Down and Dirty With the ‘Filthy 13’: TUUL Watch Review

Sandboarding is really, really dirty. There is a lot of falling, rolling, and tumbling down giant dunes. And if you’re keeping track of time, your wristwatch will get kind of thrashed about. I couldn’t think of a better place to test a wristwatch that is tool to the core, the TUUL Filthy 13.

With a name like TUUL, it’s pretty clear who the 1-year-old Brooklyn brand aims squarely at the tool watch world. And the Filthy 13 is an homage to a classic tool watch design, the Dirty Dozen.

Straight up, tool watches and, in particular, field watches, are among my absolute favorite timepieces. They lack the bling and flash of dive watches, but make up for it with legibility, durability, and subtle style in spades. And after a few weeks of regular wear, the TUUL Filthy 13 earned a lot more affection from me than I initially expected.

The TUUL Filthy 13 oozes cool, but with zero pretense. This is a watch that’s so cool it doesn’t care what you think. And it’s pretty clear that the wearer doesn’t, either. It’s a little steampunk, a little tactical, and has no F’s left to give.

In short: The TUUL Filthy 13 is based on the iconic Dirty Dozen military watch design. It favors legibility, ease of use, and durability over flash. Its 38mm case size is comfortable on pretty much any wrist and disappears under clothing. The Automatic Sellita SW261-1 movement is a reliable workhorse with a 41-hour power reserve, plenty for a style of watch that the wearer will never take off when using it in the field. Coupled with a reasonable 100m water resistance and anti-reflective coated sapphire crystal, it’s a rock-solid field watch entering a crowded field of $1,000 automatic watches.

In the market for a field watch? Check out GearJunkie’s guide to the best field watches.

TUUL Filthy 13: New Brand, Iconic Design

TUUL is a very young brand in the watch world. Father-and-son founders Ron and Barry Abraham were in the strap business for over a decade. They decided that the next step would be to start a watch company. They conceived the idea for the new watch company during COVID in 2020. About 4 years later, TUUL was born, with its first watches hitting the market in 2024.

“I’ve always loved the Dirty Dozen military watch, and when I looked at the landscape in the industry at the time, I didn’t see too many offerings available in a modern version,” Abraham said.

“There were some original vintage ones for sale up on eBay, but they weren’t suitable for modern-day use and were very expensive. Hence, we decided to create the Filthy 13, which stays true to the originals with its own styling and modern upgrades. Our goal is to make high-quality tool watches made to be worn and enjoyed by watch enthusiasts all over the world.”

And looking at the TUUL Filthy 13, you’ll see a spitting image of the original “dirty dozen.”

Dirty Dozen Field Watches?

The Dirty Dozen refers to 12 distinct brands of Swiss-made wristwatches that were ordered by the British Ministry of Defence during World War II for use by British soldiers. These watches were durable, accurate, and water-resistant, meeting the specific needs of military personnel in the field. 

Manufactured by brands Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex, the original Dirty Dozen field watches had a very distinct design. They had a black face, white numerals, and a small seconds hand at 6 o’clock. Coupled with a railroad-style minute track, one look and an educated watch lover will recognize a Dirty Dozen styling immediately.

The TUUL Filthy 13 follows the formula to the letter.

TUUL Filthy 13 Review

At 38mm — the standard for traditional field watches — the TUUL Filthy 13 is a gritty little watch. TUUL sent a demo over for me to wear for a month of testing, and I have developed some fondness for it after putting it through some pretty rigorous use.

The TUUL Filthy 13 field watch ships in a very heavy-duty plastic case. It reminds me of a Pelican case, and it is really nice. I could see repurposing it for legit outdoor use, carrying small cameras or other fragile items. It includes a warranty card and a nice watch tool. The vibe is rugged, as in you could huck the case off a cliff with no worries.

Remove the watch from the case, and you’ll find a no-nonsense field watch with an easily legible, high-contrast face. The model I tested had a ruggedly appealing bronze case and dark green face with white lettering.

The watch feels substantial and rock solid in the hand. The strap is heavy nylon webbing, a classic material for a NATO strap that will reliably hold the timepiece on your wrist.

The face has a simple logo and the name TUUL stamped just below the 12 o’clock position. The small second dial is just above 6 o’clock.

On the wrist, the watch feels light and understated. Don’t expect this watch to grab a lot of attention. Its drab finish, smaller case size, and general lack of flash are exactly the intention of a field watch. That isn’t to say the Filthy 13 isn’t attractive — it’s indeed a very handsome watch — but it isn’t at all flashy. It will sit quietly on your wrist, telling the time, and not giving away your location with shiny polished edges.

TUUL Filthy 13: Accurate Over Time

I had the opportunity to give the Filthy 13 a longer-than-average test, wearing it over the course of nearly 2 months. As I review many watches, this one had to wait its turn after I initially tried it on.

But once it came into daily rotation, it quickly impressed me with its comfort and accuracy.

At this point, I had set the time on the Filthy 13 3 weeks ago, before heading out on a trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Today, it is less than 30 seconds off. Gaining or losing less than 10 seconds a week, for an automatic watch, is exceptional performance.

It speaks volumes to the automatic Sellita SW261-1 movement that gives the watch its heartbeat, although Sellita notes that the watch is rated at ±12 seconds per day. My performance was much better.

In terms of comfort, the Filthy 13 is excellent. That’s largely due to the smaller 38mm case size, which wears easily on most wrists. At 11.25mm thick, it’s not the thinnest watch by any means, but it does easily fit beneath cuffs. It’s an easy-wearing watch and should fit most folks very well.

Criticisms

I had two modest qualms with the Filthy 13, neither is a deal breaker, but both are worth considering.

First is legibility. While the watch does use Swiss Super LumiNova, a premium glow-in-the-dark coating, for its luminous hands and numeral markings, I found it significantly less bright than some other watches I’ve tested. It certainly is legible at night, even hours after sunset, but it takes more squinting to make out the watch face.

The next criticism related to legibility is a nature of the beast: Dirty Dozen watches, with their small second-hand dial, are harder to read at a glance than a standard field watch face. It’s a price you’ll pay for the style, which I do think is very cool.

Finally, the strap is very long on this model. I solved that issue by folding it over and tucking it back into the strap holder. It works well and allows for a clean appearance, but I didn’t love it. If I owned this watch, I’d probably cut the strap or eventually exchange it with another NATO strap model.

Versus the Market

The Filthy 13 hits a price range from about $900-1,100. It’s a competitive space that affords buyers access to a vast slice of the watch market, from field watches and dress watches to some very high-quality dive watches. So it’s a tough place to stand out.

As a tool watch, the Filthy 13 has to compete against some significantly less expensive models, such as the Bertucci A-2T Super Classic, a quartz watch that tips the scales at less than $150. The Vaer C5 Tactical Solar brings long-running quartz solar power to the market at a hair under $400.

Apples to apples, the Hamilton Khaki Field Watch is an iconic automatic watch that also lands at the $1,100 price point.

Where the Filthy 13 stands out is its micro-brand heritage, historically accurate design, and top-tier quality. Packing a top-notch Swiss-made automatic movement in a beautiful, yet subtle case makes this a watch to consider.

The TUUL Filthy 13 really won me over after a few weeks of hard use. It’s a very capable watch and stood up to some serious abuse without showing so much as a scratch. And in the world of field watches, that’s the name of the game exactly. The Filthy 13 is made to get dirty. How you get it that way is up to you.