Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

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jtc
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Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by jtc »

One of the great things about regularly visiting and contributing to a forum dedicated to a watch brand is the jungle drums; it's one of the things that makes this forum a great community. No sooner are new models mentioned or uploaded to the main Christopher Ward site, threads pop up, renderings or stock photos are swooned over, pricing and affordability get discussed and new models soon gain interest.

The C7 Hornet limited edition was one such model. I can unashamedly say I saw it, loved it, then immediately ordered it on the 8th June. Here is my review of C07-42ADA1-SDKK1-FK serial number 002 of 150.

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The key technical specs (see here for them all) are as follows:
- 42mm width
- 22mm lugs
- 11mm case height
- Sellita SW200 COSC
- Screw down crown
- DLC and orange 4 piece case

With the new C7 Rapide four-piece case design, first hinted to us members I believe in a forum "Chat with Chris", CW delivered a completely new design language and approach to the entire "motorsport" collection - straps, case, faces, sub-dials, crowns/pushers, the works. A testament to the growth of the brand in both team and confidence. There's more about the case design specifics on the C7 product page.

I bought the Hornet as part of a wider collection of watches. I've not had a black sporty watch since selling on my SOTC-featured Magrette some time ago and was immediately struck by the bold black and orange design.

Christopher Ward is a brand that I have always associated with a very classic, quintessentially British, wrist look. Aside from a small subset of pieces, the collection has always been very Gentlemanly. Then we have this C7 Hornet LE which breaks that stereotype even more-so than previous "stealth" editions of other models.

This black DLC/orange design watch is a wonderful piece. It's bold yet refined, bright yet not garish, and thoroughly enjoyable to look at. The shade of orange is just right to provide contrast to the rest of the black features. CW have also done a great job of matching the colour of the hour markers, hands and the aluminium parts of the case itself. All in, this is a very handsome sporty watch.

The case dimensions and lug profile both contribute to it being a comfortable wearing watch. It's large enough for wrist presence, but not cumbersome, clumsy or too heavy.

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The anti-reflective coating on the underside of the flat crystal makes viewing in daylight incredibly clear, though view face-on and it'll reflect back at you. The coating is visible when viewed at an angle which adds some drama in different lighting conditions.

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There's also a nuanced subtlety to the dial that adds a little black "stealth" to the design, through using black text to incorporate AUTOMATIC and SWISS MADE markings. This use of black makes the text hard to spot, so perhaps CW just wanted the details included on the dial but to not draw attention to them with orange text or, worse, white.

I really like the chunky applied markers. Keeping with the motorsport theme and like many great sports car, the non-numeric markers look fast while sitting still. The numbers are precisely made and, along with the other markers, deliver a real depth to the dial. The numbers are styled in such a way you can imagine them as driver numbers on the side of a rally or track car. They're very moreish to look at and I often find I glance more than once when checking the time; finding the varying angles on the watch face catch the light in different ways, adding to the sense of speed and depth on the dial.

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The only non black/orange feature on the dial is a black date wheel with white text. At first I thought this odd, however on the few occasions I've looked for the date, I've been grateful it has been legible; a colour matched orange number wheel would have been lost next to the large 3 o'clock marker on the watch face. This is also my first watch where the numerals on the bezel follow two different orientations - with 20, 25, 30, 25 and 40 "correctly" oriented - and I like the attention to detail.

One slight oddity of the watch is the decision to fit it with a COSC movement. While I appreciate the accuracy (and my first COSC certificate I might add) the accuracy within 6 seconds a day seems counterintuitive to the design of the watch face - it's difficult to tell the time with accuracy beyond "almost ten past" or "just gone quarter-to" the hour. The individual minute markers are present on a rehaut/minute marker track, however using them to identify precise minutes requires close inspection of the dial. If anything, I appreciate the somewhat ironic idiosyncrasy of the design and it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of a watch I've not even timed the accuracy for!

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With a predominantly black appearance (you only get a hint of the orange aluminium case sides when looking face-on) the watch at 42mm wears very comfortably on my 7 inch wrist. Compared to a 41mm Speedmaster and 44mm C8 UTC with stainless steel cases, you'll see it's fairly comparable to the Speedmaster and it certainly feels that way when worn. It is noticeably heavier than the Speedmaster, but feels lighter than it looks.

Make no mistake, this is a fun watch. This is not one to slip quietly under a suit or shirt sleeve, or wear to a high brow black tie event. This watch has a personality of its own, suiting casual and smart casual occasions. It's a summer watch, but it will probably still get days out in winter because of its excellent legibility.

While other gentlemanly CW watches may go unnoticed by the non-watch-enthusiast, this is certainly an eye catcher and will become the topic of conversation. It was also a very comfortable wear in the recent hot weather (though I'm sure the gin & tonics helped too).

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I bought on a rubber strap which is incredibly soft and has felt "worn in" since the beginning - a first for rubber straps in my experience. The strap itself is fantastic, CW have done a great job of incorporating the twin flags motif and it really complements the use of the twin flags on the watch case and dial. The underside of the strap is grippy on the wrist, though not that you notice it. I also assume it helps with heat dissipation as it's not a solid lump of material wrapped around your wrist. A great design detail that will only ever be appreciated by the wearer!

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I haven't yet tried it on other straps, although I have a few waiting to try now the weather is cooling off. It's a shame the CW web site doesn't do more to help suggest different straps - a feature that hopefully the forum can help them develop in the future. It would be great to be able to mix and match styles online without having to guesstimate how well a strap will work. One of the straps I think will work unexpectedly well is the brown leather strap that my C8 UTC came on ...

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While bold, this watch is also relatively anonymous; there's nothing on the dial that tells you who has made it. This, in my opinion, is a good thing. The design of this watch wouldn't have suited the full "christopher ward" text and perhaps wouldn't have permitted such bold solid hour markers and numerals.

CW have limited, until more recently, the use of the motif on watch faces. Historically this has only been the motorsport range however in more recent times we have seen mockups of other watches in the wider CW range starting to use the motif. I'd like to see its more frequent use across the range as the marker of a Christopher Ward watch.

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The logo of many brands is discussed among enthusiasts and this forum is no different. The twin flags looks great and really reinforces this being a sports watch, with designs rooted in motorsport. Text of any kind - old or new - would have spoiled a very cohesive design.

Is there anything I'd change? Well...

You may notice I've not yet mentioned the lume. If you look closely at the watch face, there is no obvious lume there! However, when held in bright light for some time, the hour markers do gain a small glow. The choice of "black" lume means the end product has probably stuck very closely to the original design. It, however, isn't going to light your path like a Seiko or Tudor Pelagos would. After a few attempts to both charge and photograph the watch in the dark, I gave up as nothing showed the faint glow very well. Suffice to say, buy this watch to wear on an afternoon podium with champagne, not for telling the time in the middle of the night at Le Mans!

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When I ordered the C7 Hornet, I mostly wanted to see it in person. Historically, pictures (and sometimes renderings) on the CW web site haven't really reflected the watch that turns up. Fortunately, since the new site has focused on real photos and teaser videos, the watch that arrived was almost exactly as I'd hoped for. No need to use the very generous returns process!

This limited edition watch also arrived in the new luxury box and packaging which really added to the occasion of unveiling of the watch. I've resisted photographing a play-by-play unboxing because I really think the drama of this new packaging needs to be experienced without spoilers. I love it and I'm so pleased how far CW have come from the old dented-boxes experienced with previous purchases.

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So, there you have it. I'm thoroughly pleased with what CW have created with this watch. I think the price could have been lower without the COSC movement, but I think all the technology and design work that has gone into the case, strap and dial more than provides value for money. This will be staying in my collection for the foreseeable future. The release of this watch, and reveals of other future models since, has me really excited for the future of Christopher Ward watches.

For this model, I think the use of the name "Hornet" is about right - it's bold and loud like a wasp, but is actually a really social beast.
Jon

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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by reggie747 »

An excellent review Jon of what is quite an attractive watch.
Thanks.
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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by nbg »

Great review Jon, with excellent pics. :thumbup:

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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by downer »

Having read the review, the first thing I did was click on the CW website to check the price and availability. Probably says it all. :thumbup:
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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by Richard D »

I can’t say I find the Hornet attractive. However, I did enjoy reading your review. :thumbup:
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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by reggie747 »

downer wrote:Having read the review, the first thing I did was click on the CW website to check the price and availability. Probably says it all. :thumbup:
Bizarrely enough, me too :lol:
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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by tempusmaximus »

Great review and pictures Jon , thanks for posting .
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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by Underhilldc »

Cracking review cheers and brilliant pictures.
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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

Another excellent review. :clap:

Selecting which is the best is going to be a really difficult task.

Did I feel the need to check the CW website. Sadly no.

Why? Because I have a C7 Hornet already. :thumbup:

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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by Thegreyman »

Really good review and the Hornet is growing on me.
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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by Palisander »

A review without wrist shoots? :) Anyway, congrats on the winning :)
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Re: Review: C7 Hornet COSC Limited Edition

Post by borderman »

Nice review very interesting,I have the same watch basically the C7 Rosso Corsa and the lume on that is really good
it has bluish tint and lasts for a long time.
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