I wanted to write this review in the hopes that it will help future customers of the c60 ombre COSC make a informed decision about whether to purchase this watch or not. As being brand new to Christopher Ward and being in the US, I had no opportunity to see or try the watch... Read More

                                I wanted to write this review in the hopes that it will help future customers of the c60 ombre COSC make a informed decision about whether to purchase this watch or not. As being brand new to Christopher Ward and being in the US, I had no opportunity to see or try the watch before purchase, so I felt I was taking a little bit of a gamble purchasing something fully online, and I know a review would have helped me "pull the trigger" on purchasing sooner. So I hope this review does help if you are now in the same position I was.

Overall, I am extremely happy with my purchase and find myself having no regrets deciding to finally purchase a CW watch. Having had my watch for several days now, it brings me a smile every time I see or wear it, and that, at the end of the day, is all that matters. 

First the bad: As I'm in the US, I had to pay a U.S customs duty charge to receive my watch. DHL ended up charging me the wrong "commodity code" and I refused to pay the obscene amount of duty tax DHL had pre-paid for my "convenience". Luckily, a quick email to CW customer service was responded to immediately, and CW was able to take care of the DHL issue within 48 hours. I'm very happy with CW for taking care of the issue, but I find myself thinking, if CW wishes to be stay/continue to grow as a premier watch company, it needs to ensure that their shipping company of choice for the US (DHL), does not continue to make these "duty tax charge" mistakes. At the end of the day this was a minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience none the less. 

Now the good: The watch is absolutely exquisite. As mentioned previously, this is my first watch from CW, and even though I have looked at the CW website for almost a year and read/watched as many reviews I could regarding CW watches, I didn't know really what to expect. 

I purchased the c60 ombre COSC with the distressed leather band, and the band is absolutely wonderful. It matches the watch to a tee and is very unique in terms of the color and pattern. The only way I can think of explaining how it looks in person, is that it is similar to looking at a deep outer space picture with a far view of black space with distant "web"galaxies and stars shown in grey (if that makes any sense). The leather is soft on the inner side and is extremely comfortable to wear. I was afraid the distressed leather would chip or peel, but I quickly learned my fear was unsubstantiated. You will not be disappointed if you get the leather band. It only adds to the watch.

The watch is beautiful and the dial reminds me of the omega meteorite dial watch. The scratched dial and chronometer are the 2 reasons I wanted the watch, and the dial does not disappoint. Its a little more subdued in color tone than the pictures (not as bright of a grey), but very striking and because the watch is 42 mm, others around me easily notice the watch face and I have received several complements. The ombre fade out is very nice, but stops short of extending all the way to the "inner watch wall" for some reason. I personally would have liked the scratched/ombre dial to extend all the way, but understand this was probably a stylistic preference on the part of CW.  

Speaking of the size of the watch, it is 42 mm, but it really does look smaller. The way CW has fashioned the casing and "scraped" off metal in different places makes the watch look slender. A few "watch guys" around me actually mistook the watch for being a 40 mm. But please don't take anything negative from the above, the case is built with quality, has weight, and shows every ounce of effort and quality that really does only show in luxury swiss watches. The casing screams "strength" and portrays itself as being one tough mother....

I am content with the watch thickness, but going back to my summary statement of perfectness, I would have liked the watch to be a little thinner. But I am okay because I understand this case was made to withstand 2000 ft underwater, and while I'm not a professional diver, I appreciate knowing that professional free divers usually never pass 400ft. So imagine what is needed for 5 times that depth/pressure and still have the watch function with such precision.

As mentioned above, the chronometer is one big reason I wanted this watch. You can look up COSC, so I won't bore anyone with details, but I really wanted a watch that a company has painstakingly worked on through every part of the build process to ensure it can be the best it can be in terms of precision. My watch came with a COSC certificate and an average tolerance of -2 secs. That is amazing for an automatic watch. As the COSC site mentions, watches do not become COSC certified merely on chance. The COSC certification is a testament to the quality of the watch being tested, from how its built to how it functions. I commend CW for striving to build watches that meet these high standards, and bearing the badge of chronometer on the c60 ombre COSC is something that both the company and the customer can take pride in. 

Another thing I am happy about is the bezel. The bezel has a matte look to it as opposed to the "glass" reflective look that other CW watches seem to have. I personally find the glass reflective look not to my liking, so I was very happy that this watch's bezel is more subdued and I would dare say more refined. Because it is not glass shiny, it therefore does not take away from the dial. And can I just add, the clicking sound of the bezel being moved is divine. I never thought the click of a moving bezel would be appealing, but this watch does it, and the sound is satisfying enough to calm and relieve stress levels. 

So why did I rate the watch on price and value at 4 and quality at 5. Silly reasons actually. Quality is incredible as mentioned above. Would I have been happier if the watch was cheaper? Of course! Who would not be? So I couldn't give a 5 on price. On value, do I get the same value (worth) from the c60 ombre as I do from my other watches? I find its very close, and one watch in particular that pops in my mind of great "value" is the Tissot Le Locle. Look at everything you get in that watch for the price, which is unbelievable, and therefore, I think higher in value. But don't get me wrong, for the price, the c60 Ombre gives you an incredibly well made watch of luxury quality, with a unique dial, and chronometer! Its value is much higher than most, and that is a thing worth praise. 

All in all, is the watch perfect? No, I find there are little quirks (like thickness, or that the ombre dial pattern did not go all the way to the inner watch wall) that I would have liked to be different, and while fully understanding why those things are needed (thickness to keep the watch from imploding at lower depths of water/stylistic decision..), I find myself noticing those quirks every so often. 

But even with the above, I absolutely love the watch, and I am so happy I took the chance on buying a CW watch. From the moment I first saw the watch upon unboxing, to wearing it at work, to now looking at it in my watch winder, a smile appears. With watches, my attitude has always been either I love them and keep loving them, or I instantly regret buying them (always with in an hour for some reason). The c60 ombre brings me joy and with that joy, all hesitations or quirks disappear. In my humble opinion, I think you will find the same joy and love if you decide to purchase this watch.