C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by nbg »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 6:29 pm I wonder, just a little idle speculation and a rhetorical question...

If Bremont had stuck it on one of their watches would everyone now be all over it? Or am I being a little unfair?
No because they would charge a stupid amount and I would have to wait until it was 50% off in a sale, to even consider it. :)

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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by missF »

Why would CW be accused of 'gimmick' here? 'Gimmick' - to me - implies cynical thinking to fool people with trinkets.
Why would we assume that CW are in the business of cynical thinking?
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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by H0rati0 »

The Elite has distinction, no doubt about it. Both dial and crown say so loudly, the Ti construction underwrites. I think it does more then enough to find its way into crowded collections and I think that it what CW are trying to do here. Much as the C63s attract and are great VFM, most of us already have multiple watches that fill those slots. But we could consider the Elite.....
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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

^^^Thou hast pluckèd the very thought from mine intellect, sirrah!
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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by Thermexman »

Concealed crowns are nothing new.

CW have brought the feature into the 21st century, by making it a push to operate crown, rather than requiring you to risk wrecking your finger nail.

Check out this Seiko from 1965. There are many other examples out there.

So, in my opinion it’s an innovative improvement of a “gimmick” that’s been around for an awful long time.



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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by H0rati0 »

missF wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 6:46 pm Why are we so bad in this country at shooting people who stick their head above the parapet???
Hear hear!

Group-thinkers are bad shots, but so many of them that they eventually do damage - which really is a crying shame.
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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by JAFO »

On reflection, it's certainly a shame the speedy crown isn't a bit less recessed :D
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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by Thegreyman »

Occasionally I'm bothered by the crown digging in, or I notice a mark on my wrist. I also recall a number of posts over the years on here where people complained of the crown bothering them on certain watches.

So for these reasons I'd put it more as a useful feature rather than a gimmick. It probably wouldn't definitively sway my decision whether to buy or not either way, but some people might find that it does, or contributes towards the overall package sufficiently to persuade them to buy.
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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by magicman »

I think it's something, that probably is over engineered, but that's a good thing.
It certainly, separates it from standard designs we're all used to, again good.
I just like the simple thought behind it, and it does serve a purpose.
I don't think the renders, show it in the best light, as it looks a bit lopsided.
So looking forward to seeing it for real.

I suppose another option would be a sprung crown, that has a bit of give, but with a more traditional look.

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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by Lu.. »

Thermexman wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 7:20 pm Concealed crowns are nothing new.

CW have brought the feature into the 21st century, by making it a push to operate crown, rather than requiring you to risk wrecking your finger nail.

Check out this Seiko from 1965. There are many other examples out there.

So, in my opinion it’s an innovative improvement of a “gimmick” that’s been around for an awful long time.
+1...although CW needs to market this innovative gimmick more....initially I did not know that the crown retracts like a pen until reading the article in the Loupe magazine.....it would've been nice for them to at least place a video of how it works on their website.....
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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by Lavaine »

Is it a gimmick? I guess that depends on your perspective. I wear my watch on the right wrist, so for me it's a gimmick. If you wear your watch low on the left, it may solve a real issue.

Is it innovative? No. Omega already uses this mechanism on a watch, albeit a much more expensive one. Also, as someone mentioned above, the crown mechanism comes from a third party, so if it is innovative, CW is not the innovator, rather the end user.

Regardless of whether it is a gimmick or innovative, it's a nice watch, with a fairly unique feature, and should do well for CW. Who knows, this is possibly a design cue for all future "Elite" models.
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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by strapline »

Well...I started the thread so I probably should offer my opinion on the matter.

There is much to like about the watch but, for me, the retractable crown is not its strong suit. I like a visible crown; it's the interface between user and mechanism. It's a place to add texture, detailing and a logo, why wouldn't I want it on show? It's also an inherent part of a watch's profile. Some models further enhance that profile by adding guards to their designs. Perhaps I also like the asymmetric element having a crown lends a watch, otherwise the case is just too much of an uninterrupted circle.

So I like the watch, but I'm really not sure about that crown. As to the word 'gimmick', maybe its use wasn't that wide of the mark.
According to the Oxford English dictionary: Gimmick n. A trick or device intended to attract attention rather than fulfil a useful purpose.

I'll let you decide...

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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by stefs »

I think it is brilliant. It is definitely one of the features that made me place my order. I loved the omega ultralight that I believe Rory was involved in with regards to the design. You do see a number of pros wearing this watch. Lightness through the use of titanium and a crown that doesn't dig in for sport or other activity is all very positive to me and makes it a true sports watch. The fact that CW has done this for about 1/30th the price of Omega is I think quite impressive.
Just my tuppence worth.
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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by StrapMeister »

It's NOT a gimmick!
IMO it's simply a very clever solution to a real world problem (for some) and thus an innovation.
Well done CW :clap:
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Re: C63 Elite - innovation or gimmick?

Post by redmonaco »

I think the crown is a cool innovation/gimmick. Could be seen as useful but who cares, I like the gimmick value (a bit like a helium escape valve when I don't even go down to the deep end of the swimming pool!!!

The cut=outs on the dial are another story though. I really don't like them, they serve no possible purpose that I can think of, and I think they look awful. I'd never want to own one because of them...
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