CHRISTOPHER WARD C7 RAPIDE AUTOMATIC (2019)

With the exception of a few military specials, the Christopher Ward C7 (and C70) range has always been home to their sport/motorsport inspired watches. The C7 Rapide first arrived in 2008 as a quartz chronograph and that battery chrono theme continued with the launch of the Mk2 in 2012, which was essentially a Mk1 case with some new face designs.

It wasn’t until 2017, when the C7 Rapide range got a complete overhaul, that an automatic movement became available in a C7 for the first time. The watch for sale in this listing is one of those ‘Mk3’ C7 autos - although CW never officially called it the Mk3.

Apart from the name and the fact that it’s a 42mm watch, the Mk3 (2017-on) C7 Rapide range has very little in common with the previous C7 models. The standout feature of the automatic watch has to be the multi-part case construction with its contrasting case/ring colours and its hollowed out lugs. Both those made it a pretty expensive watch to manufacture and pretty unique to look at - the RRP on this watch was £700.

Just two years after the launch, much of the C7 Rapide range was retired toward the end of 2019, with the remaining stock sold in 2020.

I bought this particular watch in July 2019 and have often been tempted to steal the (relatively rare) striped cloth strap to use on other watches, but managed to resist the urge!

Condition

Offered in brand new, unworn condition, with the balance of the 60 month movement warranty - taking you up to July 2024.

Supplied in the original box, and comes complete with, Certificate of Authenticity, covering letters and unused polishing cloth. One of the letters explains that CW had run out of hard copy user books and points you to the PDF version below.

Specs:

• Diameter: 42mm

• Height: 11.15mm

• Calibre: Sellita SW200

• Water resistance: 10ATM (100m)

• Strap lugs: 22mm

• Lug-to-lug: 48mm

Owner’s Handbook

A PDF of the owner’s book is available on the CW website: https://www.christopherward.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-cw-library/default/dw543007a4/pdfs/Motorsport/c7-rapide-auto.pdf

Final Notes:
Note the first four pics are library shots. The rest show the actual watch and package.