Rare 2013-2015 MWC Ltd Edition NATO Pattern Stainless Steel Hybrid Military Chronograph - Overlooked in a Stock Check Needs a New Battery
WATCH TYPE AND SKU / PRODUCT CODE: CHR/66-4/Q
Our packing and shipping centre in the UK informed us that they had found this Watch during a stock check which had been overlooked. The Watch had been in stock since 2015 so is now nine years old, they said it is not running but clearly after this amount of time it would need a new battery so we are assuming that that is most likely all it needs. As mentioned below it is brand-new with the plastics still on the Crystal etc so it's probably the last new version of this particular model available anywhere. The last time we saw any of these was used examples which came in from a security and military industries auction. The original retail price of this Watch was US$395 / £299 / €359
MANUFACTURER: MWC
MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATION:
The MWC NATO chronograph in sandblasted stainless steel case is based on the same specification used by several other manufacturers of NATO quartz chronographs but with a number of detail improvements to improve operation and visibility. Although the watch is made to a specification which is specifically designed to meet the needs of military aircrews it is also ideal for both airline and GA pilots.The actual case size is 45.5mm and the chronograph uses a VK64 Meca-Quartz movement which is used by a high percentage of current superior quality quartz watches.
The Meca-quartz is a hybrid movement which combines technologies found in both quartz and mechanical movements benefiting from the advantages of each. The timekeeping mechanism is essentially quartz and has a quartz crystal regulator powered by a battery and connected to a series of gears to move the timekeeping hands.
As regards the chronograph timing functions, the center second hand starts moving as with any chronograph when you press the pusher. The difference with the Hybrid models is that you will see that it moves like a mechanical chronograph rather than ticking in one-second intervals like a quartz watch and moves five times a second so when in use behaves like a mechanical watch.
It's when you reset the watch that the big difference with a hybrid of this type becomes apparent because during reset the chronograph hands are disengaged from the quartz module and snapped back to zero as with a mechanical model. This means you don't get the sweep back to zero that is normally typical with conventional quartz chronographs so the end result is a great compromise between quartz timekeeping with the plus that it looks and feels very much like a mechanical chronograph.
One final quirk is there is no tick which many people find baffling and even here at MWC we would be unable to determine if this was a quartz or mechanical watch if we din't know the movement that was inside but everyone here agreed we would assume that it was mechanical based on its behaviour so this really is the best of the two technologies and a unique timepiece.
Technical Details of this Military Chronograph
- Case Diameter: 44mm exc crown and 45.5mm inc crown
- Lug to Lug 49mm
- Thickness: 13.5mm
- Dial Colour: black
- Case Material: 316L steel
- Caseback: 316L stainless steel
- Water Resistance: 5atm (50m or 165ft)
- Glass: Hardened Mineral Glass
- Strap: 22mm NATO (NATO Nylon Webbing Strap)
- Illumination - Super Luminova for maximum nightime performance
- Movement: VK64 Meca-quartz
- Battery: Silver Oxide SR936SW
- Battery Life: Approx. 3 years
POTENTIAL FAULT*: The watch is unused in its original tin but is not running and will need a battery but it is mint with plastic still on the crystal etc.
COSMETIC CONDITION 1 to 10 (10 = as new): 10 as New in Perfect Condition in its tin with the plastic protector still on the crystal.