NEW GEAR

CHRISTOPHER WARD C65 AQUITAINE

Christopher Ward has gone retro for its new generation of C65 boating watch, the C65 Aquitaine. Named after the historic French coastal region that was home to celebrated undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, the company says its design is influenced by the first modern dive watches of the 1950s.

There are some real upgrades over the old C65. Water resistance is up, from 150m to 200m, there’s a new sapphire exhibition case back to display the Sellita’s SW 200-1 automatic movement and the date display has moved from three o’clock to the more symmetrical six.

The new bezel has a curved and highly polished sapphire insert, reminiscent of that used by the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and 50% harder than typically-used ceramic. Three versions are available, including a GMT which tracks a second time zone utilising a Sellita SW 330-2 movement.

In a show of brand confidence, the actual words Christopher Ward no longer appear, having been relegated to the back of the watch, leaving just an applied version of the company’s twin-flags logo on the dial, just below