Is This the Best Affordable Dive Watch of the Year?

With the ultralight, ultrabright C60 Trident Lumière, Christopher Ward has a new trick up its sleeve.

Christopher Ward watch half lit up in the dark

Published August 30, 2024

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Updated August 30, 2024

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Christopher Ward, an independent brand that has in many ways come to represent the new middle class of watchmaking, turned 20 years old in 2024. And it’s celebrated in style with a string of releases that show a watchmaker eager to display its range.

First we got a pricey, skeletonized take on The Twelve, as well as four 38mm versions of the popular sports watch (bridging the gap between the OG at 40mm and a smaller 36mm variant). Lest we forget, there was also the C65 Super Compressor Elite — a quirky, albeit impressive, redux on a 2020 release that the brand called ” the first genuine ‘super compressor’ in over 50 years.”

But good things come to those who wait, and the British brand’s newly unveiled C60 Trident Lumière is a good thing indeed. Because the affordable diver doesn’t just compete for the best Christopher Ward release of the year but one of the best affordable divers from any brand, period.

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Christopher Ward C60 Trident Lumière

Starts at $1,975

Christopher Ward C60 Trident Lumière

Lightest. Thinnest. Brightest. Most wearable. Most refined. There are plenty of superlatives one could use to describe this new version of the Trident, and most of them would hold water.

Christopher Ward watch — The 41mm case measures just 10.85mm thick, making this the most wearable Trident in Christopher Ward’s collection.

For starters, the 41mm case of the C60 Trident Lumière measures just 10.85mm thick, thanks to its svelte COSC-certified Sellita SW300 automatic movement that promises 54 hours of power reserve and Chronometer accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day.

Christopher Ward watch movment — The thinness comes courtesy of a COSC-certified Sellita SW300 automatic movement beneath the surface.

Pair that package with Grade 2 titanium and a tapered bracelet and you get a watch that expertly balances durability and wearability, while a helium release valve keeps it honest as a true professional diver.

Christopher Ward watch dial — Globolight, used for the indices, logo and handset, is a ceramic developed by Xenoprint that uses Super-LumiNova.

The real show-stopper, however, is the watch’s 3D dial, where the indices, logo and handset jump off the textured face with the help of an innovative ceramic called Globolight XP, which can best be described as solid blocks of Super-LumiNova lume.

“The cost of the dial and handset is significantly more than we’d normally entertain … but it’s so worth it.”

According to Jörg Bader Jr., the head of product at Christopher Ward, the lume is twice as bright as any previous Trident model — an impressive feat considering the Trident has always shined for its luminosity. The new dial is also four times more expensive to produce.

Christopher Ward watch in the dark — According to the brand, the lume here is twice as bright as any other Trident, a model already known for its excellent luminosity.

“The cost of the dial and handset is significantly more than we’d normally entertain … but it’s so worth it,” Bader says.

Pricing and availability

Fortunately, the C60 Trident Lumière won’t cost four times the amount of your typical Trident.

Available in three different dial colors — orange, blue and black — the watch starts at $1,975 on a rubber strap and $2,390 with the titanium bracelet. Preorders are open now, with a ship date in “early September,” the brand says.

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