RIVER RATS

“Those who came home must never forget those who could not.”

This is the official River Rats timepiece collection, produced in collaboration with the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association to honor and commemorate the sacrifices and achievements along the way.


Overview

Celebrate your service and milestones as a River Rat. This is a special collaboration project to produce the official timepiece series.

  • Customized with your details.
  • Swiss components, American craftsmanship.
  • 42mm case, water depth rated 300 meters.
We offer multiple dial & case combinations to suit your style. The caseback can be customized any way you prefer to represent you and your career. The watch model is the Classic 42mm. It is a stainless steel case, made of 316L surgical grade stainless steel. There are two treatments available: steel or black.

Design Choices

The dial design option for the River Rats timepiece is a combination of your wings [Air Force, Navy, Army] @12 position and the River Rats patch @6 position produced in gold application. We can include your callsign under the date window, if you like.

The design is produced in a gold application on a black dial with the caseback graphics fully open to engrave with your details (rank/name, patches, flight hours, callsign, planes, squadrons, deployments, special missions, etc). The watch case is 316L stainless steel and is water depth rated to 300 meters / 1,000 feet.
Are you looking for wings / patches / planes for your watch that you don’t see here? Please contact us via email: contact@swisspl.com and we will arrange your special graphics.
  • Payment Plans
  • Handcrafted in America
  • 2 Year Warranty
  • Secure Shipping

SPLIT PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS

We offer multiple payment options to make the purchase process a little easier for you, including split-payments and 12 monthly payments (using Affirm). You can also use PayPal Finance, along with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Facebook Pay.

Your WATCH IS HANDCRAFTED IN AMERICA

Swiss Components with American Craftsmanship designed to Tell Your Story. We receive our components like a lego-box from our partner factories (among them Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and America); and then assemble each timepiece per the design requirements and specifications as each watch is "made to order".

SECURE DELIVERY WITH INSURED SERVICE

Every timepiece we produce and ship, gets sent securely packaged in bubble wrap with the watch inside its own heat-sealed enclosure bag to protect against the elements, static charge and finger prints.

SPLIT PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS

We offer multiple payment options to make the purchase process a little easier for you, including split-payments and 12 monthly payments (using Affirm). You can also use PayPal Finance, along with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Facebook Pay.

Dial Versions

AIR FORCE WINGS

  • Aviator
  • Senior Aviator
  • Master Aviator
  • Navigator
  • Senior Navigator
  • Master Navigator
  • Flight Surgeon

NAVY WINGS

  • Pilot
  • NFO
  • Aircrew
  • Flight Surgeon
  • Intel Officer

ARMY WINGS

  • Aviator
  • Senior Aviator
  • Master Aviator
To order your River Rats watch, select your wings on the order page with your other customization preferences. Or call us to place your order, 1-800-774-4980. If there is a design or wings we don't currently offer, call us and we'll set it up for you.

AIR FORCE WINGS

NAVY WINGS

ARMY WINGS

Caseback Engraving

We will work together to create the perfect graphic for your caseback engraving, one that describes you and your milestones, your achievements and your sacrifices; a watch design that is symbolically you, one that tells your story.
If there is a design, plane or patch you can't find, call us and we'll set it up for you: 1-800-774-4980

Watch Specifications

The Classic watch is a 42mm case (46mm with the crown). The case thickness is 12.5mm. From lug to lug is 50mm. And the strap width is 22mm.

The watch is water depth rating is 300 meters (1,000 feet). The watch case is 316L surgical grade stainless steel. The glass is sapphire crystal, with inner anti-reflective coating. The bezel is a uni-directional bezel. The crown and caseback are screwed down, ensuring the depth rating.

The watch comes on a vintage leather strap with white stitching and Pre-V buckle. We offer a solid metal bracelet as optional upgrade for $310.

The movement powering your watch is a Swiss quartz-analog (battery) movement; or we offer an upgrade to the Swiss automatic (self-winding) mechanical movement for $415 [like found in Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Tag Heuer].

Movement

The watch is powered by Swiss Ronda 515HC Quartz (battery powered) movement. The battery should last about 2 years and then simply send it in for a quick battery swap, and perhaps an overhaul service to remove the years of scratches and marks your timepiece received along the journey.

Automatic Upgrade:
You can upgrade your timepiece to the Swiss ETA 2824-2 Automatic mechanical (self winding) movement, with 25 jewels. An Automatic is another term for “self-winding”, meaning the watch winds itself using a rotor weight inside the timepiece which oscillates to apply tension on the mainspring of the movement through the random motion of the watch owner’s arm. This movement does not require a battery, but does require manual winding every few days using the crown to fully “charge the mainspring” and increase the timepiece’s accuracy because it’s running at full power. You should send your watch in for routine service every year, or two years at the longest. Just like your precision firearms, which you routinely clean and oil, a mechanical timepiece requires this care as well.

Technical Specifications

FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes, seconds. Date at 3 o’clock.

CASE
Stainless Steel (316L Surgical Grade). Case diameter 42mm (46mm with Crown), height 14.40mm, lug width 22mm. Screw-down crown. SwissPL on left side.

CASEBACK
Solid Stainless Steel with YOUR CUSTOMIZED DESIGN.

WATER RESISTANCE
Water resistant to 30 ATM / 300 meters / 1,000 feet.

CRYSTAL
Anti-reflective scratch resistant sapphire crystal.

DIAL
Blue metal dial with metal indexes, polished stainless hands with Super-LumiNova. Design in silver application. White calendar disc.

BEZEL
Aluminum bezel in black, blue, red or green with silver markings.

STRAP
Black vintage leather strap with white stitching and stainless steel Pre-V buckle.

Optional:
• Rubber strap.
• Carbon Fiber strap.
• Metal bracelet with solid links, and end-pieces, links secured with screws.

Handcrafted In America

Swiss Components with American Craftsmanship designed to Tell Your Story. We receive our components like a lego-box from our partner factories in Switzerland, Germany, and America; and then assemble each timepiece per the design requirements and specifications as each watch is “made to order”. Even “stock designs” feature customized caseback engravings and personalization details.

You select your desired case and dial option, movement and strap choice and then we create the perfect graphic for your caseback engraving, one that describes you and your milestones, your achievements and your sacrifices, a watch that is symbolically you, one that tells your story.
  • Overview
  • Usage Guide
  • Do's / Don'ts
  • Help / Support

Overview

A Quartz movement is powered by the battery, and will run for approximately 2 years (+/-). If your watch stops running, please contact us to get the battery swapped. (We have seen outside shops often damage the movement when extracting the battery). Email us and we'll get it taken care of quickly for you.

An Automatic is another term for “self-winding”, meaning the watch winds itself using a rotator weight inside the timepiece which oscillates to apply tension on the mainspring of the movement through the random motion of the watch owner's arm.

This movement does not require a battery, but does require manual winding every few days using the crown to fully "charge the mainspring" and increase the timepiece's accuracy because it's running at full power.

You should send your watch in for routine service every year, or two years at the longest. Just like your precision firearms, which you routinely clean and oil, a mechanical timepiece requires this care as well.

Usage Guide

QUARTZ MOVEMENT INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Unscrew the Crown [counter clockwise].
2. To Set the Date:
Gently Pull the Crown into "First Position". Then turn the date forward slowly till you reach your desired date.
3. To Set the Time:
Gently Pull the Crown into "Second Position". Then turn the crown, advancing the hands forward, not backward, to your desired time.

AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Unscrew the Crown [counter clockwise]
2. To Wind the Watch:
Gently turn the Crown clockwise [feel the tension of the mainspring] 40-50 complete turns.
(this movement can not be over-wound as it has an escapement).
3. To Set the Date:
Gently Pull the Crown into "First Position". Then turn the date forward slowly till you reach your desired date.
4. To Set the Time:
Gently Pull the Crown into "Second Position". Then turn the crown, advancing the hands forward, not backward, to your desired time.
(because the mechanical movement uses a series go metal discs and gears to move in precision balance to set and tell the time, it is advised to only set the time forward - not back)

RE-SECURE THE CROWN:
When you are finished setting the time and date and winding the movement, it is imperative that you re-secure the crown (the thing keeping the world out of your watch).


While applying inward pressure, gently turn the Crown clockwise, securing it on the threading until it is tightly closed. This ensures your watch is water-sealed.

It is NOT advised that you use your mechanical timepiece in the hot tub, sauna, shower, jacuzzi or other steam generating environments [read full article].

Do's & Don'ts

Do's:
Wind your watch gently daily.

Don'ts:
Do not use pliers to try to open your crown.
Do not use your watch as a hammer to hang a frame.

have questions or need help?

If you have questions, or need servicing, please contact us either toll-free at 1-800-774-4980 or via email: contact@swisspl.com


Customer Showcase