MWC P656 PVD Titanium Tactical Series Watch with GTLS Tritium and Ten Year Battery Life (Non Date Version)

SKU Code: TP656ND/A2/LI/L22

The robust 300m water-resistant MWC Tactical Series of watches in Titanium cases were specifically designed for law enforcement, marine, surface and airborne applications, they are manufactured to surpass U.S W-46374F Type 6 specifications, these watches are regularlyB ordered by a bulk contract client who places substantial orders each year for variants of this specificB design, the watches are based on designs made in the mid-1990s but with multiple upgrades, one of the original watches appears in the final image, the main improvements are the solid titaniumB case and bezelB (the first watch of this pattern in the 1990s was the P650 whichB was made from Polyamide),B the shatter-resistant sapphire crystal, water resistance is also significantly increased by a factor of 10 from 30m to 300m (99ft to 1000ft) and there is also the addition of a screw-down locking crown andB caseback. The bezel has high visibility numerals and the dial is also very clear and easy to read even under adverse light conditions. The watch uses Swiss Tritium GTLS (Gaseous Tritium Light Sources) which are significantly brighter than any conventional luminous watch.

The special covert matt black non-reflective PVD finish (PVD is short for Physical Vapor Deposition) used on this watch is often specified for many special forces units as well as by anti-terrorist units and sometimes police forces for various covert operations. In the PVD process, the titanium is not black all the way through because the colour is created by a special chemical PVD plating process which is vastly superior to the painted finish used on budget watches which can easily fade or rub off over time. The PVD process means that the colour of the metal is altered at a molecular level, therefore it will not deteriorate even during heavy usage although it can be damaged if the case has a piece of metal gouged out or if the case is worn down by really heavy abrasion against rocks or something similar. In normal use you would expect the PVD finish to last for years, many watches which are 20 or 30 years old still have PVD plating which is totally intact. We often see watches that have had a fairly hard life and whilst the crystal (assuming it’s mineral glass) can often show signs of wear and tear the PVD finish is often still fine.

The timepiece features a high-quality Ronda high precision Quartz Movement (Ronda calibre 715li) designed to withstand high G-forces which has an incredible 10-year battery life as well as an end-of-battery life indicator. The watch is water-resistant to 30 ATM (1000 ft/300m) although it is not a dedicated diving watch it is manufactured to the same water resistance rating as our diver’s models with a screw-down crown and caseback and is suitable for all land-based or marine requirements.

The main difference between this watch and many other models which we manufacture is that it is designed to maintain high levels of accuracy at altitudes up to 12,000m / 40,000ft without compensatory pressurization.

The dial features a radioactive tritium symbol. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. When it decays, it emits beta particles although these do not penetrate the skin, plastic, glass, etc. Whilst the vials contain radioactive gas even when they are all taken together they contain less than the personal limit of 25 millicuries – see U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations 10 CFR 30.15.B

Dimensions

• Diameter Excluding Crown 42mm
• Diameter Including Crown 44mm
• Lug to Lug 49mm
• Crystal Diameter 32mm
• Water Resistance 300m
• Luminous Material:B Swiss GTLS Tritium Tubes
• Ronda 715li with 10 Year Battery Life
• Screw Down crown and caseback
• Scratch resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating *
• Thickness 14mm
• Strap: 22mm US Pattern Military Webbing Strap
• 24 Months Guarantee

* A lot of people ask us what are the benefits of sapphire crystal over a standard mineral crystal? The answer is that synthetic sapphire is by far the best material for watch crystals because it is very strong and also shatter and scratch-resistant, these characteristics make it very appealing to military and security personnel, police officers, and people who lead active outdoor lifestyles, these groups account for over 70% of our customers. To get things into perspective we find that when clients have accidents with watches resulting in a cracked crystal over 90% usually watches with mineral glass crystals, even factoring in that we use hardened mineral crystals they still do not come close to sapphire for durability under adverse conditions. The reason that sapphire crystals are so strong is that after the sapphire glass is manufactured it is also heat-treated to remove its internal stressesb which can cause weaknessb it is then made into the watch crystals and two layers of anti-reflective coating are applied, interestingly sapphire crystal is now used on the latest iPhone. Of course, sapphire crystal comes at a price hence you find that it’s normally only fitted to higher-end watches.