The Christopher Ward C60 Elite 1000 is ready for summer

How’s that, you may ask? Well, for starters it’s a dive watch with a 1000m WR rating (ie, more than you’ll ever hit at the local beach or pool). More importantly, it’s dropped some weight (which we’re probably all thinking about doing before summer hits). It does that by going full-on titanium, all wrapped up in a dive profile that is distinctively CW. So, yeah, we’re liking what we’re seeing with the Christopher Ward C60 Elite 1000.

Now, sometimes even with a titanium case, the weight of an automatic watch can be more than you might expect. Here, if you opt for the Christopher Ward C60 Elite 1000 on one of the straps, it’s a positive featherweight at 77g. And even if you opt for the bracelet (which is always my advice) you’re still only talking 133g, which is a good 30-35% lighter than the steel equivalent would have been. Not to mention that Grade 2 titanium has a great feel and look.

All of this is wrapped around what I would consider to be an iconic Trident diver look for the brand. Sure, the handset (and the divisive dial font) has changed, but it’s a Trident diver all the same. Here, you’ve got a bit more polish – aside from all of the high-end diver and material specs, you’ve got some civil niceties like both a day and a date display showing up in the dial, making it a watch that is just as capable at the office as it is in the ocean.

At $1,425 on the cordura/rubber strap or $1,680 on the titanium bracelet, this is a watch that stretches the concept of affordability. However, if you shift the lens to looking at something that’s more in the realm of affordable luxury (I mean, it is packing a COSC-grade Sellita movement) then I think the equation shifts a good bit. And hey, if you want to save a few dollars, the rest of the C60 range (which you can see here) gives you that flexibility. Sure, you’ll have to “settle” for steel and 300m or 600m WR ratings, but those will still serve you quite well.

For me, I like them taking this Christopher Ward C60 Elite 1000 and sort of stretching the design specs as far as they can go and see what they can do. Frankly, it makes more sense that this is the “top of the line” model rather than the C60 Apex. Don’t get me wrong – the Apex looks cool, but it sort of loses the thread of what CW is all about. With this titanium beastie, they’re taking the proven platform and upgrading all of the bits in an almost quiet way. Think of it as the “sleeper” watch in the lineup. Sure, you might like the sound of an exhaust cutout blower motor screamer now and again, but for a daily driver? You want that under-the-radar power. And that, friends, is what a watch like the Christopher Ward C60 Elite 1000 represents. christopherward.com