Christopher Ward C70GB Limited Edition

The C70GB Brooklands 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!

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 C70GB Brooklands, celebrating the first British Grand Prix which was organised by Henry Segrave at the Brooklands (now Mercedes Benz World) in Surrey. It was held on the 7th August 1927 and was won by Frenchman Robert Senechal in his Delage 155B.

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 May 2010, making it one of the last ones sold.

Strap Option

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

I also have a very good used C70 bracelet available for £150.

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 great condition - ion fact this is the best condition GB I’ve seen in years. There are a couple of minor marks when you get in close, the worst of which is around 34 minutes

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. This process has started on the edges, the the main strap parts are still in good shape. The strap as a whole still has plenty of service left in it.

Supplied in the correct bespoke presentation case with engraved plaque which is in great 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 on this box. It includes the original 34 page owner’s book 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 all round 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.