# Cwc G10 Watch



## vinnie71

Hi guys I'm new to this forum and I have been looking for a cwc g10 watch for quite a while, anyway I have purchased one and I'm hoping someone can help me out with some information regarding dates, issued, regiment etc ! Not sure how to upload pics either but marks on back are,, arrow , W10/6645-99. 5415317. 2324/06. Water resistant 5Atm on face of watch it has cwc inside oval. Quartz above number 6. And small Swiss made under 6 hope this helps

Thanks

Vince


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## Thomasr

w10 army

issued 2006

uses 955 eta quart movement, and tritium lume

Regards


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## vinnie71

Thanks thomasr,

It came with a cwc strap but to be honest the strap feels so thin and plasticky and cheap I have looked at a NATO strap 20mm as the one now leaves gaps either side also but it's just the quality that I don't like just hope my new one fits


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## vinnie71

Tritium Lyme oh is that what the T in the circle stands for on the face! I thort I read somewhere that it was titanium ha ha must of read it wrong


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## William_Wilson

The circled "T" does indicate tritium.

Here is mine, it is an '06 as well.



















This is what the strap should be like, though it may be a bit on the stiff side.










Later,

William


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## Gonville Bromhead

Well Vinnie71, you have a great acquisition there. '06 seems to have been a bumper year for the W10 (I have one myself).

It is a fantastic piece of kit with an excellent ETA 955 movement (gold used by-the-by).

Re: Strap. Don't try it with a 20mm strap - it will not fit. It has to be 18mm.

The MOD straps (in Admiralty Grey) are made by Phoenix in Cardiff. They are welded rather than sown. They are (as far as I am aware) the same supplier as that used by Mr Roy Taylor.

In the alternative you could look at the straps from Timefactors. The 'Admiralty grey' strap that he supplies is still welded as opposed to stitched (in order to make it authentic). However, it has stainless steel fittings. The material in manufactured in the UK but it is assembled in HK. They are pretty good, in my opinion. The only down side (and a very very minor one), being that unlike the Phoenix straps, they do tend to expand a tad when they get wet. Oh, and I might also add, the colour is not exactly Admiralty Grey. It is a little lighter than standard issue.

There are also so-called 'Zulu' straps much favoured by the Septics as their version of the MOD strap (sort of...). countycom sells this kind of thing. They are also splashed all over Ebay.

Lastly, you might explore the possibility of purchasing a strap (18mm) in regimental colours . They are non-stainless steel, shorter but have the advantage of being stitched (if you like that kind of thing).

Well done!


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## vinnie71

thanks for that bromhead,, ive got my original strap that came with the watch but not to my taste really as to thin and thin feeling like cheap! i got a new nato one from ebay that is really good quality and strongly made etc, black with the large rings, it however is 20mm also very very tight to put on the watch but has worked and feels so much better, and safer to hold the watch, one question i have asked and had too different answers to with egards to the letter T in the circle on the watch face....im told it was foe titainium? also it stands for tritium lume? im a little confused. does anyone know what it stands for?

many thanks

guys


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## vinnie71

oh i forgot to mention.......;...how do you upload pictures onto posts?

thanks

vince


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## Gonville Bromhead

A pleasure. I cannot help you with the 'photos but I can give you the definitive answer with regard to the 'T'

Military watches are marked with the following symbols:

'T' = Tritium (Found on all CWCs prior to 2002, also on the military Hamiltons, Precista's, Rolex etc)

'P' = Prometheum (Found on RAF issued Seiko chronograph)

'L' = Luminova (Super) found on CWCs post 2002 and on current military Timefactor watches

The radiation symbol = Found on US issue matches ie Marathon.

3H = ie Porsche Design Royal Navy watch of the 1970's etc. Also used on US issue watches.

You question to the above should be 'why'? First of all I should point out that 'T', 3H and the radiation symbol all indicate that tritium is used for the lume. In a nutshell, it is this chemical element which activates the luminosity of the watch. It is the same stuff that you find in the tritium tubes on the current Luminox, Nite, Ball watches etc.

It has a very minor radioactive charge which is quite harmless by itself. It has a half life of about 10 years. In a recent e-mail to this site I referred to the luminosity lasting that length of time. However, I note that both Ball and Nite state that it will last around 25 years.

The reason for the symbol is that the item was issued by the military and was expected back. It was there that the problem lay. One watch posed no radioactive threat. Several hundred of them do! Hence, the warning was for the stores, not for the men who were issued the watches.

Rumour has it that thousands of the things were embedded in concrete and buried somewhere in the Lake District in the 1970s/1980's.

When you buy a conventional (ie non-military) watch prior to say, 2000 you will very often note that it says at the base of the watch 'T- Swiss Made- T'; Rolexes has 'T [less than symbol] 25'. The 'T' in both cases stands for Tritium.

Due to health and safety reasons Super Luminova replaced Tritium on watch faces. If you want Tritium now you have to go for the vials in the Luminox etc.

I hope that this helps.


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## Gonville Bromhead

PS You might wonder, given the rationale set out above, why you would bother putting L in a circle on a modern military watch (given, that is, that it is perfectly safe).

The answer is, there isn't any logical reason for doing so except to far as it indicates that it is non-radioactive. I suppose you might also say that it follows a tradition.

On the subject of non-radioactivity, there were some watches issued which made a big issue out of this. For example, there were British pocket watches that were issued for nuclear submarine crews that were deliberately marked (on the back) 'Non Lum'. They hardly wanted the on-board gieger counters picking up on crew watches thereby indicating a problem!

There are other watches that make a big show (possibly for the same reason, I do not know) of their non-radioactivity. The best example of these can be found in the Blancpain 50 fathom range of the 1960s.

On a final note: If you really want that 'Ready Break' feeling you need to go back to the days before Tritium. Just try radium. That was what was originally used on watch faces. The best example of this is on the Panerai Radiomir (note the name!) This (classic!) watch was pasted with a mixture of phosphorescent zinc sulphide, radium bromide and mesothorium. This would certainly send the geiger counter into hyperdrive.


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## Thomasr

Gonville Bromhead said:


> A pleasure. I cannot help you with the 'photos but I can give you the definitive answer with regard to the 'T'
> 
> Military watches are marked with the following symbols:
> 
> 'T' = Tritium (Found on all CWCs prior to 2002, also on the military Hamiltons, Precista's, Rolex etc)
> 
> 'P' = Prometheum (Found on RAF issued Seiko chronograph)
> 
> 'L' = Luminova (Super) found on CWCs post 2002 and on current military Timefactor watches
> 
> The radiation symbol = Found on US issue matches ie Marathon.
> 
> 3H = ie Porsche Design Royal Navy watch of the 1970's etc. Also used on US issue watches.
> 
> You question to the above should be 'why'? First of all I should point out that 'T', 3H and the radiation symbol all indicate that tritium is used for the lume. In a nutshell, it is this chemical element which activates the luminosity of the watch. It is the same stuff that you find in the tritium tubes on the current Luminox, Nite, Ball watches etc.
> 
> I hope that this helps.


my cwc is 2006 and still uses tritium


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## Gonville Bromhead

Thomasr. Thanks for that. My mistake. My CWC G10 2006 is tritium too!

To correct myself, as far as I am aware the last batches of tritium were dated 09 and 10 respectively and have, as before, the W10 prefix. They are provided for all three services.

The Luminova CWC G10s on issue are the GS2000 to the RAF. This is the version sold by the official dealer (Silvermans)

As far as I know (and I hope that someone will correct me if I am wrong), no tritium G10s have been issued since 2010. replacing these.


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## vinnie71

thanks guys for the information, is it expensive to get it relumed if thats possible? are there any dealers to do such a thing? mine is dated 06 and to be honest its not the brightest display as i hoped it might be.


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## William_Wilson

Dry tritium lume was never that bright. When new the emissions were rated as <25 mCi. The half life of tritium is something like 12.3 years. This means that in 2018 the emissions from the watch will be half of what they were when it was new.

Later,

William


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## Gonville Bromhead

Yep, William is spot on.

What you will also discover is that 'dry' tritium (like the radium before it), tends to flake and crumble with time. If you look at, say, a Speedmaster pre-1970 you would be very luck to have any tritium on the hands.

I have a Fortis fleiger (an excellent watch by-the-by) and the tritium on the wide minute hand has flaked off in parts. It was made around 1999.

Indeed, you will see many watches in which the hands are 'empty.'

What you will find with tritium that is over, say, 20 years old is if you put it in bright light it will glow for about 10 minutes and then fade completely.

Of course, the big question is 'how long will Super Luminova last in terms of lume and endurance)?' We should be able to answer to this question since the Japanese have been using it since 1943 (the Seikosha military watch).


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## Gonville Bromhead

Ignore last comment. I have just discovered - thanks to scottswatches - the SL is a product of the last twenty years.

Well, you live and learn!


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## Epjack

Wish you have got a nice watch, i am just here to learn knowledge about watch


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