CWC 1980 Royal Navy Diver

There’s nothing quite like the feel and utility of an issued military watch. 

That being said, issued watches — especially the vintage kind — are somewhat like museum pieces. Fragile, important, and suffused with a sense of history, some are reluctant to give these watches wrist-time, and the caution is understandable.

This is why timepieces like CWC’s 1980 Royal Navy Diver are so awesome. Reproduced to look like their vintage counterparts, they’re thoroughly modern watches, begging to be used and abused like any well designed tool. The 1980 Royal Navy Diver, in particular, is a reproduction of an automatic watch issued to Royal Navy clearance divers over 40 years ago. Made by Cabot Watch Company, the original is extremely rare.

Housed in a 41mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal, an unsigned crown, and a luminous, unidirectional rotating dive bezel with a fully graduated minute scale, it features a black dial with circled ‘T’, large, luminous wedge and triangular indices, luminous ‘sword’ hands, and an outer white minute track. Though the lume used is Super-LumiNova, rather than Tritium, the vintage look of the color employed gives the impression of a watch that’s seen several decades of use.

Powered by the workhorse automatic ETA 2824-2 movement, the 1980 Royal Navy Diver comes fitted to an olive-colored single-pass NATO-style textile strap with a ‘broad arrow’ insignia and stainless steel hardware. A spitting image of the issued original, it even features ‘issue’ markings on the caseback, and is accompanied by its factory goodies.

If you love the look of vintage military-issue watches but don’t want the fuss, you can’t do much better than this contemporary beauty from CWC!

Cabot Watch Company was established by Ray Mellor, a veteran of the British Merchant Navy during WWII. Following the end of hostilities, Mellor began his professional life as a cutlery and watch distributor, later establishing a retail network in the U.K. for Hamilton Watches. He worked his way up to managing director of Hamilton UK, gaining valuable government contracts for the American manufacturer.
In the early 1970s Hamilton ceased operations in the UK, giving Mellor just a few short months to shutter his shops and offices. Unemployed, he decided to embark upon a new horological adventure, naming his company after John Cabot, the famous Italian explorer who set out from Bristol in the late 15th century for North America.
Mellor’s connections with the British military meant he was able to quickly take over contracts that once went to Hamilton, supplying the different service arms with timepieces that included mechanical field watches, chronographs, divers, stopwatches, and more. The W10, the G10, the asymmetric chronograph, the Royal Navy Diver Automatic — such watches have since become legendary in the military watch community.
In 1996, Mellor sold his business to Silvermans Ltd, a London-based distributor of military kit. He continued to work for the new entity for 15 years, expanding CWC and earning new government contracts. Today, CWC has entered the public consciousness, expanding its remit from a simple government contractor to a producer of timepieces enjoyed by the general public — but all with a military inspiration at their heart.

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Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.