iW Magazine Summer 2019 | Page 116

3-GER saphire watch TANK TREADS ON THE WRIST Los Angeles–based MTM Special Ops has developed a very tough titanium bracelet. BY MICHAEL THOMPSON 116 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2019 WHILE MANY MAKERS OF SPORTS WATCHES WILL TOUT THE STRENGTH of their watchcases and clasps, only a few will focus on the strength of their bracelets. Squarely in the latter category, Los Angeles-based MTM/Special Ops Watch Company wants you to take a very close look at the titanium bracelet it developed for the MTM Sherman 3-GER watch. One clue to the nature of the bracelet, which MTM has devel- oped in-house, is the name of the watch it holds on the wrist. The patented bracelet, conceived by MTM (Multi Time Machine) owner Joe Casis, was inspired by the thick treads of the Sherman tanks used by the U.S. military in World War II. Like the tank treads, the bracelet utilizes ball bearings instead of spring bars or rods to connect each link. Each bracelet link is machined from solid titanium and connected to another link via a machined metal, sapphire or ruby ball bearing. Echoing their