use as such to this day. The chronograph was housed in a 43mm stainless steel case with a height of 14.5mm. Tutima included special features like center chronograph minute counter with red plane-shaped tip, which is far easier to read than the small 30-minute subdial; a central red chronograph seconds hand; a 12-hour chronograph counter at six o’clock; and a 24-hour counter at 12 o’clock.

A little known fact about the NATO chronograph is that, in 1992, German astronaut Klaus Dietrich Flade wore his Tutima chronograph on a Soyuz TM-14 for his mission to Mir space station.

When Lemania was acquired by Breguet in the early 90’s, the company eventually ceased production of the caliber 5100. Tutima and other watch brands using Lemania either stopped producing their military chronographs models or switched over to modified ETA/Valjoux movements.

Modern M2 Coastline Chronograph

During the 2013 Baselworld, Tutima presented the new M2 series, a modern interpretation of the NATO chronograph. Tutima's owner Dieter Delecate emphasized the importance of M2 chronograph, “After the Flieger Chronograph which Tutima developed in the early 1940s for the pilots of the German Air Force, the official NATO chronograph of the German Bundeswehr became the symbol for our family owned brand Tutima. Pilots and clients from all over the world have admired its robustness, reliability and unique design for almost 40 years. This timepiece will always be an important figurehead of the Tutima collection.

In March 2019, Tutima released the M2 Coastline Chronograph series. It featured a 43mm solid brushed titanium case with 15.8mm height, and a 200 meters water resistance rating. The modern Tutima caliber 310, based on the ETA/Valjoux caliber 7750, did not require a soft-iron inner case since most of the modern movements offer decent protection against magnetism, unless your office cubicle happens to be inside CERN in Geneva. The chronograph pushers are ergonomically integrated into the rounded contours of the case. Tutima enhanced the pushers with additional black PVD coating and finished them off with a non-slip surface for a perfect grip. Like its predecessor NATO chronograph, the case design is free from any angular corners and sharp edges.

The dial layout of the M2 Coastline Chronograph offers perfect legibility and is achieved by the clear arrangement and linear design of all elements. It has a traditional chronograph function with a red central sweep seconds hand, a 30-minute counter and a 12-hour counter. The hour and minute hands as well as the indexes are coated with Super-LumiNova. A well-balanced placement of date at three o’clock is adjacent to the Tutima logo.

Tutima × Revolution M2 Coastline Chronograph

The M2 Coastline Chronograph provided an ideal canvas for our special limited edition of the timepiece. The new watch evokes the same spirit as the original ref. 798 “NATO” chronograph, but with enhanced wearability in titanium. The very first thought that came to our minds when we wore the M2 Coastline Chrono on our wrists is that it is super lightweight, extremely legible, highly functional — a perfect utilitarian military watch.

The forest green color has been favored by armed forces around the world because its muted tone helps soldiers blend into their surroundings. Khaki, aka “olive drab,” was the color of the standard uniform for U.S. soldiers during World War II and the Vietnam War, and it was also used on weapons and tanks. It was later replaced in 1981 by a camouflage pattern called “Woodland” that features flecks of sand, brown, green and black. Today, the armies of several countries still wear olive drab uniforms.

For that utilitarian edge, we gave the solid brushed titanium case a black PVD coating and matched the integrated pushers with black PVD finish. The dial remained velvet black with Super-LumiNova coated indexes for perfect legibility. The hour and minute hands are also Super-LumiNova coated, the seconds hand is in white, and the chronograph hands are in forest green.

A custom-made rubber strap is equipped with Kevlar on the topside with matching forest green stitching. The deployant clasp has an easy adjustment mechanism, and the clasp is also PVD coated to complete that stealth military look.

The chronograph is equipped with Tutima’s caliber 310 (with base caliber ETA/Valjoux 7750). To showcase Tutima’s handmade rotor seal in 18K rose gold, we included a screw-in caseback with sapphire crystal.

Alexander Philipp, director of sales and marketing of Tutima, remarks, “For the new Revolution limited edition, Tutima Glashütte reinterpreted the legendary and official watch of the Bundeswehr pilots in a strict military look. The typical features, such as the large push-buttons integrated into the case with a non-slip surface, offer great comfort even when using gloves. The readability and the useful features make this watch a reliable companion in all situations.”

Technical specifications

Tutima × Revolution M2 Coastline Chronograph

Limited edition of 100 pieces

Case

• Material: Black PVD-coated, brushed Grade 2 titanium
• Diameter: 43 mm
• Thickness: 15.80 mm
• Glass: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
• Screw-down crown
• Circular-brushed, screw-down Grade 2 titanium caseback
• Black PVD-coated, knurled, integrated chronograph pushers
• Water-resistant to 200 metres

Dial and hands

• Matte black dial
• Super-LumiNova-filled, white hour indices
• Green chronograph hands

Movement

• Valjoux-based Cal. Tutima 310
• Self-winding chronograph movement
• Rhodium-plated rotor decorated with Côtes de Genève and an 18K gold seal
• Power reserve of 48 hours

Functions/Indications

• Hours, minutes, seconds
• Chronograph
• Date indicator

Strap and buckle

• Kevlar and rubber-lined strap with green stitching
• Black-PVD coated Grade 2 titanium folding clasp with easy adjustment mechanism

MSRP: EUR 2'850

For more information, please visit revolutionwatch.com