A True Military Watch Company
A 1981 CWC automatic mechanical dive watch, which saw action in the Falklands conflict of 1982
The internet is home to a myriad of military-style watches, however real military watch brands are far and few between. Among military watch companies a standout name is Marathon, but there is also another contender for the top spot, CWC or Cabot Watch Company.
CWC was founded in 1972 and named for John Cabot, the Italian explorer who set sail to North America in 1497. The founder of this new watch company was Ray Mellor, who before starting the company headed Hamilton’s UK operations. He saw that several companies were competing for contracts from the British Ministry of Defence and decided to launch his own brand to compete for said contracts. Mellor built his CWC watches following the exact guidelines of the Ministry of Defence, winning several contracts across the British military.
Rolex, however, maintained their reign over the dive watches of the British M.O.D. for the time being.
Royal Navy CWC Chronograph
CWC produced their watches in Switzerland using robust mass-produced movements from the likes of ETA. They first got the chance to produce dive watches for the Ministry of Defence in 1980, after Rolex Submariner prices had risen too high. For their dive watch, which was meant to replace the Rolex ‘Mil-Sub’, they used an ETA 2783. The ETA 2783 was a tough self-winding movement, released in the early 1970s, with 17, 21, or 25 jewels, a 21,600 bph, 47-hour power reserve, and Incabloc protection. Not bad for a military dive watch!
Going with the times, CWC eventually switched over to quartz movements and made good money fulfilling its military contracts. In 1996, Mellor sold the company to Silvermans Limited, a military gear supplier who had been buying watches from CWC to resell.
For a brand made to be nothing but simple tool watches, original military-issued models are highly sought after today.
By: Andres Ibarguen
Ray Mellor in 1987, Head of CWC