A Hashtag not just for show – The Christopher Ward C60 #tide

The word luxury and sustainability have been compared/criticized many times in the last few years, is not something that we see often but, there are more questions on where materials that make something are coming from or, whether they are sourced ethically, both are subjects of great interest in present times, and I have to say that it grabbed my interest quite a bit. The sustainability topic is something that many watch houses have adopted lately and there are many people thinking that is just a marketing exercise but, regardless they do it to sell more watches or create brand value, to me still has the same effect which is to benefit our planet. It is true that the watch industry is not the one that has the biggest negative impact on the use of materials, but we do have to start somewhere, hence I was interested on reading the about Tide Ocean SA and their #tide ocean material, impressive and very commendable. Step by step watch brand start to use more earth friendly materials, from vegan leather to recycled stainless steel case, going to medallions made of plastic in the back, again these are baby steps but, we do have to start somewhere. It is true that the luxury segment is one of the most sustainable industries as its products are not disposable, they are emotional purchases that usually are made to celebrate a landmark moment, not something that you sell as easy as a microwave but still, the making of a luxury product does impact our environment. Going back to Christopher Ward and other brands such as Panerai and Blancpain, are relay

making strides when it comes to their products, however they tackle the subject (they could donate part of the profits on their watches, or they use sustainable products for their parts) these power houses are very focused on the wellbeing of the ocean and support organization like BLUE (Blue Marine Foundation). The C60 #tide is a child born of these initiatives, it is a watch that matters and not only is trying to make a difference in tomorrow’s world, but it does it in style. I was so happy when I received the watch for review, it is very different of what I am used to, but it has all the characteristics you want on a 600m diver, let’s begin to peel the layers from this beautiful and noble piece.

Specifications

the C60 #tide is a 42mm diver that fits well on the wrist, partially is because it is under 50mm lug to lug, this makes it more wearable than any other watches of this diameter, the watch is blue, very blue and it shows an array of details that can be appreciated every day, the sapphire dial has a wave motif with Super-LumiNova applied, then in the sun, you can see the inner workings of the Selitta sw200 which has been COSC certified, that view can be seen from the front and the back. The thin bezel is made of ceramic and then you have that beautiful light blue seconds hand with that counter balance trident sweeping away, details, lots of them. The case is finished to perfection, it has brushed, and polished surfaces and it’s all well done, really attractive, it is odd to think that 10 years ago a watch this amount if specifications was not easy to find and it was also very expensive, now it can be found under the 1K GBP mark, it is impressive, really impressive.

On the wrist

Unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure of having the #tide strap but the watch did come on its original bracelet, it is a beautiful piece which includes solid links, easy change an a micro adjustment, very well engineered, plus very comfortable to wear. I wore the C60 #tide mostly on a nato strap, a Marine Nationale to be exact, feels at home and really looks the part, the watch is 14 mm thick but because of the short lug spam it fits well my 6.25-inch wrist. Legibility is key for this watch and the amount of Super-LumiNova applied to it makes the C60 one of kind specimen, the dial lights up making it look like those Sarpaneva watches which cost astronomical figures, the ceramic insert lights up at night too, perfection just perfection. The watch has also a date a 6 o’clock keeping the symmetry that we all enjoy, is there when you need it and disappears when you don’t.

Conclusions

It is easy to say that sustainability is a word that marketing departments are exploiting but we must not forget that in the last 3 years we have seen almost every big luxury player to have a take on this initiative, this is good to us and to our planet because regardless of the reason behind this movement we are really working towards a common goal, in the case of the C60 #tide the watch is incredible to wear but it also has that extra presence of being a more eco-friendly

object and on top of that, it does it without adding any extra cost to the regular line up of divers at Christopher Ward, luxury doesn’t have to be expensive for no reason, with the C60

#tide we can see that with a reasonable price we can have great specs, help the ocean and let brands make a profit, in other words, we all win.

More information at www.christopherward.com

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