Christopher Ward C60 Trident Bronze Ombré

Ombré means “having tones of color that shade into each other, graduating from light to dark” (NOAD) and I have heard the term applied to all sorts of things from cookies to clothing. Now, Ombré is a watch and it is spectacular.

Bronze has been a craze in recent years, particularly in 2017, 2018, and looks to continue into 2019. I have never been particularly attracted to bronze watches. The feature of a patina developing based on my environment is interesting enough, but I still do not find most designs paired with bronze to be my style. For the past year or so I have looked at many bronze watches, my mind open, waiting for something that struck. To be honest, I never thought it would happen, and never thought I would actually buy a bronze watch. That is not an exaggeration.

Loupe, Issue 10, Autumn 2018When I first saw the “teaser” photo for the Ombré in Christopher Ward’s (CW) magazine Loupe, I essentially glazed over it without a second look. In hindsight, the dial looked interesting, but in the photo did not tell (show) the whole story. At the time, I did not expect a different outcome than prior bronze offerings and I had no intention of acquiring the limited edition spin on the C60 Trident Bronze.

The details

• Watch: Christopher Ward C60 Trident Bronze Ombré COSC Limited Edition
• Diameter: 43mm
• Height: 13.3mm
• Weight: ~110g
• Movement: Sellita SW200-1 COSC
• Power: Automatic
• Power Reserve: 38 hours
• Jewels: 25
• Lume: TC-1 Super-Luminova
• Frequency: 28,800 bph (4Hz)
• Crystal: Sapphire, Flat w/AR
• Case: Bronze C5191 (CuSn6)
• Water Resistance: 600m/2000ft
• Strap: Distressed leather, brown vintage oak, 22mm
• Retail Cost: $1,135

The video

[https://youtu.be/TVGgOjRaGQ4]

The review

My watch purchases are typically well-considered. For writing this review, I looked back through my current collection to see which of my watches were really impulse buys. None really fit that description. This watch, the Christoper Ward C60 Trident Bronze Ombré, was my first impulse buy. When I was notified of the release, I looked, and then with no question or concern I had to have it and made the order. The order was made quick enough that I was able to secure a number with some meaning to me personally, also a first for me.

But why? After dozens of considered buys, what was it about the Ombré that was instantly “WOW, I have to have that!” irresistible? And for a bronze watch, a material I had not been particularly keen on? We will get to the answer, I think, but we should start with the unboxing.

I do believe I will!
After purchasing a baker’s half-dozen CWs, of which several are Limited Editions (LEs), I finally got a wooden box. Some LEs are sent in wooden boxes, while regular watches and many LEs arrive in black boxes. I will not belabor this point here, as I will save that for a future post, but I will say, I wish every LE came in the same box and that it was not left to what’s in stock.

Some people wanting a bronze watch want a bronze watch. All bronze, or as much as possible, much like the standard CW C60 Trident bronze, and that is fine. But for me, a bronze watch needs balance, not in-the-face bronze. A contrast in color and texture is necessary.

For color and texture contrasts, the Ombré provides shifts from brushed bronze to a matte sandblasted ceramic bezel on the case and smooth black varnish to distressed brass on the dial. White text and markers stand out against the brown and black transitions. The common Trident green lume markings provide another feature. Even the new distressed strap uses the black and brown color contrast.

The contrasts evoke an instant wow factor. It is different, very different.

I have never really liked artificially distressed or aged watches or components, such as dials or straps. So again, why is this Ombré different? Simply, it is tastefully done. The strap does not look like someone poured chemicals over it nor the dial like a 3-year old took a nail to it (do a Google image search for the Spinnaker Wreck).

Every dial in the limited run of 300 Ombrés is unique. Each has its own distress marks delicately applied by hand. So, this watch has had extra time invested in artisan work. After seeing pictures from about a dozen different Ombrés, I can verify that indeed each one has its own character. And not only does the dial have its own character, but being bronze, each case will have its own unique story to tell.

Ownership of this watch is truly ownership. You own that dial. You cannot find another one like it and no one else has one like it. The case will patina based on your environment and exposure choices. In a way, it is like an LE of one.

The Ombré really is much more than a #/300 or one of a small bespoke order.

In all honesty, one of the things that initially sold me on this watch was a certain touch of color. All of the promotional pictures in Loupe and on the CW website when launched had the depth rating in red text.

Photo from Christopher Ward Instagram feed (@chriswardlondon) at launch.When the Ombré started arriving to customers and pictures posted, the depth rating was in white text. CW had done all this marketing work with the prototype and then either a mistake was made with the dial production or more likely all the photography was not updated to the production model. Either way, what was initially offered for sale was not what was shipping. CW was notified by multiple sources and they quickly updated all the materials, but it did leave me with a little disappointment.

But it’s all good…I do understand why the red was not used in production, it would be hard to read against the brown tones. I can also confess that after the initial surprise, the disappointment quickly faded. I like the white, it is legible, and I am just as happy as I was on first sight.

The caseback is like most other Tridents. Stainless steel, which looks better than I thought it would against the bronze, which is a more suitable metal for constant direct contact with skin. The steel is beautifully machined and stamped with transitions from brushed to sandblasted to polished.

As for the new distressed strap, it comes with a nice bronze buckle to match the case. However, I do have some concern about how it will wear over time. The strap is not smooth when new, the surface is a little rough. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but the first time I wore the Ombré, I had on a sweater and the sleeve material was catching on the strap in little ways that some might not like.

On certain occasions I will use the distressed strap, probably summertime, but I suspect the Ombré will spend more time on other rubber and leather straps. After a few weeks of wear, the distressed strap will look more brown and less black, feel smoother after some of the distressing wears down, and like many straps the buckle usage will clearly show.

For the time being, I put the Ombré on a different smooth leather strap that I also think compliments the colors and design of the watch.

On the wrist

Time to show off the changing color and texture of the dial when on the wrist. Pictures can only show so much, but here I have tried to take pictures from different angles and in different light to show off the artisan distressed dial as much as possible.

A couple of the particularly standout markings on my dial are a mark from the bottom of the 11 index to the top of the 2 index. Another coming down between the 10 and 11 indices. There are some others, but deeper marks seem to be on the left side, but there is still good balance in the distressing.

As this was my first Trident Pro 600, I was a little concerned if I would like the size, I have a medium size wrist. At 43mm diameter and about 110g, there is plenty of width and weight to the watch. Generally, the Tridents come in two sizes, 38 and 43, but the Ombré is only available in 43mm. You have to be ok with a larger watch if you want one of these, it is a diver after all. The height is a little over 13mm, but it sits quite well on wrist. I am liking the Trident Pro 600 more and more as I wear it.

Out and about in the elements

A good dive watch requires good lume and the whole Trident series delivers on this front, the Ombré being no exception. I only took one lume shot so far, but you can find plenty of these out and about online on a variety of Tridents. But still, wow.

Final Thoughts

What an amazing character-packed watch! Especially for the price paid with a discount voucher. For a very unexpected impulse buy of a bronze watch, I am amazed at how much this watch has dominated my wrist time since its arrival. It perfectly matches my likes and I doubt you would be disappointed in ownership of this watch. But mine is a permanent addition to my collection…you will have to get your own!