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HANDS-ON: The Christopher Ward C65 Trident Automatic HANDS-ON: The Christopher Ward C65 Trident Automatic

HANDS-ON: The Christopher Ward C65 Trident Automatic

Felix Scholz

Over the years I’ve had a few run-ins with UK-based brand Christopher Ward, having reviewed some of their older world time and jump hour watches. I’ve never tried one of their more mainline pieces on for size though, but when I saw the press renders for the C65 Trident Automatic I figured it was about time I changed that.

The C65 Trident is an attractive piece, a neo-vintage diver that offers a strong blend of today’s practicality and yesterday’s charm. Clocking in at a decent 41mm across, and 11.5mm high, this stylish steel chap is offered in either blue or black dials, with a range of straps. The boldest, and vintagest (is that a word? It is now) option is the blue dial on this ‘vintage oak’ distressed leather strap. The brown, almost saffron, leather strap is a good tonal match for the creamy luminova on the hands and hour plots, and provides a warm contrast to that finely grained blue dial. The bezel has a matching blue aluminium insert. The crown isn’t a screw-down, but the gaskets must be pretty solid, as it’s rated to 150 metres. 

Now, the C65 isn’t a new addition to the Christopher Ward family per se, but there are two significant changes on this version. First of all, the previous iteration was a manual wind, while this is powered by the ever-reliable Sellita SW200-1, and secondly, the dial design has been given a refresh. Gone are the stylised ‘12’ and ‘6’ Arabics and the slender baton hour markers, in favour of this bolder dots-and-dashes layout. I’m a big fan of this change, as to my mind it improves the legibility and the aesthetic appeal. Also present on the dial are a pleasingly unassuming date window (in black, don’t you know), an embossed Christopher Ward logo at 12, and the Christopher Ward text at nine. The Christopher Ward logo has been through several iterations over the years, and this one is very straightforward — some could say verging on plain. Of all the elements on the watch, I think the logo text is the biggest potential deal-breaker. But, in the grand scheme of things, that’s a pretty minor issue. 

Christopher Ward C65 Trident Automatic Australian pricing

Christopher Ward C65 Trident Automatic, on leather,  $1040