Disclaimer: Christopher Ward sent in this watch to me for review and wear testing. I get to keep the watch, but I do not intend to let that influence my review of the watch. The price of the watch is $1375 USD as reviewed.
Rising from humble beginnings, Christopher Ward was founded in June 2005 from the inside of a chicken shed in Berkshire, England. The vision for the brand is to combine British Design with Swiss watchmaking and provide unsurpassed quality and value to their customers. The C65 Super Compressor was my first foray into the brand, and I will say that they certainly achieve that vision in spades. The C65 Super Compressor is and was the first genuine Super Compressor to hit the market in 50 years. No small feat on its own but coupled with a blend of beautiful contemporary design and charming vintage queues, the C65 nods to the past while bringing Christopher Ward squarely into the future. If this is as far as you're willing to read into this article, then let me make it clear: Buy one. You'll be happy you did.
The C65 Super Compressor makes for a great first impression
Postage and unboxing: One of the cool things about Christopher Ward is that they run on a direct to customer model. A far cry from a chicken shed on a farm, they operate out of a world class HQ in the heart of London. Ordering your Christopher Ward is made simple by an easy to navigate website and payment system. Shipping is fast and no nonsense. They cover your import fees (should there be any) and use fast shipping. It arrives well packed in a lovely presentation box that mixes several materials, including bamboo, polyurethane and cardboard. It's a modern, trim and classy packaging that doesn't take up a lot of space and exudes a premium feel. I've seen far more expensive brands not come close to Christopher Ward when it comes to packaging... overall, a job well done.
Initial Impressions: Upon opening up the box, I was pleasantly surprised by the extremely well done finishing on the watch and how Christopher Ward trademarked Light Catcher case...well.. caught light. The way the steel glitters and the various facets of the case reflects and captures light gives the watch that premium feel and immediately lets you know that it is a luxury timepiece. The finishing on the case and bracelet I would compare to a mid 2000's Omega. That is what it reminded me of, and I think that is a very good thing. From there it only got better. This watch is complex to describe. It bridges the gap between modern contemporary design and vintage conservatism. The best way I could describe it is if someone gave the designers at Aston Martin the briefing to redesign the DB5 for a modern audience. For another real-world example, think of the new Land Rover Defender. That design captures the spirit of what I believe Christopher Ward tried to achieve with the design language of the C65 Super Compressor. A clear nod to the past expressed in modernity.
At a very wearable 41mm, the C65 Super Compressor brings function and design in an ergonomic package
Case: The technology and the case of the C65 Super Compressor could honestly be a whole article on its own. There's a lot to cover so I’ll attempt (and probably fail) to be concise. The super compressor case and story begins in the 1960's when case manufacturer ERVIN PIQUEREZ SA (EPSA) designed a case that the deeper it went under water, the pressure on the case back would compress the gaskets of the watch and increase the watches water resistance. Christopher Ward managed to reverse engineer this technology in a modern context and now offer it in an exhibition case back that uses a beautifully anodized orange compression spring to achieve the same result.
Moving away from the Super Compressor tech itself, lets shine a light on the rest of the case. The beautiful domed box sapphire crystal is outstanding. It helps express that vintage look and feel while also offering a strong modern material with zero distortion on the dial. I've had the pleasure of enjoying a few watches with box crystals over the years and I think the C65 gives other watches like Tudor Black Bay Pro or Doxa 300 a serious run for its money. Beneath the crystal is the internal rotating bezel. The bezel is 120 clicks and lines up precisely. It has no play or wiggle and feels great to turn. The most premium internal rotating bezel diver that I've personally owned and can compare this to is my mid 2000's IWC Aquatimer. This bezel of the C65 blows the one on the Aquatimer out of the water. As an aside to that, I think comparisons to brands like Omega and IWC from eras gone by really highlight how independent watchmakers and microbrands have really been continuing to innovate and bring incredible value to their customers. This Christopher Ward feels like it should cost more than it does. I think that's really cool.
In terms of value for money, the C65 much like other models in the CW range delivers in spades. Almost every collector would be delighted with the look and feel of this piece within the first 24hrs of owning one
The white bezel is unidirectional and fully graduated with black font and an orange triangle at 60. The bezel reminds me of old Stewart Warner Racing gauges (shout out to Rob Purdy for pointing that out to me). The twin crowns of the case are honestly nothing short of art. The time changing crown, located at 4 o'clock is beautifully grippy and large without being too thick. The Christopher Ward flag logo is cnc'd into it and is sharp and clean. The crown that controls the bezel, located at 2 o'clock, kicks it up another notch. This time with beautiful cross hatching on the face of it, surrounded by a gorgeous, anodized orange ring pressed into it that matches the compression spring on the caseback. This is such an unnecessary yet welcomed feature that really contributes to the cohesiveness of the design of the watch. Both crowns are unprotected but feel firm and planted with no wiggle. The main crown winds buttery smooth and screws in very well and precisely, once again reminding me of something one might find in a Tudor dive watch or a watch higher priced than this one.
Rob Purdy's aforementioned Stewart Warner racing gauge
Finally, I want to touch on the Light Catcher case in greater detail. Christopher Ward describes the case of the C65 Super Compressor as being a cushion case. I would say that is correct. Sort of... It's more like a slimmed down, faceted, and contoured cushion case. When I think of a cushion case, I think of the Seiko Turtle. But if we go back to cars again, think of the difference between a Ferrari F40 and a LaFerrari. The latter is the result of decades of further iteration upon the former. Both are distinctly identifiable as belonging to the same maker. The Light Catcher case functions on that same principle. It represents the need to stand out in the market with something that is uniquely Christopher Ward. I applaud them for that. There is a perfect balance of brushed and polished finishes with a slim mid case that contours around the wrist to make this squat watch feel slim. It's very difficult to quantify this case into words. You should see one yourself. This is an extremely wearable watch that thanks to its modest proportions will fit on most wrists, large or small.
Sleek, bright and eye catching. The design lines of the light catcher case
Case Dimensions:
Diameter: 41mm
Thickness: 13.05mm
Lug to Lug: 47.12mm
Lug Width: 22mm
Case Weight: 72 Grams
Weight Including Bracelet (no links removed): 167 Grams
Water Resistance:15 ATM (150 Meters)
Dial, Hands and Lume: The C65 has a stunning metallic blue dial dubbed: "Ocean Blue''. The colour shade reminds me of the metallic blue paint on an old 1970's Corvette Stingray. Originally offered in this colour as well as a brown "Fumee'' dial, the blue is certainly my favourite of the two and I think contrasts the best with the other colours present on the watch. The dial has the Christopher Ward Swiss/English flag logo under the 12 o'clock marker in white and only two lines of text above the 6 o'clock marker. "Super Compressor" is displayed prominently in orange on the dial with the watches depth rating in white below it. This leads to a clean minimalist feel to the dial that is reminiscent of the vintage influences that play a strong role in the watches design. The dial has applied polished metal baton indices with lume at the end of the indices as well as lume pips above each indice. The metal indices catch light just as well as the case and help give this watch a "dress diver" feel without being too glamorous. Another interesting feature of the lume on this watch is that the pips are school bus yellow up to the 4 o’clock marker then switch to ivory white for the rest. The accent colours throughout the watch are wonderfully tied together and the dial is no exception.
The hands of the watch are tubular in shape and suit the watch perfectly; they are neither vintage nor modern...they just simply are. The hour hand is presented in polished metal with a thick centre of white lume. The minute hand is orange and matches all the other tangerine accents throughout the watch. The second hand is polished metal with Christopher Ward's iconic trident counterbalance. The end of the second hand is orange with a syringe style tip filled with a hefty bit of lume to boot.
Speaking of lume, this watch has a strong application of it without being obnoxious. The amount of lume feels appropriate for the style of watch and glows strong and bright. The specific lume applied is Super-Luminova Grade X1 GL C1. I'm sure some of that means something to some of you nerds. To me it's just really good lume.
With many watches of the CW brand, aesthetic is everything. A watch deserving of the custom Sketchyboyz Watch Club leather travel pouch
Bracelet: So, the bracelet. Where many good watches go to die...remember when I said I'd do my best to be unbiased and fair? Well-read on my good sir. The C65's bracelet is what I would call a mixed bag. There is nothing BAD about it. But there are things that I think could be better. There are also some things that I think are terrific about it. Let's expand. The bracelet upon initial inspection is a pretty standard 22mm oyster style band. Christopher Ward refers to the band as their "Bader Bracelet" but we all have eyes and let’s call it what it is: an oyster bracelet. It is substantial, comfortable and it works. It has solid links and a push button double deployment clasp with a sliding micro adjust that is very well executed. The clasp feels like the watch. Precise, clean, and innovative. The rest of the bracelet feels antiquated. Yes, it has fancy quick release spring bars, which is nice, however the bracelet uses a pin and collar system for sizing that is right out of the1990's. The pins used are very substantial and strong, but screws would bring the bracelet up to par with the rest of the watch. Further to that, the centre of the end links are static and flair out past the tips of the lugs. I wish this had been articulated. It's not uncomfortable but if you have a smaller wrist, it will lengthen the watch considerably beyond its 47mm lug to lug measurement. Christopher Ward has compensated for this by giving the centre link of the end links an aggressive downward turn. Additionally, the stark utilitarian finishing on the bracelet, while timeless, sort of loses its lustre in comparison to the complex and intricate Light Catcher case. One of the things that really impressed me about this bracelet was the inclusion of two half links. Between the sliding micro adjustment of the clasp and the half links of the bracelet, it is very easy to get fit. Bravo for that.
Personally, I think that this watch would have been better off on a Milanese style bracelet that retains the same buckle. The flitter of a polished Milanese would complement the dial indices and facets of the Light Catcher case extremely well. Now, keep in mind, this is nit-picking. All things considered; the watch works. My recommendations are just how see the C65 being elevated to the next level.
A clear caseback, different than many other pieces we often see at SBWC.
Movement: Housed inside the Super Compressor's impressive case is the Selitta SW200-1. This is a well-established and easily serviced movement (which I personally love). The SW200-1 is a time only movement (that's right dive watch purists, it’s a no date watch} that boasts a 38 hour power reserve, 26 jewels and a 28,800 BPH beat rate. The time keeping expectation from your Super Compressor according to Christopher Ward’s site is + or - 20 seconds a day. I found that my own watch kept much better time than that, closer to COSC spec. The movement is undecorated aside from the oscillating weight, which features the Christopher Ward name and a repeating pattern made up of their Swiss/English flag logo. Clean, simple, no fuss. I appreciate that. I think it's great to see all parts of the watch signed with the same logo. Case, Crown, Dial and movement.
This watch is a one watch collection. It does it all. Dresses up, dresses down, in the office or in the sea and looks damn good doing it. It offers tremendous value, innovative design and impressive specs and craftsmanship for a very reasonable price. If you're the kind of guy who wants a watch that feels old and new at the same time and can be your companion for all that life sends your way, then consider the Christopher Ward C65 Super Compressor. For $1375 USD you would be very hard pressed to find a more impressive timepiece.
Would I wear this watch operationally however? Probably not. Why? It's too pretty. The light catcher case is definitely not tactical. Instead, the C65 Super Compressor is the watch you want to wear when it's time to decompress...see what I did there? I did a thing. Is it capable of doing badass things? Certainly. But the C65 is the watch you throw on at the end of your set or your shift after you take your G-Shock, Seiko, Tudor FXD or whatever off, go grab a drink with the boys then head home to the wife and kid and spend the day lounging in the yard or going to the beach. This is a watch for living life and looking good doing it. Now...I do have some ideas of how the Super Compressor line could be expanded into the tactical realm...but that's a story for another time.
- The Christopher Ward C65 Super Compressor
- Review by Rico's Watches