Description
The Shanghai Watch Commander Sniper traces its lineage to the Type 114, the brand’s first military diving watch.
Developed in the 1960s in response to requirements from the Chinese military, the Type 114 combined automatic winding, a date complication and enhanced resistance to shock, magnetism and water. Some examples were issued to senior military officers, earning the watch the informal reputation of an officer’s watch or general’s watch.
The modern Commander revisits that history in a more compact form. The Sniper pairs a 37.5mm gunmetal steel case with a dark sunray dial, titanium diving bezel and 300m water resistance - retaining the utilitarian character of its predecessor while bringing the construction firmly into the present.
Inspiration & Design
The Commander collection draws directly from Shanghai Watch’s Type 114 military diving watch.
Its origins can be traced to the A641 project of 1964, an experimental high-grade slim watch that provided a foundation for subsequent development. Following a requirement for an automatic watch with a date display and enhanced shock, magnetic and water resistance, Shanghai Watch further developed the design and in 1965 produced the 29-jewel Type 114 military diving watch. A later 24-jewel version powered by the SS4C movement followed in 1968.
The contemporary Commander retains recognisable elements of the Type 114 while refining them for modern proportions. Shanghai’s calligraphic signature remains at 12 o’clock, the date window sits at 3, and the original wedge-shaped hour markers have been streamlined without losing their distinctive geometry.
At 6 o’clock, the two-bar, four-star insignia references military rank and provides the most direct visual link to the Commander identity.
Dial & Case
The Sniper takes the darker of the two titanium-bezel Commander executions. Its black sunray dial is designed to reveal subtle changes in texture under changing light, while tonal hands, indices and the two-bar, four-star emblem reinforce its deliberately subdued appearance.
Pencil-shaped hour and minute hands are joined by a slender seconds hand with a broadened tip. The three-dimensional wedge indices and hands are treated with Super-LumiNova® for visibility in low light.
The 37.5mm case is made from 316L stainless steel with a gunmetal finish and measures 13.45mm thick. Satin-brushed surfaces maintain the tool-watch character, while a domed sapphire crystal protects the dial.
Around it sits one of the more interesting updates to the historic design: a unidirectional titanium diving bezel, selected for its strength, corrosion resistance and reduced weight. The bezel itself incorporates Super-LumiNova®, extending nighttime legibility beyond the dial.
A screw-down crown and solid steel caseback contribute to a substantial 300m / 30ATM water-resistance rating.
Movement
Inside is Shanghai Watch’s ST2130 automatic movement, operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour / 4Hz.
The 28-jewel calibre provides central hours, minutes and seconds together with the date display at 3 o’clock, and delivers approximately 42 hours of power reserve when fully wound.
Rather than using an exhibition caseback, Shanghai Watch has chosen a solid steel back for this Commander - an appropriate decision for a watch whose identity is rooted more firmly in military utility and diving capability than movement display.
Bracelet / Strap
The Sniper is supplied on a 20mm black nylon-and-leather strap with a pin buckle. Its quick-release construction makes changing the watch’s character particularly straightforward.
Also included is a 20mm gunmetal stainless-steel bracelet, fitted with a turtle-back clasp and its own quick-release system. The darker bracelet creates a more integrated, monochromatic appearance, while the nylon-leather strap emphasises the Commander’s field and military character.
Final Thoughts
The Commander Sniper succeeds because Shanghai Watch has resisted simply reproducing an old military watch.
The historical cues are still there - the calligraphic signature, date position, wedge indices and military insignia - but the 37.5mm proportions, titanium bezel, sapphire crystal and 300m water resistance make this a genuinely modern tool watch.
Its Type 114 lineage gives it a story worth knowing. Its compact dimensions and dark gunmetal execution mean you don’t need to be a history enthusiast to appreciate it.
Technical Specifications
| Case size: |
37.5mm |
| Case material: |
Gunmetal 316L stainless steel |
| Case back: |
316L stainless steel
|
| Movement type: |
Automatic |
| Movement no.: |
ST2130
|
| Power reserve: |
Approx 42hrs |
| Dial: |
Black sunray; applied wedge-shaped indices with Super-Luminova; pencil hour/minute hands and linear seconds hand with Super-Luminova
|
| Glass: |
Sapphire crystal |
| Water resistance: |
30ATM |
| Strap type: |
1x strap; 1x bracelet |
| Strap material: |
Nylon and leather strap; gunmetal stainless steel bracelet
|
| Buckle: |
Stainless steel
|
| Warranty: |
2 years |
