I have been thinking about doing this post for a while, so I figured I would do it now before I have a beer and whilst the house is quiet.
As most who frequent this part of the forum will know I have an unhealthy obsession with British Military Issued Watches (all issued watches really) I have also picked up a few homages to the issued watches over the years.
So I thought I would compare 2 very good homages to what I think is one of the best format chronographs ever made, this example being one of the very last of its kind. The Navy Issued CWC from 1982. There are plenty of reviews that focus on the technical detail, I will keep this focused on how they wear and compare with each other.
First up the inspiration.
This watch is one of the last in a long line of mechanical chronographs issued by the MOD. 82 was the last year of issue as they were soon replaced by the Quartz Seiko Gen1. These 82 issued watches have a Royal Navy issued number, so I presume they were issued to fleet air arm pilots and anyone else than needed an accurate timing device. I also presume they reached stores far to late to see action in the South Atlantic, although this does not stop people associating them with the SHAR and shooting down of Mirages, Etendards and Skyhawks.
This watch is very good condition for its age, it still has traces of the polished upper surfaces, the brushed sides are still clear and defined. It’s powered by the venerable 7733 as were the other three of the Fab Four.
I measured the diameter as 39.3mm (40.8 with the crown) it’s 11.8 mm thick without the NATO and the crown is 5.9mm in diameter. This makes grasping the crown easy to wind. It does take a long time to wind (50+ winds) but when fully wound it keeps time to within +2 secs a day. Not bad for a 38 year old watch.
The dial on this watch is actually my favourite of the Fab Four. Whilst I am a fan of the non oval logo, I do prefer the layout on this version (they changed over time) I also like the colour original tritium lume. For some reason the lume on these 82 watches does not discolour like other earlier examples and they generally seem to have even green lume. I am guessing with the good condition lume and dials, these have sat in a cool dark store for most of their life.
On the wrist the watch wears quite small, it’s quite a bit thinner than the homages (as we will see) so easily slips under a cuff. Winding the movement workman like but smooth, using the chronograph is crisp and authoritative, there is no slack in the buttons feel. Reading the elapsed time is no issue and the main hands are clear and bold, just what you need to read the time easily.
The Precista PRS5; I bought this watch new from Timefactors in 2009. At the time I could not afford the real deal so this was the next best thing. This is an incredible watch for the price they sold for. A manual wind column wheel chronograph for under £300. WOW!
Size wise these are 38.5mm in diameter, 40.5 with the crown, it’s is 15.5mm thick but I do have the display back fitted which will add a MM or 2. The crown is 6.5mm in diameter but I find it harder to wind than the CWC for some reason. Likely the thicker centre case and crown guards. Winding the watch is a bit less authoritative with less feed back when you are getting close to full wind. This is something I have never really liked about the watch. The movement is the ST1905 and when fully wound this keeps time with in 7 secs a day.
On the wrist the PRS5 wears a lot more top heavy when compared to the others, this is not surprising with the smaller diameter but thicker case. The crystal is quite heavily domed but it has resisted knocks really well, I have never polished it yet is it’s pretty much un marked.
The case profile differs from the CWC quite markedly, it’s much squarer, thicker more robust looking. It lacks the elegance (if you can used that word with a military watch) of the originals in profile. This is not helped by the beadblasted finish the case has, it looks a lot bulkier on the wrist.
The dial is flat and quite stark but it is easy to read the time and use the chronograph functions. Speaking (writing) of which the chronograph buttons have a fair bit of creep before they engage. This is another thing that I am not a fan of, they feel a bit spongy when used. Lume is luminova and it does what it is supposed to do but it’s not very bright, there is also a difference in brightness between the hands and dial, the former being much brighter. Those hands… those hands… I have never been a fan. They just look odd and they look nothing like any of the originals used.
I had to have the Newmark as soon as it was announced, so much so I bought one for my Dad (he also collects MOD issued watches and I thought it would be a good daily watch for him as he wears one of the original Fab Four every day. The Newmark is much closer to the original in form, although the lugs are more curved, the case shape is similar, the case finish is similar, the crystal profile is similar, all in all from a distance it could quite easily pass as an original Newmark, the attention to detail that went in to this watch was incredible.
Case diameter is 39.6mm (40.7 with crown), thickness is 12.5mm. The crown is a whopping 7.1mm in diameter and is very easy to grasp, which is a shame as you don’t need to grip it apart from when the clocks go back or forward. The Seiko mechaquartz movement is very accurate at less than +1 sec a day, the action of the pushers is very crisp almost like the original, the only poor point is the stopping of the chrono using the top button lacks a bit of snap compared to starting the chrono running. However the 2 downsides of this watch are both movement related
1. Lack of running sub seconds - it’s not the end of the world though
2. The 60 minute sub counter - it’s too crowded to use quickly at a glance, you have to really look at the elapsed minutes when using the chrono. This means I don’t tend to use this watch when I need a chrono.
If I am honest the dial on this watch is the best quality when it comes to printing, the print is crisp and white, the circle L is a nice addition and the lume is incredibly bright, it lasts all night long. Hands being the same as the dial. The hand shape is identical to the originals.
The addition of the original NSN on the rear is a nice touch, and on the wrist it wears very similar to the CWC however it’s a lot lighter than either of the other watches, I should have weighed them but it is noticeable in its lightness. But again for the money this is a very good watch and the above gripes are me being picky.
So to finish this ramble both homages are a good alternative to one of the original Fab Four. Both have their plus points and their features I am not so keen on. I am happy I have been able to own both homages but neither get the wear they should as I always reach for the 82.
Well done for getting this far.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
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