Prize Winning Trident

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iain
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Prize Winning Trident

Post by iain »

Well it’s no secret that I was the lucky winner of the MK3 Trident given away on this forum and as part of my prize, I have been asked to provide a review. This watch was the one given to the admin team by Christopher Ward as a preview watch, and excellent reviews have already been written about the watch I now own by both Richard (Downer) and Guy (Bahnstormer_vRS). Both these reviews appear in this section of the forum, so if you want a read a great review or see some excellent photography then I’d advise you to stop reading here and visit those posts instead......

There have already been many reviews across the interweb about this watch, so to repeat specs and provide generic comment is probably not what anyone wants to read all over again. What I am aiming for is to give some insight from someone who has lived with this watch for nearly a month, and taken it on holiday as my only watch. Hopefully an honest ownership review is something different from the norm and may actually keep you reading to the bottom of this page. I have also been asked whether I can provide some comparison to my other watches and say how this compares to other brands. So here goes, but first a picture to whet your appetite.
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When I heard I was the lucky winner I was surprised, shocked, and doubtful there hadn’t been some mistake in equal measure. After hearing first from kip, I was contacted by Sam from Christopher Ward to ask whether I wanted the watch on the bracelet or the strap and at this point it started to sink in. So why did I choose the bracelet? It has been no secret that the new MK3 bracelet was going to be an improvement over the outgoing one and I was eager to see if this was indeed the case. However I have also grown a little wary of Christopher Ward straps for how quick they seen to fall out of production. Now in most cases this isn’t an issue as many straps are quite generic, however some straps I feel are integral to the look of a watch, so it is disappointing to learn that a few years down the line that replacements are no longer available. I looking at the motorsport line in particular here, but also the C20 as straps you can longer regularly buy. Other brands who have straps which define the watch make them available for long periods of time, or else are big enough to have third parties make alternatives. Think IWC big pilot or Tudor North Flag. You will get straps for these for years to come, but would I be able to get a replacement hybrid strap for my trident in two years time? Time will tell and Christopher Ward are obviously smaller then these big brands, so maybe can’t manage a larger inventory. I do worry for owners of the new Elite though, as that strap really makes that watch stand out in my eyes and it would be disappointing to not be able to source a new one.

Anyway, the watch promptly arrived and the new packaging looks excellent. I was wary that the new eco box would be a step down but it’s certainly not the case. However I do feel that a trick has been missed here. If I was new to the brand I could have no idea of the concept behind this. I’ve only seen it mentioned on the YouTube get together video and read about it in loupe. Why isn’t there something included in the box to shout about this? Christopher Ward has waived copyright on this so why don’t they talk about it within the box itself, personally I think more could be done here.
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So on to the watch itself. Initial impressions were very good and Sam had sized the bracelet perfectly. I immediately put it on then promptly went to the pub beer garden where I noticed a flaw in the design, to my eyes at least. The watch has a flat crystal and a gloss dial. I have other watches like this but they all have anti reflective coating on the outside of the crystal. In bright sunshine all I was getting was glare, whereas with other brands the coating takes the glare from the lens away and lets the light play with the dial. I felt as though I was missing out on the detail below the crystal a little. I will admit this initial opinion has faded now and I’ve grown to learn how to catch the light better, but I still feel this would elevate this watch another level and allow the glossy dial to become a real feature.
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Is only when you’ve lived with a watch for some time that little details which look insignificant at first glance really start to pop out at you. I love the way the end links meet the case. I had a MK2 with an all brushed bracelet and felt the end links had too little definition between the segments without the polishing present. CW have made a big step forward here and they remind me of the end links on my El Primero, a bracelet which cost me four times the price of this.
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And while I am on the bracelet, I must say this is the best I own. Better than both my Tag and my Zenith bracelets. Only the IWC bracelet which I didn’t buy with my MKXVIII was better, but that was an £800 premium on top of the strap version if bought with the watch (£980 if bought afterwards!!) and personally I don’t like the look of the beads of rice style, which is why I choose the strap on that watch.

The detail on the dial and the markers is a real improvement over the MK2 in my opinion, and the hands I feel really suit the look of the watch. I will admit when it was announced that the hands were to be upgraded, I was disappointed. I shouldn’t have been as I love these new hands and when I look at older tridents, I feel they now look odd to my eyes.
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So overall am I happy with this watch? Yes. Would I be as happy if the invoice CW included in the box didn’t read £0.00? Yes, I would. If by some disaster I was to lose this watch then I would buy another to replace it. I would probably wait a little while though, as I do like this 40mm size but prefer some of the other colours. I would love to see this size be extended at some point as there is potential for this to be the big seller in the range. Who knows, if some of the MK2 variants are rolled out for the MK3, such as day date versions and a variety of bezel and dial colours, then I can see another joining my watch box.

So those are my thoughts after living with this watch for a while, I hope I didn’t bore you and thanks for reading, and thanks again to CW and the admin team for this prize. Here’s a collection of photos, all of which have at some point appeared in the CW of the day thread. And to think we now have a review of this watch with no mention of the L word......
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Re: Prize Winning Trident

Post by downer »

Thanks, Iain, for the great review - and congratulations again. :thumbup:
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Re: Prize Winning Trident

Post by 0uatiOW »

Thanks Ian - always good to read review with the owner’s opinions after some period of living with watch. This release has been discussed at length, and a lot of opinions were given, from me included, having only seen the teaser pictures. I must say, my opinion of the Mk3 has changed a little for the better now that I’ve seen (pictures of) the whole thing.
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Re: Prize Winning Trident

Post by Thegreyman »

Nice write up and photos Iain.

I agree with you about the short lifespan of the CW straps, following Downer's rules though you should always spec the bracelet as for most brands it is easier/cheaper to acquire a strap subsequently, compared to the bracelet.

I'm also hopeful that other colours/versions of the 40mm will be introduced as I believe it must be a popular size, although the choice of one variant is limiting for now.
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Mikkei4
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Re: Prize Winning Trident

Post by Mikkei4 »

The main point that I've taken on from all the reviews is not something that appears in words ......... it's the photos whether from professionals or, excuse the word, from amateurs.

All versions of the Mk3 seem to be very photogenic. Is this due to the new design or the quality of production? and does the look in the photos rollover into how it looks when on the wrist? It would seem that it does from the numerous positive reviews?

It's interesting that Iain doesn't mention 1 of the design points that I'm unsure about, that is the crossover of the hand ends when opposite each other, for example at 20 minutes past 10. Was this something that CW purposely designed in or something they didn't really notice before production went ahead? Iain - was this something you didn't notice or you did notice but it didn't bother you enough to mention it ?

I'm deliberating whether to go to the showroom soon to have a proper look at the Mk3 while there's still some Elite's left or to wait until there's an "official" CW announcement regarding an increased range of colours and versions in the 40mm size. I'm unlikely to be a buyer at present and don't want to waste Declan's time so it's probably best to leave the showroom appointments for the more committed purchasers for a while. Until I do go there I'll continue to be interested reading any reviews, even those that don't mention the, oops I nearly mentioned it :oops: :silent: .

Thanks for your review Iain.
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Re: Prize Winning Trident

Post by Kip »

Thanks for a wonderful review Iain.

I hope you enjoy this watch for many years to come.
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iain
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Re: Prize Winning Trident

Post by iain »

Mikkei4 wrote: Mon Jun 03, 2019 11:14 pm
It's interesting that Iain doesn't mention 1 of the design points that I'm unsure about, that is the crossover of the hand ends when opposite each other, for example at 20 minutes past 10. Was this something that CW purposely designed in or something they didn't really notice before production went ahead? Iain - was this something you didn't notice or you did notice but it didn't bother you enough to mention it ?
To be honest this isn’t something I really picked up on with the preview photos and it hasn’t bothered me at all as an owner. Someone did ask the same question in the MK3 trident photo 30+ page thread in the main discussion area and I posted a close up photo.

You can see the overlap in one of the pictures above and it’s not something I’ve noticed in real life. The cross over is similar to the hands on my Zenith, however that doesn’t have the arrow head hour hand. I think the overlap adds a bit of extra character and doesn’t compromise the looks of the watch in any way. Of course we are all different, there are elements of this watch which are red lines to some that I am completely indifferent about. But remember we aren’t to mention the L word in this thread.....
Iain’s Law: Any discussion on the Christopher Ward forum, irrespective of the thread title or subject matter, will eventually lead to someone mentioning the Bel Canto if the thread continues for long enough.
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Re: Prize Winning Trident

Post by Jame5m »

Very nice! Congratulations!
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