Rock Solid - A New Collection for the C63 Sealander

The C63 Sealander has always been the understated option in the Christopher Ward lineup. Reasonable case sizing, reserved dial colours, and normally paired with a brushed three-link bracelet. But even the most serious of watches need to let their hair down sometimes.

Introducing the new C63 Sealander Rock Solid limited editions featuring stone dials. These colourful creations have launched what is a sensible watch into the crazy world of stone dial design. We managed to get hands on with all four configurations at the WatchGecko HQ so let’s take a closer look at them.

These watches feature the 36mm case and modified Sellita SW200-1 movement that anyone familiar with Christopher Ward will know and love. These cases are beautifully designed with contrasting brushed surfaces and polished bevels. The sloped bezel integrates brilliantly into the case edges, and the lugs are curved down to site perfectly on your wrist. The indices are baton shaped and diamond polished, perfectly legible but not intruding on the dial. There are two choices of bracelet, the three link Bader, a classic and reliable sport bracelet. And the five link Consort bracelet, polished and brushed for a dressier, more outspoken style. This would be the one I would pair with these wonderful stone dials. Well proportioned, reliable movement, and great build quality. We all knew that the watch itself would be good but that’s not what you’re here to see. Let’s dive into these awesome dials.

Stone dials have been a part of watch design since the late 1950s and became extremely popular during the 1970s. Two of the brands that pioneered this design were Piaget and Rolex. In the last 18 months or so there has been a resurgence in the number of brands producing watches with stone dials. It seems that trends truly are cyclical. The brilliance of stone dials comes from their bright natural colourations and their unique patterning. Every stone dial is unique as they are formed from natural processes which therefore makes every watch sporting a stone dial a unique piece! There is one major drawback with a stone dial, their fragility. In order to make a stone dial you have to cut the stone extremely thin. Unlike metal, stone becomes very brittle and fragile when reduced to the thickness required for use as a dial. This means that failure rates are high and production costs are elevated above more standard metal dial construction. But if you ask me it’s worth it because the results are breathtaking. Let’s take a closer look at the four stones.

This was Mario, our wonderful videographer’s firm favourite of the four. And I have to say, he has good taste. The varying shades of green that are naturally formed make this dial not only beautiful, but completely unique. No other malachite dial will look exactly like this one here. The way the steel compliments the green dial is modern and bold. I love how the green varies from those bright bands to very dark sections. This could possibly be my favourite as well.

It’s becoming a bit of a running joke at HQ how much I like light blue. Honestly, you say something once on a podcast episode and it haunts you forever! But aside from my clear bias towards this shade of blue, this turquoise dial is incredible. Like with the malachite, this stone is formed through natural processes and so will be completely unique to any other dial. Our particular dial has dark deposits running throughout the dial. This adds a layer of detail as you look closer, drawn in by the vibrant colour, and then you notice the intricate dark patterning.

I actually had to look up this one as when I saw the purple colouring I assumed this would be amethyst. Turns out charoite is rarer and more opaque than amethyst and features the distinctive swirling patterns that, like with the other dials in this launch, adding a layer of interest beyond just the colour. This feels like one of the most fun of all the colours to me as the swirling pattern gives me a feeling of excitement. And combined with the purple tone, a colour not commonly seen on watch dials, makes for a dial that feels ready to party.

When I was younger, my parents took me to a souvenir shop while we were on holiday somewhere in England. They had a vast selection of gemstones in small boxes all different amazing colours. I remember that this is where I saw Tigers Eye for the first time. When we got home, I would spend hours staring at the fine layers of colour within the stone that ranged from bright yellow to chocolate brown. I was fascinated and for that reason, I will always be a fan of a tigers eye dial. The particular dial we had in the HQ had a beautiful gradient from dark brown to yellow. This dial very much gave me the feeling of old money. Smoking jacket and slippers vibes.

Now for some bad news. With the rarity and complexity of making stone dial watches, these models have been limited in production to 150 pieces per stone. That seems low when you consider how many watches Christopher Ward sell combined with how many people would want to own one of these. I feel they should have made more, but perhaps they have kept it limited so that there can be similar releases in the future. I do hope so.

The Rock Solid collection is a brilliant new release from Christopher Ward. I expected the watches themselves to be brilliant. The C63 platform is a very good watch in its most basic form. What I did not expect is how much these new dials would elevate the collection. Each of the four dial options look beautiful and have their own character. If you are in the market for a stone watch, I highly recommend picking one of these up. Or even if you’re not but want something a bit different to add to the collection that still is a fine watch at its core. You’ll probably have to act fast, as I don’t see these sticking around for very long!

Case Material:  Stainless Steel

 Case Size:  36mm

 Strap Size:  20mm

 Case Height: 10.75mm

 Lug-to-Lug: 42.87mm

 Case Weight:  53g

 Water Resistance:  15ATM (150M)
 Movement: Sellita SW200-1
 Power Reserve:  38hrs
 Jewels: 26
 Vibrations: 28,800p/hr (4Hz)
 Timing Tolerance: +/- 20 seconds per day
 Lume:  SuperLuminova X1 BL C1