Who says you can't make a difference?

Discuss Christopher Ward watches
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peterh
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Re: WHO SAYS YOU CANT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ???

Post by peterh »

President wrote:But why not some more Automatic L.E.s for non-forum members?
Why would non-forum members not become forum members? ;)
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Re: WHO SAYS YOU CANT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ???

Post by Terminator 2 »

President wrote:With all due respect, most people wouldn't care about or know the difference between a quartz or an automatic. I do realize CW has to make things which sell well, and not just please us WIS. But why not some more Automatic L.E.s for non-forum members?
That is exactly my point President. CW has bills to pay so he needs to cater for the masses also. I suspect that there are two reasons for the lack of Auto,s. The first is probably due to the ETA issue we are now familiar with. The second is probably cost. I am totally guessing but I reckon CW shift a lot of watches at £150 or under. It is an ideal pricing point. In fact it may be why you now get a C1 wih a standard leather strap. It is so easy to get a price wrong as I know only too well. Autos will just shoot the price up. It is a much narrower market for sure.

Remember CW do not wish to lose the quality. The only answer would be to provide cheap movements but you lot dont want that.
peterh wrote:I don't often find people's disagreeing on, for instance, the looks of the Malvern Automatic (one of my favourites). I'm sure that there are people around that think that the watch looks as oldfashioned as their grandmother's knitting chair, but I'd love to find out whether there are people that hate the Malvern, or couldn't be bothered -
Well if I am honest that is me and I am unlikely to ever own one. However I never mentioned it because I respect that others will and do like it. I can push forward my own likes and fight my own corner but I would never pass comment on others preferences just because they are not for me. Now though you raise the point so for me here is my opinion on the C5

(1)It is too small and dainty.

(2) It is too plain to look at.

(3) It is an auto
peterh wrote:I would, for instance, love to find out where your preference for quartz comes from - is this merely a practical preference, or is there something that you instinctively dislike about a mechanical watch?
It is simple. While I appreciate the beauty of an Auto I just cannot be bothered with the lack of efficiency of its time keeping. It is fine for a watch I will only wear occasionally but for an every day watch it does my head in. The price of the C4 means I can wear it every day and not worry about it.

Now then.

Here is another treat for you wether you like Gold or Stainless Steel. I have managed to get my hands on some more pics of the C4 Terminators.

All I can say is

OMG!!!

I have not been this close to soiling my underwear since I was 3 years old hehe. Geeez I just soo love this dial combination. Also the gold on this image again represents the watch I have more closely.

* Thanks to Fraser at CWL for the pic.

Enjoy ;-)

Image
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Re: WHO SAYS YOU CANT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ???

Post by peterh »

Terminator 2 wrote:Autos will just shoot the price up. It is a much narrower market for sure.
To a point. If it doesn't need to be a chronograph, the C5 does just fine at 159 quid.
Remember CW do not wish to lose the quality. The only answer would be to provide cheap movements but you lot dont want that.
There's my other point. For chronographs, the affordable automatic option would be the VJ7750. And all of a sudden, I am in your camp. I'd rather have an ISA quartz movement than a VJ7750. ;)
Well if I am honest that is me and I am unlikely to ever own one. However I never mentioned it because I respect that others will and do like it. I can push forward my own likes and fight my own corner but I would never pass comment on others preferences just because they are not for me. Now though you raise the point so for me here is my opinion on the C5

(1)It is too small and dainty.

(2) It is too plain to look at.

(3) It is an auto
OK. Now you've made me curious, which is a Good Thing(tm). The too small thing is purely personal, and the auto versus quartz thing is clear. But too plain to look at... would that also apply to the C3?

peter
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Re: WHO SAYS YOU CANT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ???

Post by Terminator 2 »

peterh wrote:OK. Now you've made me curious, which is a Good Thing(tm). The too small thing is purely personal, and the auto versus quartz thing is clear. But too plain to look at... would that also apply to the C3?

peter
Well I dont wish to go off topic but you did ask ;-)

Well it does actually apply to the C3 to a degree although I do own 2 of them. I own a standard steel C3 with the black dial. Its nice in a girly sort of way but its too dressy for me. Interestingly you refer to the gold C4 as being too dressy but I disagree. Yes it oozes quality and looks expensive but in a masculine way. The Gold C4 sends out the message

"CALL ME A SISSY AND I WILL SMASH YER FACE IN PUNK"

I aint kidding either. :lol:

The C3 has a very attractive dial but the overall style of the case & bracelet are just too dainty for me. The case is also very plain and lacks stylised detailing. Put the dial in a C4 and I would be happy. This means the C5 would be even worse. I dont own one but if the CWL website specs are right it is only 38mm whearas the C3 is 40mm and I already think my C3 is too small so 38mm would be a real turn off. I wore my steel C3 at first but I never wear it now. Even the 20mm strap annoys me. Its diameter reminds me of a Timex I was given as a child so I know the 18mm one on the C5 would drive me nuts. All this is nothing against the C3's quality. It has all the hallmarks of the usual CWL standards that we have all become accustomed to.

Now of course this is only my opinion. I have made a concious decision that I will never buy a watch again if it is less than 42mm in diameter. To me a watch for a man should be between 42 & 44mm unless you were born a hobbit. Now I cannot be alone going by the number of larger watches that are appearing in the high street and I am not talking about the tatty huge " in yer face " bling jobs either. Watches are getting bigger and so they should. To me this makes the likes of the C5 very girly indeed because the trend is moving away from watches like those.

The final nail in the coffin for the C3 is the lack of detailing in the dial. Now some of you will prefer plain dials but I like to view intricasy and workmanship in a dial and plain dials just do not do it for me. The C3 however unlike the C5 does have an intricate dial. It is a very well designed dial actually.

Now you may wonder why I bought a 2nd C3. Well I couldnt say no if I am honest. You see a drew up a mock image of a C3 in Gold with a black dial as I thought it would be attractive. Chris happened to point out to me that he actually had one that never made it into production and that he was prepared to sell it ( I reckon he had 2 ;-) ) Now I assure you that one was not free before you lot get ideas lol but the speculator in me decided that it was not every day that you got the chance to buy a watch that nobody else had so I bought it.

Now as I say I am not knocking C3's or C5's. They are just not my style but fortunately CWL is stating to cater for just about everyones personal tastes and that cannot be a bad thing. I am looking forward to getting my Kingfisher for instance.

:headbash:
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Re: WHO SAYS YOU CANT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ???

Post by President »

Any possibility of getting an Alli on it?
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Re: WHO SAYS YOU CANT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ???

Post by joerattz »

Peter, how is the gold plating holding up on that watch?
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Re: WHO SAYS YOU CANT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ???

Post by Terminator 2 »

joerattz wrote:Peter, how is the gold plating holding up on that watch?
I am beginning to think that Chris might just have a little sideline going on pre production watches hehe. Here is my Gold C3 with the black dial.

I dont know about Peters but mine is on the fragile side but I suspect all the C3's and C5's are.

Image

I hardly wear my gold C3 yet there are signs of wear and tear as you can see in the image. Of course mine is a pre production version so I have no idea wether the plating is to the same standard as the final product but my steel C3 seems every bit as fragile too.

Now that does not mean these watches are bad. It just highlights that they are not C4's. The C4 you can wear every day, batter it around if you wish because everything just seems to bounce off the C4. CW told me my C4 would be up to the job and he was right. The bracelet has the odd minor scuff but that case and crystal have take some batterings in the last few months but are still virtually unmarked. In fact the crystal has no marks on it at all. Im very happy with my C4. If you want a CWL to wear every day then that is the one to go for. Heck feel free to swap an engine wearing it if you wish. Unless you are a "lumberjack who chops down trees, wears high heels, Suspenders and a bra. And wish you'd been a girlie Just like your dear Mama" then my recommendation is the C4.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Time will tell on the C6 but I reckon it might be just as good. ;-)
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Re: WHO SAYS YOU CANT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ???

Post by peterh »

joerattz wrote:Peter, how is the gold plating holding up on that watch?
Actually quite well - there's no steel shining through. It marks as easily as the steel C%, which is definitely easier than on any sandblasted or matte-finished watch.
Terminator 2 wrote:Watches are getting bigger and so they should. To me this makes the likes of the C5 very girly indeed because the trend is moving away from watches like those.
I am beginning to understand your watch preference. ;)

But then again, I'm stupid on "trends". I'd prefer a Rover P5 over a BMW X5 in a blink of the eye, and I'd rather wear high heels and suspenders than be found dead in a Porsche Cayenne ;)
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Re: WHO SAYS YOU CANT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ???

Post by President »

peterh wrote:
joerattz wrote:Peter, how is the gold plating holding up on that watch?
Actually quite well - there's no steel shining through. It marks as easily as the steel C%, which is definitely easier than on any sandblasted or matte-finished watch.
Terminator 2 wrote:Watches are getting bigger and so they should. To me this makes the likes of the C5 very girly indeed because the trend is moving away from watches like those.
I am beginning to understand your watch preference. ;)

But then again, I'm stupid on "trends". I'd prefer a Rover P5 over a BMW X5 in a blink of the eye, and I'd rather wear high heels and suspenders than be found dead in a Porsche Cayenne ;)
Proper watches aren't about trends. Show me a single trendy PP. :)
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Re: Who says you can't make a difference?

Post by peterh »

I agree with you - but our definition of "a proper watch" is entirely subjective. ;)
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Re: Who says you can't make a difference?

Post by Terminator 2 »

peterh wrote:I agree with you - but our definition of "a proper watch" is entirely subjective. ;)
Exactly.

Even so I bet manufacturers like Omega or Rolex etc are punting far more of their larger diameter models at the moment ie 42mm. Breitling for instance are really on a roll right now as many of their watches are simply huge. They are on so much of a roll that Breitling must have well and truelly knocked Rolex of the top spot for being replicated. Thats not necessarily a bad thing for Breitling either because the desire for the real thing is vastly increased as a result. The " I gotta have me one of those " syndrome is worth millions in free publicity and these manufacturers know it. I still believe they happily turn a blind eye to this and any manufacturer that has the top spot in the replica world is probably rather pleased and regards it as a result. These companies may " tut tut " in public but are say Rolex honestly happy about no longer being the number one in the fake world? Probably not actually because it means they are not as desirable as they once were and that is not good for real sales in the real world. Are there any CWL replicas out there ??? I doubt it but Chris might actually be rather pleased with himself when his watches are finally worth the effort of doing so.

One thing is sure though is that watch sizes are increasing. Even women are starting to wear mens watches as a fashion statement. If a manufacturer does offer larger watches then they will be selling far more of those. If they only have small diameter watches in their range then I reckon they will be struggling somewhat.
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Re: Who says you can't make a difference?

Post by President »

I'm thinking of getting one for my Father.
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Re: Who says you can't make a difference?

Post by peterh »

Terminator 2 wrote:One thing is sure though is that watch sizes are increasing. Even women are starting to wear mens watches as a fashion statement. If a manufacturer does offer larger watches then they will be selling far more of those. If they only have small diameter watches in their range then I reckon they will be struggling somewhat.
There is one thing that, after giving the matter some thought, occurs to me.

This thing is not that "women have worn men's watches" in the days that a 38mm watch was considered to be fairly large. They have (and yes, I am old enough to know that), but that's not what occurred to me.

What occurred to me is that smaller manufacturers are often better capable of filling niche markets. The C5 is an excellent example of this. Since the C5 (at least when I asked, which was a couple months ago) was the best-selling CW watch, it seems as if the natural growth strategy of CWL as a company cannot do without the C5, WHICH GOES AGAINST CURRENT TRENDS.

A report from the Teeming Millions:
The C5, which is, by popular definition, a non-trendy watch, was the watch that drew me into the CWL world, and I think that this applies to a lot of the members of this forum.
Simply because of the C5, CWL managed to sell me 6 watches... and only two of them were C5's. But if the C5 wouldn't have existed, I would probably not even have known about CWL.

peter
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