Christopher Ward Debuts Two New Summer Ready Divers in Vibrant Colors

We’re right in the thick of summer, according to both the calendar, and the thermometer. If you’re a watch lover that’s living in part of the large swath of the United States that’s been experiencing the first major heatwave of the season, your watch choices have probably gravitated toward the light weight, simple, robust watches that stand up to high temps and dunks in the pool. If the watches are colorful and fun, all the better, because that’s what summer is all about, right? Christopher Ward has two new releases that feel perfectly matched to the season, in all the ways a watch can be. 

First up is a recently released update to the C60 Sapphire, this time in a bright shade of orange. We’ve covered this watch extensively since its release (Zach W. reviewed it here). Previous versions have been released in both blue and black, and the orange certainly has its own distinct personality. According to Christopher Ward, this color was inspired by the bright colors used in watch design at the tail end of the 60s. There’s no denying that was a uniquely adventurous time in the watch world, but this isn’t just a throwback. This is a modern, design-forward diver with great specs (water resistance to 600 meters in a case measuring 40mm in diameter and just 12.95mm tall), at an affordable price point of $1,070 on a bracelet (it’s under $1,000 on a strap), in an undeniably fun summer colorway. 

Christopher Ward’s latest release is perhaps even more directly tied to an earlier era of watch design, and also appears with a bright, multicolored, summer-ready dial. The C65 Divetimer Special Edition uses a decompression scale in the dial’s interior, represented as a series of concentric circles in varying shades of blue and orange. This is a niche feature on a dive watch, and is really only useful in real-world diving scenarios (as the name of the scale suggests, it’s used to aid a diver in calculating decompression times and depths through the course of an ascent to the surface). That said, the circular pattern of the scale itself has an appealing aesthetic quality to it, and lends itself to a bold use of color. 

The C65 Divetimer Special Edition runs on a somewhat unusual movement, the Sellita SW210. This is a hand-wound caliber, and was selected by Christopher Ward for its slender dimensions, which allow this watch to come in at 11.55mm tall with a diameter of 41mm. That’s a great, balanced size for a sports watch, and there’s something old-school and charming about a hand-wound diver, in particular. 

Like other recent Christopher Ward watches, the Divetimer Special Edition makes use of the brand’s “light catcher” case finishing, which mixes brushed and polished finishes at sharp angles to create a finish that’s appealing to the eye and punches well above its weight. Water resistance is rated to 150 meters, and the hand-wound movement provides 42 hours of power reserve. At $715 on a bracelet, there’s a lot of value in this watch. 

For more information on the C60 Sapphire in orange, check out Christopher Ward’s website right here. The C65 Divetimer Special Edition, which is limited to just 150 pieces, can be found here. *update, the C65 Divetimer has sold out since publishing