Treasuring Precious Summer Vibes This Monday Morning With The Christopher Ward C65 Super Compressor Elite
You’re a happy and lucky soul if you can put sunshine in your pocket. But if you can’t manage to do so or that’s too abstract, what about putting some sunshine on your wrist? All you need to do is strap on a Christopher Ward C65 Super Compressor Elite, and you’re golden. This watch will help you treasure your summer vibes and will even keep the blue Mondays that are coming at bay.
Say what you will about the Christopher Ward C65 Super Compressor Elite, but it does have flair. This watch won’t go unnoticed. Yes, some will shy away from the prominent orange and blue hues, and others will embrace them with the excitement one must feel upon having finally captured a rainbow. No matter your feelings about the C65 Super Compressor Elite, this is a diver with panache and character. And I, for one, like its flamboyance and brio that also comes with quality thanks to the watch’s solid build and chronometer certification.
The Christopher Ward C65 Super Compressor Elite is more than just a colorful creature
The C65 Super Compressor Elite’s foundation is its typical case. Four years ago, Christopher Ward released its first C65 Super Compressor, and Senior Designers Adrian Buchmann and Will Brackfield, together with Technical Director Frank Steltzer, completely reverse-engineered the classic Super Compressor case from the 1950s. Allow me to simplify the original and the new construction. As the name kind of says, when the dive watch’s case goes deeper, the water pressure compresses it, resulting in a watertight watch.
The updated “CW” case showed the 300-micron-thick compression spring, which pushes everything together, through an exhibition case back. In addition, it was and still is highlighted by an orange aluminum ring. I’m telling you this because you might have difficulty looking past the C65 Super Compressor Elite’s bird-of-paradise-like styling, but there is a lot of technical capability to enjoy.
It’s a chronometer as well!
Besides being water resistant to 150 meters, the C65 Super Compressor Elite is a COSC-certified chronometer. Though the orange ring, the spring it highlights, and the Super Compressor medallion are the stars of the case back, under it lies the automatic Sellita SW300-1 movement. The 4Hz, chronometer-certified caliber runs with an accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day and will do so for 56 hours after a full wind (and no subsequent movement). Now, let’s go back to the steel coin bearing the original EPSA Super Compressor diving-helmet logo. This logo, done in relief, harks back to vintage watches on which the helmet was the mark of a veritable Super Compressor watch. But that’s enough about the specs for today; you can find everything there is to know in Jorg’s excellent and elaborate introduction article for the watch.
Wearing the flamboyant C65 Super Compressor Elite
Thankfully, I’m not afraid of colors. I don’t mind a mix of them, and I don’t usually shy away from bright hues. And that’s a good thing regarding the vivacious C65 Super Compressor Elite paired with an equally buoyant rubber strap in light blue and orange. Man, this thing is bright! It’s lively too. Good thing it isn’t massive. The case measures a moderate 41mm diameter and a medium 13.75mm thick, and the 47.12mm lug-to-lug length is decent. The only thing that’s fairly large is the 22mm strap width. This amplifies the visual impact of the light blue Tropic-style strap with its bright orange sides.
Wearing the watch is a joyous affair. Its weight of 72 grams makes it light enough to go physically unnoticed yet heavy enough to give you a quality feel. It’s a solid and well-finished watch, and its predominantly brushed finish, underlined by the slim polished outer bezel and the bevels along the case sides, shows that. The shape of the case is elegant and dynamic, and when matched with a dial showing a colorful center and a light outer ring, the result is nothing but spirited and sparkling.
This is no ordinary watch
One of the visual aspects that makes wearing the C65 Super Compressor Elite such a nice experience isn’t the bright colorway. Rather, it’s the presence of the two crowns on the right side of the case. The look is classic and striking, and it invites you to fiddle around with them. The fiddling starts with the lower crown featuring the brand’s logo — do you still perceive it as a logo of a software company rather than a watch brand? — which allows you to set the time. Once done, you will most likely leave that screw-down crown alone. The upper crown with its orange ring controls the white internal dive-time bezel featuring large dark blue numerals and a bold orange triangle as the 60-minute marker.
The distinct look of a Super Compressor case mixes well with the bright colors of the dial and the strap. The watch as shown in these pictures is in its most daring attire and available for €1,795. You could tone the watch’s bold appearance down by removing the Tropic-style strap and switching to a light blue Aquaflex rubber strap or a rugged steel, brushed three-row bracelet that Christopher Ward dubbed the Bader bracelet. The first option will raise the watch’s price slightly to €1,805, while the second option leads to a total of €1,960.
Not just a tool watch in essence
Based on the pictures in the press release, my pick is the light blue Aquaflex strap. The Tropic Style strap wears well, but the orange sides are too much for me. I prefer to have all the action going on the dial in the case of this blue and orange Super Compressor dive watch. The steel bracelet is a bit too heavy for my taste, but since this is, in essence, a tool watch, a bit of over-engineering doesn’t hurt. I just prefer the soft hue and contemporary look of the smooth rubber Aquaflex strap.
When I say “tool watch in essence,” I’m referring to the historical background of the C65 Super Compressor Elite’s design. But the watch could also serve as a proper tool watch. Sometimes during a dark winter, light is the only thing that can brighten your mood. And it’s not just me saying that. Harvard Health says, “Bright light therapy can help ease SAD” (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Granted, I’m not a doctor or expert in the field of SAD, and I’m aware that the C65 Super Compressor Elite is not a lightbox providing an exposure of 10,000 lux of light — there is Super-LumiNova to help you read the time in the dark, though. Still, the brightly colored, summery dial could do wonders in winter. I will test it myself and let you know the effects around mid-January 2025.
For more information on the C65 Super Compressor Elite, visit the official Christopher Ward website. And please use the comments section if you think this watch can help you through a dark and gloomy autumn and winter.
