Review - C60-38-GMT-SWKS

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missF
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Review - C60-38-GMT-SWKS

Post by missF »

Well, you don't win a watch review competition with a review that has no photos, but I'm in hospital again ( :irre: ), writing this from the ward... I'm under section and not allowed home yet, so pics are impossible. What I'm writing about is the white face, black bezel, 38mm GMT Mkii version.

Anyhoo -


It's a watch that's worth a review.
I decided to write a review anyway. Mostly as a way of getting to know my watch. A kind of exercise in horological reverse engineering. You see, I didn't do my research on this watch before I bought it. Hadn't read a single review. Hadn't even read the specs on the CW site. For heaven's sake, I didn't even do any due diligence on the eBay seller I bought from - it all could have gone horribly wrong...... :oops:

It's just that there was a wee unexpected windfall arrived in my bank account, and this watch popped up on an eBay search for 38mm watches, and my head was already getting a bit racy, and the money barely touched down in the bank account before it was pay-palled out again. When the box arrived two days later, about 6 weeks ago, I barely knew what I thought I'd bought.... I vaguely realised how badly I was failing as a WIS - on every conceivable level, but I needn't have worried - along with the watch (which was in near pristine condition) there was a CW rubber strap, a CW bracelet, and an aftermarket black leather strap. And a kind note from the seller wishing me happy ownership.



It's a watch with presence straight out the box.
I only want to focus on a couple of things for the purpose of this review. The first is the experience of unboxing a watch like this one. Because even if you have read all the reviews and looked at all the photos online, reality is always different. You just can't tell until you open the box. So I wonder what it is about a watch that leads us to make a very instant decision on whether we love it, or we feel that it might have to grow a bit....

It's quite an amazing feat of brain-power if you think about it - the number of factors that your brain processes in that instant to produce an instant opinion...... I'd suggest that there are obviously many factors that are taken into account almost instantly - and that all of these factors will be variously swayed by our expectations. For me, it's the texture of the watch components and how they hang together that I find most pleasing. Texture, to me, means visual interest - an aspect of the watch that pleases my eyes as they roam around. This could be a contrast in colour (black bezel, white dial obviously creates instant interest), a contrast in texture (I'm especially drawn to those lines on a case that mark a shift from brushed to polished SS, or the contrast between the ceramic bezel on this watch and the dial made more matte by the etched wave pattern). A watch that is attractive to me will pay attention to these features, but never pour them all out into a watch without care for the overall look. Too much of anything is too much. Watches shouldn't be shiny simply because you have the means to make them so. Some watches just shout straight out the box. For me, the black bezel, white dial is a little strong on contrast for my tastes, but the yellow GMT hand does a miraculous job of softening that contrast. The yellow GMT hand is, for me, the feature that makes the watch, and makes me smile.

When you unbox a watch there may be some features that already concern you in your mind. Features that from your research you know may make or break the watch experience. For me there were two features that I was concerned I wouldn't like. The first is the etched wave pattern on the dial - close up pictures of this watch make the wave pattern seem rather ugly and intrusive. I was completely reassured when I opened the box that the pattern all but disappears in some light, then comes into play in a very subtle way at certain times. I was completely disarmed. The other feature that I felt might 'break' the watch for me was the trident second hand. I'm not fond of second hands with end-features that are too intricate or too large. But again, in this case, the trident is small and well proportioned. It's also balance out by a lovely wee lume bubble near the business end of the second hand.

Incidentally, the ver 2.0 Chr.Ward logo is probably my favourite one, but the only reason I didn't get a new trident was purely down to finances, and nothing to do with the logo. I'd have been wearing a new logo had finances allowed. I'm not bowled over by the new text font, but the 9 o'clock position is good for me. It's good visual interest - good texture - good to take a dial away from a symmetry that is so common it becomes eventually unremarkable. It is possible (for me at least) for a watch to be too symmetrical. Contrary to what some people say (quite vehemently!) there is no 'right' way to incorporate the visual features of a dial.

There are second (and third and fourth) waves of review once the watch is out the box, and beyond the initial completely satisfying experience of looking over the watch, my second wave review involved a consideration of size. For as long as I've been a member of this forum, I've never, before now, owned a trident (or any other dive watch). Far less a dive watch with 600m WR! So the depth of the watch caught my attention. At 38mm the depth of the watch becomes more critical - I would surmise - than in the 43mm version. Poorly proportioned cases can spoil watches that otherwise have wonderful visual interest. In this instance, I think that 38mm is on the limit of how small you can make a diver with this sort of depth. Any smaller a case and the watch would start to look 'tall' rather than well fitted to the wrist. This watch - for me - squeaks in on the right side of that particular equation.

Another aspect of the 38mm size was brought home to me when I took a real close-up look at my new watch - and that's the size of the text on the dial. I assume that the text size on the 38mm is in the same proportion to the rest of the dial as exists on the 43mm version. I tend to see text on a dial as another aspect of texture or visual interest. It's good to have it there - it actually matters little what it actually says. But here the text is just a little bit tiny - the trouble is it makes you work, and the best visual designs allow you to enjoy without effort. This of course may well say more about my middle aged eyesight than anything else! :lol:


It's a Mark ii
As I read through various reviews after I got the watch I could obviously start to put this watch into a context. My first CW watch, 4 years ago, was my C11. I saw it as a one-off. In some ways it was - after several iterations of the C11 case used for divers (makaira, elite) the line was discontinued, and that was that. Buying a trident is a different experience - you buy into the whole history of CW watches really. Those hands - I like them but don't love them - nevertheless fully express the trident DNA. And after 10 years of development and improvement I think it's right to talk about the 'DNA' of the trident range.

So owning this watch had me wondering about Mkii watches - why would you?? And is production of a Mkii model a bit like producing that 'difficult second album'?? Presumably you were very happy with Mki when you issued it. What's changed?? Are you trying to make the watch better?? Or different?? Are you looking to produce a watch that Mki owners will also own, or are you looking for new buyers altogether??

Sometimes a Mkii watch makes you feel like it was simply produced in order to create a bit of variety to encourage new buyers. A kind of lateral shift rather than any movement in an upward direction. But in the best instances I think that producing new versions of watches can be the watch company's way of making a statement of intent. We're committed to improvement, and growth. We want to keep innovating, and finding out what's possible. We want to set ourselves challenges then step up towards achieving them. For me, the Mkii trident GMT falls in this latter category. The 'step up' from the Mki is pretty commprehensive and no-nonsense. Water resistance has gone up from 300m to 600m. Does anyone need the extra functionality? No - but this is the result of CW throwing a challenge out ahead of them then working to meet it. That's built into the watch as far as I experience it. The bezel is now ceramic. Why? Because ceramic is the new black! A watch company that isn't experimenting with ceramic in its bezels isn't up there at the front of the curve. Actually, ceramic is just a bit too shiny for me, and I think that with time the industry will move on from it (or backwards again), but more later on how I dealt with this.... Next up, blobs have become batons. A bit of a lateral shift, and everyone will have their own opinion on which they prefer. I prefer batons on this GMT / dive hybrid. The back-plate has had a lot of attention paid to it. The new deeply stamped trident design is pretty muscular and impressive - who knew that back plates could ever capture my interest?! Finally, there's the slightly strange hybrid bezel markings - part dive watch, part GMT. It bothers some people. I'm happy to hold this watch as existing in both camps at the same time. In terms of that texture and visual interest I talked about earlier, the 15 minute markers at the top of the bezel provide a visually pleasing off-centre texture that you wouldn't get on a 'pure' GMT bezel. For me, sometimes the visuals are all I need. And it's definitely possible for a watch to be too symmetrical. (The fact that I'm most likely to use the timing bezel to boil an egg or brew my coffee means that that 15 minute arc provides all the bezel functionality I actually need! :lol: )


I wear it.
As I alluded to above, the black bezel, white dial design is a high contrast piece. I find great visual 'comfort' in looking at certain watches, and the high contrast in this watch takes me to the edges of what I find comfortable. Especially with the shiny ceramic bezel. However, there are two things that cut through this high contrast and make this watch completely gorgeous. The first, as I've said already, is the yellow GMT hand, which quietens down the stark black and white and makes me smile. The second is the Martu dark brown vintage strap that the watch is currently wearing. This matte texture offsets the shininess of the bezel, and the colour shifts the focus away from pure black and whiteness. I plan to get another heavier vintage strap to keep this watch on - perhaps from steveo (or gunny should another windfall drop my way.....).

I have 9 watches now! :lol:
And I find that I still wear watches the same way I ever did. I get very attached to whatever's on my wrist, and so tend to wear the same watch for weeks before the urge to change over creeps up on me. Choosing a daily watch is just not for me...... I like the process of becoming attached to my watches over time. I like creating the story. For this watch the story was written in reverse - I only started to get to know the watch after I owned it. I find myself feeling proud to own a Mkii trident.



I conclude...
AVO said recently that life is too short to wear crappy watches. Here here!
I feel like I struggle through life against a head wind. I'm raggedy around the edges, and it shows in the state of my eyes usually. My clothes come from charity shops. I never look swish! But whatever disheveled state I find myself in, I've always got a great watch on my wrist. :wave:
watching you fail in your quest for a “one watch” has been great entertainment
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Paul Drawmer
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Re: Review - C60-38-GMT-SWKS

Post by Paul Drawmer »

Love it! The Mk2 is a great step up from the MK1, and I thought that was good. :thumbup:
There's always time for one more.
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MiniMpi
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Re: Review - C60-38-GMT-SWKS

Post by MiniMpi »

Great review Lindsey !
Well done to you for taking the time to write it ;)
I have the same watch but in 43mm size.
It is without doubt one of my favourites, I just love the look of it. Just fantastic.
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