C63 Sealander: The quest for EveryWatch™

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Decades ago, before wristwatch culture took hold, the most savvy watch connoisseurs on the planet – the Italians – posited that a well-dressed individual would need three timepieces: one for dress, one for work, one for play. That’s fine for collectors, but for everyone else, it begged the question, “Could one watch do everything?”

At Christopher Ward, we had already addressed specific genres, including pilots’ watches, military-inspired timepieces, divers’ watches, and dress models in formal styles. It occurred to us, while researching how to combine all three watch roles into one timepiece, that the extant “luxury sport” watches which could, arguably, go from beach to office to soiree, failed to address one important factor in serving as an EveryWatch®. With the C63 Sealander® collection, we have redressed this: we have made our do-everything models affordable.

Rectangular and square cases, as examples, are too dressy and do not lend themselves to being made water-resistant, while unusual shapes are matters of taste and one might quickly tire of iconoclasm. Instead, we chose a universally-admired shape, one that accounts for the vast majority of timepieces sold during the wristwatch’s first century-plus: every C63 Sealander® employs our Light-catcher™ round stainless steel case secure to 150m/15ATM, thanks to its screw-in exhibition caseback and screw-down crown; for the C63 Sealander® Elite, the crown is our new retractable design. Round is the perfect form because watch hands trace a circle.

“Could one watch do everything?”

Next, we selected a movement shared by the three editions of C63 Sealander®, one known for its reliability: the Sellita SW base calibre, adapted to suit each of the trio. In the entry-level C63 Sealander® Automatic, the Sellita SW 200 shows hours, minutes, seconds and date. For the C63 Sealander® GMT, the SW330-2 variant adds the display of a second time zone. Lastly, in the C63 Sealander® Elite, the SW200-1 undergoes rigorous testing to earn COSC chronometer certification. All are fitted with the unique Christopher Ward quick-release strap and bracelet system for easy interchanging of straps, including a bespoke metal bracelet with micro adjustment.

Our most affordable mechanical model, the C63 Sealander® Automatic measures 39mm in diameter. Offered with a choice of black or white hand-finished, polished lacquer dials, with applied, faceted indices bars, the C63 Sealander® Automatic enjoys a power reserve of 38 hours. For the C63 Sealander® GMT, the power reserve extends to 56 hours and the case size increases to 39.5mm. The second time zone is indicated by a large orange hand with white luminous infill. It, too, is available with black or white hand-finished, polished lacquer dials, with applied, faceted indices bars.

For the flagship C63 Sealander® Elite, the power reserve is shared with the C63 Sealander® Automatic while the case size increases to 40mm and the material for it is Grade 2 titanium. Arguably the most-accessible COSC-certified chronometer available, and our lightest-ever mechanical watch, the C63 Sealander® Elite is offered with a choice of matte black or matte blue dial, with see-through segments.

As for the aforementioned decisions? We’ve made it easy for the potential owner. Each C63 Sealander® represents the ultimate value-for-money in its category, so all he or she has to decide is which of the three fits the budget, and then select the dial colour. After all, we had to leave something up to the customer.