closing tag is in template navbar
timefactors watches



TZ-UK Fundraiser
Results 1 to 34 of 34

Thread: CWC GS Sapphire with Tritium Dial - Thoughts and Photos

  1. #1
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930

    CWC GS Sapphire with Tritium Dial - Thoughts and Photos

    So I recently had a few days away since COVID struck and wanted a watch to suit a variety of environments.

    As some of you will know, I’ve been hit by the CWC bug recently, specifically the Fatboy reissue, which is now my favourite watch, it’s just missing one thing - some serious water resistance.

    After a tip off that CWC can do customised builds I enquired about a GS sapphire with a Tritium dial. That little circled T vs and L makes a big difference in a dial, giving it a balanced look to my eyes. Well sure enough, they were able to fulfil my request, I found them to be a pleasure to deal with and very helpful.

    So, my thoughts. Well, without the acrylic crystal it’s missing that extra element that makes the Fatboy so special, but it has its own charm, and a few days as my only watch certainly has cemented its place as my go anywhere, do anything watch. It is slim but has enough wrist presence, especially on a NATO and feels very solid. It’s subtle enough for any environment, and the Tritium dial makes it just a little bit special compared to the standard offering. Fixed bars are off putting for lots of people I know, but I much prefer them - especially in a situation like this, when it’s good to be able to change straps with no fuss or tools, and in seconds. So on that theme I took with me:
    A 20mm CWC Natostretch in green and yellow
    A 20mm CWC single pass ribbed in Airforce blue
    A 20mm Phoenix NATO in Admiralty Grey
    A superb Yellow Dog 19mm black rubber NATO (custom made).

    The mix of weather and scenery was a good backdrop for some photos, hope they are enjoyable/useful to anyone considering the watch or straps!

  2. #2
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    20mm CWC Natostretch

    Very comfortable, as you could expect. Feels well made and suits the watch very well.

    A B&W shot:


    With the Single Pass Ribbed strap in the foreground:


    A bit of sunshine:


    And some sand:



    The watch feels it could go through any environment and, personally I prefer to be wearing something at the cheaper end of the watch spectrum especially when water gets involved.

  3. #3
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    20mm CWC single pass ribbed in Airforce blue

    Lovely colour that complements the lume perfectly I think. Feels a bit less military than a NATO (obviously I guess!) and more like something that a classic watch would be worn on in the sixties. That’s how I see it anyway!


  4. #4
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    20mm Phoenix NATO in Admiralty Grey

    No doubt about this straps credentials and suitability for a CWC. Makes it more casual and purposeful looking I think. The grey with the military dial is an absolutely classic combination.

    Doesn’t get any better than this.







  5. #5
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Yellow Dog 19mm black rubber NATO

    The CWC feels indestructible on this strap. It’s very subtle, doesn’t look like a rubber strap until seen close up. It’s perfectly made and exactly what’s needed if one is planning to indulge in some aquatic antics.
    I think it gives the CWC an almost dive watch look.






  6. #6
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930

    CWC GS Sapphire with Tritium Dial - Thoughts and Photos

    So there you have it.

    A bulletproof CWC that would suit almost any environment, and suits a variety of straps to make it the perfect holiday watch, in my humble opinion.

    Any negative points? I guess there are a couple if I search deeply. The lume on the dial isn’t great, as to be expected. But the hands light up sufficiently well to tell the time at night as long as you are wearing the watch so you can orientate the dial.
    It has a military look that might not necessary work with very formal attire, although with a single pass black strap I think it would look pretty fantastic. The gap between the fixed bars and case is quite narrow, so it would need to be a fairly thin strap.

    Other than those minor niggles I’ve thoroughly enjoyed a week with this watch on my wrist, and look forward to our future adventures together.
    Last edited by TheGent; 20th May 2022 at 23:02.

  7. #7
    Master
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Kent UK
    Posts
    2,418
    Great photos ands a nice collection of straps. The Airforce blue is especially lovely.

  8. #8
    Craftsman Cornholio's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Nottingham, UK
    Posts
    903
    That is lovely, thank you for sharing 😊

  9. #9
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by gerrudd View Post
    Great photos ands a nice collection of straps. The Airforce blue is especially lovely.
    Thank you sir - yes that blue is very special.

  10. #10
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by Cornholio View Post
    That is lovely, thank you for sharing 😊
    You are very welcome!

  11. #11
    Master
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Kent UK
    Posts
    2,418
    Quote Originally Posted by TheGent View Post
    Thank you sir - yes that blue is very special.
    I think I may have found a watch that will require me to order one. Newark 6BB inbound.

  12. #12
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by gerrudd View Post
    I think I may have found a watch that will require me to order one. Newark 6BB inbound.
    That will be a great combination

  13. #13
    Master woodacre1983's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Lancashire
    Posts
    1,704
    Brilliant write up, thoroughly enjoyed reading this. A lovely watch and some great strap choices too.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  14. #14
    Grand Master Sinnlover's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    London
    Posts
    10,905
    A very nice write up and great photos
    I am biased by grey for the win for me.
    I need to try one of the yellow dog straps - just need to find a watch that will suit it.

  15. #15
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930

    CWC GS Sapphire with Tritium Dial - Thoughts and Photos

    Quote Originally Posted by woodacre1983 View Post
    Brilliant write up, thoroughly enjoyed reading this. A lovely watch and some great strap choices too.
    Thanks very much - glad you enjoyed!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sinnlover View Post
    A very nice write up and great photos
    I am biased by grey for the win for me.
    I need to try one of the yellow dog straps - just need to find a watch that will suit it.
    The grey is perfect for a CWC I think.

    I can highly recommend yellow dog straps, Alex is great to deal with. I’d suggest putting it on something with a relatively thin case. The rubber isn’t that thick, but there are two layers of it in the NATO format.
    Last edited by TheGent; 22nd May 2022 at 17:39.

  16. #16
    Apprentice
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Florida, US
    Posts
    37
    Very much enjoyed your write up. I debated with myself quite a bit before ordering my Fatboy as this one was a close second. I may end up with one anyway.
    Enjoy.

  17. #17
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by William View Post
    Very much enjoyed your write up. I debated with myself quite a bit before ordering my Fatboy as this one was a close second. I may end up with one anyway.
    Enjoy.
    I’m glad!
    I do prefer the Fatboy overall, but the added water resistance does give extra peace of mind for some activities.

  18. #18
    Master Tetlee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Somerset
    Posts
    2,991
    Great job on this one, all strap options look great but the yellowdog looks a great choice for holidays when in and out the pool/sea. Might have to get one of those.

    My own custom GS that I had done a couple years ago, which they now sell as a mainstream release.



    That's the CWC stretch NATO. Super comfy!

  19. #19
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by Tetlee View Post
    Great job on this one, all strap options look great but the yellowdog looks a great choice for holidays when in and out the pool/sea. Might have to get one of those.

    My own custom GS that I had done a couple years ago, which they now sell as a mainstream release.



    That's the CWC stretch NATO. Super comfy!
    Definitely recommend the yellowdog straps!

    The Stretch NATO’s are nice - very comfortable.

    Your custom GS was the inspiration for mine.

  20. #20
    Grand Master Onelasttime's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Everywhere, yet nowhere...
    Posts
    13,677
    Great write up and cool photos.

    I have a standard L-dial GS sapphire and always struggle for inspiration to make it more interesting but your strap ideas have given me hope.

    And I've always wanted to try a rubber NATO but worried they'd be too thick. Clearly that one fits through the gap though so I'll have to investigate.

    Where was the holiday? Hope it didn't rain too much

  21. #21
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    North Riding, UK
    Posts
    478
    Quote Originally Posted by Tetlee View Post
    Great job on this one, all strap options look great but the yellowdog looks a great choice for holidays when in and out the pool/sea. Might have to get one of those.

    My own custom GS that I had done a couple years ago, which they now sell as a mainstream release.


    That's the CWC stretch NATO. Super comfy!
    How's the PVD holding up?

    Had an 2016 example for a while but found the finish was easily marked down to the bare metal. Not had the same issue with the SBS mind.

  22. #22
    Master Tetlee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Somerset
    Posts
    2,991
    Quote Originally Posted by TheGent View Post
    Your custom GS was the inspiration for mine.
    wow, must be the only time I've ever been an inspiration for anything, hey I'll take that 🙂

    Quote Originally Posted by Ed875 View Post
    How's the PVD holding up?

    Had an 2016 example for a while but found the finish was easily marked down to the bare metal. Not had the same issue with the SBS mind.
    I've worn mine plenty and it's been knocked about alot (including bitten alot as we have a young Jack Russell cross) as it's one of my beaters. Not showing any signs of wear whatsoever after 2 years.

    I think the PVD playing they use now is much thicker than of old. My 2004 SBS has a totally different look(more gunmetal than jet black) and looks far thinner plating than the GS which I think it's more like the current SBS models.

  23. #23
    Master Scrubnut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    At large in the West Country, UK
    Posts
    2,629
    Thanks for posting this Graham. Looking forward to endless fun changing straps now! I see onthe CEC site that their NOS G10s have tritium dials and luminova hands? I couldn't be doing with that!

  24. #24
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by Onelasttime View Post
    Great write up and cool photos.

    I have a standard L-dial GS sapphire and always struggle for inspiration to make it more interesting but your strap ideas have given me hope.

    And I've always wanted to try a rubber NATO but worried they'd be too thick. Clearly that one fits through the gap though so I'll have to investigate.

    Where was the holiday? Hope it didn't rain too much
    Thank you.

    Yes the rubber strap is a bit of a squeeze but once in place it feels very secure.

    Haha - in Wales so the weather was mixed :)

  25. #25
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by Tetlee View Post
    wow, must be the only time I've ever been an inspiration for anything, hey I'll take that 🙂
    Genuinely - thank you for giving me the idea

  26. #26
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrubnut View Post
    Thanks for posting this Graham. Looking forward to endless fun changing straps now! I see onthe CEC site that their NOS G10s have tritium dials and luminova hands? I couldn't be doing with that!
    The beauty of fixed bars is strap swapping is simple and quick with no tools.

    Yep mine has the mix of lume. I’d prefer tritium hands of course, but at least the luminova works at night and you can tell the time just from the hand positions.

  27. #27
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Surrey
    Posts
    615

    CWC GS Sapphire with Tritium Dial - Thoughts and Photos

    A nice review! I’ve just managed to pick up a second hand GS no date and am looking for a few straps for it. Waiting for it’s delivery at the moment.
    I like single pass straps on smaller watches and to that end -

    I do rather like the look of your blue CWC ribbed single pass. I’m a tad confused though - the CWC site shows them as 20mm yet the GS has an 18mm lug width I believe? Your blue strap, and indeed the yellow dog one, looks to fit very well with no ‘bunching’ of the strap at the sides of the lugs. Have you found with other 20mm straps that they fit ok on the GS or are they a bit of a squash? Any thoughts? Many thanks


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Last edited by Eddiex; 4th June 2022 at 20:47.

  28. #28
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by Eddiex View Post
    A nice review! I’ve just managed to pick up a second hand GS no date and am looking for a few straps for it. Waiting for it’s delivery at the moment.
    I like single pass straps on smaller watches and to that end -

    I do rather like the look of your blue CWC ribbed single pass. I’m a tad confused though - the CWC site shows them as 20mm yet the GS has an 18mm lug width I believe? Your blue strap, and indeed the yellow dog one, looks to fit very well with no ‘bunching’ of the strap at the sides of the lugs. Have you found with other 20mm straps that they fit ok on the GS or are they a bit of a squash? Any thoughts? Many thanks


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Cheers!

    The GS has 19mm lugs, same as all G10’s.


    The yellowdog strap is a custom made 19mm - hence the great fit. The ribbed 20mm strap bunches very slightly but the ribbed effect appears to hide it.

  29. #29
    Master Tetlee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Somerset
    Posts
    2,991
    Just to add to the above, the CWC Stretch NATO in 20mm also fit perfect with zero visible pinch, as can be seen in my pic above.

    Aside from this some 20mm NATO fit better than others, the common CWC ones work pretty well due to their slight stiffness. They also have the grey one available in 19mm now which I'm about to order.

  30. #30
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by Tetlee View Post
    Just to add to the above, the CWC Stretch NATO in 20mm also fit perfect with zero visible pinch, as can be seen in my pic above.

    Aside from this some 20mm NATO fit better than others, the common CWC ones work pretty well due to their slight stiffness. They also have the grey one available in 19mm now which I'm about to order.
    The 19mm CWC NATOs in grey are excellent

    Not the best picture, but the fit is superb


  31. #31
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Surrey
    Posts
    615
    19mm? My mistake - that makes more sense. The ones in your pictures do fit well so I’ll order a couple. Thanks


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  32. #32
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by Eddiex View Post
    19mm? My mistake - that makes more sense. The ones in your pictures do fit well so I’ll order a couple. Thanks


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    No worries.

    Here’s the 20mm CWC ribbed single pass on the 19mm lugs of the Fatboy reissue (out in the rain!)


  33. #33
    Craftsman Cornholio's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Nottingham, UK
    Posts
    903
    I was thinking yesterday that if I could only keep one of my watches, it would probably be the GS.

    At first I didn't like the G10 due to the word QUARTZ on the dial. A pheon would have been far more pleasing to me. But, it is what it is, and it has heritage.

    Also, whilst I like mechanical watches, there is something to be said for a watch that just ticks away regardless and can be picked up and worn at any time without needing attention.

    Many thanks to The Gent for bringing the CWC stretch NATO to my attention. This combination is likely to be stuck to my wrist for a good long while.



    Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk

  34. #34
    Master TheGent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    North West, UK
    Posts
    2,930
    Quote Originally Posted by Cornholio View Post
    I was thinking yesterday that if I could only keep one of my watches, it would probably be the GS.

    At first I didn't like the G10 due to the word QUARTZ on the dial. A pheon would have been far more pleasing to me. But, it is what it is, and it has heritage.

    Also, whilst I like mechanical watches, there is something to be said for a watch that just ticks away regardless and can be picked up and worn at any time without needing attention.

    Many thanks to The Gent for bringing the CWC stretch NATO to my attention. This combination is likely to be stuck to my wrist for a good long while.

    Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk
    I’m 100% with you on this. The G10’s have a heritage all of their own. The other factor that I really enjoy is the fact I don’t worry about wearing them in any scenario. A true tool watch. But also with an understated cool factor. Once you get it, the CWC’s can sort of ruin the hobby. Or maybe, more accurately, they can provide a completeness.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Do Not Sell My Personal Information