My first acquaintance with an iwc Aquatimer 
As a young captain of the Green Berets (Special Forces of the Netherlandks) I was sent to Germany for a few months in 1996 to participate in "the EinzelKampfer Leistung EKL1 and EKL2."
The aim of this course is to guide participants to their mental and physical performance limits. Perseverance, resilience, decision-making ability in difficult situations and after physical strain as well as leadership are required mental performance elements. Its course contents are based on the Israeli Krav Maga self-defense. I was as you guesssed (of course) eager to participate.
But what to expect: here is the brief content of the two courses I had to do.
the one-man training course 1 (EKL 1) leader of a self-employed group (basic course)
• Survive and strike through as a detonator behind enemy lines
• Leader of a posed group behind enemy lines
• On the slaughtering day during the hunger week, the course participants learn to prepare raw food by slaughtering fish and slaughterhides.
Course 1 trains leaders and trainers for soldiers who have been hired to survive, to survive after agreements by their own troops in the enemy territory and to re-enforce their own troops. With physical effort and mental pressure, participants will later be able to lead a self-imposed group. The skills required are u. a. Orientation exercises, abseiling, crossing waters, hand painting and ambush training. The highlight is a 48-hour exercise in which the soldiers are left with their combat equipment almost without provisions. Course contents are practical long-term stress tasks for the determination of negative aggression potentials and the continuity of the soldier as leader and trainer. Due to situations and lack of sleep, the soldiers are led to their limits.
Hunting Combat Course 2 (EKL2) leading a command/subordinate subunit (Leistungslehrgang)
• Instructor in the singles training of all troops
• Leader of a hunting squad or a subunit in the hunting squad also in the extended range of tasks in the Jagdkampf
• Leader of a hunting squad or a sub-unit in the hunting squad for special operations, especially in the fight against irregular forces
The aim of the course is to guide participants to their mental and physical performance limits. Perseverance, resilience, decision-making ability in difficult situations and after physical strain as well as leadership are required mental performance elements.
On my way to the camp in Germany I stopped at a gas station and bought a yellow plastic digital watch of less than € 15, -.
During both courses I trained with several German kampfswimmer, fernspäher and commando’s all equipped withIWC-BUND watches. I convinced them that mine was issued specially by the Dutch government for the elite Corps Commando Troops (KCT). They asked questions about the extreme color of the watch, the mechanism etc.
Of course I fooled them all (..) very unlike their watch, mine was, of course, extremely light weight and above all yellow (for tactical purposes), it was plastic (..) because of the radiation! had a stopwatch and could light up in the dark etc. All in all a fantastic and complete watch (!) suitable for every tactical mission in all enemy territory known to mankind (..)
Of course, everything I told was true. But then it happened. Later in course 2 a corporal wanted to swap (exchange) watches with me. Although I hesitated for a moment, I resolutely refused. As a good officer, I told him that it would probably not be in his best interest to do that. But his counter argument, that he could submit a report that he had lost it, and that he would get another one from the army, made me doubt a second (or two).
In the end, that was my first experience, with the IWC brand from SCHAFFHAUSEN 
Thanks for reading.
