Premium British watch brand, Christopher Ward, launches its slimmest watch to date, the C5 Malvern 595. The new ultra-slim mechanical watch will sit within the brand’s Malvern collection, a range that is renowned for its quality, remarkable value and quintessentially English design values. Over recent years there has been a growing consumer demand for slim watches. Recognising this trend, Christopher Ward’s Co-Founder Mike France wanted to try something new, and so came a challenge for the Christopher Ward design and technical teams.
Mike France, explains: “I knew immediately that it would be a significant test for us to create a truly ultra-slim watch. But I felt that it could be possible. And so, my challenge to the team was, can we create a mechanical timepiece, under 6mm high, at a Christopher Ward price point?”
The first step towards meeting this challenge was to source a suitable movement. The chosen one being ETA’s 7001, an offering from the Swatch-owned movement giant that has proven to be reliable and robust as well as slim, it is only 2.5mm tall. The 7001 is a 17-jewel mechanism with an incabloc shock protection system and 42 hours of power reserve, ticking at 21,600bph. This small but powerful movement was the perfect choice for Christopher Ward as not only is it slim in profile, but it’s diameter is small too, sitting at just 23.3mm.
On the ETA 7001, Mike France comments: “It’s not often that we start using a new movement we’ve never tried before, but the closer we looked at this one, the more impressed we were. In particular, we loved how robust and stable it seemed.”
The next test in the creation of this stunning new timepiece, was the design. Christopher Ward’s designers approach was to match the slender case profile with a simple and clean aesthetic. The case tolerance is just +0/-0.10, leaving no room for even the tiniest variation, which was a challenge to the Christopher Ward design team and component suppliers who worked together collaboratively to produce the C5 Malvern 595. The crown is neat, diminutive and delicate in its design with the brands twin flag motif and a sophisticated, subtle profile.
Adrian Buchmann, Senior Designer at Christopher Ward explains: “Because the 595’s most important quality is that it’s very slim, it was important we didn’t distract from that – which, mostly, meant removing clutter. So, the dial is very simple, with no raised elements or extraneous detail, and we needed exceptionally pure, clean hands. The main detail, in fact, is on the rear of the watch, where we have used a crystal exhibition caseback, so the movement can be viewed.”
The domed pearly white (or cool grey, as the piece comes in two variants) Opalin dial of the new piece has a sandblasted finish with printed indexes and the Christopher Ward logo. The hour and minute hands are presented in black, polished with soft curves to create a monochromatic contrast into the dial, as well as excellent legibility. At just 39mm in diameter, the case proportions of the C5 Malvern 595 mean that the piece is extremely wearable, for both men and women.
Virtually no other brand had made an ETA 7001-powered watch that’s below 6mm. Christopher Ward has managed to achieve that and, as the name suggests, the final watch is 5.95mm tall and priced at £595.00.
The creation of the C5 Malvern 595 marks another milestone for Christopher Ward, a brand that has always pushed itself to create timepieces that challenge the status quo. The new timepiece is the first of a number of launches scheduled for Christopher Ward in 2018 and is indicative of the level of quality that can be expected from the brand going forward.
Available on a vintage oak leather strap in camel, brown or black, or on a Milanese mesh bracelet, the C5 Malvern 595 is priced at £595.00 www.christopherward.co.uk
