Over 100 brands have utilized the 844 Monnin pattern case, originally created by the renowned Swiss case-making firm MRP S.A. Aside from a few minor updates, the case design has remained largely unchanged since the late 1970s. MRPwas founded in 1953 by Marchand, Roth, and Petignat and was later acquired by Georges Hauert in 1979.
As it approaches its 50th anniversary, this case design holds significant historical importance and continues to be used by Elvia, CWC, and MWC for their dive watches. The reason it is referred to as the Monnin case remains somewhat unclear. However, it is a distinctive and recognizable dive watch case, featuring a flat, rounded shape, wide but smooth bevels on the lugs, and a flared crown guard that appears to embrace the crown. It strikes a balance between utilitarian functionality and understated elegance, sitting low on the wrist due to its relatively flat profile—though automatic versions require a thicker case back compared to quartz models.
Over the years, this case design has been a popular choice for military watches, which explains its continued use by many watch brands, as well as its historical use by Precista, Nilax, Elvia, and Heuer—the predecessor to TAG Heuer—which introduced the Heuer 844-1 in 1979. Chronosport also adopted this case for the Sea Quartz 30, famously worn by Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I. Elvia, another brand from the 1970s, still manufactures watches using this design, while MWC, CWC, and other brands continue to use variations of it.
Among the most iconic and sought-after models featuring this case are the Heuer 844-1 and 8440 dive watches, first launched in 1978, which remain highly desirable among collectors.
Interestingly, despite its widespread adoption, very few manufacturers have made significant changes to the original case design. While many brands have incorporated it into their watch lines in one way or another, the overall design has remained remarkably consistent—though minor adjustments have been observed over the years.
The two largest users of this case pattern are clearly MWC and CWC who have based it on a military specification which goes back some years called DEF STAN 66-4 which sets out the standards for British military issue and military specification divers watches. As things currently stand both CWC and MWC have NATO stock number allocations for Watch is based on this case design in the case of MWC NATO STOCK NUMBER NSN 6645-99-157-3496 and in the case of CWC 6645-99-757-3314 the reality is that both of these watches are actually very similar but there are slight differences but nevertheless, you would expect them to be fairly close in design because they are both working along the lines of the specification set out in DEF STAN 66-4 .
When it comes to quartz models, there isn’t a significant difference between the two brands in terms of movements. Both use the Ronda 517 movement for their day-date models. However, for standard quartz watches (with or without a date function), the movement and battery life differ:
It’s unclear why CWC uses the Ronda 517 in this particular model, but aside from battery life, there is little to distinguish the two movements. That said, the battery longevity difference—120 months (MWC) vs. 45 months (CWC)—is significant when making a comparison.
The main distinction between the automatic models lies in the movement:
If you compare two watches with nearly identical functionality, the price difference is striking:
One of my colleagues owns a CWC automatic, while a friend has an MWC. To test their differences, we examined both watches in a dark room to see if we could distinguish between them. The result? It was virtually impossible.
Both watches are incredibly similar in design and feel, and when listening to the movement and rotor sounds, we couldn’t identify a noticeable difference. The only significant variation we found was the case thickness:
In terms of bezel action and other physical details, there was no clear distinction between the two.
Given the price difference, the justification for paying nearly four times as much for the CWC automatic is difficult. Both brands offer well-built watches, but if you’re looking for value for money, MWC provides a compelling alternative.
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