Aviation watches

Discuss Christopher Ward watches
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Aviation watches

Post by Pikey »

How come CW have stopped making pilots watches? Are there any plans to make more in the future?

C8 Power Reserve Chronometer was a particular favourite, really wished I'd bought one.

I have a C1000 Typhoon which although its a really nice watch I'm going to sell in the near future, looking to buy a more basic time only manual wind pilots watch, possibly from Steinhart. That doesnt really add anything to the above question, but just saying :)
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Re: Aviation watches

Post by albionphoto »

My guess would be that the market for aviation watches that CW could reach was too small. As a small business they have to concentrate on what sells.
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Re: Aviation watches

Post by Illiera »

albionphoto wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 5:40 pm My guess would be that the market for aviation watches that CW could reach was too small. As a small business they have to concentrate on what sells.
It’s completely this, I remember reading an interview where they said that they are not big sellers and so they can’t justify the investment.
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Re: Aviation watches

Post by albionphoto »

Aviation watches and Field watches are popular on social media but apparently the outside world doesn't care. I'm not a fan either necessarily but I do love my C8 UTC. I think part of the problem was that most of the aviation watches were derivative and apart from the caseback they could have come from anyone. Others will disagree with me on this but after many years of trying the range disappeared.
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Re: Aviation watches

Post by Stuart1 »

Doesn’t the C65 Cranwell count?
It does remind of the 6bb watches, admittedly it is an auto, but a chronometer.
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Re: Aviation watches

Post by albionphoto »

Stuart1 wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 6:11 pm Doesn’t the C65 Cranwell count?
It does remind of the 6bb watches, admittedly it is an auto, but a chronometer.
That's a good point. It has elements of flieger or field design around the use of arabics and not indices but it is in the retro dive (C65) and military categories on the CW website. I don't think it is a pure aviation watch. YMMV, of course. The C8 range were the traditional aviation watch range. It shows you can be clever with your product branding. And it could certainly be said that CW snuck an aviation style watch in the range without using specific watch cases. Very efficient IMO.
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Re: Aviation watches

Post by DEV.Woulf »

I've never been an avaitor watch person (though I quite like the jackets!). I love reading about military history (and my grandpa would tell me his WW2 stories growing up) but that's about it. I guess growing up with everything James Bond really drew me to dive/dress watches. I will say though a small part of me regrets not buying the C5 Battle of Britain. That was one of my favorite CW designs when I first joined in 2012 and I still think it's one of their best watches.

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Re: Aviation watches

Post by thomcat00 »

I think the aviation style is more niche in the watch world. I like them, and I have one of the C8, but one is enough for me. Aviators are larger watches and size trends are toward smaller models generally. The same may also be true for Christopher Ward’s motorsports line; the Rapide collection was a larger diameter at 42mm generally (compared with the 44mm flieger) and both types are at the upper end of my size range. I prefer watches in the 38-41 range.
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Re: Aviation watches

Post by Illiera »

DEV.Woulf wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:39 pm I've never been an avaitor watch person (though I quite like the jackets!). I love reading about military history (and my grandpa would tell me his WW2 stories growing up) but that's about it. I guess growing up with everything James Bond really drew me to dive/dress watches. I will say though a small part of me regrets not buying the C5 Battle of Britain. That was one of my favorite CW designs when I first joined in 2012 and I still think it's one of their best watches.

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Re: Aviation watches

Post by albionphoto »

thomcat00 wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 12:42 am I think the aviation style is more niche in the watch world. I like them, and I have one of the C8, but one is enough for me. Aviators are larger watches and size trends are toward smaller models generally. The same may also be true for Christopher Ward’s motorsports line; the Rapide collection was a larger diameter at 42mm generally (compared with the 44mm flieger) and both types are at the upper end of my size range. I prefer watches in the 38-41 range.
I suspect the issue was not the size of the watches. For many, myself included, the issue was the watches were pretty awful. The designs were either overdone or deeply average. I know some people here love them and, god bless 'em, but motorsport watches are another niche and hard to sell to the general public even when well done. The CW motorsport range was never well done.

EDIT - There was one clever case design which should have gone elsewhere in the CW range. That opportunity has probably closed due to the success of the Light-catcher(tm) case. The only good looking one was the C7 Apex and that's got no motorsport reference at all despite what the publicity blurb said at the time. I know, I know there will be lots of people showing their overblown motorsport watches now, but they didn't sell and the range died.
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Re: Aviation watches

Post by Illiera »

albionphoto wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 12:05 pm
I suspect the issue was not the size of the watches. For many, myself included, the issue was the watches were pretty awful. The designs were either overdone or deeply average. I know some people here love them and, god bless 'em, but motorsport watches are another niche and hard to sell to the general public even when well done. The CW motorsport range was never well done.

EDIT - There was one clever case design which should have gone elsewhere in the CW range. That opportunity has probably closed due to the success of the Light-catcher(tm) case. The only good looking one was the C7 Apex and that's got no motorsport reference at all despite what the publicity blurb said at the time. I know, I know there will be lots of people showing their overblown motorsport watches now, but they didn't sell and the range died.
I think you’re spot on with pilots. They (being pilot watches, not CW) struggle a little to differentiate themselves because they tend to have a similar base designs (44mm, black dial, a hard colour offset set of numerals like white/yellow/etc/red). There will always be a space in my collection for one aviator as that look is a classic and has its place, but I couldn’t see myself having multiples (although I have just bought a C8 P2725 to go with my C8 UTC - to explain my hypocrisy my rationale was that the UTC is a GMT so it covers a slightly different gap in my collection)
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Re: Aviation watches

Post by DEV.Woulf »

I forgot that I have a C11 MSL Auto. I believe this was sold in the Aviator catagory back then but it certainly wasn't your typical one. It's one of my favorites.

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Re: Aviation watches

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

^^^^ C11 MSL was definitely an aviator with its Altimeter based dial.

I've owned several variants over the years, albeit none currently.


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Re: Aviation watches

Post by Stuart1 »

My favourite is the C5A Malvern Aviator from 2006. The early ones had Perlage on the movement with blued screws. The dial was a good modern form of aviator. Being 38mm it is a good classic size.
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Re: Aviation watches

Post by Laird »

I've got all of the C8 Pilots - Marks 1 & 2 - except the PVD monstrosity ... However, this is my favourite C8 ....

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