Christopher Ward C3
Discussion
Yesterday I took delivery of a Christopher Ward C3 watch so I thought I'd post my thoughts and review on this watch and brand.
The first thing you notice is how heavy and solid the packaging is. The watch case and all documents are contained in a branded high quality cardboard lift off top box, inside you find dedicated operating instructions for the chronograph/strap adjustment, a CW packaged polishing cloth and a letter of thanks and confidence of quality hand addressed to you and signed by Christoper Ward himself, also stated is the unique issue number.
Under all this is the wooden watch box, covered in a stitched heavy black satin type material, and inside is the watch surrounding and surrounded by black velvet. The packaging is extremely good and is very difficult to fault, the letter adds a personal touch and assures you that have have invested in a quality product with a fine attention to detail.
On to the watch...
I ordered a black face with tan leather strap.
The watch features scratch proof sapphire crystal glass with anti- reflection coating. This is the first thing you notice and at certain angles you can see the bluey purple reflection of this quality glass, it really sets the watch off and intrigues you to look closer at the details of the face.
The face is a precision etched 2 piece metal dial (2 tiers), in this example coloured black. The detail is brilliant, if you look REALLY closely you can see the cirular etching almost like a finger print but you have to look really close, this allows the light to reflect but not in an offensive way, it gives the dial a soft look and in varied lights you see different shades of black.
The numbers (styled on the font Aston Martin use in their speedometers/ rev counters) and markers are made of chrome metal of again i cant find a single fault, the finish is uniform with out bumps or ripples and the detail of the chronographs is superb with the hands sitting dead on their '12 o clock' positons. There is a small date window at 4 o'clock that has an extremely fine chrome surround and an arrow pointing to the date, at the very bottom of the face is the 'swiss mov't' marking and on the lower tier at 12 o'clock is the brand name and logo in a very fine and clear font.
The face is very attractive with a very classy and understated masculine look.
Moving onto the case, it consists of two finishes, the glass surround is chromed and there isn't a single fault or evidence of manufacturing marks, this finish extends onto the topside of the lugs, the side of the lugs and side of the case having a brushed steel finish which is still reflective but not overly so.
Once again i cannot find a single fault, the quality is supreme.
On the right hand side of the face is the screw down crown and stopwatch controls which feel secure and properly manufactured.
The strap is made of quality leather and features a deployment clasp which is straight forward to set up for you wrist size and once done it makes the task of taking the watch off and putting it on a doddle.
The clasp is made from polished stainless steel with a 'Christoper Ward' etching and is properly manufactured and not pressed steel, it works perfectly.
The overall image of the watch is class, it does not look or feel cheap or inferior in the slightest and it is stunning to look at, especially when you catch it in the right light to see the bluey hue and chrome markings reflect back at you.
Lastly, price. £135 plus about £4 for postage and packing, it really is an amazing watch without mentioning the 5 year warranty. I can wholeheartedly recommend this watch.
I've had a chance to take some pictures, please excuse the quality as i have only got a 3.2mp camera on my phone so they aren't going to be the world's best, but hopefully you should be able to get an idea of the style and quality of the watch.
I can post up some pictures of the packaging if anyone is interested?
Thanks.
Edited to fix a couple of fat finger spelling mistakes.
The first thing you notice is how heavy and solid the packaging is. The watch case and all documents are contained in a branded high quality cardboard lift off top box, inside you find dedicated operating instructions for the chronograph/strap adjustment, a CW packaged polishing cloth and a letter of thanks and confidence of quality hand addressed to you and signed by Christoper Ward himself, also stated is the unique issue number.
Under all this is the wooden watch box, covered in a stitched heavy black satin type material, and inside is the watch surrounding and surrounded by black velvet. The packaging is extremely good and is very difficult to fault, the letter adds a personal touch and assures you that have have invested in a quality product with a fine attention to detail.
On to the watch...
I ordered a black face with tan leather strap.
The watch features scratch proof sapphire crystal glass with anti- reflection coating. This is the first thing you notice and at certain angles you can see the bluey purple reflection of this quality glass, it really sets the watch off and intrigues you to look closer at the details of the face.
The face is a precision etched 2 piece metal dial (2 tiers), in this example coloured black. The detail is brilliant, if you look REALLY closely you can see the cirular etching almost like a finger print but you have to look really close, this allows the light to reflect but not in an offensive way, it gives the dial a soft look and in varied lights you see different shades of black.
The numbers (styled on the font Aston Martin use in their speedometers/ rev counters) and markers are made of chrome metal of again i cant find a single fault, the finish is uniform with out bumps or ripples and the detail of the chronographs is superb with the hands sitting dead on their '12 o clock' positons. There is a small date window at 4 o'clock that has an extremely fine chrome surround and an arrow pointing to the date, at the very bottom of the face is the 'swiss mov't' marking and on the lower tier at 12 o'clock is the brand name and logo in a very fine and clear font.
The face is very attractive with a very classy and understated masculine look.
Moving onto the case, it consists of two finishes, the glass surround is chromed and there isn't a single fault or evidence of manufacturing marks, this finish extends onto the topside of the lugs, the side of the lugs and side of the case having a brushed steel finish which is still reflective but not overly so.
Once again i cannot find a single fault, the quality is supreme.
On the right hand side of the face is the screw down crown and stopwatch controls which feel secure and properly manufactured.
The strap is made of quality leather and features a deployment clasp which is straight forward to set up for you wrist size and once done it makes the task of taking the watch off and putting it on a doddle.
The clasp is made from polished stainless steel with a 'Christoper Ward' etching and is properly manufactured and not pressed steel, it works perfectly.
The overall image of the watch is class, it does not look or feel cheap or inferior in the slightest and it is stunning to look at, especially when you catch it in the right light to see the bluey hue and chrome markings reflect back at you.
Lastly, price. £135 plus about £4 for postage and packing, it really is an amazing watch without mentioning the 5 year warranty. I can wholeheartedly recommend this watch.
I've had a chance to take some pictures, please excuse the quality as i have only got a 3.2mp camera on my phone so they aren't going to be the world's best, but hopefully you should be able to get an idea of the style and quality of the watch.
I can post up some pictures of the packaging if anyone is interested?
Thanks.
Edited to fix a couple of fat finger spelling mistakes.
Edited by carter711 on Friday 25th July 14:06
Edited by carter711 on Sunday 27th July 12:43
Edited by carter711 on Monday 5th November 22:39
I am a member of the CW forum, and this is currently in development and will be launched later this year. Not sure whether to go for the silver with black perforated leather or the brown with the leather or perhaps go for the bracelet........decisions decisions
What do the rest of the PH's think??
http://www.christopherward.co.uk/Pdf/c7_rapide.pdf
What do the rest of the PH's think??
http://www.christopherward.co.uk/Pdf/c7_rapide.pdf
CmdrBond said:
I am a member of the CW forum, and this is currently in development and will be launched later this year. Not sure whether to go for the silver with black perforated leather or the brown with the leather or perhaps go for the bracelet........decisions decisions
What do the rest of the PH's think??
http://www.christopherward.co.uk/Pdf/c7_rapide.pdf
I like the brown with leather as its quite unusual, however, I don't like the fact that the date ring is contrasting, it should be white/silver on brown; I also think the sub dials are too close to the centre - they look cramped to me.What do the rest of the PH's think??
http://www.christopherward.co.uk/Pdf/c7_rapide.pdf
tertius said:
CmdrBond said:
I am a member of the CW forum, and this is currently in development and will be launched later this year. Not sure whether to go for the silver with black perforated leather or the brown with the leather or perhaps go for the bracelet........decisions decisions
What do the rest of the PH's think??
http://www.christopherward.co.uk/Pdf/c7_rapide.pdf
I like the brown with leather as its quite unusual, however, I don't like the fact that the date ring is contrasting, it should be white/silver on brown; I also think the sub dials are too close to the centre - they look cramped to me.What do the rest of the PH's think??
http://www.christopherward.co.uk/Pdf/c7_rapide.pdf
Definitely like the attention to detail with the guilloche pattern, and the straps.
TBH with design like that, and all that motoring guff, he ought to go the whole way with a VJ7750 (even if it's a chinese one, just needs quality control at this end), slap on a display back, make the rotor look like an old Moto-Lita steering wheel (he'd need something dense around the rim to make it work, tungsten would do the trick) and charge around £700. And dump the bracelets unless he can get them made to a properly high standard of finish.
Those leather straps look good, much better than the bracelets. Bit of viral advertising around motoring websites and he'd definitely sell a few.
Unless the whole point is about the 0.1 sec accuracy (nice to claim, but the accuracy of any human operated stopwatch is determined by the reaction time of the human pressing the 'stop' button... anyone know the reaction time of an average human standing at the pit wall of a typical circuit pressing the 'stop' button when he / she *thinks* the car has crossed the start / finish line??? Honest question)...
I like the look of the c7 and he's doing a big pilot style watch that looks good. I have a couple of Christopher Ward watches and for the money I don't think you can beat them, they are tough and they look good. I alternate them with my other watches - some of whom are 10 or 20 times the price and you wouldn't really know...
Seb d said:
Well that's just great, I've gone and ordered a C3. I hope you're happy...
I doubt you will be disappointed, which one have you gone for? I ordered mine on Tuesday afternoon and it was delivered on Thursday morning much to my suprise and delight as i thought it would take longer.
Can we look forward to seeing some pictures?
alexe said:
Does anyone know when the C7 is due to be released?
The word on the CW forum was that the C7 would be released end of August, but that has yet to be confirmed. It is possible that they will start to put them on the site for pre-order like the C5 Malvern Auto's, but nothing has been said about that as far I as am aware.CommanderJameson said:
Carter711: would you please do me the favour of measuring the diameter of your watch? It looks quite big on your wrist - but then you could just have small wrists.
I'd guess that it's in the 40-45mm range, assuming you're normal shape and size.
Lovely piece, by the way.
These are the official figures from the website...I'd guess that it's in the 40-45mm range, assuming you're normal shape and size.
Lovely piece, by the way.
Diameter: 40mm
Height: 10.3mm
Weight: 80g
Calibre: Ronda 5040.D
Strap: Italian leather - width 20mm
I do have quite slim wrists (6.5inches) but the watch does not look too big for me in 'real life', it sits on my wrist well and is very comfortable.
I have just measured my actual watch and indeed it is 40mm, the watch glass being 34mm.
Thanks.
carter711 said:
CommanderJameson said:
Carter711: would you please do me the favour of measuring the diameter of your watch? It looks quite big on your wrist - but then you could just have small wrists.
I'd guess that it's in the 40-45mm range, assuming you're normal shape and size.
Lovely piece, by the way.
These are the official figures from the website...I'd guess that it's in the 40-45mm range, assuming you're normal shape and size.
Lovely piece, by the way.
Diameter: 40mm
Height: 10.3mm
Weight: 80g
Calibre: Ronda 5040.D
Strap: Italian leather - width 20mm
I do have quite slim wrists (6.5inches) but the watch does not look too big for me in 'real life', it sits on my wrist well and is very comfortable.
I have just measured my actual watch and indeed it is 40mm, the watch glass being 34mm.
Thanks.
You do realise that by bringing this website to my attention that you will cost me lots of money, don't you?
Sorry about that Commander. Will have to be have discipline. What with CW and Werners, there is no hope for us all, and we might as well just accept the fact that we are all addicted.
I will be the first -
Hello, my name is Chris and I am a watch fan.
That feels sssssooooo much better.
I will be the first -
Hello, my name is Chris and I am a watch fan.
That feels sssssooooo much better.
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