MWC P656 Titanium Tactical Series Watch with GTLS Tritium, 24 Jewel Automatic Movement and Sapphire Crystal (Date Version)

The robust 300m water-resistant MWC Tactical Series watches in titanium were specifically designed for marine, surface and airborne applications, they are manufactured to surpass U.S W-46374F Type 6 specifications, these watches were ordered by a bulk contract client and are based on designs made in the mid-1990s but with significant upgrades bringing them up to modern specifications, an example of one of the original 1990b s watches appears in the final image, as far as the upgrades are concerned the main improvements are the solid titanium caseB (the first watch of this pattern in the 1990s was the P650 was made from Polyamide), water resistance is increased by a factor of 10 from 30m to 300m (165ft to 1000ft), plus the screw-down crown and an impact and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. 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 (PVDB is short for Physical Vapor Deposition) used onB thisB watch is often specified for many special forcesB units as well as by anti-terrorist units and sometimes police forces for various covertB operations. In the PVD process, theB titaniumB is not black all the way throughB because the colour is created by a special chemical PVD plating processB which is vastly superior to the painted finish used on lower gradeB watches which can easily fade or rub off over time. The PVD process means that theB colour of the metal is altered at a molecular level, therefore it will notB deteriorate even during heavy usage although it can be damagedB if theB case has a piece of metal gouged out or if the caseB is worn down by really heavy abrasion against rocks or something similar. In normal useB 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 haveB had a fairly hard life andB whilst the crystal (assuming it’sB mineral glass) can often show signs of wear and tearB the PVD finish is oftenB still fine.

The timepiece features a high quality 24 Jewel NH35A automatic movement with a 41-hour power reserve. The watch is water-resistant to 30 ATM (1000 ft/300m) although it is not a dedicated diving watch it is ideal for all activities on land or in water and is manufactured to the same water resistance rating as our dedicated diver’s models with a screw-down crown and caseback.

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 crystal is military-grade sapphire which is highly scratch resistant with two internal layers of non-reflective coating. 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.

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• Case Material: Titanium
• Diameter Excluding Crown 42mm
• Diameter Including Crown 44mm
• Lug to Lug 49mm
• Crystal Diameter 32mm
• Water Resistance 300m
• Luminous Material: SwissB Tritium GTLS Tubes
• 24 Jewel NH35A Automatic Movement
• Power Reserve: 41 Hours
• Screw Down crown and caseback
• Shatter and Scratch Resistant Sapphire Crystal*
• Thickness 14mm
• Strap: 22mm U.S 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.