No 385 - CWC 1980 Royal Navy Divers Reissue

It has been time to once more travel back from the past and return to the present! I just couldn't wait writing about this watch.

It was in the middle of May when CWC announced that they were making a reissue of their first automatic dive watch. I contacted them directly with a “sign me up!” and then the wait began. The first estimated delivery was July and I immediately put the watch as number one on my list of watches to buy. Then in the beginning of June, Jason Heaton wrote this great article for Hodinkee and nothing else except for this watch was interesting anymore. This was going to be my Exit watch.

But July was postponed to August and August became "sometime later this year". So I started to purchase other watches and fell back into my regular flipping pace, and then I started the Tactical Diver project and forgot about the reissue completely. Then last week I suddenly received an e-mail from CWC saying that the watch was arriving any day now and asking me if there was a certain serial number I would be interested in. Hell. Yeah.

My watch was sent on October the 17^th and showed up yesterday on the 18^th. Instead of heading home to my family directly after work I took a small detour and went down by the water, to sit down on a park bench, where I could open up the package in peace and quiet, while the sun was setting down in the sea. I was going to savor this moment.

The black CWC watch roll inside the tin can case together with the certificate.

#385 - The CWC 1980 Royal Navy Divers Reissue. Straight out of the box (Okay okay! I did set the hands to ten past ten because it looked better).

The watch was delivered in its regular tin can with the white paper cover (I wouldn’t want it any other way). The only new feature was a black leather watch roll inside the case that held the watch which was a nice touch. 

Jeez Louise! What a beauty! I sat starring at it for a while, feeling the clicks of the bezel, listening carefully to the sound of the movement being wound manually, and just forgot about time even though a was holding it my hands. Suddenly I noticed the daylight fading rapidly. "Oh no, Instagram!" I quickly put the watch on my wrist, snapped a few photos of it in the little light that was left before the sun had completely set, and then I hurried home.

Taken in the setting sun.

Many have asked me “£2000, was it really worth it?” and all I can say is that I’m super happy and love it so I guess for me it was.

I will continue to update this post with new pictures and thoughts as this watch will accompany me through my everyday life. I just felt I had to share this with you while it was fresh instead of trying to look back on this moment in two years. 

From yesterday.

Taken this morning while waiting for the bus.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 54 - CWC RN Automatic Diver

I found this beauty for sale in October 2010. It had recently gone through a service so the interior was in top condition while the exterior showed some signs of being worn for some time. I received it without any box or papers and I never took a picture of the case back so I don’t know how old it actually was. I’m not sure if it had a tritium dial but the surface of the markings didn’t look as smooth as luminova usually do and also they were fading towards yellow. I can’t believe I lost money on this watch. I bought it cheap but apparently sold it even cheaper. I can’t remember for what reason but for being a newly serviced watch with the old T-marking dial (and perhaps also with a tritium dial) it must have been one of those recurring stupid deals that have taken place every now and then during the journey.

#54 – The Royal Navy automatic diver from Cabot Watch Company.

I’ve only had one automatic CWC diver. When it comes to the different quartz models I think I have had at least six of them. I love the design of the watch but I can’t see it as an everyday wearer and therefore think it’s more comfortable to have a quartz lying around. I really want to encourage people to buy the CWC’s instead of all crappy knock offs out there on eBay. We’re not talking about any huge savings to make on the cheapies. Just chip in a couple of extra dollars and you’ll get a used CWC instead. You won't regret it!


UPDATE - January 11th 2017.

Wow! I can't believe this one came back to me. To my great luck the owner I sold it to back in 2010/2011 had kept it all this time and when I threw a vintage Breitling his way that I suspected he might be interested in he accepted to give it back to me in a trade. I've really missed this watch. It's not until now that I've truly started to understand and appreciate it. At the moment I have no plans at all to get rid of this watch. I also got to learn that it was issued in 2002 which was something I didn't bother to look up the first time I had it.

The automatic diver back in the collection! Here seen together with its two quartz brothers.

I just love the vintage look it has developed throughout the years.

Out for a walk on Christmas Eve.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.