This watch is an MWC Kampfschwimmer (Military Diver) 500m, a professional-grade model featuring a helium escape valve and a highly robust case design. It forms part of MWC’s heavy-duty diver’s range, engineered for use by military and police diving units, as well as operators in inflatables and other demanding environments.
The Kampfschwimmer range offers a number of enhancements over standard military divers’ watches, including:
A thicker, more rugged case for improved pressure resistance.
Additional crown protection for operational reliability.
An impact-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
A scratch-resistant ceramic bezel designed for superior longevity.
A wider 24 mm NATO strap (most military divers use 20 mm), providing greater comfort and stability.
A thicker bezel design, making it much easier to grip — a feature specified under the original procurement contract.
This particular example features a European NATO pattern dial and a brushed stainless steel case. The movement is a high-quality 24-jewel automatic with a hacking function for synchronization and a 41-hour power reserve.
Crystal: Sapphire (shatter- and scratch-resistant, anti-reflective coated)
Bezel: Scratch-resistant ceramic
Illumination: Luminova on hands and markers
Strap: 24 mm NATO webbing strap
Dimensions:
Width (including crown): 48 mm
Width (excluding crown): 43 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Lug-to-lug: 50 mm
Crystal diameter: 31 mm
Weight (including strap): 120 g
About the Sapphire Crystal
Many customers ask about the advantages of sapphire crystal compared with standard mineral glass. In short: synthetic sapphire is significantly stronger, more scratch-resistant, and far more shatter-resistant — making it the ideal choice for military, police, and active outdoor use.
Over 70 % of our customers fall into these categories, and our experience shows that more than 90 % of cracked crystals occur on watches fitted with mineral glass, even when hardened. Sapphire’s strength comes from a heat-treatment process that removes internal stresses before two layers of anti-reflective coating are applied. It’s also the same material now used on the latest iPhone screens.
While sapphire crystals are more expensive to produce, they provide exceptional durability — one of the key reasons they’re fitted to higher-end professional watches such as this MWC Kampfschwimmer.
