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The Christopher Ward brand has continued to increase its offerings to the world of watch enthusiasts, recently having added the C900 Worldtimer as well as two new pilot models to their catalog. The C8 Regulator and the C1000 Typhoon both have their roots in aviation, though from different eras, and both add interesting technology to the C Ward line.
The C8 Regulator may look familiar at first, given that it shares the same case as the C8 Pilot and general design vocabulary. Both watches are clearly in the B-Uhr style with the obvious difference here being the regulator complication and dial layout. For those unfamiliar with the term, a regulator dial typically has a sub-dial seconds hand, a central mounted minute hand and an additional sub-dial for the hours. The origins of the design come from regulateur pendulum clocks where the hours, minutes and seconds had the same type layout for the hours, minutes and seconds. These clocks were often used by watchmakers to check the accuracy of their work. The dial layout may not seem as intuitive at first, but it allows for a very quick read of the time once one is accustomed to it. The design places greater emphasis on the minute hand over the hours and seconds hands as well, which was useful when used for timing a specific point to the minute as was necessary in WWII bombing runs.
The C. Ward Regulator is 44mm in diameter and features a Unitas 6498 hand-wind movement with 40 hours of power reserve and a bespoke regulator complication. The dial, hands and crown are all reminiscent of the B-Uhr watches from WWII and the hands share the same style across the dials for a very consistent look. The watch has a anti-reflective sapphire crystal and a screw down transparent case back. The SuperLuminova is the Old Radium type to give the lume a vintage feel. Rounding out the package is a 22mm vintage leather strap and a presentation case. Each piece has an engraved serial number. Overall the C8 Regulator presents an attractive, if not somewhat familiar, package with a twist on the typical B-Uhr dial layout.
Another recent arrival for Ward is the C1000 Typhoon FGR4. This watch, due at the end of October, is a combat fighter inspired pilot’s watch. The Typhoon FGR4 shares its name with an RAF combat fighter and was inspired by that aircraft. The standout feature of the C1000 is the 42mm ceramic case: the ceramic used is seven times stronger than steel and is built around a titanium sub-frame for additional strength. The watch has accents from the Typhoon aircraft in the baby blue and pink on the dial along with indents on the sub-dials representing the afterburners of the fighter. Even the seconds hand has the aircraft’s wing shape on the counterbalance and tip of the seconds hand. The watch has an overall stealthy impression with the all black look: strap, case, pushers and crown and the base dial are all a charcoal black. Powering the C1000 is the venerable ETA 7750 automatic chronograph movement. For the dial side of the movement the C1000 Christopher Ward stripped off the day, date and sub-seconds leaving the hours and minutes sub-dials for the chronograph.
The C8 Regulator is currently in stock and available at $1,375 in steel and $1,425 in PVD while the C1000 Typhoon FGR4 Ceramic is currently available for pre-order for $2,060 and is expected to ship the end of October.
