I’ve been a fan of CW’s stuff for some time now (you can see some of our reviews in the archives), and the new Mark II Malverns are looking pretty sharp.
This new Malvern is actually an iteration of one of CW’s very first models. Rather than try to regurgitate the text, I’ll just quote it for you here:
No watch is more closely associated with the Christopher Ward story than the Mark I version of this watch. It was both a landmark for Christopher Ward being one of the first two designs introduced in 2005 as well as for the luxury watch industry which had never before witnessed a watch of such sublime quality being made available at such an accessible price.
The most prominent features carried over are the Sellita SW-200 automatic movement, and the sapphire crystal crowning the 39mm steel case. The biggest change appears to be with the dial itself.
It is actually made of metal (a single piece), and features a sunray texture/finish; the indices are made of nickel, and are raised on the dial to give a nice layered look (and I’m sure to catch the light).
This watch is firmly in the dress camp, though surprisingly for that segment, you do have a date display. It is a welcome touch – though I wish it were at the 6 o’clock mark, which would give a more balanced look to the dial. A minor thing, but as long as I’m wishing…
All told, this is a very nice looking piece. The particular example I’ve pictured in this post comes in at $365; other variations of the mechanical model can actually run up closer to $600, while the remainder fall in the $400s.
Of course, if the price is too steep, and you like the style (or you want a chronograph), they do have quartz models starting at $225 (chronos start at $315). In short, they’ve got a great-looking dress watch for a variety of budgets.
They’re taking pre-orders now, and (if memory serves) they’ll become available in September.
