Disclaimer: Christopher Ward was kind enough to provide me with the Lumière for the purpose of this review. All other watches used in this review for comparison purposes are from my personal collection and were purchased by me. As always, I will endeavor to be as impartial in my review as I can be. The price of the Lumière as reviewed is $2390 USD.
Context: This review is one I’ve wanted to do for a while. Ever since the release of the Lumière. It’s no secret that I am a long time fan, collector and user of the Tudor Pelagos line. I own both the OG 42mm model as well as the black FXD. If I could have more Pelagos’, I would. Maybe I will. Who knows. I have also been a fan of Christopher Ward for a while. So naturally when I saw the Lumière release, and it’s specs, I felt that it was only natural to want to do a side by side comparison of the Pelagos and Lumière. I am also in a unique position to own the Lumière’s predecessor: The C60 Elite 1000. Having all of these watches, allows me to compare where the Lumière has come from as well as where it is going. Released earlier this year (2024), the C60 Trident Lumière is the best of what Christopher Ward has to offer in a diver. A tonne of innovation, detail and quality offered at a hyper competitive price.
Delivery and Unboxing
The delivery of the Lumière was very consistent with previous pieces I have received from the brand. Delivery via DHL, fast delivery, taxes paid upfront at time of purchase. Smooth, simple and easy, how all watch purchases should be. Christopher Ward was one of, if not the first brand to offer direct to consumer online sales. As such, they have really become masters of making the buyer experience as seamless as possible. Unboxing is also consistent with the typical Christopher Ward packaging. A combination of black cardboard and bamboo wood, this packaging gives a premium feel and tells you right away that you are unpackaging a quality and luxurious item. Included in the packaging for the C60 Trident Lumière is a chronometer certificate, warranty card, information and instruction manual and the watch itself. If I am being honest here, Christopher Ward’s packaging and presentation blows Tudor’s out of the water. Tudor’s packaging is effectively all black cardboard, nothing impressive and nothing particularly luxurious. Christopher Ward’s packaging shows a specific intent to build a lifestyle and experience around everything the brand produces. Taking the time to focus on creating such lovely packaging speaks to the attention to detail that is consistent with all that Christopher Ward touches.
STATS: Let’s kick this off with some stats:
Some takeaways from the above stats. The Lumière on paper is extremely competitive against its predecessor, the C60 Elite 1000, as well as the Pelagos in the two iterations used for this review. The Lumière utilizes the same materials, is thinner, COSC certified, with brilliant lume and a wearable size. Priced right in the middle between the Elite 1000 and the Pelagos FXD and priced at less than half of the price of the Pelagos 42. The Lumière is offering incredible quality and capability for the asking price.
Case & Crown
To attempt to write about the artisanal beauty that is the “Light Catcher” case from Christopher Ward is an exercise in futility. If you’re familiar with the brand, you’re already aware the fantastic job the brand does with their case work. The Lumière’s case is presented in full grade 2 titanium. Thin, light and beautifully finished, is the best way of describing the watch. Brushed with polished accents, the base and lugs of the watch are beautifully curved downwards with a polished chamfer running along the side of the case. If you’re familiar with working with titanium as a material, you know that polishing it is no easy feat. Being able to do it to the level of detail and finishing offered on the Lumière for the price Christopher Ward asks for it is nothing short of incredible. This polished chamfer is continued along the sides of the wonderfully tapered bracelet all the way down to the clasp. More on that later. The finishing on the Lumière is a step up from the finishing offered on the C60 Elite 1000. The Elite 1000 has a similar combination of polished and brushed titanium, however, the finishing on the Lumière is cleaner, with crisper lines. This to me demonstrates that even in the small details, Christopher Ward is always seeking to improve and do things better.
The finishing on the Lumière comes in stark contrast to the Pelagos, which is simply fully matte. Even newer iterations of the Pelagos such as the FXD or Pelagos 39, don’t offer an ounce of polish on their watches. Christopher Ward has always made watches that can look as good in the field as they do at dinner or in a boardroom. The Lumière is a well balanced tool watch that factors in some dressy elements that allow it to be at home in any setting. The Pelagos is finished as, and advertised, as an unabashed tool watch. Simply put the Lumière is finished with the intent of being a one watch collection. The Pelagos is finished with the intent of being a strict tool watch.
The thinness of the Lumière is another impressive feat. The Selitta SW300-1 movement is sandwiched between two beautiful pieces of sapphire glass. On top of the case is a thin ceramic bezel with its markings filled with lume. The total thickness of the case comes out to 10.85mm. This thing isn’t just thin…it’s THIN. This thinness coupled with the down turned 47.9mm lug to lug adds up to a very comfortable watch on the wrist. The case of the Lumière is the thinnest of all the watches in this review by a large margin. This thinness of the Lumière is a very big change from the C60 Elite 1000 which came in at a chunky 15.4mm. This makes the Elite 1000 the thickest of the reviewed watches by a large margin. I think this refinement further adds to the intent for the Lumière to be a capable tool watch that can be worn in any setting. When put up against the Pelagos 42 or the FXD, the Lumière still comes out on top when it comes to thinness and comfort on the wrist. At 41mm, the Lumière comes in at 1mm smaller in diameter compared to the Pelagos 42, FXD and Elite 1000. They are all essentially the same size. Hence the thinness of the case makes a big difference. When compared to the Pelagos in either configuration, the Lumière is more comfortable on the wrist. Now, before we wrap up this part of the review, I will note that one thing comes into play as it pertains to the thickness and thinness of these watches…water resistance. The Lumière is a 300m diver.. The C60 Elite 1000 is a 1000m dive watch, the Pelagos 42mm is 500m and the FXD, a 200m dive watch. All of them have helium escape valves with the exception of the FXD as well as much higher water resistance. This water resistance heavily factors into thickness of the watches and what can be done from an engineering perspective. The Lumière benefits from having the typical 300 meters of water resistance that is often synonymous with Swiss dive watches, hence it is a depth that has by far been the most “engineered” to be achievable in a variety of dive watch case styles.
The Lumière wears as a rounder watch than the Pelagos as well. The Pelagos is a longer watch, with pointed and integrated crown lugs that almost give the watch a rectangular profile. Thanks to the shorter lug to lug of the Lumiere, contouring of the Light Catcher case and the screw on crown guards of the case, it feels round and flat and extremely well finished on the wrist.
The crown of the Lumière is large, well knurled and buttery smooth. I love Christopher Ward Crowns. They show an attention to detail that a lot of other companies don't bother with at the price point. A further feature I love, and maybe I’m just lucky; but every Christopher Ward I have ever owned has always had the crowns perfectly aligned and oriented the twin flag logo engraved precisely horizontal. Again, it could just be good fortune, but if it is intentional, that is a level of detail orientation that makes a geek like me absolutely giddy.
Dial, Hands & Lume
The dial, hands and lume of the Lumière make up much of what is unique about the watch. The black gradient dial is a smokey gray in the center that fades to a black around the edge of the dial, ensuring that the darkest part of the dial surrounds the stark white lume plots on the dial to maximize contrast. The dial has a rougher finish on it that reminds me of shark skin or cement. Rough and porous. The dial finish is divisive amongst the watch community, with some claiming that it makes the watch look plasticky. I beg to differ. I think it is unique and adds to the tool aesthetic of the pieces. I find the finish of the dial compliments the large lume indices and the large skeletonized hands of the watch. The dial creates a high contrast with the aforementioned indices and hands and does so in a unique way that isn't just copying the way the Pelagos achieves the same effect. This is a further change from the deep black polished dial of the C60 Elite 1000.
The indices, hands and dial logo are comprised of solid white lume and glow like blue torches in the night. As you can see in the comparison photos, the Lumière is every bit the lume monster as the Pelagos. The C60 Elite 1000 uses an older style green lume that definitely glows strong and well but is not comparable to the solid lume indices of the Lumière.
The actual design of the Lumière dial is clean and simple yet striking at the same time. The Lumière is a no date watch. This immediately gives the watch a clean, symmetrical, no nonsense look. The Lumière utilizes solid white batons for the 1 to 11 markings and a skeletonized triangle for the 12 o'clock marker. The skeletonized marker compliments the hands as well. With a large hollow dagger hand marking the hour and a long skeletonized sword marking the minute, these are definitely some of the most unique watch hands I have seen on a dive watch. The design of the hands makes me think of Omega’s skeletonized Seamaster hands, but done in a much more stylistic and utilitarian fashion. The Lumière features minimal text on the dial and honestly, it’s awesome. A clean solid lume logo under the 12 o'clock marker consisted of the Christopher Ward “twin flags” and then the word “Chronometer” and “300m/ 1000ft” in two lines above the 6 o'clock marker. Clean, simple and nothing superfluous. Something of note that I found surprising about the Lumière is that the name is nowhere on the watch. Not the dial, not the case back, not hidden on the back of a lug or under an endlink, nowhere. Not even the C60 designator or “Trident” family indicator. The watch is almost a sterile diver in this sense. The only place the brand is even named is on the rotor of the watch. If you were new to watches, you wouldn't be able to tell who makes the watch or what the model is. I suppose this makes it a conversation piece. Regardless, just an observation.
All of the above mentioned features of the Lumière demonstrate the departure from the design language of the older C60 Elite 1000. The Elite 1000 had a polished dial, polished framed indices and hands, day and date, logo and full text on the dial and had a much more “traditional” dive watch feel. The C60 Elite 1000 very much felt like the pinnacle of what Christopher Ward was achieving at the time that it was making that watch. The Lumière feels not the beginning of a new chapter for the brand but rather an entirely new book.
Comparing the dial and hands of the Lumière against the Pelagos against the Pelagos 42 actually doesn't seem fair. This is where the Pelagos starts to feel like a 10 year old watch. Revolutionary at the time of its release, its execution now feels dated compared to newer Pelagos models. As such, I think that the Lumière is better compared against the FXD which shares a similar dial layout to the Lumière, more balanced dial and significantly less text than the Pelagos 42. The dial of the Pelagos FXD feels more utilitarian with no bells and whistles like skeletonized features or a textured dial. The FXD boasts a pop of red on the dial but otherwise is pretty bland. That's the point, it’s done that way by design and to compliment the strict utilitarian intent of the watch. Further, the Pelagos dial design is informed by historical design as well. So Tudor is slightly more confined in what it can do with the Pelagos compared to Christopher Ward. Ultimately when it comes to dial design and functionality, its player choice. Both offer near identical performance and capability, it just comes down to whatever tickles your fancy. Perspective also plays a role in how the dial appears to the eye. Specifically, I am referring to dial size and how it relates to the width of the bezel of the Lumière. The Lumière has a thinner bezel. Simple and clean with markings for every 5 minutes, the thinner bezel creates a bit of an illusion that makes the watch appear to have a much larger dial than the likes of the Pelagos or C60 Elite 1000. This gives the Lumière a bit of a vintage aesthetic too that is actually impressive to achieve considering the hyper modern design of the watch.
Bracelet
The bracelet of the Lumière is something that I really want to take some time to focus on as it is a considerable achievement for Christopher Ward and a massive upgrade over previous bracelets offered by the brand on their divers. Still designated as the “Bader Bracelet” on the Lumière the watch offers a much more refined iteration over its preceding iterations. The bracelet (also made of grade 2 titanium) offers screwed links that are executed very well. The screws go in smoothly with expert machining on the threads and tight tolerances on the tube holes. The heads of the screws don't get chewed up or marred when sizing and there was no “fusing” of the screws to the links that have often plagued titanium bracelets with screws. The bracelet is beautifully brushed with a chamfer running along the top edges of the links along both sides. This chamfer continues the lines and beauty of the “Light Catcher” case along the length of the whole bracelet and extends those light catching capabilities that much further. This is done in a way that does not detract from the tool aesthetic of the watch but rather is executed in a fashion that hammers home the “go anywhere, do anything” capability of the Lumière. This feature is not seen on the bracelet of the C60 Elite 1000 nor in the Pelagos (to be expected as explained throughout this review several times).
As with all modern Christopher Ward bracelets, the Lumière bracelet has quick detach tabs that allow the bracelet to be removed and reinstalled without any tools. Personally, I am not a big strap guy, my watches generally stay on their bracelets, but I see the value in it and it’s a great feature. The clasp of the Lumière features a big upgrade and is the first in the Christopher Ward line up. The Lumière’s twin button deployant style buckle features a new “push button” style micro adjust with 6mm of additional adjustability. The bracelet of the C60 Elite 1000 has a similar feature however it is executed in an older pull tab style that is less refined and more generic. The new buckle just further hammers home the sense of iterative design that is ever present at Christopher Ward. In comparison to the Pelagos’ glide lock and spring style clasp that is truly unique in the world of watches, further utilizing ceramic bearings and flip lock style friction closing. The Lumière’s clasp still seems simplistic in comparison, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The clasp of the Pelagos was revolutionary at the time of its release and to this day is still the kind of clasp that leaves other brands' offerings in the rear view. It’s simply undefeated and is a massive selling feature of the Pelagos. However, at less than half the price of the Pelagos, the Lumière is offering you something very nice and well executed.
The solid end links of the Lumière’s bracelet attach solidly to the lugs of the watch with no wiggle. The 22mm lug width tapers down to 16mm in what very well might be the most comfortable bracelet I have ever worn. The taper is fantastic and rivals the taper of the Pelagos’ bracelet and comfort. The Pelagos bracelet tapers dramatically too but only to 18mm. So it does sit wider around the wrist. With the Pelagos being a much thicker and top heavy watch, it makes sense. The links of the Pelagos bracelet have much more range of movement and can actually be “stacked”. This allows the Pelagos to wrap perfectly around the wrist comfortably. The Lumière features “male” style end links that jut outward and add length to the watch. Thanks to the short lug to lug this isn't a problem even on smaller wrists but you do lose some of that flexibility that you get in comparison with the Pelagos. The Pelagos end links are “female” style with the end links ending right at the end of the lugs and the bracelet links being mobile where they attach to the end links. This ensures that no extra length is added to the already 50mm lug to lug of the watch and that the bracelet drapes nicely around the wrist. The bracelet of the Lumière is a huge win for this watch and for Christopher Ward. I hope to see this bracelet and clasp integrated across the entire line up as the brand continues to bring the rest of the catalog into this new era of design.
Bezel
Bezels are a funny thing. It’s something us watch nerds get particularly worked up about and tend to hyper focus on in reviews like these. I am no different. However, much like the Pelagos bracelet clasp is a market standard that can't be beat, the Pelagos Bezel stands equally the unconquerable monolith in the space. The bezel of the Lumière is great. It is tight, 120 clicks and crisp. Christopher Ward has spent a tonne of time on developing great bezels on their watches going back a long way in the brand's history. The Lumière is no exception. In comparison to the C60 Elite 1000, I will say that the Elite 1000 felt tighter, perhaps due to it being a thicker and chunky bezel. The Lumière bezel does feel crisper however, with precise clicks that feel refined. Both Christopher Ward’s utilize a traditional spring style bezel system. Simple and clearly well refined. The Pelagos however, uses a ceramic ball bearing system that is considerably more complex but results in a fantastic bezel that can't be beat. Again, we are talking about a watch that is twice the price. The bezel of the Pelagos is better, but definitely not twice as good.
All bezels in this review are lume filled and the lume performs as it should and can be seen compared next to each other in the included photos. The Lumière bezel lume is slightly less bright in comparison to the C60 Elite 1000 an the Pelagos but that is due to the Lumière numbers being smaller and the bezel being thinner than the others.
The teeth on the Lumière bezel are nicely finished and simple, in a good way. They are essentially identical to the Pelagos bezel teeth. This results in a great gripping, easy to manipulate bezel. I love this style of bezel. No fancy scalloping or nonsensical stylistic features that sacrifices usability. Just pure utilitarian goodness. As all bezels should be.
Fit & Finish
In my previous review of the Super Compressor by Christopher Ward, I compared the fit and finish of the watch to that of mid 2000’s Omega. I would say the C60 Elite 1000 is consistent with that as it is from the same era of the Christopher Ward catalog as the Super Compressor. The Lumière is different. The fit and finish of the Lumière far exceeds the previous models from the brand that I have handled and I would be so brave as to say it exceeds that of the Pelagos models that I am comparing the Lumière to. Yes it is that good. Handling a Christopher Ward always ruins expensive watches for you, because the fit and finish always makes you wonder what you are paying for at twice the price or more. That’s not me pumping anyone's tires. Don’t believe me? Go check one out for yourself. That’s all I have to say about that.
Movement
Ticking away at 28,800 BPH inside of the C60 Trident Lumière is a chronometer spec Selitta SW300-1. This is a significant upgrade over the Selitta SW220-1 in the C60 Elite 1000. Thinner, better finished and with a 56 hour power reserve, the SW300 is without question the superior movement and that is reflected in the increased price of the Lumière over its predecessor. At a much higher price point, we see the MT5612 and MT5602 movements in the Pelagos 42 and FXD. In house made and sporting and impressive 70 hours of power reserve and silicone hairsprings, the Tudor movements get the benefit of the funding and accessibility to engineering and technology courtesy of Rolex. While it might seem like comparing apples to oranges, we once again see the value proposal of the Lumière over the Tudor. You get 56 hours of power reserve vs 70 hours and no silicone hair spring in the Selitta movement but otherwise, you get Chronometer performance in all the movements and in all other ways, identical performance. Plus in the Lumière you get a movement that can be serviced by any competent watchmaker. As far as I’m concerned, Christopher Ward is essentially offering you the best movement on the market in the Lumière without having to go inhouse.
Final Thoughts:
The Christopher Ward C60 Trident Lumière is a fantastic watch. It offers a myriad of features and specs that you simply can't find anywhere else at its price point. As stated earlier in this review, the Lumière feels like the beginning of a new era in the Christopher Ward catalog. It gets me very excited about the direction the brand is going and curious about what else is in the pipeline for their diver watch line up. It’s fantastic to see Christopher Ward not just changing their design but constantly improving the quality of their watches. That was why I felt the importance of not just including the far more expensive Pelagos models in the review but also the preceding C60 Elite 1000 for comparison as well. It mattered to me to show both where Christopher Ward was coming from as well as where it’s going.
Now I know what you’re going to ask. Should I buy the Lumière over the Tudor? Yes and no. I know, super clear answer…Thanks Rico. Allow me to elaborate. The Lumière is a stupendous release. If you aren’t beholden to a brand and just want a great watch that you can do anything in and go anywhere in, you care about value for money and you want a watch with Tudor Pelagos capability and features but don't care about necessarily getting a Tudor, then the Lumière is the watch for you. It offers so much for such a competitive price. 9/10 it’s going to win.
However, if you want a Tudor Pelagos, and that is your goal or grail, then the Lumière isn’t going to fill that void. Just like how a Pelagos isn’t going to fill that void if you actually want a Sea-dweller. If you know what you want. Then buy the watch you want. Buy once, cry once. Conversely, if you are a fan of Christopher Ward (as I and many others are) and you want to get your hands on what truly feels like the best dive watch they have ever made and is currently one of the best value for dollar watches on the market, then you should buy the C60 Trident Lumière without hesitation.
-Rico