Join the Celebration: 20 Years of Excellence with Christopher Ward Watches

There must be at least a dozen rags-to-riches stories we all have read about - a self-made man starting from scratch and building a name for oneself. The Christopher Ward story is all of that and more. Plus, it's not fiction, although some of its parts do seem to come from the pen of a highly imaginative writer.

If you are a fan of such stories or a horology fan per se, or both for that matter, you're in for a treat. Here's an abbreviated yet detailed and dynamic story of what happened during the first two decades of Christopher Ward watches.

Where it all began

Three friends walked into a bar… Well, not quite, but not too different either. The idea for starting Christopher Ward watches resulted from brainstorming potential business ideas after three good friends met at a crossroads of their current business endeavours. The trio saw an opportunity to dive into something that connected them all: love for watches, and after learning that the majority of Swiss-made watches used similar components originating from the same manufacturers, all with a mark-up of up to a staggering 34 times.

Christopher Ward watches was founded in 2004 by three individuals: from left, Christopher Ward, Peter Ellis, and Mike France.

Mike (France), Peter (Ellis), and Chris (Ward) shook on it and started Christopher Ward watches (see where the name came from?) with an idea to find their place in the horology world with an original and affordable watch(es) built on three main principles, as quoted from their website:

– Sell directly to customers only through our own website

– Apply a maximum three times mark-up on the manufacturing price

– Avoid the costly celebrity endorsements to which the Swiss brands seem addicted.

Little did they know things would explode in such a bang! Orders for one of their first models, the C5 Malvern Automatic, came rushing out of the blue. Well, not quite. It was all a reaction to a praising review from Dave Malone, a lecturer and watch expert from Tasmania who reviewed the C5 on Timezone.com after purchasing it, attracted by an ETA 2824–2 automatic movement that powered the Malvern Automatic.

On June 2nd, 2005, Christopher Ward launched its first two models, the C5 Malvern Automatic and the C3 Malvern Chronograph, embodying their mission to provide "the cheapest most expensive watches in the world.

Inspired by such an abrupt promise of success, the founders kept on exploring and delivering, with the rest being history in the making. Nowadays, Christopher Ward watches boast a profound collection, covering the ground from sport and diving to retro and military watches, to name just a few. The focus here will be their most representative diving and mechanical watches.

C60 Trident GMT

Trident family is the most famous Christopher Ward collection, hands down. And C60 Trident GMT, reference number C60-GMT-SKWS, is the collection icon. It's the second watch from the Trident family, released in 2010, and still firmly holds its ground among the bestsellers. There are several good reasons why that's the case. The specs are as follows:

• 42mm wide and 13mm thick Steel Case
• Anti-reflexive 4mm thick Sapphire Crystal Glass
• a Swiss ETA 2893 automatic GMT movement with a 38h power reserve
• Orange/Red GMT hand
• Uni directional Bezel with a 24h scale
• Luminescent Indexes, Bezel Marker, and tips of Hour and Minute Hand for increased visibility
• 300m water resistance
• Engraved Caseback

The Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 300 GMT features a sleek design, GMT functionality, and impressive water resistance.

Since Christopher Ward is all about innovation, the C60 Trident GMT has gone through many iterations since its debut, making it possible for every diver GMT lover to find one for themselves. The list price, starting at €1,295.00, makes the C60 Trident GMT highly competitive in the world of GMT watches.

C65 Divetimer Special Edition

Now, this member of the C65 collection is truly special and an embodiment of the Christopher Ward design team's attention to every detail. It's primarily aimed at deep divers and thus features a decompression scale, crucial for safe, gradual ascending to the surface for all those who love pushing their limits regarding diving depths.

• 41mm Stainless Steel Case
• Sellita SW210 manual Caliber w 42-hour power reserve
• Super-LumiNova ® X1 BL C1-filled hands and indexes
• Anti-reflexive Sapphire Crystal Glass
• Uni-directional Steel Bezel with a blue aluminum insert
• Sunray Dial with light blue and orange rings and a printed decompression scale
• 150m water resistance
• Stamped Caseback with engraved Trident motif and serial number

Christopher Ward C65 Divetimer Special-Edition

Released in 2021, this reference number C65-41H3H2-S0BB0 lightweight diver (only 65g), with superior specs and a super attractive, vividly colored dial, was limited to only 150 pieces. No wonder it sold within 48 hours of being available. Luckily, it comes up for sale now and then. So, there's still an occasional chance to obtain one second hand at around $1000 (twice the original list price), depending on the condition.

C65 Chronograph

Love the 70's vibe, its colorful and vibrant design without jeopardizing pristine craftsmanship, with a chronograph complication on top of that? Look no further; reference number C65-41ACH1-S0BB0-B0, C65 Chronograph delivers on all of the above. Azure Blue on the dial background and bezel, silver/white tachymeter scale, and sub-dials with red and blue sections inspired by regatta watch design, a red date complication, and bright orange chronograph hands complete the omni-colorful radiance of the C65 Chronograph.

The retro looks go hand in hand with modern features, such as double gaskets, movement, screw-down crown and pushers, transparent caseback, and Box Sapphire Crystal glass. Other specs are:

• 41mm wide and 15mm thick Stainless-Steel Case
• Sellita SW510 BHa Mechanical Movement with 48h power reserve
• Super-LumiNova® Grade X1 GL C coating on markers and indexes
• Uni-directional bezel with an aluminum insert
• 150m water resistance
• List price: $1935 to 2055, depending on the strap it comes with.

Christopher Ward C65 Chronograph C65-41ACH1-S0BB0

Such a combo of retro and modern features made a lasting impact. Released in 2020, which was a prolific year for Christopher Ward, the C65 Chronograph, from the C65 collection, easily grabbed major attention and continues to stand out even today.

Twelve X (Ti)

When speaking of modern and innovative Christopher Ward watches, the Twelve X (Ti) is bound to come up in the conversation, even though it's a fresh addition to the Christopher Ward catalog. It was released earlier this year as a December 2024 preorder to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the company's foundation and the 10th anniversary of the introduction of its original movement.

The Christopher Ward Twelve X C12-41A5D1-T00K0-B0 is a special 20th anniversary pre-order model full of exciting features

Reference number C12-41A5D1-T00K0-B0, the Twelve X (TI) is the latest Titanium addition to the Twelve collection. And a genuine beauty, both in aesthetic and technical terms. Skeletonized, with a completely transparent front and back, it leaves nothing to the imagination regarding revealing how their birthday boy, Calibre SH21, operates. Carefully chosen colors make it easier to differentiate the various parts of the mechanism, creating a one-of-a-kind experience while craftily designed and Super-LumiNova® Grade X1 BL C1 layered hours and minutes markers make sure time is read perfectly clear in all conditions.

The Super-LumiNova of the Christopher Ward Twelve X is designed with carefully chosen colors to enhance differentiation among the mechanism's parts, featuring layered Grade X1 BL C1 hour and minute markers that ensure clear readability in all conditions.

Grade 2 titanium case with Grade 5 titanium bezel complete the original aesthetics, securing durability and providing a smooth feel and comfortable wearability. The latter is additionally improved by an integrated titanium bracelet featuring a marvellous quick adjustment mechanism on the clasp.

The rest of the specs are:

• 41mm wide and 12.3mm thick Titanium Case
• Anti-reflective box sapphire top and bottom crystal
• A Rhodium ring on the outside of the dial with Applied Globolight 12 o'clock marker
• 5-day power reserve
• Chronometer certified (COSC)
• 100m water resistance

Twenty years of existence and success is a remarkable achievement on its own in any line of work. And particularly in a highly competitive one, such as the watchmaking industry. On the other hand, it's merely a fraction of the time in terms of watchmaking practice in general.

After 20 years of success in the competitive watchmaking industry, Christopher Ward continues to adhere to its founding principles, ensuring that great things are yet to come.

Given the carefully built and diversity-rich Christopher Ward watches catalog, it's safe to say the planning and development team had a pretty good idea of what they wanted to achieve from day one.

Remember how things came to be and the three founding postulates? Yes, those are still the guiding principles. So, we can rest assured that great things wearing a Christopher Ward mark are yet to come.

Written by S.K., images others as noted

External References:

• Christopher Ward C60 Trident GMT Watch Review
• C65 Divetimer Special Edition
• Owner Review Christopher Ward C65 Divetimer
• C65 Chronograph: the ’70s watch for the 21st Century
• Hands-On With The New Christopher Ward C65 Chronograph ‘Wild Thing’
• Hands-On Christopher Ward C65 Chronograph
• The Twelve X From Christopher Ward
• Twelve X (Ti) Pre-Order