Christopher Ward C700 Grand Rapide Chronograph

The C700 was Christopher Ward's flagship Motorsport watch at its launch in 2011. It was the second Ward 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 new £1,700 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 blue polycarbonate face.

This model was launched with the original circular CW logo on the face. Midway through its like, CW changes 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.

The C700 was retired in mid 2014 (not replaced until the C7 Rapide Chronograph Automatic in 2017), but this particular watch was an early-logo, archive find, sold in Jan 2015, making it one of the last C700s to leave number 1 Park Street. The original selling price was £900 on a leather or rubber strap and £950 on a bracelet.

Condition
Coming up for six years old, this is one of the youngest C700 in existence and has seen very use in that time. The original black leather strap and the watch head are both in almost new condition, with very little sign of wear on the strap and just the occasional fine blemish on the highly polishes bezel - impossible for me to photograph and only visible under very close inspection, under certain light angles - for most people, it would pass as being brand new.

Supplied as a ‘full set’ in the original presentation box and including the original owner’s manual with Certificate of Authenticity, unused polishing cloth and covering letter.

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

• All photographs show the actual watch and package.

• The highly polished case is mirror-like, so please don’t mistake reflections and my shoddy photography for blemishes or defects!