Why all the negativity towards CW?

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Amor Vincit Omnia
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

What’s happening with cases?

ALL CAPS IS GENERALLY FROWNED UPON AS “SHOUTING”.

i always think that a lack of any capitals or punctuation in written english is indicative of laziness or ignorance wouldnt you agree

But this alternating case thing? I dOn’T gEt It. It seems to take much more effort than typing normally. :-k

@missF You are right. The internet has a lot to answer for.
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by missF »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:19 am
But this alternating case thing? I dOn’T gEt It. It seems to take much more effort than typing normally. :-k
It’s a way of expressing sarcasm, or being a bit mocking to the person you’re addressing. Just used as a different way of adding a bit of facial expression / body language/ nuance to what you’re saying in text. A current type of emoji. Who knows what emojis are currently cool!
Oh - and you didn’t hear this from me - apparently I’m a genZ so I don’t officially know anything about this :lol: :thumbup:


Edit - ooops! I’m genX. :lol:
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

missF wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:26 am It’s a way of expressing sarcasm, or being a bit mocking to the person you’re addressing.
I’ve never had any difficulty with that. It’s what Blackadder quotes were invented for.
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by Emphasis »

On a positive note, a lot of posters in that thread expressed a new interest in Christopher Ward watches. Some said it was because of Bel Canto, and others admitted it was because of the thread discussion.
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by Chris GB »

I can't be bothered to read the thread that this topic is about, but I don't think it's any coincidence that since I read this thread, for the first time in my life, I've had a Birkenstock advert pop up in my Facebook feed :lol:

Or is it because I joined this forum 😭
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by exHowfener »

"Man bun?" - I started going bald long before I'd even heard of CW. :lol:

And ... surely every self-respecting "Yuppie" back in the day would have worn a R***x?
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by Caller »

What surprised me was that posts for and against the brand were laced with errors about CW watches - period. So much said in ignorance.

I think the comparisons, which does seem to be a trait with some CW owners, 'that they are better than, or equal to' seems to fulfil some desire to be recognised as owning a better quality watch than they actually bought, rather than just being satisfied with what it is. And such comments are a bit, 'red rag to a bull', to others, including me at times. Especially if I own a brand they are comparing to. But as said in the linked thread, it is mainly a comparison to the Hydroconquest. Beng honest, what else can it really be, as divers are a big chunk of what CW produce and only a small chunk of what Longines produce.

Even the OP here talks of innovation in respect of the supercompressor, where as in reality, as admitted by CW, it's a homage to old technology no longer used. Or have I missed something? I don't care, I ended up buying one - the all blue model - when the right deal came along.

One question. One poster on the linked thread, seemingly referencing a Youtube review, mentioned CW are now produced at a Tudor factory, or some such claim. Is this correct? I had always assumed the watches were manufactured by the Swiss side of the partnership. Can anyone clarify this?
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by Richard D »

I ignore the negativity towards CW, these trolls have nothing of interest to say.
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by rkovars »

Caller wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 5:22 pm What surprised me was that posts for and against the brand were laced with errors about CW watches - period. So much said in ignorance.

I think the comparisons, which does seem to be a trait with some CW owners, 'that they are better than, or equal to' seems to fulfil some desire to be recognised as owning a better quality watch than they actually bought, rather than just being satisfied with what it is. And such comments are a bit, 'red rag to a bull', to others, including me at times. Especially if I own a brand they are comparing to. But as said in the linked thread, it is mainly a comparison to the Hydroconquest. Beng honest, what else can it really be, as divers are a big chunk of what CW produce and only a small chunk of what Longines produce.

Even the OP here talks of innovation in respect of the supercompressor, where as in reality, as admitted by CW, it's a homage to old technology no longer used. Or have I missed something? I don't care, I ended up buying one - the all blue model - when the right deal came along.

One question. One poster on the linked thread, seemingly referencing a Youtube review, mentioned CW are now produced at a Tudor factory, or some such claim. Is this correct? I had always assumed the watches were manufactured by the Swiss side of the partnership. Can anyone clarify this?
The Super Compressor is more than a homage in my opinion. They completely reverse engineered the original mechanism and recreated it in a modern watch. It is true that it is a complication (if you can call WR a complication) without any use today as manufacturing tolerances and materials are light years ahead of where they were when the original Super Compressor tech was introduced. I think it is special because it is a true Super Compressor not just a Compressor style case.

It wouldn't surprise me that CW and Tudor share some component manufacturers (cases and bracelets etc - this is only a guess no hard facts). I am not sure how much CW actually manufactures in house. They have vendors that build components to spec. They certainly assemble the watches at the Swiss side of the partnership. Mike France has made comments in the past on eye raising names on the doors within the manufacturer that they use.
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by albionphoto »

rkovars wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 5:44 pm
The Super Compressor is more than a homage in my opinion. They completely reverse engineered the original mechanism and recreated it in a modern watch. It is true that it is a complication (if you can call WR a complication) without any use today as manufacturing tolerances and materials are light years ahead of where they were when the original Super Compressor tech was introduced. I think it is special because it is a true Super Compressor not just a Compressor style case.

It wouldn't surprise me that CW and Tudor share some component manufacturers (cases and bracelets etc - this is only a guess no hard facts). I am not sure how much CW actually manufactures in house. They have vendors that build components to spec. They certainly assemble the watches at the Swiss side of the partnership. Mike France has made comments in the past on eye raising names on the doors within the manufacturer that they use.
I'm not sure that WR is a complication myself. It normally refers to the movement and any function that isn't relate to telling the time, such as a date or a chime. The re-engineering of the original EPSA Super Compressor case using the spring was a rather clever and ingenious thing to do. It's not a homage of the Super Compressor but a complete re-engineering. I agree that it is a true Super Compressor and not mere copy of the case design. I don't think CW get enough credit for this.

Mike France frequently comments that CW don't make all their components. Given the size of the operation this is unsurprising. There's nothing shameful about this and I like the transparency. He also has said that their cases, for example, come from the same manufacturer as Tudor and Oris amongst others. The same is probably true for bracelets, bezels and such like. Lengthy supply chains can be a problem but why make it yourself when someone else can do it better? They use partners such as Chronode, Xenoprint and Viquoden too and these companies are used by the haute horology guys . CW is different because they acknowledge their partners. My guess is that the operation in Biel handles assembly (especially of SH21 and Bel Canto) and engineering design. I don't know where the majority of the other watches are assembled though. It may be in Biel/Bienne or it may not be. Final QC seems to be done in the UK.
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by rkovars »

albionphoto wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:10 pm Mike France frequently comments that CW don't make all their components. Given the size of the operation this is unsurprising. There's nothing shameful about this and I like the transparency. He also has said that their cases, for example, come from the same manufacturer as Tudor and Oris amongst others. The same is probably true for bracelets, bezels and such like. Lengthy supply chains can be a problem but why make it yourself when someone else can do it better? They use partners such as Chronode, Xenoprint and Viquoden too and these companies are used by the haute horology guys . CW is different because they acknowledge their partners. My guess is that the operation in Biel handles assembly (especially of SH21 and Bel Canto) and engineering design. I don't know where the majority of the other watches are assembled though. It may be in Biel/Bienne or it may not be. Final QC seems to be done in the UK.
^^^ My understanding as well. Add Armin Strom to that list too. It is an incredible investment in infrastructure to set up a manufacturing facility. It is estimated that Rolex is spending $1 Billion Swiss Francs on the new facility they are bringing online.
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by nbg »

^^^ As to where various brands have components produced…

If the “Swiss made” regulations required a watch to be 100% Swiss I reckon that there would be very few brands that would qualify.

If the requirement for “in house” was 100% of all components being produced by the brand whose name/logo appears on the dial…

My guess would be less than half a dozen.

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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by rkovars »

^^^ At the most. Maybe even 1 or 2. Hairsprings in particular. Not many have the facilities and equipment to manufacture those things.
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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by nbg »

rkovars wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:31 pm ^^^ At the most. Maybe even 1 or 2. Hairsprings in particular. Not many have the facilities and equipment to manufacture those things.
Rich that was the number that I had in mind. I rounded up to six. :)

One is easier to guess than the other. I believe we both own that one, albeit yours dates from a time, when that wasn’t the case.

I think I may also know the one that makes the hairsprings.

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Re: Why all the negativity towards CW?

Post by L2XE »

missF wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2023 6:55 am Ahhhh. The internet constantly challenges my choices until I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. Not long ago I was being lumped in as part of the ‘lentil eating tofu brigade’. Now I’m being accused of being bland* and having a man bun, and the level of debate is no different.

‘Man bun’ commentator and the likes give an awful lot away about their actual level of experience of different watches and tell us very little about the watches they have an opinion on. I did find his image of his perception of the brand pretty well sketched and funny though... I like well expressed opinions even if I don’t agree.

I always wondered about the tag line that CW use - ‘do your research’. But it’s for exactly these reasons. There are a lot of preconceived notions about CW around the place. Many of them untested.


* BlAnD???????????? Can’t be facing accusations of making bland choices in my life! :lol:
I hate the "do your research" tag line. Makes me think of GB News watching COVID deniers.