The first deck watches, also known as B-Uhr watches, are considered to be the marine time pieces developed in the 18th century by English watchmaker John Harrison. They represented an important development in nautical navigation. Over time, deck watches became particularly established in the military, where they were used for locating and navigation, for coordinating procedures and for keeping to schedule. The 856 B-Uhr continues this tradition, combining the characteristic, historic look of a B-Uhr with a comfortable 40 mm diameter. As is customary with traditional B-Uhr watches, the hour hand of the 856 B-Uhr has been reduced. It points to a separate, inner hour circle, while the dominant minute hand indicates the minutes around the outside. Just like the numerals, indices and triangular main marker, the minute hand is highlighted by an ivory-coloured coating. The ordering of hour hand and minute hand on the black dial follows historical specifications: during operations, minutes were the more important unit of time, and it was important to be able to read them quickly and accurately.