Christopher Ward C700 Grande Rapide Chronograph

Introduction

The C700 was Christopher Ward's flagship Motorsport watch at its launch in 2011. It was the second CW to use the famous ETA 7750 Valjoux movement - the first being the C40 Speedhawk in 2009 and a variation can also be found in the £1,360 C60 Chronograph.

In case you didn’t already know, the 7750 Valjoux has been a part of the horology furniture since the 1970s and ‘80s, being one of the most popular mechanical chronographs in existence. It can be found inside many premium watch brands such as Breitling, TAG Heuer, Panerai, Omega, IWC etc.

The C700’s carbon fibre face was Christopher Ward’s first venture into unconventional face materials, paving the way for the likes of the current C60 Sapphire with its clear polycarbonate face.

The July 2013 model for sale here features the original circular CW logo on the face. Midway through the C700’s life, CW changed their logo to the CHR. WARD version, so early watches tend to have the original logo and later ones tend to have the later logo - photographs of both versions are used in the User Manual.

When the C700 was retired in mid 2014 the selling price was £900 on a leather or rubber strap and £950 on a bracelet.

Condition

On the timegrapher it’s registering approx +4sec per day. Pretty respectable! All functions work as they should with the nice crisp chronograph working perfectly.

Comes supplied in original CW case (which is looking a little tired on the outside) and also includes the original owner’s manual with Certificate of Authenticity.

Overall, I’d say it’s a lovely example in great working order.

Strap

It comes on a brand new CW strap of that era.

Other options:

1) Head only - discount of £40

2) Exchange for a brand new CW vintage oak leather strap or tropic/hybrid, no cost change

Warranty

It comes with a three month Ward Hoard warranty.

Specifications

• Case size: 42mm

• Lug width: 22mm

• Height: 13.9mm

• Waterproof: 100m

• Movement: modified ETA 7750 Valjoux

User Manual

A PDF version is available on the CW website: https://www.christopherward.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-cw-library/default/dw3e083805/pdfs/Motorsport/c700_manual.pdf

Final Notes

• The first photo is a library shot. The rest all show the actual watch and package.

• The user manual states the height as 16mm. That’s incorrect, it’s actually 14mm.