No 157 - Scubapro Quartz 30atm

Honestly, I didn’t even know what this watch was when I was offered to buy it. I just recognized the Scubapro logo and knew it had to do with diving. I paid less than $200 for it. Head only. Considered it to be quite cool but nothing special. What I liked most about it was the chapter ring. I might have worn it outside the home once or twice. Otherwise it was just sitting in the drawer until I finally sold it in January 2013 to the well-known watch profile S.L. I let it go for the same price I paid and even included two nato straps and an oyster bracelet. It has since made many appearances on his Instagram. Check it out!

#157 - The Scubapro Quartz 30atm.

My jaw dropped when I recently saw what these watches sell for today. Crazy stuff! Should have hung on to it for sure. The automatics are even more expensive so my only advice is to let them sit tight if you already own one.

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

No 149, 162, 202, 330 & 335 - CWC SBS Quartz PVD Diver

This might be my favorite in the CWC line. Quartz. PVD. Day and date. Great lume. Screw down crown. Water resistant to 300m. Tough Monnin-style case. Affordable. In other words: features that define a perfect tool watch! I’ve had three of this version as well, just like the regular non-PVD Quartz RN diver. I never get tired of them.

Got my first one in late October 2012. Second one was bought in March 2013 and the third was bought in late December the same year. The first and the second were newer ones with luminova dials but the third one must have been older since its indexes and hands had faded to a more yellow/light brown tone assuming it might have been a tritium dial. I wasn’t that into the whole “issued business” with military watches at the time so I never checked the case backs to see when they’d been manufactured and if they were intended for the military or the civilian market.
 

#149 - The CWC SBS Quartz PVD Diver. My first.

#162 - The second one. Worn on a black heavy duty nato.

#202 - The third and last with a nice patina on the dial.

I bought a bunch of nato straps in different colors with PVD-details to get some variety and of course I gave them away for free every time I sold one of them which resulted in buying new straps every time a got another one. Very smart and economic. Not. 

Me with the first one back in October 2012 just as I was about to lose the long hair.

Make sure to have at least one CWC quartz diver in your drawer. Doctor’s orders!

UPDATE - January 11th 2017.

In mid-November 2016 I just couldn't stop myself from buying this newer L-dial version that popped up for sale to a great price. The same day I receive it a friend sends me a picture of his PVD quartz diver with the T-dial that he just received. I instantly texted him "I'll take it!" and got the answer "Sure, when I get bored of it". So I got rid of the L-dial and then just waited for him to send it and after a bit of serious mind games and constant nagging it finally showed up. Since these T-dials are becoming more and more uncommon to find used I will really do my best to hang on to this one for a while. Great watch!

#330 - My only L-dial. A little worn with some chipping in the crystal.

#335 - My fourth T-dial. Issued in 2013 so probably one of the last.

On the iconic Marine Nationale strap from NDC Straps.

UPDATE - September 27th 2017.

In the spring of 2017 this idea came to me. "Wouldn't a nodate in PVD look really cool?" Why didn't CWC make those? Well, I guess I had to make it myself. My friend Magnus helped me out as usual and the result was awesome. What a hardcore watch! The dial and movement was taken from my fourth RN Quartz Diver and the dial and movement from the SBS was put back in the donator watch which made it look exactly like my Day/date Quartz Diver that I bought for my son. So having two identical Day/dates was perfect I thought. It was of course going to be given to my second son. The only thing was that all the numbers on the case backs didn't belong to the actual watch model which finally bothered me so much that the watches in the beginning of September 2017 were restored to their original state. The SBS nodate still got plenty of wrist time though during the time it was modified. Shortly after I introduced this mod on Instagram the SBS nodate became a stock watch in the CWC catalogue.

Watch #335 with the dial from watch #347 which created the SBS nodate.

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

No 107, 195, 276, 347, 358 & 360 - CWC RN Quartz Diver

One of my favorites. The Royal Navy quartz diver without date or day. A solid beater. Legible and clean. Based on the legendary Monnin-style case which has become one of the most well-known cases for vintage dive watches. This is basically all you need for no money at all. I’ve had three of this model so far and I know there will be more. I sold the latest one just a couple of days ago. I could never pass on one of these if they would pop up to a good price. I must have some deep rooted instinct that just makes me say “I’ll take it!” even if I don’t need it. I can’t remember if any of the two first I had were issued. The last one I owned wasn’t. All have been complete with its tin can case and have all been originally sold by Silvermans. I have split feelings about the fixed spring bars. I do find them cool and genuine but at the same time I hate it how they make the watch being unable to be fitted with regular two-piece rubber straps. I used to be a big fan of Nato straps but not anymore and it bothers me that I can’t fit them with my favorite Bonetto rubbers. I have a future project that would involve chopping them off and then drill lug-holes all the way through and then have Rolex-type spring bars fitted. That would be killer! Let me get back to you on that someday.

#107 - My first CWC Royal Navy Quartz Diver.

#195 - Number two was mostly worn on the "Gucci" nato. You could tell from the lume that this was a newer one. A really cool fun fact about this watch is that I bought it from a U.S. Coast Guard and I was given some pictures of it while it was being used in action.

#276 - The third one which was recently sold. A little beat up but with very nice patina and an overall good condition. Probably older than the other two.

I couldn't find any pictures of me wearing any of them but I remember I wore the first one at a concert with Entombed at Göta Källare in Stockholm 2011. I figured I could use a watch that could take a beating in the mosh pit. Anyhow, if you haven’t had one of those go out there and get one. Preferably one with a T-marked dial which are a little cooler according to me. 



UPDATE - October 10th 2017.

What did I tell you? That there would be more of this one, that's right! The CWC RN Diver's have really become my favorite watches. The fourth one came to me very unexpectedly. I had had a WTB out looking for one for quite some time without any response but then one day in February 2017 I finally got a reply. It was one of those from the batch with the T-marked luminova dials issued in 2012. This one together with watch #335 was used to create the SBS nodate. When it later was restored to its original state it was used to create the prototype for an upcoming project I'm running together with CWC called The Tactical Diver which there will be plenty more about in the near future.

#347 - The fourth RN Quartz Diver.

Out walking with my kids in September 2017. Crown hidden underneath the raincoat. Wait! What?

In May 2017 I came across an almost brand new MK1 L-dial to a really good price. I had been a little reluctant towards the L-dials in the past but have completely changed my mind regarding that now. This one was used pretty much during the summer of -17 and I mostly wore it on the MN nato from NDC straps which I think made a terrific combo.

#358 - The MK1 L-dial made in 2014.

Water- and bubble proof.

The L-dial to the top left. The modified #347 at the bottom and the original Day/Date #235 to the right.

Breakfast and trainspotting with my oldest son on an early morning in June 2017.

Loved that strap on this particular watch.

My sixth and last nodate diver was a non-issued T-dial sold in 2009. It had a lot of patina and possessed a whole lot of soul. A fantastic watch that probably should have been kept. 

#360 - Sixth and last. Properly worn and with some tritium missing on the minute hand.

An awesome watch with an awesome view.

From top to bottom: Nodate #358, #347, #360 and Day/Date #235.

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

No 88 - Tag Heuer 1000m Professional

What a great watch! I didn’t study the history of this model very much before I bought it and really don’t know much about it but I know it has been produced with both the Heuer-dial and the newer Tag Heuer-dial. This one had the Tag Heuer-dial but the crown had the Heuer-logo only so perhaps it was a transitional model? It was cool anyhow. It takes a lot for me to go vintage but this watch case, as you should know by now, really gets me going and also it was a quartz, which I love, so I was hoping it was going to be good to go from the start and wasn’t going to need an overhaul right away. I received it on the original jubilee bracelet and the clasp had the Tag-logo if I remember it correct. It was really great to wear and the tritium actually lit up unexpectedly well. A killer watch!

#88 - The Tag Heuer Professional 1000m Quartz.

The Heuer crown visible.

Ref. 980.023 L

So why did I sell this one you might wonder? Well, since there was a Heuer-version available it bothered me that I had the slightly less cooler Tag-version. I had a hard time seeing the Tag-logo on something that to me looked like a vintage watch. I was still associating Tag Heuer with Formula 1 and modern chronographs and not vintage dive watches. But I’m not even sure if this one could be classified as vintage just yet since it possibly could be from the early 90’s. Anyway, if I’m going to own this model again one day it has to be the Heuer-version. That one with the quartz movement is just perfection. 

Wrist shot.

Bottle shot. Timefactors rubber.

UPDATE - December 12th 2016 

A while ago (in late September to be more specific) this one unexpectedly returned to me in a trade. It was a dear reunion because I had really missed it. It looked just as beautiful as when it left me August 2011. Unfortunately it was only for a short stay because I had other deals going on and goods simply had to move. But I still got to wear it for a few days which was really nice.

Wrist shot at work.

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