Christopher Ward C1000 Typhoon FGR4

You’ll be unsurprised to hear the C1000 Typhoon FGR4, which Christopher Ward launched in 2013, was inspired by the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 fighter jet. It wasn’t just a visual styling exercise though, the materials used in the watch’s construction echo those used in the aerospace industry: the lightweight and highly scratch-resistant ceramic case houses the titanium frame to which a modified ETA 7750 Valjoux is attached. Like the FGR4 it took its inspiration from, the C1000 was far from cheap: the initial selling price was £1,500 - reflecting the relatively high manufacturing costs and making it one of CW’s most expensive watches at the time. Buyer reception was on the lukewarm side, so the price was dropped to nearer £1,000 over the following years.

The ETA 7750 is one of the world’s most popular mechanical chronographs. It’s found inside the new £1,700 C60 Chronograph and has been used by many premium watch brands over the years including Breitling, TAG Heuer, Panerai, Omega, IWC etc. It’s known for being a relatively heavy movement, but thanks to the ultra-lightweight case/frame materials used in the C1000 and thanks to the removal of the seconds dial and date wheel, it actually makes for a surprisingly light 7750 watch. As well as the usually light weight, another feature of the ceramic case I like is the noise - the sound of the rotor spinning is far more pronounced than with steel cases.

The C1000 was initially launched with two different face options: the original black face and that black face with an RAF roundel on the lower dial. We had to wait until 2016 for this grey-faced Cockpit Edition to arrive, which turned out to be the C1000’s swan song - the model was retired later that year. This particular watch was bought in April 2016, so the movement warranty is valid until April 2021.

Strap:
Fitted with a khaki green original CW heavy-duty nylon strap with black leather lining. It’s also supplied with a second strap of the same colour, but has seen less use.

Condition:
The watch has seen regular rotated use as part of a larger collection, it’s only really the strap which hints at that use though - the watch head is in great condition with no blemishes to the case or crystal to report. Supplied as a ‘full set’ including original case, covering latter, unused polishing cloth and 22-page user guide with Certificate of Authenticity.

Specs:

• Diameter: 42mm

• Height: 14mm

• Calibre: ETA 7750

• Water resistance: 5ATM (50m)

• Strap lugs: 20mm

A PDF version of the owner’s manual is available from the CW website:
https://www.christopherward.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-cw-library/default/dw4b567404/pdfs/Aviation/c1000typhoon_manual2.pdf

Final Notes:
Note the first photo is a library shot. The rest all show the actual watch and package.