Christopher Ward C65 Trident Vintage MkII

The C65 ‘retro dive’ model is now a hugely popular feature of the CW range, second only to the C60, but that wasn’t always the case, with the C65 name having been on quite a journey to get where it is today.

The C65 name was first used in 2014 when CW took the 43mm C60 case used for the Mk2 C60 and switched the rotating dive bezel with a fixed thin steel one to essentially create a dress style C60 which they called the C65 Classic.

In 2016, coinciding with the introduction of the current Christopher Ward logo, CW introduced the C65 Classic Mk2 - that had a more polished case compared to the Mk1.

Also in 2016 CW took the 38mm C60 case and revised the styling to create the C65 Trident Classic Vintage - that was the first real hint of what was to come with the C65 range and is the forerunner to the C65 Retro Diver range and the C65 Military range we know today.

In 2018 CW dropped its policy of re-hashing C60 cases to use as C65s and came up with a new 41mm case design for the launch of the C65 Trident Diver with its domed, retro-inspired glassbox sapphire crystal and hand-wound movement. This all new watch and fifth use of the C65 name really hit the sweet spot with CW fans and we’ve seen an explosion in sales and model variations since.

In 2019 CW launched the watch we have for sale here: the C65 Trident Vintage Mk2, which uses a 38mm version of the C65 case mentioned above. It uses an automatic Sellita SW200-1 heart, but stands at just 11.5mm tall. With its tapered case back, domed crystal and sculpted sides, it gives the illusion of sitting even lower on the wrist providing a subtle, classy and understated look. This model was retired in 2021 so that CW could focus on using this case with the military-inspired models.

When it was available between 2019-2021 it cost £740 for the leather model and £840 for the bracelet.

Condition

It’s a nearly new watch. It has been worn a few times so you can see the odd tiny blemish under very close inspection, but on initial opening you’d assume it was brand new.

It’s fitted with a CW tan/camel coloured Italian Vintage Oak leather strap which is also in almost new condition.

On the timegrapher it’s keeping fantastic time at approx. -3sec per day - good enough to earn COSC certification had this model been submitted for appraisal (which it wasn’t!).

It’s supplied in a CW travel pod and is unfortunately missing its warranty card and owner’s book so I don’t know exactly how old it is, but with this model only launching in mid 2019, it’s certainly less than 3 years old at the time of writing. CW don’t provide a serial number lookup service, so we’ll unfortunately never know the exact age.

All CW watches come with four year warranties, so it should technically be covered by the factory warranty, but with the absence of the warranty card, we’ll have to assume CW won’t cover it, so it’s sold with 90 days of WardHoard movement cover.

In summary it’s an almost new watch, keeping COSC-spec time and offering a great value entry into automatic C65 ownership.

Specifications

• Case size: 38mm

• Lug width: 20mm

• Height: 11.5mm

• Waterproof: 150m

• Movement: Sellita SW200-1

• Power reserve: 38h

User Manual

Christopher Ward has a PDF version of the owner’s book available here: https://www.christopherward.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-cw-library/default/dwbae2ae6b/pdfs/Dress/c65-trident-vintage-mk2.pdf

Final Notes

• The first image is a library photo. The others all show the actual watch and package.