C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Discuss Christopher Ward watches
jharris2741
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:42 am

C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by jharris2741 »

Just received my CW C65 Chronograph. It's meant to be a throwback to the 70's with lots of color in the dial and sub dials. I've attached a picture of my new C65 berthed next to some of my Memosail sailboat racing watches . Memosails carry a Valjoux 7737 (unique to the Memosails) , a derivative of the 7737. Lots of color in the Memosails .Did CW achieve the right look? I think so. Any sailors out there agree or disagree?

IMG_2788.JPG
IMG_2787.JPG
Last edited by Bahnstormer_vRS on Wed Mar 17, 2021 11:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Attached photos 'Placed in Line' - https://www.christopherwardforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=55242
Leon O
Senior Guru
Senior Guru
Posts: 780
Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2020 7:32 pm
CW-watches: 9

Re: C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by Leon O »

The c65 chronograph is on my wish list. I think it is a nice complement to your Memosails.
C7 Rapide Quartz, C60 Pro 300 Chronograph Quartz, C3 Malvern Chronograph, C7 Rapide Chronograph Quartz, C65 AM GT LE, C7 Rapide Chrongraph LE, C65 Trident Diver HW, C5 Malvern 595, C65 Trident GMT Pepsi
Dynamite_Kid19
Expert
Expert
Posts: 205
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 5:10 am

Re: C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by Dynamite_Kid19 »

Never heard of Memosails but those are very cool.

Sent from my HD1905 using Tapatalk

jharris2741
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:42 am

Re: C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by jharris2741 »

Here' a great website to research all the great yacht racing chronos. Good coverage on Memosails.

http://www.regatta-yachttimers.com/
User avatar
monkeymax
Senior Guru
Senior Guru
Posts: 584
Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 10:30 pm
CW-watches: 3
Location: South England

Re: C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by monkeymax »

The Memosails look great! I'd never heard of them before but they're very interesting.
jharris2741 wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 10:42 pm Did CW achieve the right look? I think so. Any sailors out there agree or disagree?
I still think no but it's a very personal thing. For me, it was so close. When I'm timing sailing races I need the timer to go from counting down from 10 mins to 0 (the start time) and then to start from 0 counting up. It also needs to be a front-and-centre complication at that point in time - something the Memosails achieve. When my race has started - because race time limits can matter - I need the clock to start from 0, not 10. Admittely it's easy enough to correct in your head but is just something else to think about when my Casio watches instead tend to be a 'glance at it and know the situation' sort of thing.
To be honest, I wouldn't sail with something this valuable on my wrist anyway (I've lost enough watches to learn that lesson!) but I just think it's a shame that the C65 was - to me - so close to being spot on but then went wide of the mark.
Personal opinion though!
User avatar
Amor Vincit Omnia
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 33784
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:34 pm
CW-watches: 4
Location: Norfolk, UK

Re: C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

^^^ I completely understand what you are saying here, though is it not true to some extent that what we regard as tool watches nowadays are in general something of an anachronism? Most people, though perhaps not all, buy them because they like the look or the style rather than because the watch is something that they intend to rely on for a particular pursuit, activity or job.

It seems that by far the most popular style of watch among our members is the dive watch. I wonder how many of us who own one or more have actually used it for scuba-diving. Some certainly will have, but I suspect the majority won’t. I certainly take mine in water but I only use about the top metre.

I know there are certainly a couple of pilots in our ranks, but again I suggest that the majority of people who buy the aviator style watches are unlikely to have wrestled with the complexities of flying an aeroplane.

I have a fondness for chronographs and use them for all sorts of little tasks. I’ve never actually used a mechanical wrist chronograph to time a sporting event. When I refereed rugby and umpired hockey at school I used a wristwatch but it was a quartz digital. When I timed athletics events I tended to use an electronic stopwatch on a lanyard. I’ve certainly never used the tachymetre scale to calculate speed over a given distance. The Speedmaster, which I venerate, was a relatively basic but good quality chronograph watch of its (pre-quartz) time. It proved useful during spaceflight, certainly on Apollo 13, but that was in the days when on-board computers had about the same processing ability as a pocket calculator, and a tiny fraction of the power now built into your iPhone.

I wouldn’t know this for certain, but I have a reasonable assumption that scuba-diving, flying aeroplanes, and therefore I suppose sailing yachts competitively, use electronic devices that are far more sophisticated than mechanical watches, at least in terms of their accuracy and computing power.

In some ways our current crop of tool watches is a throwback, or perhaps homage, to the essential state-of-the-art equipment of previous generations. A useful backup tool, perhaps, but no longer as relevant as a primary user interface in these situations.

Discuss. :D
Steve
Linguist; retired teacher; pilgrim; apprentice travel writer

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time


Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. (Max Ehrmann)
User avatar
monkeymax
Senior Guru
Senior Guru
Posts: 584
Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 10:30 pm
CW-watches: 3
Location: South England

Re: C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by monkeymax »

Of course, I agree with what you wrote Steve and accept that I'm in the minority in that my watches have complications that are used. I don't dive but my Kingfishers have instead been snorkeling with me, and on a dive emergency course, and the lume has helped while in a dark boat. I have also used a couple of my chronograph watches to time race car laps (though back then it was more frequently the G-Shock as I was also getting my hands very dirty, though the CW chrono got used in a professional aspect a few times too). You're right in that usually there's usually a more powerful digital version available but then you could make the same argument of having our phones to check the time. (Certainly in my current professional world, the boats have lots of computing power on board, but the sailors still have mechanical watches on their wrist which are used as backup and are not always just advertising stunts) The watch on my wrist is always more convenient and quicker to use, and doesn't crash.

I'm all for watches having a style as a throwback, homage or purely for fashion but I think the details still have to be gotten right. I guess ultimately it doesn't matter as I won't be buying this C65 but I think they were so close to getting it spot on, and just narrowly missed. I accept maybe none of these will ever end up on a boat, but I think that possibility shouldn't be a consideration and it should be designed and tested as though it would be.
jharris2741
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:42 am

Re: C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by jharris2741 »

I think CW drew its inspiration from the 70's and the valjoux 7733 and 7734 movements with their huge variety of dial and sub register color. I do think they achieved the look of the 70's with a modern movement. I agree, the Memosail is a better, sailing-dedicated watch though the C65 is functional in the all important , final 60 seconds before the start. Furthermore , in today's black and white dial universe , I appreciate the bolder look of a mixed blue , white and orange dial and hand chrono hand. I've certainly taken advantage of blue's strong showing in the last few years with a CW C60 Trident Pro, the CW C65 Chrono and my Tudor Pelagos in blue (maybe the perfect blue for a casual tool watch ). I've also enjoyed the C65's aluminum bezel in today's saturated gloss ceramic bezel environment.
User avatar
MichaelMD
Senior Guru
Senior Guru
Posts: 462
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:09 pm
CW-watches: 1
Location: Maryland, USA

Re: C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by MichaelMD »

Love that watch. They nailed those colors. Congrats

Sent from my Galaxy S20 using Tapatalk

User avatar
Thermexman
Trusted Seller
Trusted Seller
Posts: 6225
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2016 6:40 am
CW-watches: 4
Location: South West UK

Re: C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by Thermexman »

Congrats on the new addition to the collection. I love those Memosails and reckon the C65 is a really nice fit. I might be biased though.

I’ll never need mine for a boat race so the feeling that CW somehow missed the bullseye with some of the finer, functional, details, isn’t a worry for me. I just love the look and am fully appreciative of the fact that they nailed the 60/70s vibe, with most of the details.

Once again, congrats.

FE458A5E-55DB-41D9-9630-351169819C1A.jpeg
Steve.
Doogie
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:35 pm
CW-watches: 2

Re: C65 Chronograph and Memosails

Post by Doogie »

That's a great looking watch, love the colours! Never seen those Memosails before, just checked them out on the web, really like the inner dials!
Rob

2012 C70 DBR1 COSC (184/300)
2015 C11MSL Mk1 Automatic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post