Review of the Christopher Ward C8 Pilot

One of the great ironies of life is that technology often advances fastest in times of strife and wa***re. For example, the modern pilot's watch, as well as the entire Panerai company, were both created out of the needs of the last world war. watches online are often decorative as well as functional, so the prospect of imminent demise has a way of removing all excess and distracting elements. At the time, watches were an essential navigational component since dead reckoning requires only a compass, clock, and map. All three had to be reliable and functional. Additionally, piston engines of the time had a much higher level of vibration than do modern jets, so legibility was critical. The original watches of the time were quite large because of this, often 50mm or more, designed to be worn on long straps over an outer coat. Self-winding watches lay in the future, so they were handwound pocketwatch movements. Iconic designs from this time came from IWC, Laco, Stowa, Wempe and Lange. You can read more about them here and here. If you browse those links and the pictures on them, you can see the inspiration for the Christopher Ward C8 pilot here: big crown for use with gloves, upright Arabic numerals, dotted *** at 12 o'clock, luminous hands outlined in black and an easy-to-spot second hand. There's also the ecru-stitched black leather band with (decorative) rivets, matte-finished case (a shiny case is bad in a plane -- the reflections are distracting), as well as the invisible antimagnetic case and dial.Today I'm reviewing a watch that I like a great deal: the Christopher Ward C8 Pilot, model number C8SKK. It's a mechanical watch in the style of pilot's shoes online from decades ago, updated using modern materials and the ETA 2824-2 mechanical movement. Let's start with the specs:44mm by 9.7mm, 140g.22mm leather strap, black with off-white (ecru) stitching, brushed rivets and a nice butterfly double deployant clasp.Antimagnetic inner case and dial.Sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating.Small mineral crystal on the back for viewing of the balance and rotor.Signed oversized crown, gasketed but not screwdown.50m (150ft) water-resistant.Matte finish stainless steel case.Lumed indices and hands in the new blue-white SuperLuminova SLNBGW9.Applied double-dot *** at 12 o'clock to rapidly show dial orientation.ETA 2824-2 movement, 28,800 vph and 38 hour power reserve. Hacking, handwinding with center seconds and date at 3 o'clock.Swiss Made (which usually denotes a vastly more expensive watch).List price is 212 pounds for non-EC buyers, or about $311 as of December 2008.Christoper Ward has an unusual "60/60" guarantee for a 60-day no quibble return and 60 month (5 year) warranty. Other versions are also available (white dial, brown strap, PVD case), but all share the same basics. Read on for our review.