CHRISTOPHER WARD C7 RAPIDE CHRONOGRAPH COSC CHRONOMETER MKII ITALIAN RACING RED

Here we have the first Christopher Ward C7 watch to be available with the remarkably accurate and COSC certified ETA 251.233 calibre. It was (and still is) one of the most accurate movements in the world, with time-keeping typically in the region of +/-10sec per year.

With its instantly recognisable right red face, this Italian Racing Red (IRR) limited edition offered a bright, but still classy looking motorsport appearance.

It was launched in 2014 as a 500 piece limited edition run and sold out by early 2015. The original price was £600 on a leather strap of £650 on a bracelet.

It has the original (and now increasingly rare) ‘fitted end’ Torro Bravo leather strap with the optional upgrade CW Bader deployant clasp. Those fitted ends have a habit of separating under the stress of regular use, but this one is still in great shape and well intact.

It went back to CW in August 2021 for a new battery, so should be good for another 3-4 years.

These don’t change hands very often - I’ve only seen one or two appearing in the last couple of years. Once these sold out in early 2015, CW launched the black-faced 500 piece Limited Edition version. Those black ones tend to change hands more often than their red-faced cousin.

Condition

This watch was part of a large collection, so is in great condition having only seen occasional rotated use.

It belonged to an elderly gentlemen who moved, with his watches, into a care home. During this process the user manual was unfortunately misplaced so I don’t have its exact date of sale, but we know it will either be from 2014 or 2015.

There are some very light blemishes here and there to show it’s been worn, but nothing worthy of particular mention - the bezel and sapphire appear to be pristine. With a bit of Cape Cod time it will look like new.

The strap shows light signs of use with some discolouration on the inside. The Bader clasp still has its original protective vinyls in place.

Specs:

• Diameter: 42mm

• Height: 10.6mm

• Calibre: ETA 251.233 COSC

• Water resistance: 10ATM (100m)

• Strap lugs: 22mm

• Lug-to-lug: 48.7mm

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/dw33cb8622/pdfs/Motorsport/c7cosc_manual.pdf

Final Notes:
Note the first pic is a library Photoshop effort! The rest show the actual watch and package.