The CWC GS Sub-Hunter - A Panegyric
In 2010 I bought a ‘C’ serial G10 from Silvermans. Like many others I love the size, the essential acrylic crystal, the classic MOD design, not to mention the DIY battery changes. Over the years it’s been a constant, trustworthy companion and my most frequent daily wearer until the irresistible Smiths Air Ministry came along. I’ve been wearing the AM pretty much all the time, so the G10 has been consigned to ‘stores' pro-tem (with the battery removed). I tend to get attached to stuff and will certainly wear it in the future, but I digress...
I'm assuming everyone is familiar with the heritage of CWC so I won’t prattle on (much). As a long-time CWC fan, the new(ish) GS Sub-Hunter has been on my radar since it came out last year. (and I think I might be finally cured of the monotony of black dials). It’s not simply a white dialled version of the GS Sapphire, but has an all-new case and crown specifically designed for this watch.
This is my first watch buy in quite a while and I've dawdled over it long enough. Since I’ve now lived with it for a few weeks I thought I’d share my subjective and entirely partisan and shamelessly biased opinion for anyone else thinking of picking one up.
Specs:
- 36mm without crown
- Slightly domed sapphire crystal
- 200m WR
- Screw down crown
- Screw case back
- Matt white dial
- Superluminova C3
- 19mm lug width*
- 3 year warranty
Watches now come in an attractive and no-fuss foam-padded cardboard box with sleeve rather than a tin, complete with a plastic serial-numbered and dated warranty card. (Apologies for the poor pic. I took this one on arrival and CBA doing another!)
The notable features for me are:
The movement, which is the same ETA 955.102 as in my G10. This is a no-date, gilt finished, 7 jewel movement with EOL (end of life) function. The G10 runs at +2s/month. Conversely the Sub-Hunter is running at -2s/month so no surprises there and in any event pretty much luck of the draw. It has what I can only describe as an unhurried or languid tick rather than the rather more impatient twitch of other quartz movements. Battery life should be a little over three years based on my G10 but the watch was running when received.
The pièce de résistance ‘torpedo timer' red seconds hand is a joy to behold. It's exactly the right shade of red, not dark pink or scarlet but blood red and I love it. CWC have really nailed the colour, but don’t be fooled – for some obscure reason it’s misleadingly more anaemic looking in pics than in reality. There is no seconds hand 'bounce' either and it hits 95% of the markers bang on, only off by a hair where it doesn't. I can live with that. Hour and minute hands are gloss black wiith SL infill, the usual MOD style and importantly are the correct length reaching to both the hour numerals and to the far edge of the minute track.
You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to notice that a vintage-style broadarrow replaces the ‘QUARTZ’ wording on the G10. A welcome enhancement from the MOD spec. And as Clarkson would say, “I like it. A lot”.
Interestingly, the much improved crown has been redesigned for this watch and it screws down into the case, not onto a crown-tube. It’s foolproof and a pleasure to operate with super-smooth threading and the nicest SDC I’ve ever used with no back-threading required. It's also nice and beefy. I have a loathing for puny crowns and conversely I'm a sucker for decent size (ie proper) crowns. Shows that manufacturers are thinking about functionality rather than just design.
There is no AR treatment on the sapphire crystal but reflections are not much of a problem with white dials anyway, especially when the crystal is gently domed as in this case. There is a bevel at the edge and it sits slightly proud of the case.
*I measure the lug width to be 19mm. Silvermans/CWC show 18mm on the website. I’m guessing that the webpage must have been written on a Friday afternoon. A G10 strap is more or less obligatory, which is good thing because I’m a big fan. Default for me is Phoenix Admiralty grey or black. IMHO the very best G10 straps are Eddie's and Phoenix. Really should add CWCs own straps to the list as they're also excellent, are heat-welded and have etched branded buckles but only available with polished hardware (as are Phoenix to be fair).
I daresay some will still pull a face at the price for a quartz. As ever, it’s really a question of whether you think a watch is worth the money considering the brand, specs, build quality and perhaps most important in this game, as in other things, intensity of lust. Naturally, with any watch, opinions will vary as lots of past threads testify...
My impression is that CWC have brought some clear thinking and sound deliberation to the design of the GS GS Sub-Hunter rather than just cobbling something together. If it was up to me, whoever had the brainwave and/or gave this the thumbs up at CWC should get a huge bonus, an immediate pay rise, and a weekend away with Scarlett Johansson, because it's that good. It's a hackneyed phrase but, just like the legendary G10, the details all add up to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. Certainly a perfect example of a worry-free everyday watch – and from a British company. It ticks all the boxes, there’s plenty to appreciate and nothing at all to grumble about. For me, this is another impressive addition to the CWC inventory – and it's good to see them releasing new watches. I’m almost impossible to please these days (getting jaded), but the GS Sub-Hunter deserves the full 5 stars and I can thoroughly recommend it whether you’re already a CWC fan or a future one.
...and if you got this far, well done!
