Christopher Ward C11 Makaira Pro 500

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 and is in the minority on the strap front, having been fitted with the stainless bracelet option - a wise investment, with the original silicone strap being prone to splitting if worn regularly.

Condition
It’s an April 2015 watch, so is one of the final ‘run out’ pieces. Under close inspection you can see some very feint blemishes, indicating light signs of use, but on the whole it’s seen very little wrist time and is one of the very best you’re likely to find. The only mark that I’m able to photograph is a slight smudge type mark in the steel on the rear case. Bracelets are always a good indicator of the life a watch has had and I’ve seen one-week-old bracelets in worse condition than this one!

Supplied in the original presentation case with covering letter and owner’s book with Certificate of Authenticity. Also includes the removed bracelet link. Running approx. +14sec per day.

Yes, the price is almost £200 more than the original RRP, but that reflects how difficult it would be to find another watch in this condition and on a bracelet.

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

Final Notes

• Note the first photograph is a library shot, the rest all show the actual watch and package.

• Having followed CW for many years, I’ve observed a few of instances of crowns being pulled out/off of MSL versions. While I’ve not seen it on a Makaira, it’s still advised to take extra care when pulling the crown out to the time-adjusting position three.