Reply With QuoteNice one. Always a bonus having "chronometer" on a dial!
Just purchased my first Automatic watch. Did a bit of research beforehand and decided on the CW COSC, so far very happy with it and I even got it for £500 in the sale!
Nice one. Always a bonus having "chronometer" on a dial!
Nothing at all wrong with that Paul. Congratulations.
Welcome aboard, that looks pretty good to me. opinion on CW can be divided in here but we all support the idea of a British brand trying to make an impression in a crowded market.
Think that says it all, nice classic looks too!Originally Posted by nitsy
The "Chronometer" status definitely helped my decision . I think the CW brand is a good compromise for price/quality.
I was initially looking at Bremont, but even with my Military Discount it was proving hard to justify spending £2000+ on a watch
As much as I dislike CW as a brand - I have to say, that certainly isn't one of their worst watches ;)
It's just a matter of time...
I plumped for this fella, I like the fact it's an ETA and scored above all in its class by a country mile
http://www.hodinkee.com/blog/a-week-...le-chronometre
Very nice watch!
Could that be because it has more than a passing likeness to a Rolex Submariner?
I've nothing against CW as a brand, but I dislike the blatant copying of another design.
Partially I guess, there are elements of lots of different watches in there - plus they have made some crap in their time. One of the main gripes for me though is as simple as the re-branding exercise they carried out and I just hate the way the CHR. WARD is displayed on the dial in a strange mix up of fonts.
I am sure you get a lot for your money - but that can be said of many others too.
It's all about variety though and CW appear to have a good following and their own forum.
It's just a matter of time...
I think there are a few out there that have done the same from what I can see. Steinhart, Alpha, Tudor,
I see it much like buying a Galaxy Tab or an Ipad or an S3 or an Iphone.
Blatant. Copying. Not two words I would associate with the CWL brand. Sure there are design cues, as there are in any watch on the market at any time. More than a passing likeness would be a phrase used by someone with extreme myopia but put the C60 alongside a Submariner and the differences are there for all to see.
I am amazed that it took seven posts before the usual comments started.
Usual comments? I think I have been quite restrained - possibly because it isn't an awful CW. I am simply passing my own opinion, some will agree and some disagree - that is life.
There are a lot of good points about that particular watch posted. I like 4 O'clock dates for example. The round hour makers are a good size. The case looks a good shape. The bezel font and pearl look good.
The main problem for me is branding on the dial - which I personally don't - I feel the same way about some designer clothes, so it's not a pop at this particular brand for the sake of it - it's just my taste. I also love the wave dial of my Omega SMP's, so I would prefer that it was left to Omega - but these are simply preferences and we all have different tastes and preferences. I don't see too much wrong with the watch for the price paid.
It's just a matter of time...
Great watch. I have the non COSC version and it is one of my favourite watches.
Let's be honest - there are only so any ways that you can arrange 12 numbers and 2 or 3 hands on a circular dial that's an inch or so across, so every watch design is going to contain elements of others.
Personally, I have a lot of respect for Christopher Ward - I might not like every watch that they have ever produced, but we've given homes to 5 of them (I have 2, my wife has 3) and their customer service is by far the best I have ever experienced in the industry.
Welcome to the forum, paul9619, and you have a very nice watch there!
Nice watch, Enjoy it!! All that needs said
Welcome and enjoy your watch
Cracking watch there sir, one of CWL's finest IMHO. Enjoy!
Welcome to TZ-UK, nice choice, very classic style...and excellent pics.
Creating a brand that sets oneself apart must be tricky, I like the way they have used the name and the wee trident for a second hand. Lets face it after a while trying to make a divers watch look diferent to what has gone before so many times must be a right problem
Nice watch!
Been considering one myself.
Enjoy.
I think once you've owned / handled one you opinion changes. I would compare it to BMW knockers, you knock them until you've owned one an then all of sudden you realise there good! I have a beautiful Breitling (in my opinion) but I still rate my CW C60 GMT.
Not the worst CW that I've seen.
Not a fan of the trident on the seconds hand though.
Not keen on any of the hands in fact - they somehow seem misplaced on a diver styled watch like that.
But thats of course not a problem, as one can easily change the hand set.
I quite like it.
The design it's interesting. And the chronometer certification is really nice too. I think it's a bargain at £500 according to its specs.
I like that a lot, with the exception of the stupid logo and the hands. I could even live with the hands, but the Chr.Ward guff is awful. If it said CW on it, or Ward, I would consider it. Nice other than that though!
I used ot own a Ducati ST2 and I lavished a load of after market parts on it right up to the point I realised I was making it into something else so I put it all back the way it was and bought an S4. it seems I repeated this process until I realised what I actually wanted was the Multistrada 1000SDS. This I barely touched. There was nothing wrong with the others the way the factory had put them all together. It is just that they had aimed it at a particular market at a particular price to work a particular way. Took me a while to realise my thinking was not clear and I needed to decide what it was that I actually had in mind.
Uhh..., okay.....
For some strange reason Christopher Wards seem to be very unpopular on here, yet people rave about Marcello , Steinhart, Glycine etc. That's looks to me a be a fine watch at a reasonable cost. OK it takes styling cues from other watches, however this is perfectly normal and accepted when other watch makers do it or in any other design field - cars, phones, architecture for example. At the end of the day there isn't much you can do with a black diver that hasn't already been done and that seems a decent design to me.
Last edited by cad monkey; 3rd July 2013 at 09:11. Reason: excessive use of the word look
I think the issue is (this model has been discussed before) is that whilst it is inevitable that design cues will be lifted from the classics ... this model seems to have lifted a lot of different design cues from different classics and melded them into one watch. That's not to say it's doesn't work aesthetically, but it does come across as a strange hybrid of a Submariner and Seamaster with almost BPFF style hands.
Does it work, well not for me, but we all like different things and there is no denying the quality for the price, the warranty, and CW are knocking out some pretty decent watches :-)
Ha, only just noticed the Seamaster wavy dial :)
I don't think anyone would doubt the price point / tech specs ratio is good but it looks like the bits they've copied from other watches just seem to have been fired at the watch in a random manner. To me though, it works...nearly. Fair play.
If that had a more sensible hour hand (ie not a teardrop style from a dress watch) and no stupid logo, I would actually give it a go I think. Actual money.
Hmmm... A good-looking, ETA2824 Chronometer, 300m water resistant diver, with 5 year warranty for £500. What's not to like?
I agree about the branding though. The whole Chr Ward just feels a bit clumsy. Kudos to them for trying to do something a little different at a competitive price-point.
must be a task to make a new watch for a crowded market where by the standards have been set and a classic look set by the likes of Rolex, Omega, Seiko. Just noticed a company called H20 that is doing something quite interesting. Not being a great affecionado of Dive watches I still found their range interesting.
I like it, tho' I am a fan of most divers. It looks like a lot of watch for the money and I'm getting a kinda retro look off it too. Only slight criticism, I'd like the polished bits brushed, and that's it.
Oris divers sh worth a look, similar specs
Congrats on a nice purchase, I've considered the GMT version myself. I agree it does meld aspects of other watches' design elements (nobody else sees the Bremont Supermarine influence here?), but I think it does so very well. I'm sure you'll get lots of compliments, as you already have here, including the grudging, back-handed variety.In thirty years time, I'll bet we look back and call this one of the classic budget divers of its day.
Personal preference here. I'm not keen on the hands or the trident. That's just my preference and I'd say the same if it was a Rolex.
All that matters is that the OP likes it and the photos were good too.
I've no axe to grind either for or against CW. A good watch is not just about the brand or the price. At £500 the spec is great and somewhat less expensive than my SMP and the CW's got a wavy dial which is fine by me - I like them! Yes, it looks a bit like a Rolex.
Does it feel good when it's worn? Is the build quality good?
This might sound daft, but to me some watch's look different when worn. I've liked the look of some then I put them on and change my mind and vice versa but the latter means getting over the initial not liking it!
In a similar manner how many times have I listened to some music for the first time and not liked it. Then upon a second listening, it's great!
oooh Oris I do like Oris I do
Can someone point out a new Oris Chronometer Diver for £500? I will buy one.
Ditto Downers comment!!
I have mixed feelings about Christoper Warf. That said I've handeled a couple now and the quality was certainly there. Incidentally I saw one of these for the first time today, on the wrist of a chap on the train. A lovely looking piece if you ask me, but I just couldn't get past the polished centre links.
If I was going to buy a Christopher ward, it would be this one, but probably with a NATO.
Congratulations on a great purchase.
Do we? I bet if Christopher Ward was a German brand, with a German-sounding name, we'd all be cooing over it. If you could buy a Steinhart that was chronometer-certified for £500, can you imagine some of the WIS praise?
I don't think it is surprising that ChrWard goes down better abroad, because sometimes Brits have a peculiar anti-patriotism. And 'Made in Britain' doesn't carry an exotic appeal for us Brits.
Perhaps, regardless of our nationality, we have a tendency to expect more of our countrymen than of others?
I recently bought a C61 simply because I liked the look of it and modern mid-sized divers are pretty rare. I'm also happy to support an independent business that provides a decent quality product for reasonable prices and with good service. The C60/C61 is definitely not a sub clone, and anyone who looks at the case profile would acknowledge this. The stocky curved case and sharply angled lug ends are nothing like the flattish case and long elegant lugs of the sub and its numerous clones. All the other stuff is just cosmetic similarities with a variety of watches.
The case is actually what I like most about it. The lume, anti-reflective properties and bezel action could be a little better. But only a little...at this price I'm not going to complain too loudly.
Last edited by GlennO; 4th October 2013 at 02:56.
Glenn, I suspect you're right.
In addition, Britain is bound to be less exciting to Brits. We don't complain about "Geneve" written on watch face compared to the way that we do about seeing "London" written on a watch. Whereas I imagine the Swiss don't find "Geneve" adds much exoticism to a watch face.
Nice watch and chronometer for £500.
Would have preferred no date window especially at 4 o'clock and would be better looking if both hands were sword hand
Very nice watch, I have recommended CW to my brother in law who has brought a couple. Seems to be a snobbishness against CW on this forum, but I like them.
Hi, great choice, I am a cw veteran so can vouch for the quality..wearing one of the first c60 gmt watches as I type actually.. Great to see a British brand thrive
A CW was my introduction onto the slippery slope that we all inhabit. I like the quality and pricing, but I find few of their designs attractive or desirable.
Nice watch for £500, good buy I reckon, you might actually get (most of) your money back out of it if you ever wanted to move it on, not always easily done.
Digger
Does our OP know about the wonderful world of Time Factor watches?
The quality:vfm ratio is the best in the watch world.
(Before I joined this forum I'd been warned about the Eddie Platts fanclub and all the brown-noses sucking up to him. Then I bought some of his stuff. I'm wearing a Precista on a TF two-piece canvas strap as I type this: better than any Omega I've ever owned and at, what? 20% of the price? Suffice to say, I'm a fan.)
Chris Ward? Who's he?
Posting Permissions
