1984 CWC G10 "Medium Fat Boy" Royal Army Field Watch W10/6645-99-541531

Founded in 1972, Cabot Watch Company (CWC) built its reputation supplying purpose-built timepieces to the British Ministry of Defence. With an emphasis on reliability, legibility, and practical design, the company became one of the MoD’s principal watch suppliers, producing rugged tools for service across the British armed forces.

The year 1980 marked a significant milestone for CWC. Alongside securing the contract to replace the Rolex “MilSub” as the Royal Navy’s diving watch, the company introduced the G10—the first quartz wristwatch supplied to British forces. Succeeding CWC’s manually wound W10, the G10 brought the accuracy and convenience of quartz timekeeping to the brand’s general-service watches while preserving the straightforward functionality that defined its military designs.

Taking its name from the military’s G1098 stores designation, the G10 would become CWC’s most widely issued watch, with approximately 165,000 examples supplied to the MoD between 1980 and 2006. Early versions earned the affectionate “Fat Boy” nickname for the deeper cases required to accommodate their quartz movements. This 1984 example belongs to the transitional generation commonly known as the “Medium Fat Boy,” featuring a slightly shallower case that bridges the original’s substantial proportions and the slimmer profile of later G10 models.

Dating to 1984, this British Army-issued example represents an appealing chapter in the G10’s early evolution. Its utilitarian character and military provenance capture the enduring appeal of CWC: an honest, purpose-built wristwatch whose design was shaped by the demands of service.