Christopher Ward Gets Feedback from the Forums with the New C60 Trident Pro 300

You could make a pretty convincing case, I think, that Christopher Ward is one of a small handful of microbrands to really shape the scene as we know it today. They were certainly one of the earliest brands to develop a cult following on the internet, with a dedicated forum for collectors and fans of the brand that has been active for just about the entire life of the brand itself. Christopher Ward has always kept a close relationship between brand management and real end users, and that’s become something of a hallmark for any microbrand that really wants to be successful today –  you really have to cultivate that relationship and be there for the people buying watches in order to have success in this space. Even as Christopher Ward has grown, they’ve maintained that connection, and that’s the larger message and theme behind the release of the new C60 Trident Pro 300, a watch made in collaboration with users of the Christopher Ward Forum.

CW’s in-house forum has always been a place where an open exchange of ideas has been encouraged, and for this watch the brand reached out to users for help with the design. As someone who has been active on forums throughout the course of my own watch collecting journey, this is kind of hard to wrap my head around. Designing something collectively is challenging enough, but to do it within the realm of an internet forum, where the concept of reaching a consensus goes to die, seems like an exercise in futility. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what Christopher Ward did with the new Trident Pro, and I haven’t heard any stories in the news about folks being physically assaulted for their stance on logo style and placement, so I think we can say they bucked the odds and this was a success all around. 

For this release, Christopher Ward posed questions to the forum about what they’d like to see in a new dive watch, and responses have been incorporated into the design. The finished product is a wearable dive watch with great specs and a classical Christopher Ward aesthetic that reminds me of some of their earliest watches. Perhaps most importantly for Christopher Ward customers, the C60 Trident Pro 300 comes in three sizes, so all wrist sizes can experience the watch. You can have a case in your choice of 38, 40, or 42mm widths, so getting the right size dialed in should be a piece of cake. Regardless of case size, the height of the case is kept to a minimum, with the largest size coming in at 11.5mm tall and the 38mm case measuring just 11mm thick. That’s impressive for a diver with 300 meters of water resistance, and credit should be given to Christopher Ward for keeping the proportions consistent throughout the range. 

The dial features the latest “twin-flags” logo at the 12:00 position, which reminds us of the brand’s dual Swiss and British heritage. Dials in white, blue, black, and green will be available, though only the green variant will come on a matching steel bracelet. For this release, Christopher Ward has made a subtle change to the bezel, which is now constructed from two parts: the outer section with a colored ceramic insert that matches the dial, and an inner fixed steel ring. It’s a very small change but it does add some additional complexity and visual interest to a very traditional dive watch dial layout. 

All of the new watches are powered by a Sellita SW200 movement with around 38 hours of power reserve. Prices start at just $850 if you choose the recycled #tide or rubber straps, and go up to $865 for a hybrid rubber strap or $1,050 if you go for a stainless steel bracelet. All are available right now direct from Christopher Ward.