A few months back, we announced Christopher Ward’s update to their Trident dive watch line. As a fan of not only of what Christopher Ward is doing in their part of the market, but also of the apparent updated Tridents, I immediately contacted them for a sample. Luckily, I was able to get my hands on the version holding their proprietary SH21 5-day automatic caliber. Let’s take a closer look at the Christopher Ward Trident COSC 600.
Aesthetically, I think Christopher Ward made all of the right decisions. The bezel, dial, date window, and caseback engraving are all superior to the previous Trident in my eyes. It’s clear that CW took a holistic approach in redesigning the Trident line, rather than just make minor adjustments. Going on looks alone, I think the new Trident is one of the slicker looking divers on the market, especially in its price range.
According to their literature, CW has re-worked the case and bracelet with a new manufacturer. From far away, the case and bracelet look very similar to the previous Trident, but the details certainly seem to be of higher quality. The last caseback engraving was little more than an etching, and now the Trident logo on the back would make Omega’s hippocampus blush. The bezel action has been tightened up, and feels on par with much more expensive dive watches.
A shot of the nicely engraved caseback.
The bracelet is clearly well made, but not without faults. Although I’ve gotten used to polished centerlinks from my Seamaster, I know a lot of people will complain about them. It’s one of a few areas where the intent of the watch is confusing: is it a true diver or a dressy diver? Some folks aren’t fans of pushpin clasp releases for security reasons, but I’ve never had much of an issue with it. However, I would say the diver’s extension is a little lacking for a true dive watch, and would have loved to see a micro-adjustable clasp similar to that on the Submariner. I know that’s asking a lot from a brand like Christopher Ward, but I’d give up the ceramic bezel in a heartbeat if it meant a more serious clasp. The quick-adjusting clasps are great for divers, but equally as useful for the average person’s expanding and contracting wrist size.
On the wrist, the Trident wears a bit big – this is my main problem with the watch. The SH21 version is limited to 300 watches, and only comes in 42mm. My assumption on why the watch is so thick (15.55mm) and heavy (113g) is the SH21 is a large caliber. It seems that way because the non-SH21 version is over two millimeters thinner. If the SH21 is dictating the thickness, it’s almost forgivable, if only because I think the SH21 is a great step forward for Christopher Ward. I just wonder if they could have slimmed down the case if they kept the water resistance at 300m. For what looks to be a dressy diver, 600m of water resistance is serious overkill. Professional divers might require 600m, but I doubt they would also want to rely on a yet-to-be-proven caliber when they’re several hundreds of meters below the surface. I had a hard time wearing it under my cuff, but casual weekend wear was just right. And for those of you who like chunkier watches, I suspect the Trident COSC 600 to be perfect.
Without much doubt, the updated Trident line is a “win” for Christopher Ward. They’re pushing the limit on what’s possible in their price range. If the slimmer non-SH21 version wears as I think it would, I’d have a hard time overlooking it in the sub-$1,000 dive watch category. As for the Trident COSC 600, good luck finding another proprietary 5-day automatic movement for about $2,200. It’s a seriously great value for someone looking for a dive watch with an interesting movement. Seeing the evolution from the last Trident, I’m confident Christopher Ward will continue to fine-tune the design, and we’ll be keeping our eyes on them.
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