# Notes on the CWC G10 ‘Fat Boy’.



## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

CWC - G10 'Fat Boy' from 1980.


The Cabot Watch Company (CWC) is a great place to start a Military themed collection, in part because they have a genuine military issued provenance (with some models still issued through to this day) and they were often issued in sizable enough quantities to ensure that they are still at an accessible price point.


This write up is aimed at the General issue G10 Quartz, that was procured by the British MOD from 1980 through till the early 2000's. Some batches of the G10 were produced by Prescista and Newmark but the originator of the design and the majority of production are by CWC.


The Quartz G10 was issued to all branches of the Military and due to its high degree of accuracy and general toughness/shock resistance it qualified as not only general issue but also as a 'Navigator' grade timepiece that was also used by Aircrews and the Royal Navy.


A timepiece used by either aircrew or ships navigators for navigation must have accuracy 'to the second' on a daily basis, one course correction (on instrument flying) or through a ship-board navigational sextant reading can mean miles of deviation from true position if the timepiece is out from 'to the second' timing.


From the late 1940's through to the 1980's the IWC and the Jaeger Le Coultre MK XI's were the precision timepiece used in the RAF by Navigators. By the time of the 1980's the maintenance demands and the innability to procure these watches from either IWC or JLC, not to mention the expense had made finding a replacement necessary.











CWC General Service Electronic watch - on a G10 Strap.


CWC stepped in and used a high grade 7 jewel ESA Quartz movement in the original batch of G10's issued in both 1980 and 1982. This 7 jewel movement had outstanding accuracy, good battery life, sufficient shock resistance to take a beating and not miss a beat, could easily fulfill Defense Standard 66-4/issue 4, 29th Feb 1980 (watch, wrist, electronic - General service) and was priced to not break the bank.












The watch that I found recently came from the UK (Military Watch Trader) and was exactly what I was after, it was very clean, very original, one of the 1980 batch with the original (no circle) logo and has tritium lume that has aged beautifully.












































A fair number of these watches saw service in the Falkland's campaign and throughout the British armed forces&#8230;these original 80 and 82 watches are referred to as 'Fat Boys' because of the thickness of the ESA movement giving the case the nice chunky 'Fat' look that the later ETA Quartz powered variants did not have. Original Fat Boys are 13mm thick and the later production watches are 10mm thick.











Fat Boy with a standard G10.









Fat Boy stacked on CWC RN Quartz Diver.










The G10 is a great place to start a Military collection, the original 1980 Fat Boys are getting increasingly hard to find in clean original condition many were used continually over long periods of time.

Many examples that can be found from the Army for example have led hard life's as they were issued, returned to stores for a battery change/servicing then re-issued to soldiers in the field. Thousand's are still in service with the British Military to this day.

In conclusion I would say the CWC's in general are a great 'real world' military timepiece to collect, the early G10's were never intended as a 'consumer product' they were designed purely as a military 'tool'.

With their Tritium lume, their slightly antiquated look, their real military provenance and quartz movements mean's that early G10's are priced right and with a little TLC can become a daily wearer for years to come.


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## vintageguy (Mar 22, 2009)

I love the G10 because it shows that "real" men don't have to wear 50mm watches.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

I think another thing I should have said in the writeup was how sculptural the case was, there is a real dramatic blend of lines where the case, lugs and crystal converge to produce a very pleasing mix....another aspect of this watch that makes it such a gem.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

I have also started to really like the 'universal' wearability of the G10 as an everyday or travel watch...a great piece.


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## routewhite (Sep 2, 2016)

vintageguy said:


> I love the G10 because it shows that "real" men don't have to wear 50mm watches.


That's why the UK military call them "G10 for men"


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## mikkolopez (Jul 20, 2006)

Nice writeup of a proven milspec watch. 

Sent from my G3116 using Tapatalk


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## wongthian2 (Jun 16, 2016)

I have kept my 1984 G10 in the collection because it is discretely flat, excellent dial clarity and accurate. Price was $125usd used.


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## Oygen (Apr 26, 2010)

I really like the readability of the dial! But why are there so many rusty dials in the Internet (for example, ebay.uk)? Quite weak water protection? And why is so strongly imprinted the pattern of the belt from behind? Soft metal?


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

*Oygen*- the water resistance of the G10 is only 3bar (30 meters) so if the watch is submerged deeper than that it will probably leak, older watches that have not been serviced (new seals) could leak with less water immersion.

The strap imprinting on the case back is common on many watches that are worn on ZULU's or NATO's, I think that grit or dust on the strap acts as an abrasive and the wear patterns show up over time. As the G10 is a military watch with fixed lug bars wear marks on the case back are very common.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

https://adventuresinamateurwatchfettling.com/2018/12/19/cwc-g10-fatboy/

A nice follow up link.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

The above link gives some really good insights, particularly to those who are into watch 'tinkering'. - Longstride.


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## Paul Ramon (Nov 8, 2015)

This thread has been a catalyst in my acquiring a G10 Fatboy so I wanted to contribute a little information about the cousin of the CWC Fatboy, the Precista. From the info I've been able to gather Precista supplied the MoD pieces for issue in 1882 and 1984. 
1982 was 4503 pieces designated W10 on the caseback for British Army issue. These utilized the same ESA 536.121 movement found in the CWC Fatboy that required the Fatboy caseback and case. 
1984 was 1665 pieces designated 6BB on the caseback for the Royal Air Force. Precista switched to the thinner ETA 555.111 movement and an overall case thickness reduction on these so the model was sometimes referred to as the medium case or medium Fatboy since the overall thickness was thinner than that of the Fatboy. 
The spartan looking no-circle CWC Fatboy logo is still probably my favorite but the unique Precista script is a very close second. The fact that so few Precistas were produced and issued is a reason to feel fortunate to have a nice one in the collection. Thanks to Ed875 on MWR for the research.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

Thank you *Paul Ramon* for adding to this thread, a nice insight into the Precista Fatboy, Kudos.


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## akierstein (Feb 12, 2019)

Fantastic write up. I need to find one of these at some point.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## scooby (Jun 3, 2009)

longstride said:


> I have also started to really like the 'universal' wearability of the G10 as an everyday or travel watch...a great piece.


I chose to wear my G-10 sapphire on a 2 week trip to Europe this year. It was a fantastic travel companion. Discreet, classic, and very comfortable. Never getting in the way or drawing attention. I never had to worry about it, yet I enjoyed glancing at it from time to time. It has a vintage charm from years gone by, just like European cities. It was a good match for the trip.
















Thanks for the great writeup Longstride! I was not familiar with that variant. I love it.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

Nice one Scooby, I'm wearing my G10 today also...


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## Anders_Flint (Jan 26, 2019)

Theres currently a great example of a 1980 fatboy on fleabay, that includes all it's original packaging and issue papers.. probably a bit of a grail for any G10 collector. 

Wont post a direct link as i think it may breach forum rules, but it should be easy to spot, it's currently got 1day 10hrs remaining and is at £187


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

A grail +++


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

Anders_Flint said:


> Theres currently a great example of a 1980 fatboy on fleabay, that includes all it's original packaging and issue papers.. probably a bit of a grail for any G10 collector.
> 
> Wont post a direct link as i think it may breach forum rules, but it should be easy to spot, it's currently got 1day 10hrs remaining and is at £187


It went for a relatively cheap price too £187:00, so someone got a good buy!


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## Anders_Flint (Jan 26, 2019)

longstride said:


> It went for a relatively cheap price too £187:00, so someone got a good buy!


Quite surprised it went for so little (relatively speaking). Would have bid myself if I hadn't just picked up CWCs new "sonar" G10


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

Anders_Flint said:


> Quite surprised it went for so little (relatively speaking). Would have bid myself if I hadn't just picked up CWCs new "sonar" G10


Would love to see a 'review' of your new Sonar model.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

On a vintage Eulit 'Air-Look' perlon.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

http://www.h-spot.net/watches/mod/general_service_electronic_wristwatches_1980.pdf

The original specifications for the 'new' G10 electronic watch in 1980 - note that the original case shape was not any different from the mechanical W10's, but the production watch gained the sculptural shape we all know as the 'new' electronic/quartz movement would not fit into the old barrel case used on the mechanical W-10.


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## krznrsh (Jul 11, 2019)

vintageguy said:


> I love the G10 because it shows that "real" men don't have to wear 50mm watches.


Preach it brother! On the side note, 36-42mm watch are more sophisticated looking and classy. IMHO.

V/R

M.


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## krznrsh (Jul 11, 2019)

Paul Ramon said:


> This thread has been a catalyst in my acquiring a G10 Fatboy so I wanted to contribute a little information about the cousin of the CWC Fatboy, the Precista. From the info I've been able to gather Precista supplied the MoD pieces for issue in 1882 and 1984.
> 1982 was 4503 pieces designated W10 on the caseback for British Army issue. These utilized the same ESA 536.121 movement found in the CWC Fatboy that required the Fatboy caseback and case.
> 1984 was 1665 pieces designated 6BB on the caseback for the Royal Air Force. Precista switched to the thinner ETA 555.111 movement and an overall case thickness reduction on these so the model was sometimes referred to as the medium case or medium Fatboy since the overall thickness was thinner than that of the Fatboy.
> The spartan looking no-circle CWC Fatboy logo is still probably my favorite but the unique Precista script is a very close second. The fact that so few Precistas were produced and issued is a reason to feel fortunate to have a nice one in the collection. Thanks to Ed875 on MWR for the research.
> ...


Woah! It has some similarities but the Precista has its own charm (I.e. logo, the contour of the sides, and the thickness). What a beautiful watch! Enjoy and wear it in good health!

V/R

M.


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## HappyJack (Mar 31, 2008)

You don't want to forget the Navigator version with the date. As a former Royal Navy Navigator is a variety of ship, I used to have as many as half a dozen of these on my charge. IIRC, I only lost one, which I had to pay for. It cost me about £20, and I found it some months later. I still have it today. These 1981 models are very rare - I'm only aware of about 3 of them. That's rarer than a Rolex Milsub.


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## krznrsh (Jul 11, 2019)

scooby said:


> longstride said:
> 
> 
> > I have also started to really like the 'universal' wearability of the G10 as an everyday or travel watch...a great piece.
> ...


Scooby thank you for sharing this! Awesome piece and wish you always wear your watch in good health.

V/R

M.


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## krznrsh (Jul 11, 2019)

longstride said:


> View attachment 14678265
> 
> 
> On a vintage Eulit 'Air-Look' perlon.


longstride

May I ask what is that strap? It looks super good on your G10. Thank you in advance.

V/R

M.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

HappyJack said:


> You don't want to forget the Navigator version with the date. As a former Royal Navy Navigator is a variety of ship, I used to have as many as half a dozen of these on my charge. IIRC, I only lost one, which I had to pay for. It cost me about £20, and I found it some months later. I still have it today. These 1981 models are very rare - I'm only aware of about 3 of them. That's rarer than a Rolex Milsub.


Great piece! Thanks for adding to the thread.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

krznrsh said:


> longstride
> 
> May I ask what is that strap? It looks super good on your G10. Thank you in advance.
> 
> ...


Sure - it is a vintage Eulit 'AirLook' strap, great for wear in conditions of high heat/humidity.

Here's a photo of one on my Seiko 6105-8119...


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## krznrsh (Jul 11, 2019)

longstride said:


> krznrsh said:
> 
> 
> > longstride
> ...


Awesome! Thanks longstride! I'll look it up asap.

V/R

M.


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## Paul Ramon (Nov 8, 2015)

HappyJack said:


> You don't want to forget the Navigator version with the date. As a former Royal Navy Navigator is a variety of ship, I used to have as many as half a dozen of these on my charge. IIRC, I only lost one, which I had to pay for. It cost me about £20, and I found it some months later. I still have it today. These 1981 models are very rare - I'm only aware of about 3 of them. That's rarer than a Rolex Milsub.


That's a beauty. Interesting thing about the Navigators is that the MoD left the service prefix off the NSN. Presumably so the watch could be issued to any of the three services. Best estimates that only between 800 to 1200 were produced and issued from 1980 through 82. Rare indeed!


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## Paul Ramon (Nov 8, 2015)

Paul Ramon said:


> That's a beauty. Interesting thing about the Navigators is that the MoD left the service prefix off the NSN. Presumably so the watch could be issued to any of the three services. Best estimates that only between 800 to 1200 were produced and issued from 1980 through 82. Rare indeed!


Forgot to mention that the NSN service prefix was also absent on the 1980 CWC G-10 Fatboy as can be seen on the caseback of Longstrides Fatboy. I believe that 80 is the only year that the G-10s lacked a service designation.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

Handy to know!


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

On a Haveston.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)




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## 7ee (Sep 20, 2013)

longstride said:


> View attachment 14839709


Is that NATO 19mm? Looks like perfect fit(not to mention a surprisingly amazing look). I tend to use 20mm on mine but they do pinch a bit.

I have an '80 and an '82, will post some pics sometime.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

7ee said:


> Is that NATO 19mm? Looks like perfect fit(not to mention a surprisingly amazing look). I tend to use 20mm on mine but they do pinch a bit.
> 
> I have an '80 and an '82, will post some pics sometime.


No it's an 18mm - but I agree the color oddly seems to work really well with the vintage G10. I think I found that one on - NATO strap co, it's Mediterranean blue.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

Wearing this a lot on the A.F. 210 canvas strap......absolutely perfect with the G10.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

HappyJack said:


> You don't want to forget the Navigator version with the date. As a former Royal Navy Navigator is a variety of ship, I used to have as many as half a dozen of these on my charge. IIRC, I only lost one, which I had to pay for. It cost me about £20, and I found it some months later. I still have it today. These 1981 models are very rare - I'm only aware of about 3 of them. That's rarer than a Rolex Milsub.


Always nice to hear from a real G10 user.....in this case a RN Navigator, thank you HappyJack.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

BTW does anyone know how the case serial numbering system worked.

A number like 10875/80 would suggest that the watch was G-10 number 10875 from The year 1980, but is that correct?

Or would the watch number be indicative of watch number 10875 of all watches purchased by the MOD in 1980 IE: G-10’s, Pilot Chrono’s, Stop watches, Dive watches etc.

I’m sure one of you will know.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

OK an update, the G-10 (CWC and Percista) were procured by the MOD from 1980 to 2006.......whoa that’s 26 years of continuous resupply. That has to be some kind of record.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

From *Redleader*...(taken from the thread 'Military watches that are really used in Military forces'...

"I had a few CWC G10's and later a few Pulsar G10's when I was in the British Army. Each Squadron had enough issued for anyone Corporal and above. They were stored in the armoury and issued on request but had to be handed back when you moved to another Squadron or unit. It was a significant hassle if you ever lost one as they were an accountable item. For this reason lots of people preferred to just use their own watch with some buying identical CWC's privately. The Pulsar was the most useless watch I have ever had. They were of such low quality that the crown detent was too weak to hold it in place and frequently you would find the crown had been pulled or knocked to the hacked position and your watch would have stopped for a period a time and restarted or was still stopped. Not at all reliable or conducive to successful military operations  The CWC's were very good."

and...

"The CWCs are quite a small watch by fashions of today but this is an advantage as large heavy watches can be uncomfortable in the field and easy get bashed on things and caught up in webbing straps and other personal equipment. All these types of watches have very easy to read dials so no real disadvantage in being a little smaller. A lot of them were treated very harshly and suffered in a way that most watches would never have to due to the field conditions they were used in. I saw a few CWC's loose the luminous material from the hands but very few ever broke. The CWC's also have a domed plexiglass crystal which tends not to reflect light. The Pulsars have a flat mineral glass which is less tough and also reflective so not ideal if trying to conceal yourself."

Always great to hear from a real 'in the field' wearer of these watches.


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## Flopi81 (Jan 17, 2018)

CWC G10 tritium dial is one of my favorite.









Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

OK - open end leather strap, perfect on the CWC.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

On a repro AF/210.....another one of those straps that just fits with this watch...


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## bertberr (Oct 29, 2009)

Very interesting thread, thanks for posting. I always liked the G10, and many years ago now I picked one up from a fellow forum member. I wore it a bit at first, but just preferred some of my other watches in the circa 38-40mm range, so battery out and away it went. Then my wife wore it a bit, before taking over my old 30T2, so its now back in the watch box again. Its a slim case version, with an 0555 issue code, I recall looking into that at the time, as I didn't have any preference for issue code, this was just what was offered to me. But, I never found anything really conclusive, so I just think of it as a Navy issue now.


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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)




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## longstride (Jan 13, 2011)

And another shot...


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