This will be an interesting thread, and some far more knowledgeable people will be along shortly. I tend to agree with you. I think CWC make solid, dependable watches with genuine heritage. I have a RN Diver and an SBS, neither of them issued and both bought second hand from this very forum. But personally I can’t see why someone would want to pay thousands more, for the same watch, just because it was ‘issued’. When as you quite rightly point out, most will never have been near a clandestine mission, and spent there life sat on a shelf. Most military guys I know would, if given an SBS, think it’s an old fashioned lump of metal and continue to wear their Garmins and Suunto’s.
I can completely understand why people may collect different variations, years etc and also why a watch with a genuine story behind it may demand a premium but I can’t help thinking we may romanticise on what ‘issued’ actually means.
Everything I have said is just my opinion, and everyone is free to attach whatever value they want to an issued watch. This watch collecting lark is a hobby so each to their own.
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