Christopher Ward

 Now that I know, and apparently care about, movements, I have taken a closer look at Christopher Ward.

I had never heard of this brand before Jon showed me what he was looking at. All the other brands Jon has mentioned, I've been able to find on the high street, but this feels like more of a deep dive. This is feels like the watch equivalent of listening to records on vinyl for the audio quality, but we also have a record collection now, so I guess we are those people.

Listen, I don't really understand how a brand that's 20 years old has the Internet forums foaming, when anything else I find less than 100 years old gets trashed. I think the brand is so well respected because you get good value for money with the craftsmanship? 

Christopher Ward Twelve 40mm Glacier Blue

Jon specifically said he liked the Twelve line, and I've got to say, it's really not for me. I can appreciate the dial, but the bracelet makes it look like an 80's piece and it doesn't do it for me. Despite this, I was seriously considering getting this for him because I know he likes it and because the Internet assures me it's well made.



C60 Pro 300 Bronze 42mm

Then I found these. After liking the bronze Oris I started to look for more bronze pieces. While the Oris Big Crown is a tool/field watch, this one is a diver. Jon's mentioned several divers, like the Tutor Black Bay, Seiko Samurai, and Zodiac Super Sea Wolf, but I cannot recall any pilot or field watches he has specifically mentioned. It seems to be mostly dive and chronographs he likes.

The thing that made me consider the C60 is the fact that it's a Chronometer. Now that I've learned about mechanical movements, the idea that this is certified to be highly accurate, within +6/-4 seconds a day, is appealing. Because I have drunk the KoolAid. At the very least it will serve its primary function of telling time to a high degree. Although a quartz watch is even more accurate and much less expensive, but I don't WANT quartz! So none of this makes any real logical sense. 

The power reserve on this is 42 hrs, which is considerably shorter than the 70 hrs of the Seiko divers I looked at, but I'm not sure how much that matters. It probably matters as much as the +9/-21 second accuracy difference between the two models - which is to say it bears no practical implications at all. Whether you have to reset your watch because it's a few minutes off or reset it because it ran out of power, you've still got to fiddle with it. It's all pretty ridiculous, honestly, and he would be better off with a radio controlled quartz, like a G Shock. Those are truly hideous. I'm sure he'd love it. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Decision Has Been Made

Image
 A decision has been made and it's none of these, but I wish I could also buy these  Henry Archer Vesterhav Meteorite A Danish microbrand, this Meteorite dial looks good, but unfortunately it's a preorder and not available until January. They have a few more meteorite options which may work better for Jon, as he SAYS he doesn't like two toned (although the watch he wears every day is two toned?) I've emailed the owner of this brand and he's incredibly helpful and nice, so I think there may be a purchase here for another time. I was really very impressed.  Zelos Mako GMT I really want to get Jon a GMT because he's one of the few people that I think will actually get use out of the function with often working American PST (also, American football games). Zelos do really nice dials and I love this mother of pearl. I think Jon would like the bright colored GMT hand, too. I just really like mother of pearl, man, I'm like a moth to the flame with these dials. Is i...
Read more

Seriously, I'm Done Now.

 I'm done. I'm absolutely fucking done. I can look at watches no more. I've gone to the outer limits, been pulled apart and reformed. Doneso. Finito. GOOD DAY!  I got into my head about a milestone birthday and wanted something with heritage, something special, and didn't want to feel like I was settling. I kept telling myself that Jon would not think twice about getting me something I really wanted, especially for my 40th birthday (thankfully, there's years before that 💁). He deserves the same.   So I learned everything I could to feel like I'm qualified to make a purchase like this. I enlisted Oli for extra help and he listened to all my, quite frankly, insane blatherings, and kindly offered to go with me to a boutique. The first time I went into a store I looked at a single Seiko and immediately burst out into cold sweats, so I cannot say how much having this moral support meant to me.  I've been writing this blog for myself because I felt like I was goi...
Read more

Meteorite Dials

Image
Bulova Limited Edition Lunar Pilot 96A312 Jon has mentioned that he would really like a meteorite dial, so I have found this Bulova. He has two Bulovas, so obviously likes the brand, but the only hesitation is he already has a Bulova Chronograph and this may be too similar.  I have done way too much research on meteorite dials and also looked at several Zelos, which are generally well regarded for their quality, but am unsure about buying him a brand he has not specifically mentioned, especially a smaller/newer one.  SWORDFISH FIELD 38MM BRONZE METEORITE The watch research has quickly spiraled out of control and I now have a Chronos24 account. I have found a meteorite dial Zodiac Super Sea Wolf for sale second hand, as it was a limited edition run a few years ago.  Jon has mentioned a Super Sea Wolf and I think he would like this, but I am unsure about purchasing used. Oli looked into the platform and confirmed it was a legitimate site, but the listing is from a private s...
Read more