the development of the watch:
Richard "Dick" Marcinko has been nicknamed The Rogue Warrior. It was his input and dedication to 'getting it right' that led to the development of a new type of military watch. As the recipient of bronze and silver stars, he was known to do things his way. Marcinko is also known to readers for the 18 books that he has published about his military exploits around the world as the Rogue Warrior. The commander is Rambo and Arnold wrapped up in one ... and is for real. He commanded the U.S. Navy Seal Team 2, founded the most famous U.S. Navy Seal Team 6 and formed the top secret team known as Red Cell. During the Vietnam conflict, the Viet Kong put out a wanted dead or alive poster on the Rogue Warrior.
In 2007, the commander contacted several watch companies to produce a watch to his specifications and was politely turned down. He was to participate in the co-development and founding of the Rogue Warrior line of military watches that was to be unique to all others in the tactical combat area The unique specifications for the watches come from Commander. When it came to equipment and funding for his teams, no expense was spared. They received whatever it took to complete a successful mission even down to the type of watches they wore.
He was then introduced to a well-known military watch manufacturer and designer. His basic specifications were that the watch dial should be easily read in all types of lighting situations; that the movement must have the best shock protection available and finally that condensation will not form inside of the watch. This is a common problem with watches that go from hot to cold or cold to hot quickly... especially in places like the humid swamps of Vietnam and the mountainous regions of Afghanistan... all this at a price that military operators in the field can afford. Elite Special Forces units such as the U.S. Navy Seals, which are the envy of armed forces worldwide, and many mililitary operators have chosen to wear Rogue Warriors.
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| Krypton watch assembly cabinet |
Components such as a Kryptolite™ dial, krypton gas and d3o, none of which were available for sale to the general public, are now incorporated into and available in models of the Rogue Warrior Watch Company. The Red Cell and Avenger models, which are the only watches in the world that incorporate the use of krypton gas and Super Luminova to produce what is known as a Kryptolite™ dial which allows the night vision dial to glow brightly. At times, so brightly that the watches are issued with a specially designed fabric band that covers the dial during night ops. Originally, the idea of introducing krypton gas into the watch came from the commander to help prevent condensation from forming under the 4mm thick crystal. The anti-glare crystal is protected by two solid steel bars. Some operators hone these bars to a sharp point. One operator casually mentioned that "It's not just a watch it's a weapon". The krypton gas was originally introduced into the watch to prevent the possibility of condensation from forming under the crystal. The krypton removes all moisture from inside the watch and helps prolong the life of the movement. Condensation (fogging) in a watch can occur when a watch is moved from a hot to cold or cold to hot environment quickly... a problem experienced in the jungles of the Far East & in the mountains of Afghanistan. Krypton gas is very rare and quite expensive compared to other noble gases. For example, krypton gas is 30 times as expensive as argon. A tank of argon is $180, while a tank of krypton is $6,500.
Also incorporated into the Red Cell and Avenger models is a material named d3o. d3o, a fairly new space age nano material, was originally developed for the British Army for shock protection in clothing. It is a soft orange foam that, when impacted, will go from being soft to the touch and compliant to hard and rigid and back in one thousandth of a second... thus absorbing impact. To provide shock protection for the movement, this was solved by encasing it with d30™. The Rogue Warrior became the only watch company to incorporate d3o™ into its watches. To see d3o actually work, you can go to www.youtube.com (or click the d3o button here) and see the British owner of d3o being hit over the head with a shovel... protected only by a thin layer of his product.
Up until now, these watches were only available to military and law enforcement personnel. At military trade shows, several comments that were often heard were "It's not a watch it's a weapon" or "When badass is not bad enough". They're referring to one watch... The Rogue Warrior.
Dear Rogue Warrior,
Bought my Red Cell Black with silicone rubber band from Amazon.com about 2 weeks ago. Although I own several Swiss mechanicals and a Kobold Polar Surveyour, my Red Cell has been my favorite since it arrived in the mail.
My Red Cell has already been on my wrist while climbing pyramids in southern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and Belize. It'll be with me while I tackle family and friends in the northern Michigan winter during the next few weeks!
Love this watch. Feels solid and dependable. Just what a martial artist for more than 20 years was looking for! (Thinking about getting the Red Cell Silver too!!)
Thanks a million,
Dan C
Cold Spring, KY USA | 
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