Review: C65 Trident Vintage Diver

This area is for member only reviews of CW watches.
Links to reviews on Watch Review sites should be posted in the general "Reviews and Articles" forum.
Owners of Blogs or Watch Review sites should also post in the general "Reviews and Articles" forum.
Matta
Senior
Senior
Posts: 86
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2017 2:45 pm
CW-watches: 0

Review: C65 Trident Vintage Diver

Post by Matta »

Before I start writing about watch, let me share some details about me and the path I've run so far, regarding watches.
I'm almost 40, in love with mechanical watches (like most of you here). It doesn't have to be expensive, luxury brand name watch. Even more, micro-brand will fare better. It has to have certain appeal, story and „face“ behind it. The more „personal“ I get with the brand behind the watch, the bigger chances are it will be a keeper.

Also, watch category is not important to me. I love diver, pilot, dress, racing, experimental, etc., as long as I like it ony my wrist. But, I've keep noticing that, for the past few years, I have more and more affection toward vintage watches and materials, in example: domed/glassbox crystal, vintage lume, distressed straps, bronze/sandblasted cases, matte finish, etc. I'm also a bit biased in vintage section – as much as I like shape of the watches from fifties and sixties, I wouldn't touch odd-shaped watches from seventies and early eighties.

Anyway, back to C65 Trident Diver.

Image
When I saw sneak-peak in autumn 2017. issue of Loupe magazine and later on in „Chat with Chris 2017“, I knew that I need to have it. Everything I knew about the watch at that time ticked the right boxes. Truth to be told, before CW announced this model, I was repeatedly close to buying Oris Divers Sixty-Five, model with blue face with button indices and steel bracelet. As I couldn't find discounted price I kept postponing order. Also, If I ran on decently priced bronze Carl Brashear I would have bought it right away, sice I considered that as one of my grail watches. Why this particular model ? Well, for the same reasons I bought C65 Vintage Diver – design, personality, attachment, story, the look and feel of proper tool watch from the time world appeared to be happy, prosperous and optimistic place.

Watch model number is C65-41H3H1-S0BB0, I made order on 7th of May. Watch arrived by the end of the month.
Usually, between black and blue watch I'd always go for black, but this time blue on camel vintage oak leather strap was kinda logical choice and I'm glad I liked it when it arrived.
Image

Prior this one, I've owned two watches from CW: C60 Trident Pro 600 (white dial/black bezel) and C1000 Typhoon FGR4. Although I liked both at the beginning (especially Trident) soon I've lost interest and sold them. Trident could have stayed in my box but eventually it went to open room for the watch I was interested back then and I just had too many similar divers. It's a great watch and eventually I'll have one in collection but I'm not in a hurry now. Typhoon was sold without regrets. Being European from continent I have more simpathy toward german B-Uhr and I just haven't developed attachment to it.

On the other hand, for the first 2 weeks C65 never left my wrist. Currently, it shares wrist time with bronze Zelos Helmsman 2 and Omega Seamaster 300M (popular Bond). I've never been so overwhelmed with the look and feel of the certain watch as I am with this one.
Image

As for how big it is, it's perfect for my 17cm wrist. I've tried and weared watches from 34mm to 47mm and, of course, it greatly depends on lugs shape and lug to lug size but mostly I'm most comfortable in 40-42mm area. Therefore, this watch is at ideal 41mm.

Thickness, or should I rather say thinness, and weight is fantastic. When I compare it to similary sized Zelos Helmsman 2 - the difference, although small, is subjectively noticeable. I won't compare watch heads only. I'm comparing watches with their respective straps (kinda apples to oranges comparison). Zelos Helmsman 2 on a rubber strap and a big bronze buckle is 110 grams and C65 on a leather strap is 80 grams. Not much difference but noticable when you wear the watch entire day.
Image

Regarding size – Zelos is actually 40mm wide on top of the bezel but actual case size is 42mm. When put along C65 it actually looks smaller due to mentioned „discrepancy“ in case/bezel ring size and the fact that Helmsman 2 has internal bezel which shrinkness this watch even more.
Lug to lug and lugs shape is almost identical with these two watches but due to thinness C65 looks much slicker when viewed from flank.
Image
Image

Regarding movement, I have to admit that, at first, I was sceptical about hand wound diver and secretly hoped that it was just a speculation and that C65 will be fully fledged automatic. Luckily, It turned out to be true and I'm very glad I was wrong.

This is my first „new“ hand-wound watch. I've had few hand-wound vintage watches but I actually never got to wear them a lot. When you set aside the fact that you need to wind it manually roughly every two days, everything else is the same as in regular automatic (seconds hand sweep, accuracy, looks, etc), plus you get more thinner watch. I've tested power reserve 3-4 times (by fully winding the watch and leaving it to stop) and proclaimed PR of 42 hours is achieved easily. To be honest, I love my new routine – each morning after I get up and get ready for daily chores, I take my C65 and wind it to full. Somehow makes me feel that mechanical nature of the watch more intensively. As for accuracy, I tend not be concerned about that on mechanical watch. But I did track it. It has been 2 weeks since last time watch depleted power reserve. I've set it up using time.is page and since then I keep winding it every morning to full. Currently, it is -25 second compared to time.is page, which I think it's awesome result.

Regarding bezel, I like how thin it is. Coupled with protruding sapphire crystal, matte blue dial with thick baton indices and sausage numbers 12 and 6 it just screams „VINTAGE!“.

Crown is very well sized, not too big. Twin-flag logo on it is really nice touch.

Dial is very clean looking. Baton indices are total hit, and so are number 12 and 6. Hour/minute/seconds hands are inline with everything else. Logo ? Ah, that controversial logo. I too, had my share of doubt before I bought the watch. I thought that it just doesn't fit well right there, at 9, that it would be better if there's only white twin-flag logo under 12 and that's it, or to move current logo under 12 and be done with it. But it wasn't a dealbreaker for me. Now ? Now, I'm accustomed to it, although still think more pronounced twin-flag logo would be more appropriate, like on motorsport models.

One other thing I would like to be improved is lume. I admit, I am somewhat of a lume-whore. I know that's not important for either funcionality or general aesthetics of the watch but I like to see my watch glowing as torch. Lume is OK-ish, nothing to write home about. That's the weak spot of most CW models and this one is not an exception. Reason for that is beyond me, I'm sure price won't be higher if lume is applied more abundantly.
Image
Image

As for strap, I went with vintage oak leather strap (camel) and took rubber strap as reserve, for sea vacation. Strap is excelent quality, and color is awesome. Between camel and black color I had no doubts. Camel fit perfectly on this watch. As time is passing by, bright camel color got some sort of patina and it's a bit darker now, with fits vintage style. Buckle is standard CW buckle. I would like to see some magic from watch infused here, to design some unique buckle that would fit vintage feeling better.

As I already told in my review, C65 Vintage Diver bonded with me. I really enjoy having it on my wrist. I catch myself glancing over it every half a minute, without looking at time, rather just enjoying the view. I wear it most of the day, only taking it off when tool watch is needed (I'm afraid to scratch it).
Image

CW struck the right chord with this model. I really hope we see more variations of this watch, particulary with better lume, maybe in bronze (like Carl Brashear from Oris), chrono, version with date, and perhaps better logo placement.

Image


Headline of C65s review on T3 nailed it perfectly: „the best watch James Bond never wore“.

I wholeheartedly agree.
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post