BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
British brand Christopher ward is well known for offering high-quality Swiss-made timepieces at a relatively affordable price-point by removing the middleman and selling their watches online. In the year 2014, the brand broke new ground when they introduced the Caliber SH21, an in- house movement with a 120 hours power reserve solidifying their stand as a serious player in the watchmaking space. And now to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Caliber SH-21 Christopher Ward has launched a new high-end dive watch called the C60 Apex. Designed in collaboration with Armin Strom this new watch is packed to the gills with some great features and is the most advanced Christopher Ward watch to date.
Think of Armin Strom and the first thing that comes to mind is a refined skeletonized dial, which is exactly what you get with the Christopher Ward C60 Apex. All exposed sections have been thoughtfully carved out offering the right amount of visual pressure without comprising on legibility. My favorite skeletonization detail is the large power reserve cutout which showcases a pronounced 3D bridge that has been highlighted in orange to provide a nice pop of color and a great contrast against the blue dial. Apart from the skeletonized bits, the rest of the dial is quite similar to the current generation Trident C60 dive watches which includes applied lume filled hour markers, date window at 3, broad arrow style hour hand and a lollipop seconds hand with an orange tip.
The case on the Apex is constructed using marine grade stainless steel and is well sized at 42mm for a modern dive watch. The case geometry is once again in line with the latest iteration of the Trident watches and features nice smooth curves that offer the watch a contemporary vibe. The case has also been finished to a high standard and offers a fine blend of brushed and polished surfaces. Sitting on top of the case is a uni-directional bezel with a ceramic bezel insert with dive time markings. Adding to the technical capabilities of the Apex is an automatic helium escape valve at 9 which could be of great help during those saturation dives.
To mark the fifth anniversary of the SH-21 Christopher ward has equipped the Apex with a special automatic version of the celebrated movement. It operates at a frequency of 4Hz, offers a massive 120-hour power reserve and timing accuracy of -4 to +6 seconds a day courtesy of the COSC certification. There are some nice innovative bits here as well such as the use of Aluminum and tungsten for the rotor. To keep the back in sync with the front the bridges of the movement have been presented in blue whereas the hollowed semi-circle on the rotor has been finished in anodized orange. And in spite of the watch being water-resistant to 300 meters Christopher Ward has offered the C60 Apex with an exhibition case back to enjoy the beautifully decorated movement.
In all the Christopher Ward C60 Apex is a formidable dive watch that is ready to take on the big boys of the watch industry. The watch would come mated to a Blue Cordura and rubber strap with orange border and production would be limited to just 100 pieces. The retail price on this badass watch is set at EUR 4,370.
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