Review: Christopher Ward C65 Aquitaine Bronze 

The mighty British brand Christopher Ward has returned with an almost entirely new addition to its C65 collection, the Aquitaine. Like the brand did with when it introduced the already-expanded C63 last year, the C65 Aquitaine collection isn’t just a single model: diver, GMT, and Bronze COSC iterations are available from the get go. Named for the coastal region in southwestern France that was home to Jacques Cousteau, these are the first watches released since the brand announced an across-the-board price increase in March of this year, and it’s safe to say that they prove that even with the higher sticker price, Christopher Ward is still an incredible value.

Initial impressions were great. The sapphire bezel adds depth, the dial is a brilliant blue, and the round markers are a change of pace from the typical batons of other C65s. If you didn’t notice, the watch is also bronze. And is the date wheel color matched to the lume? Maybe.

The Case

The bronze—which you can see has already started to oxidize—case remains the excellent Christopher Ward Light Catcher design. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and any time I review this case), it’s one of the best out there. Its curves allow it to wear extremely well (even on thicker iterations) and looks stunning from every angle. The brushed-polished alternation to the finishing is a lovely touch. The crown has also been upgraded with a red ring you’ll be able to see on top-down shots (you can see the reflect in the case in the above shot). Now, the brand says the purpose of the ring is to let you know if the screwdown crown isn’t secure…but I could see the ring even when I had it screwed down. I’m more partial to having a colored stem covered by the crown when screwed in, which avoids such confusion. God forbid my crown isn’t screwed in and my watch fails and I die when I’m hunting for treasure in my diving bell.

You can really see how well the case plays with light here—very much fulfilling the promise its name makes. The bezel on the C65 Aquitaine features a brand-new domed sapphire insert for a very vintage feel, while the 120-click bezel has near-perfect tension with satisfying clicks and only very slight backplay. According to the copy sent by the brand, the box sapphire is new, too, though I am confident that other C65 models have used a similar crystal. As such, I remain unconvinced. As you’ll see later, though, it does result in some distortion at times.

The Dial

The C65 Aquitaine Bronze is only available with this beautifully radiant Marine Blue dial, which is fine by me given how nicely it pairs with the bronze and other accents of the watch. However, the GMT and dive models offer more options including White Sand and Seamoss (green); they also play around with different bezel pairings. The dial of the new collection also marks the first time the brand has deviated from baton hour markers, used on all of its tool watches. For my part, I think they’re nice and I don’t mind them one bit, but I’m sure some people will be displeased. Whatmany will be pleased by is the decision to move the brand’s name off the dial to the back of the watch. I never had any beef with the logo, but I know there was a strong contingent who spent their days grumbling about the audacity of the brand to change its logo without consulting its customers first.

You tell me: is that date wheel matched to the lume? All the stock photos from the press release show white date windows—which don’t look great—but I got this and immediately saw a date wheel that looked like the lume plots on either side. The date wheel isn’t lumed, but if this is intentional and true for all models, I kind of love it. The window itself is done very well, the trapezoid shape and the beveled edge, plus the perfect alignment with the hour markers—all great touches.

I’m on record as not loving the handset Christopher Ward uses on most of its watches. The long arrow hand just seemed off with the usually straight minute hand. On the C65 Aquitaine, though, a small change has been made that tips me in favor: the minute hand has been resculpted to an obelisk form, making it more complementary with the hour (the pinched tip you see above is just a trick of the crystal’s distortion). And I’ve always loved the trident counterweight on the seconds hand.

Lume is excellent: quick charge, bright, long lasting. It’s remarkably even across the dial (even the tiny nubbin at 6 o’clock), though the bezel is just a touch dimmer, likely due to it being under all that sapphire. It still shines brightly enough to be seen in low-light, so it’s not a big issue.

The Rest

The sapphire caseback is new for the C65 line, and here it shows off the certified chronometer offered only on the bronze model. The brand likes to tell you that the movement is decorated with colimaçon, which, for a British brand, is an unnecessarily French way of saying snailing or spiraling. The decoration can be seen on the plates and bridges.

The bronze edition of the C65 Aquitaine comes on your choice of canvas (seen herein), rubber, or what the brand is calling “vintage oak” leather, a new offering. Happily, the buckles match the bronze case and all the straps are quick-release. (Christopher Ward has an odd tendency to err on the side of wider lugs, and thats true here with the 22mm lugs on a 41mm case. I’d always try for 20mm when its possible and proportionality allow, which they certainly would’ve here.) More importantly, though, is the bracelet available on the dive and GMT models, which has been significantly upgraded. Gone are the pin-and-collar fasteners, replaced with screw pins for quick and easy sizing; the bracelet also has an increased taper and an updated quick-release mechanism. They must have heard the owner’s crying for hours as they tried to size and reattach their new watches. Thank goodness.

As is often the case, you can’t really go wrong with this Christopher Ward; it’s more a matter of the style being right or not, and that’s personal. The C65 Aquitaine Bronze is another excellent entry into the brand’s catalog, and the other two offerings appear poised to be killers as well. The collection starts at $1,090, and I highly recommend you go over to the Christopher Ward site, check out all the new models, and put down your money if you see fit. You won’t be disappointed.