CWC RN Quartz Divers Watch Mk.2, Matte Top (RN300-MT QS120)

I was looking for a relatively affordable watch with solid build and strong history. This watch is it. The high quality is noticeable when comparing to larger brands in this price range. The seconds hand alignment with each marker is impressive for a quartz watch. It’s better than any other quartz watch I own. The 120 click bezel aligns perfectly, and movement of the bezel feels like the optimal balance between ease of movement vs being knocked off mark by a random impact. I highly recommend as an everyday watch that will last you a lifetime!

I ordered it as a quartz backup to the 1982 reissue I picked up a few years ago. This one was ordered with a destro conversion, and so far, so good. It's a solid quartz movement, and has been spot-on accurate since I set it when it first arrived. Lume is fantastic, and lasts at least until 5-6am, and since I have to answer calls at night, I wear a watch to bed, and it really just doesn't come off. I can attest to how comfortable it is to wear with a strap, like the one in the photos below, a 20mm Glomar Explorer from WOE. As a collector, I love it, and it's one of the watches I will never part with!

Sent it back didn’t know what the hype was about, and they charge for shipping even though you spend 800 bucks.

When I started to look at this watch ( and another since) I was quite hesitant on the price point for a quartz watch and so …I hit the google rabbit hole about the brand,its history and also a competitor that was selling similar looking watches for a third of the price. I reached out to CWC and Ollie was a star from the start. He was patient with my questions and sent pictures of the watches I was interested in and even did a QC check on second hand alignment on them to make sure there was no issues due to the quartz model. An emergency services discount was also a lovely gesture and the trigger was pulled!

The watch arrived the next day and its a stunning piece and oozes quality. The quartz movement fits into my collection nicely and the size/weight is perfect. As i write this another model has arrived ( seperate review to come ) so definitely a fanboy and its great to have a piece with heritage.

I highly recommend

Thanks Ollie and team CWC.

So I’ve had more watches from more manufacturers than I can count, from mid to high end stuff, so I’m fairly clued up now I hope!

The buying experience from cwc/silvermans was faultless and they were very helpful.

The design
Absolutely unique design, the monnin case is lovely in person, the finishing is functional, practical, but very well executed. All the lines are flowing and the edges are very well finished.
It looks like what it is, a tool watch. I’ve seen so many dive watches with shiny shiny cases and sunburst dials, they look like jewellery. Which is fine if you WANT that, but the cwc also looks stylish. Very rugged, but stylish.

The dial
Very clear, highly legible, superb AR coating on the sapphire (don’t underestimate how important this can be!), hands align perfectly, print is clear, very easy to read in awkward conditions. Lume is excellent, lasts all night and readable in the morning to dark adapted eyes, but glows like crazy at first.

Bezel
Very utilitarian, solid 120 clicks, everything lines up perfectly.

Fixed bars
Solid, I’m a big fan of fixed bars anyway though. Hardly any risk of loss, and the nato strap puts no problematic stress on spring bars.

Strap
Cwc make the best nato in my opinion. It’s the most comfortable, rugged, smooth on the wrist but tough. Little features like no rough edges on the side that touches your wrist, so many manufacturers sew their straps and leave a sharp edge in the skin side, cwc don’t. Can’t go wrong really. Holds the watch steady because it’s firmer than a lot of other brands but more comfy as a result. Colour is good, I prefer the darker shade of grey of the phoenix strap, but they look tatty quick and the cwc holds onto its looks for absolutely yonks.

Movement
Here’s the one that divides people. To me, the more budget friendly movement is perfectly good, timekeeping is excellent all round, no slop in the gear train and the stem and crown are fitted very very well. I mean, you COULD get a seiko for twice this cost with what is in effect a tarted up 4r movement made by a machine…. So….. the ronda movement is known for reliability and good performance under stress. Plus it’s easy to repair or swap if needed, so depends how you look at it. I had a breitling aerospece with a thermocompensated movement that was way out of spec regarding accuracy, I had an omega quartz which failed me twice, and I’ve had g shocks and casios that just wouldn’t die. Go figure.

One thing I noticed is that the movement feels very smooth and precise, better than I expected. But it is what it is.

History
If you’re looking here you already know lol. It’s just cool.

Price
Yeah maaaaaybe on the high side, but honestly not by much. If you compare to a seiko solar diver there is just something missing from that design, hard to pin it down, but the cwc just looks and feels right. I’ve had the citizen bn0150 (awesome watch by the way) which was brilliant, but again, didn’t have that wow factor. Hard to describe, you’ll either understand what I mean or you won’t I guess! Mwc make a copy of this watch and my mate had one. Apart from the hand falling off one day it just didn’t look the same, it’s similar, but different enough to be noticeable especially the case shape which isn’t the same. This is starting to sound like an advert for the cwc. It kind of is.

Before I bought it, I went through all the thoughts of- I could try an mwc, I could get a citizen for 200 quid, I could use a g shock (I need a tool watch) it’s only a simple Swiss movement, it’s expensive etc. BUT…. Now I’ve got it, you couldn’t take it off me lol. I absolutely love it. There are plenty of watches out there with more for less but they just don’t look or feel the same.

I’ve always favoured automatics, I love the horology side, but quartz is just so practical for a tool watch. It’s great not having to reset every few days.

I’m fussy with watches, I use them all the time (badum tish) and this has absolutely exceeded my expectations.