Can anyone tell me what the anticipated lifespan of a CWC Diver Quartz is? I am guessing it wouldn't be as long as a well maintained automatic but still might out live me (I'm 41). I own one automatic Rolex but no high end Quartz watches. I'm assuming the Quartz movements are fairly robust in these watches and are of good quality. Or if you are looking for a watch with longevity is automatic the way to go? I am looking to buy a used Quartz model so the price might well end up being the deciding factor! Cheers!!!
If you are taking battery then 5 years is the max life span
If you are talking about the watch as a whole then it would well outlive you. Quartz watches still need maintaining and servicing but if looked after it it should last 40/50 years
I would say a Quartz watch that is maintained is more robust that an auto as there are less things to wear out!
Last edited by Sinnlover; 10th November 2017 at 12:09. Reason: spelling
Yes, I meant the movement. When you say a quartz movement needs a service, I trust these are far cheaper and less extensive than an auto? Hence partly why I'm opting more for a quartz. No point buying a watch if you can't afford the upkeep! I know very little about Quartz movements though appreciate some will undoubtedly be much better than others - more jewels etc, many thanks for your reply!!Originally Posted by Sinnlover
That said, water damage is potentially far more fatal to a quartz watch, as well as the possibility of electrical damage.
If you're really concerned, source an entire movement and get it sealed along with some desicant. Keep it in the foam lined cardboard boxes used to transport electronic components. Then it'll be good for a lifetime.
Buy a CWC and use it. If it ever fails get it fixed, if it can't be fixed buy another. Mine's been battered for @ 15 years with no problems. Life's too short for crystal ball gazing.
F.T.F.A.
Have a look at pricing on some well know watch makers website for an idea of servicing costs
The watch bloke
The watch guy
are two well known watch makers used by people here.
They will need a clean, oil and re- seal like any watch
If you do this every 5/10 years (more often if diving) the watch should last.
As noted above water is the killer
Keep the water out and the watch will last.
Cheers
John
Last edited by Sinnlover; 10th November 2017 at 12:09.
Oh I agree, you can't get too precious about these things- sadly I'm not loaded and just want to make an informed decision. I'm not fussed about resale values etc as I don't intend to sell on. I just remember my father buying an Omega Quartz in the 80s and it being a real money pit. Admittedly it was a dress watch and not diver waterproof and may have just been a one off turkey.
Thanks John, much appreciated. I won't be doing any deep sea diving. Just want a sturdy watch I can wear everyday that can take a little abuse now and then.
Not really thought of that. Quite appropriate for someone who gets called 'Cautious Ken'. Lol. Cheers!!
You can stretch services intervals out to 20 years or more with a quartz, especially if it never sees underwater use.
Just checked the receipt from my CWC I bought from Silvermans- dated 27/11/2009- still on first battery ( not been used for diving)
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Some of the above comments are true, othersd are less true.
To clarify, a quartz watch doesn`t need stripping and relubricating as frequently as a mechanical. There are less moving parts and they don`t move quickly, but eventually the lubricant dries up and the watch requires more current to run. Battery life shorten and eventually the watch stops. Ingress of dirt durinmg battery swaps will also cvause a quartz watch to stop, it only takes a fibre or piece of dirt in the wrong place and it'll stop. Servicing a quartz watch involves stripping, cleaning and reoiling, and ideally the circuit (containing all the electronic bits on a modern quartz) should be checked. This requires specialised equipment which many repairers won`t have. However, the best way to consider a circuit is to compare it to any other electronic item, eventually it will fail and the lifetime can vary hugely. Servicing the watch doesn`t affect the life of the circuit, so a freshly serviced watch could suffer a failed component on the circuit board shortly afterwards. I`ve serviced quartz watches on this basis, I can`t guarantee the circuit.
A watch with a dead circuit is a dead watch until a replacement can be sourced. Unfortunately they're not sold separately any longer so the movement needs replacing at a cost varying from £5 to expensive. The biggest worry is availability in the future.....or lack of! Some 70s/80s movements are no longer available and the watches are being kept running using second hand parts or new-old stock stuff. That's a less than ideal situation that's only heading one way and that's one reason why I only own 1 in a collection of 20 + watches.
In summary, a quartz watch SHOULD run for 10-15 years without needing attention (other than batteries), it'll then need service but there's no telling how long the circuit will last. Ironically, the longer it lasts the greater the risk that a replacement won`t be available because it's obsolete.
If a mechanical watch gets serviced every 5-7 years it should last a long time, needing only a new mainspring and barrel. I service automatics that are older than me (1950s!) and I can usually get them running well, albeit needing few parts if they've not been serviced regularly (most haven`t).
There's also another factor: even if a mechanical watch isn`t running as well as it did from new it can usually be made to run reliably and give a very acceptable performance; compare and contrast with the dead quartz watch with a failed circuit and obsolete movement.
Hope that helps. It's swings and roundabouts up to a point, a quartz watch should only need batteries for a lengthy period, but a mechanical will need service after (say) 7 years. On the other hand, the automatic is almost certain to keep running indefinitely with a bit of TLC.
Paul
At current CWC prices you would hope not to have to buy another for a long, long, time.
However, if just the movement breaks, buy another for about £25 and get someone to 'pop' it in for you.
£25!? Flipping heck! There's some markup there then!
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Many thanks- very useful!
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What movement does it use? £25 sounds cheap, I'd assumed they used an ETA but unlikely at that price!
Paul
ETA 955.112 according to CWC website.
Op, as said above, just buy a second movement (preferably sealed) and store it safely as a spare.
Interesting
A bit of Googling shows that the movement is a 3 or 6 o'clock date wheel type - so I take it that there is a date hiding under the CWC dial?
Plenty of new ones on eBay sub £30
Probably worth buying one and popping it in the CWC tin in order to future proof the watch I guess.
Interesting post here:
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/adven...5/cwc-g10/amp/
It’s the G10 but seems to suggest the date wheel is removed with the crown still retaining the central position for date change. Not sure if this applies to the divers as well.
It would be interesting to hear what whether the date wheel is removed as described in the link above for the RN Diver from someone that has had one apart.
I’ve read before that some G 10’s have an unused date wheel hidden under the dial. I’ve even seen a picture somewhere of a hole cut crudely into the dial so the date was visible! It’s ironic really because it’s pretty difficult to find a G10 with a date nowadays.
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Date wheel is there on the RN diver. This is one with a sbs dial swap
Last edited by Karl; 11th November 2017 at 01:11.
The price of SBS dials will have just shot up 100%!
Defo some profiteering going on. I'm still wondering how many re-issue divers they gonna sell at £2k. I quite like the watch, but effectively you are paying £1k for a fake tritium face. The movement is the same as the current auto as I understand it. I suspect they want to leap to the next level with some of the big boys!
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Out of interest, what sort of money should I be looking at for a preowned Quartz diver? And similarly for one that's seen service? Don't wanna get ripped off. Thanks!
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I’m on my second and love these watches. The last one was a right beat up thing which packed up so my local fella popped a new guts in for £40 from memory.
Must dig mine out, haven’t worn it in ages.
Enjoy
Pitch
For a brand new movement? If so, thats cheap.
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The chap has gone now, tiny little shop with stuff everywhere, you could hardly get on the door.
I was thinking about the post by walkerwek1958 and the reducing availability of quartz movements and was wondering if the control circuitry, coils ets degrade over time even if they're not powered? If it's likely that they can stay intact when not powered it may be a a good idea to find a spare movement now so us quartz fans can sleep easy at night... Thoughts anyone?
I was thinking about the post by walkerwek1958 and the reducing availability of quartz movements and was wondering if the control circuitry, coils ets degrade over time even if they're not powered? If it's likely that they can stay intact when not powered it may be a a good idea to find a spare movement now so us quartz fans can sleep easy at night... Thoughts anyone?
I spoke to a friend who's worked professionally with electronic components for years. He agreed with Rustyroses above. There shouldn't be anything that will cause the movement to degrade in and of itself if stored appropriately.
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Then in the same breath he told me to buy a Casio like his for £10 and be done with it.
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Back in prehistory when I worked in sound studios, the older desks were kept powered up so they weren't stressed by being switched off and on constantly. Dunno if that applies to watches, but someone will be along to tell us soon!I was thinking about the post by walkerwek1958 and the reducing availability of quartz movements and was wondering if the control circuitry, coils ets degrade over time even if they're not powered? If it's likely that they can stay intact when not powered it may be a a good idea to find a spare movement now so us quartz fans can sleep easy at night... Thoughts anyone?
Do you know which movement that has?I was thinking about the post by walkerwek1958 and the reducing availability of quartz movements and was wondering if the control circuitry, coils ets degrade over time even if they're not powered? If it's likely that they can stay intact when not powered it may be a a good idea to find a spare movement now so us quartz fans can sleep easy at night... Thoughts anyone?
They had ESA movements I think.
I was wondering whether it shared the 536.121 with the 1000.
Not easy to find or directly replace, but quite easy to service (plus shares a lot of components with the 2824/36).
Of what material is the bezel insert of a CWC dive watch made?
If its painted aluminium, then in normal use I suspect the quartz movement will still be working long after the bezel markings become illegible.
Best order a few replacement bezel inserts along with a spare movement.
Just to be on the safe side you could order a spare dial, hands, crown, crystal and case.
I think that they sell these as an integral package.
This one is a 980.023L I've sold it now but I think it has a 955.112. The very ealy ones marked 980,023 had a 536.121
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