For many brands, there’s a flagship watch. In fact, they may have several, and you know when it comes time for a refresh, you’ll see some new twist on the platform. For Christopher Ward, one of the legs that they stand on is their C65 Trident lineup. Recently, the British brand introduced models paying homage to post-war military watches actually commissioned by the UK Armed Forces.
The first of these is the Christopher Ward C65 Dartmouth. This one is your naval watch, as Dartmouth is where the Navy has their training academy. Inspiration for this watch (and this is the brand saying it, not just me seeing it) comes from the Omega Seamaster 300, with the version launched in 1967 for the Royal Navy. Aside from the lovely blue, this is easily my favorite of the three new watches – but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Next up, you’ve got the Christopher Ward C65 Sandhurst. Here, things are definitely not taking the guise of a diver, and we’re taking to the land. Sandhurst, as it turns out, is the name of the Royal Miltary Academy (for the army) in Berkshire. This watch draws it’s inspiration from another British military design, the Smiths W10 (also introduced in 1967).
Finally, you’ve got the Christopher Ward C65 Cranwell, which is identifiable as an aviator’s watch with the overly large triangle up at 12 o’clock, and the presence of minutes (rather than hours) as the large indices around the dial. As far as the name? Well, there’s some heritage for you – it’s named after the world’s first air academy, the Royal Air Force College Cranwell. Inspiration here comes from the big names of JLC and IWC.
All three of these Christopher Ward C65 models come in their 41mm “light catcher” case which houses the Selitta SW200 movement (full details are listed below as well). Pricing is close across the trio as well. For the Dartmouth, it’s $900, while the Sandhurst and Cranwell come in at $910. All three of these watches are currently in pre-order mode, with delivery antcipated for mid-November. christopherward.com
Details from Christopher Ward
C65 DARTMOUTH SERIES 1
- Technical
- Diameter: 41mm
- Height: 11.55mm
- Weight: 65g
- Calibre: Sellita SW200 COSC
- Case: 316L Stainless Steel
- Water resistance: 15 ATM (150 metres)
- Vibrations: 28,800 per hour (4 Hz)
- Timing tolerance: -4/+6 seconds per day
- Dial colour: Blue
- Lume: T-C1 SuperLuminova®
- Lug to lug: 47.1mm
- Features
- Swiss made
- 26 jewel self-winding mechanical chronometer
- 38 hour power reserve
- Christopher Ward ‘Colimaçoné’ finish on movement
- Central hacking seconds
- Anti-shock system
- Brushed and polished marine-grade stainless steel case
- High Definition Royal Navy Naval crown insignia screw-down backplate
- Push-in crown stamped with twin flag motif
- Unidirectional aluminium bezel with TC-1 SuperLumiNova®-applied numerals and markers
- “Glass box” sapphire crystal
- Matte finish dial
- Christopher Ward logo at 12 o’clock
- TC-1 SuperLumiNova®-filled hands, inverted ‘wedge’ and tapering indexes
- Distinctive arrow-shaped seconds hand
- Unique engraved serial number
HyperFocal: 0
C65 SANDHURST SERIES 1
- Technical
- Diameter: 38mm
- Height: 11.6mm
- Weight: 60g
- Calibre: Sellita SW200-1 COSC
- Case: 316L stainless steel
- Water resistance: 15 ATM (150 metres)
- Vibrations: 28,800 per hour (4 Hz)
- Timing tolerance: -4/+6 seconds per day
- Dial colour: Black
- Lume: T-C1 and Old Radium Super-LumiNova®
- Lug to Lug: 45.3mm
- Strap width: 20mm
- Features
- Swiss made
- 26 jewel self-winding mechanical chronometer
- 38 hour power reserve
- Christopher Ward ‘Colimaçoné’ finish on movement
- Central hacking seconds
- Anti-shock system
- Brushed and polished marine-grade stainless steel case
- High Definition British Army Heraldic badge screw-down backplate
- Push-in crown stamped with twin flag motif
- “Glass box” sapphire crystal
- Matte finish dial
- Christopher Ward logo at 12 o’clock
- Old Radium Super-LumiNova®-filled indexes and baton-shaped hands
- TC-1 Super-LumiNova-applied Arabic numerals
- Printed outer minute track
- White seconds hand with red tip
- Unique engraved serial number
C65 CRANWELL SERIES 1
- Technical
- Diameter: 41mm
- Height: 11.55mm
- Weight: 65g
- Calibre: Sellita SW200-1 COSC
- Case: 316L Stainless Steel
- Water resistance: 15 ATM (150 metres)
- Vibrations: 28,800 per hour (4 Hz)
- Timing tolerance: -4/+6 seconds per day
- Dial colour: Black
- Lume: T-C1 and Old Radium Super-LumiNova®
- Lug to lug: 47.1mm
- Strap width: 22mm
- Features
- Swiss made
- 26 jewel self-winding mechanical chronometer
- 38 hour power reserve
- Christopher Ward ‘Colimacone’ finish on movement
- Central hacking seconds
- Anti-shock system
- Brushed and polished marine-grade stainless steel case
- High Definition RAF Heraldic badge screw-down backplate
- Push-in crown stamped with twin flag motif
- “Glass box” sapphire crystal
- Matte finish dial
- Christopher Ward logo at 12 o’clock
- T-C1 Super-LumiNova®-printed Arabic numerals
- Old Radium-filled hands, triangle and quarterly indexes
- White needle-shaped seconds hand
- Unique engraved serial number
