CWC G22 Automatic: what changes when the G10 shape goes mechanical?

The G22 answers a very specific question: what if you like CWC’s G10 silhouette but want a mechanical movement? It does not turn the compact field watch into a diver or dress watch. It changes the mechanism behind the familiar large numerals and fixed-bar case, leaving the visual emphasis on quick, straightforward time reading. That makes it worth considering alongside the G10 rather than assuming it is simply an upgrade.

CWC introduced the G22 in 2022. The current specification names a Sellita SW200-1 automatic with hacking seconds, a stainless-steel case and Hesalite acrylic crystal. The page lists 41.1mm lug-to-lug and 11mm thickness. Its prose gives 38.4mm including the crown while the specification list says 38.5mm; treat that as approximately 38.5mm, not a precisely established crown-excluded diameter. The supplied strap passes through fixed bars.

Compared with the £299 quartz G10 in our three-watch CWC guide, the £599 G22 asks £300 more for automatic winding and a different movement experience. It retains acrylic and the same nominal 5 ATM rating. CWC explicitly says the G22 is not suitable for swimming. The extra cost therefore should not be mistaken for a broader water-use brief or a sapphire upgrade.

The date version shown here makes the tradeoff visible: its aperture interrupts the ring of numerals at three, while providing information the plain G10 omits. A no-date option shares the product family and listed price. CWC’s catalogue showed the date version available and no-date unavailable when checked; these are stock observations, not guarantees. One article covers both, because a calendar choice does not require two near-identical buying guides.

The G22 is the more compelling choice when mechanical ownership is the point. For occasional wear with minimal resetting, the quartz G10 remains a coherent alternative. Compared with the hand-wound Mellor-72, the G22 offers automatic winding in the rounder G10-derived form; it does not remove the need to reset a mechanical watch that has stopped. The distinction is about the daily routine you want, not a hierarchy of military authenticity.

Method and limits: desk research and visual inspection of official CWC photographs, checked 8 November 2026. Prices and availability describe the UK catalogue at that check, excluding any assessment of Belgian delivered cost. Manufacturer specifications have not been independently tested; there was no hands-on access. Source dates identify published source records, not a newly verified watch-release date.