I pre-ordered the C60 Trident Pro 316L special edition and my order was immediately responded to after placement. A few weeks later, I received a shipping notice and ten days later it arrived at my home in the US.
Here are my impressions of the watch:
First, some background: I love the color orange -- particularly when used in watches. When I first got into the hobby, I purchased a Seiko Orange Monster (2nd gen) and wore it almost daily for nearly a year before I slipped on a patch of ice one frosty morning getting the paper and destroyed the movement. Saddened by the loss of the Monster, I wanted to get a nice orange dial diver back into my collection and started looking at the available options. I was doing a lot a research on Doxa divers when I saw that Christopher Ward was making this special edition of their C60, limited to only 316 pieces. At half the price of any of the Doxas, I figured that this was an easy purchase. I already have a white dial C60 which I adore, so this orange version would be a unique and welcome addition.
. Case design is classic C60 and flawlessly finished with brushed sides and lugs with a thin polished section running along the top end of the watch from lug to lug.
. The orange dial is a bit on the tangerine side of the color wheel, and lighter than expected. For those in the US, think of the University of Tennessee Volunteers orange and you're pretty close. There is no texture like the wave motif on my white-dial C60. It is flat and unadorned. There is a polished stainless steel frame around the date window.
. Hands and indices are beautifully surrounded by highly polished stainless steel and very legible in all lighting conditions. The white luminous paint on the hands and indices is neatly applied and glows a nice green color in the dark. I'm not sure, but this is perhaps C1 Super-Luminova. There is a tiny dot of greenish lume outside of each applied index and my guess is this is C3.
. What makes this C60 unique from others in the Trident line is the all-stainless steel bezel. The action is crisp with no play -- it is delightful to use. The numbers and index markings on the bezel are engraved with black enamel inside. The pip at 12 o'clock is lumed, probably also C3.
. Time-keeping so far is excellent at +2 seconds a day.
. The Sellita SW-200 movement still has that slightly gritty feel when wound that matches that seen in both my white-dial C60 all well as an Oris Aquis that I own that both share the same movement.
. The new Christopher Ward logo is quite restrained when you view it in the metal. It doesn't bother me one bit and think it matches the crisp modern lines of the watch.
. The leather strap with orange stitching and back is of really high quality, with a matt finish that is unlike any leather strap I've ever owned. It really is something to behold with a very soft touch feel. I was originally going to mount this watch on an orange rubber Isofrane I have, but the color doesn't match the more pale orange of the dial so I'll keep it on the leather for the time being. One thing I just discovered -- the spring bars are of the quick-release kind, which makes removing the strap exceedingly easy and does not require a spring bar tool. One word of warning -- the lug ends tend to be sharp and could potentially scratch if you're using the watch on a thin strap like the leather one I received with my watch. If you have thick leather, rubber, or the OEM bracelet, this will be a non-issue.
. It's a good mid-sized watch at 43mm in diameter, 51mm lug-to-lug, 13.7mm high, and 22mm lug width. My sweet spot for watches is 42 to 44mm case size and it fits my 7-1/4 inch wrist very comfortably with just the right amount of heft and presence.
. Overall, I am really pleased with this watch and consider it to provide excellent value. It has striking good looks, high quality finishing, an excellent movement, and isn't a clear homage design like those of so many other micro-brands. Highly recommended!