Christopher Ward C60 & C61 Trident Comparison Watch Review

The Christopher Ward C60 Trident has been one of their most successful models. It’s understandable why. It’s a beautiful diver, with impressive specs at an affordable price.

For many, though, the 42mm is just slightly too big. Unfortunately, you do have to have a larger wrist, or prefer larger watches to get along with it. For those who prefer smaller, classier watches, or those who have smaller wrists, the C60 has been a no-go, much to their disappointment.

Until now. Christopher Ward have released the C61 Trident, which is the smaller brother of the C60. With a case size of 38mm, it is much better suited for those who thought the C60 was too big. You may ask, “what’s 4mm going to do?!” But you’ll be surprised.

Have a look at our comparison below to see exactly what the differences between the two models are.

Specs

Looking at the specs of both watches, there are only two differences:

• > the size of the case
• > and the width of the strap

They both:

• > Have the same movements
• > Have 4mm sapphire crystals
• > Are water resistant to 300m / 1000ft
• > Have a screw in back plate

Let’s look at the different aspects of the C60 and C61 in a little more detail to see which one would suit you better.

The case

As mentioned before, the case is one of the main differences. The C60 clocks in at 42mm diameter and 13mm tall, whereas the C61 is 38mm diameter and 10.3mm tall. This difference in case size makes way for 40g in weight – the C60 being 129 grams and the C61 89 grams. This extra weight, believe it or not, does alter how the watch feels and sits on your wrist. The lighter weight of the C61 means that it is better weighted by the strap and less likely to spin on your wrist. But, if you’re a bit of a beefcake who believes that the larger, heavier and chunkier the watch the better (like I do), then it’s obvious that the C60 would be better suited for you.

It’s quite surprising just how much difference 4mm in diameter makes. The C61 seems so much more compact and comfortable on my fairly average 7.5 inch wrist. For anyone with a wrist size of 6.5 inches or less, I would say that the C61 is definitely the one for you. It’s interesting to note that the smaller size almost makes it a different watch altogether – it feels more like a sporty dress watch than a diver. It also makes less of a statement on the wrist hanks to the more natural size.

The case shape is identical on both watches, the C61 being exactly the same as the C60, just scaled down 4mm.

The crown is smaller as you’d expect on the C61. The grip is also different – not quite as deep, with different sized ridges. This makes unscrewing it and setting the time harder, which is why I prefer the crown on the C60. They both have the CW logo embossed on the end.

All of the machining is spot on for both cases – and are exactly the same in design and build. The lugs are the same shape and angle, the crown guards are the same, and the parts which are polished and brushed are the same too.

The dial

The dial texture itself is exactly the same, the wave pattern being no different between the two models.

The main visible difference is with the location of the date window. Obviously the size of the movement means that it can only go in one position in relation to the centre of the watch.  So, on the C61 it is very close to the outer minute track, whereas on the C60 it is inside the dial more.

The hands are all of the same design, just scaled down to compensate for the 4mm less on the C61. They are to the exact same scale – the minute, hour and second hands on the C61 reach the same points as the hands do on the C60. The only notable difference is the red tip on the second hand is longer on the C61, which I prefer, making it stand out more. It gives the watch a tiny injection of colour which is more than welcome.

Interestingly, the colour of the lume has completely changed between the two models – the C60 has blue lume, whereas the C61 has green lume. Christopher Ward must have changed this for some reason or another. It wasn’t because the new lume is better, as it isn’t – it’s the usual fairly average Christopher Ward strength.

The strap

The size of the leather straps are different for both watches. The C60 is 22mm wide and 200mm long, and the C61 strap is 20mm and 190mm long. Christopher Ward make the correct choice in reducing the size of the strap, as a 22mm strap would be too wide to look good on the case size and would have put all the ratios out. The thinner strap on the C61 matches the more elegant look.

The butterfly clasps are both the same mechanism, just 2mm difference in width. The leather seems to be the same, except the finish on the top of the C61 seems to be slightly shinier.

Which one do I go for?!

If you’re a stickler for money and what you get for it, then technically the C60 is better value – both of these come out at £450, so you’d be getting 4mm more watch for the same price! That’s more steel, more sapphire crystal, more leather – for the same amount of dosh.

The C61 is more or less a perfectly scaled down version of the C60. The only real notable differences (apart from the obvious 4mm case size) are the date window position, lume colour, and the red tip on the second hand. That is pretty much it.

But, no matter which one you go for, you’ll be onto a winner. I still believe the Trident is one of the best affordable Swiss Made automatic divers available. I love the design, and now those who aren’t too sure about the 42mm of the C60 have a perfect alternative in the 38mm C61.

There is now a Trident for everyone – those like me who prefer a large divers watch, or those who prefer the smaller and classier watch, which doesn’t takeover your wrist.

Either way, you’ll be happy. So it’s up to you and what size you’d prefer.