Jorge and Chris have been living with the new Christopher Ward Bespoke + WatchGecko C63 Sealander GMT for the past few months. All while keeping it a secret, they've taken it on hikes, work trips, office days, lazy weekends, and any other facet of day-to-day life no matter how unexpected. Having spent months living with this watch, they have summarised their thoughts, feelings, and definitely a few emotions for you.
Christopher Ward And WatchGecko Just Made My Perfect Weekend Warrior
Chris Wildgust
For years now I’ve craved the order that can only come with structure, but with kids, work and the general chaos of life like many before me (and probably many long after my time has gone). Structure and order can often feel like mere dreams that slip away!
But for now my fears can at least be partially quelled thanks to my general dogmatic approach to when and how I wear my watches. My philosophy is actually very simple, liberating (in a strange way) and of course it works well for me. Weekdays is the variety show - I wear what I like, when I like and just enjoy the ride! But for the weekends I need something tool-tastic and not too flashy to survive my (seemingly) ever growing hoard of rugrats, cats and general country life. And this, folks, is where my article today really comes into its own thanks to the gorgeous newest release and collaboration between WatchGecko and titans of British watchmaking – Christopher Ward.
For a while I wore my beautiful Breitling Avenger GMT, then an Omega Seamaster “seaweed” 300, but again in typical flipper fashion I sold it and bought a Tudor Black Bay 54, before ultimately settling for a beautiful Tudor Submariner 7016 from 1967.
It was perfect, a match made in horology heaven (or at least heaven adjacent). But then just before Christmas the big boss at WatchGecko handed me this; and as soon as I opened the box, unwrapped the plastic, carefully resized the bracelet and slapped it on my wrist; It didn’t take me long to release that I was in trouble, or my current tool watch was at least.
For a while I’ve been eyeing up the gorgeous Christopher Ward Sealander GMT range. So, it was kismet that I was given this very special edition collaboration - and of course I may be biased but I think WatchGecko and Christopher Ward have absolutely f*cking smashed it here!
It is the Sealander that you all know and love with that fantastic Sellita GMT movement, gorgeous anti-reflective treated sapphire crystal, fantastic finishing and finally amazing on the fly adjustment. These features already make a well-priced watch wear fantastically, but this special edition really hits the spot for me. The well-known 24 hour fixed stainless-steel bezel is coated with DLC and it looks cool as hell! The dial is kind of a reversed sunburst with darker black / grey edges getting lighter towards the centre. This added with the 'Explorer' styled GMT hand and date at 6 o'clock is almost orgasmic in its horological perfection… okay maybe that was a little strong but as you’ve probably determined by now - I’m pretty smitten with this watch.
To illustrate how great a weekend warrior this watch is for me – I wore it on a hike through the picturesque (but insanely cold) Leicestershire trail Beacon Hill. Home to volcanic rocks dating back over 700 million years, the site of a Bronze Age fort, mixed herds of cows, sheep and even Alpaca’s and finally, a mythical headless monk who skulks around from time-to-time. Its atmospheric, beautiful and completely in line with an adventure watch testing ground, in other words it’s the British countryside at its best - the Sealander was most definitely in its element out here.
In previous years GMT watches have really come into their own and captured the collective horological imagination of the community. I personally have always loved a good GMT, regardless of whether it is a callers or travellers movement and this one is as good as they come. With it being limited to just 100 pieces getting your hands on this will put you in quite the exclusive club. So, for me it will be a permanent part of my collection, after all it is my ultimate weekender!
My Favourite Approach to Collaboration Watches
Jorge Moss
When it comes to watch collaborations, there’s a few ways to approach the task. Do you go flamboyant to stand out? Do you whack your name everywhere? Or do you make a solid, versatile watch, built on an existing and renowned platform, that simply speaks for itself? Well WatchGecko has opted for the latter with their Bespoke C63 Sealander GMT. Even the name simply does what it says on the tin. No gimmicks here.
I’ve had the pleasure of wearing (and owning) this watch since November last year, and it simply is a great watch offering a mix of features, aesthetics and pricing, all built on a well established platform from what is easily one of the most renowned British watch companies. But why is it so good?
Well in terms of aesthetics this watch offers a black DLC bezel on the front, as well as framing the movement on the back, something that has held up really well with continued use. What is interesting about that though is where you find the only mention of WatchGecko on the watch head itself, simply saying “Christopher Ward + WatchGecko” on the periphery. Once again allowing this watch to whisper that it’s a collab, rather than scream it at you every time you put it on.
The black and grey fume dial is very subtle, to the point where I think even people who aren't usually big fume fans will appreciate this design greatly, as it offers a nice texture and something to look at, without the usual 'out there' frivolity you get with too much fume due to how muted it is. The small dash of frivolity this watch allows itself can be seen with extremely purposeful dashes of playful orange, something that demonstrates the sportier proclivities this watch has. A dash of orange for the GMT hand, dash on the hour markers of the minute track, and a dash for the water resistance rating. Tasteful, sporty, and to me, in keeping with the collaborators (in this instance WatchGecko’s) identity, something all good collabs should do.
There's also quality of life features here in spades, with on the fly micro adjust as well as quick release spring bars, which while common place, can’t be taken for granted in my view; and certainly wasn’t available the innumerable times I’ve wanted to quickly adjust a bracelet, or swapped the bracelet for the included WatchGecko black and orange nylon, or even an Octopod, which this watch is also available on!
But it’s that ability to switch seamlessly, whilst having the gorgeous subtlety of the fume dial, that hints at the brilliance of this watch. Wearing it every day is the truly quintessential tool watch experience, with the design language that has made Christopher Ward such a darling to the enthusiasts, whilst not only providing a watch that many of their fans have been clamouring for for some time now, but also staying entirely true to WatchGecko’s philosophy and leaving its product catalogue free for you to customise to your hearts content. This, feels truly integral to the DNA of this project, and it really is appreciated every day whilst wearing it out and about.
