Hybrid Mechanical Quartz Black Pilot Chronograph

The MWC NATO chronograph in stainless steel case is based on the same basic specification used by several other manufacturers of NATO chronographs but with a number of detail improvements to improve operation and visibility. Although the watch is made to a specification which is specifically designed to meet the needs of military aircrews it is also ideal for both airline and GA pilots. The actual case size is 45.5mm and the chronograph uses a high-performance VK68 hybrid movement.

The difference between these hybrid watches and a mechanical chronograph is that the mechanical models are powered by a mainspring which is regulated by a balance wheel and controlled by a set of precision levers, hammers and gears. With this hybrid chronograph, it is powered by a battery, regulated by a quartz crystal and also controlled by a set of precision levers, hammers and gears so in essence, it shares some features with both a mechanical and a quartz movement, combining the feel of a mechanical watch with the advantage of quartz accuracy. The factory rating for the accuracy of this movement is +/-20 seconds a month but we find they tend to be better than this on average and vastly superior to any mechanical chronographs which tend to be accurate to +/- 2 or 3 seconds a day at best.

The biggest plus of all with the hybrid is that it will need significantly less maintenance than any mechanical chronograph and much less prone to suffering reliability issues in the long term, clearly, for many buyers, it'-s biggest plus is that to anyone handling this watch it will appear outwardly to be a traditional mechanical model.

When we refer to the watch as a hybrid this is because it has a battery powering the movement through coils and also a quartz oscillator, but the chronograph is mechanically actuated and controlled. Push the start/stop button and the second-hand steps into action&mdash-and resets&mdash-just the same as a mechanical movement would. When you push the top button you get a crisp response just like a mechanical chronograph and the timing hand starts ticking in 1/5 sec increments, at first glance our watchmaker thought the watch had a Valjoux 7750 inside. When you push the stop button at 5 o&rsquo-clock you get the same crisp, feel as the Chrono stops. Press it again and the hand snaps straight back to 12.

These models are ideal if you own several watches because they don&rsquo-t have to be wound before you wear them, all they need is a battery swap every few years and a check of the water-resistance.

The special covert matt black non-reflective PVD finish used for this watch is often specified in military contracts for many special forces units as well as by anti-terrorist units and for various covert operations. In the PVD process, the steel 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 some lower quality watches which can easily fade or rub off. This PVD process means that the colour of the steel is altered at a molecular level, therefore it will not deteriorate even during heavy usage although it can be destroyed if the case is badly damaged by a piece of metal being gouged out or if the case is worn down by continuous heavy abrasion against rocks etc. -

One final quirk is that there is no tick which many people find baffling and even here at MWC we would be unable to determine if this was a quartz or mechanical watch if we didn'-t know the movement that was inside but everyone here agreed we would assume that it was mechanical based on its behaviour so this really is the best of the two technologies and a unique timepiece.