Christopher Ward C70BE Belgium Limited Edition

The C70BE ‘Ascari’ is a 500-piece Limited Edition watch which was part of the original six C70 Grand Prix models launched in 2009. The C70 was a brave move by CW, creating a series of very eye-catching motorsport-style models. It turned out to be a hit, paving the way for some 22 different C70 models over the years! 15 years on from the C70’s inception, they’re now very collectable pieces.

The C70 GP series celebrated the inaugural Grand Prix race at each of six different countries:

• France in 1906 with the C70FR Grand Epreuve

• Italy in 1921 with the C70IT Rosso Corsa

• USA in 1923 with the C70US Cunningham Stripe (a bit of artistic licence used on that one, what with the Cunningham Stripes not actually being used until the early ‘50s!)

• Belgium in 1925 with the C70BR Ascari

• Great Britain in 1926 with the C70GB Brooklands

• And finally Germany in 1931 with the C70DE Silver Arrow

The one for sale here is the C70BE Ascari, Named after Antonio Ascari who dominated the inaugural Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps on June 25th 1925.

The C70s exposed alloy bezel and thinly applied paint make it notoriously delicate, so finding one in good condition is becoming increasingly challenging (CW has long since exhausted its supply of replacement bezels/cases).

The launch selling price was just £300 (!), but that quickly increased to £500 for the leather and £550 for the bracelet version by the time it had sold out.

The watch in this listing is dated July 2011, making it the youngest one I’ve seen.

Strap Option

For the buyer of this watch I have a brand new C70 bracelet available for £200.

Condition

As mentioned above, all C70s have very delicate bezels, so it’s common to find them with lots of marks. This one had been worn very carefully, so the head and bezel are in fantastic condition.

It’s fitted with the original strap (with its fitted ends and butterfly deployant clasp). These straps are prone to separating around the fitted ends - a process which has not started on this strap, indicating how little wrist time it’s had.

Supplied in the correct bespoke presentation case with engraved plaque which like the watch, is in fantastic condition. If kept in cold/damp conditions (such as house lofts) the internals of these original C70 boxes are known to start peeling away - that’s not happening at all on this box. Also included are the original polishing cloth and 34 page owner’s book (with Certificate of Authenticity) which has details of all six models. The covering letter is a photocopy.

To sum up, I’d say you’ll be very lucky if you manage to find one for sale that’s in better condition than this - in fact finding another one for sale in any condition would be a challenge!

Specifications

• Case size: 42mm

• Lug width: 22mm

• Height: 10.7mm

• Waterproof: 50m

• Movement: ETA 251.272 quartz

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/dwa255857f/pdfs/Motorsport/c70_manual.pdf

Final Notes

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