Christopher Ward C11 Makaira Pro 500

Introduction

Those who preach you should only buy watches with your heart, rather than your head, will always argue that resale values should never be a consideration when buying a watch… then they’ll contradict themselves by making sure they always drive a German car because of their safe residuals! For those who buy watches with both their heart and their head, the C11 Makaira Pro 500 has has proved itself to be a wise investment, with tidy examples having fetched well over their original RRPs for a couple of years now.

The first C11 (the aviation style MSL) arrived in 2011, but it wasn’t until August of 2012 that CW dropped the dive edition, with its innovative internal rotating bezel (operated by the upper crown). Dubbed the Makaira Pro 500, it initially cost £500 with the silicone rubber strap and £560 on a bracelet - rising to £550 and £610 respectively over the next couple of years. It sold okay, but didn’t exactly set the world alight and by 2015 the remaining stock was sold off at reduced prices. From what I’ve observed over the years, I’d say at least 90% of Makairas were sold on rubber straps with the remaining 10% being fitted with the stainless bracelet option.

The Makaira Pro 500 was available with white, blue or orange markers. There were also a couple of Titanium limited editions which had yellow or green markers. The watch for sale here has the white markers.

Warranty

As a March 2015 watch, the five year CW warranty has expired, so it comes with a three month Ward Hoard warranty.

Strap

This watch comes with its original silicone strap in fantastic condition. This type of strap is prone to splitting if worn regularly but this one is in one of the best I’ve seen.

Price includes this strap - if you would prefer it without the strap, I could offer a discount of £70. If you would prefer another CW strap, please ask and I can give you some options and pricing.

Condition

It is a March 2015 watch in superb condition. It is so good it almost looks unworn. You won’t see a better example.

A worn crown is a relatively common fault with these, but this one is working perfectly. It is also keeping almost perfect time, as shown on the timegrapher.

It comes as a ‘full set’, including original box, manual with certificate of authenticity, , polishing cloth and operating your automatic watch leaflet (normally these are supplied following a service, but don’t know whether this one has been).

Specifications

• Case size: 42mm

• Lug width: 22mm

• Height: 12.5mm

• Waterproof: 500m

• Movement: ETA 2824-2 or Sellita SW200-1 automatic

User Manual
A PDF version of the owner’s manual is available on the CW website: https://www.christopherward.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-cw-library/default/dw234255e3/pdfs/Dive/c11mak_manual.pdf