Looks like we’re shaping up with at least a few days here of watches that feature interesting twists on the display of the date. Many readers of this site of course know Christoper Ward as the British brand turning out interesting designs at affordable pricepoints (with some more recent forays into higher end pieces as well). Their latest brings to bear a design feature that I don’t know that we’ve seen before from the brand – a big day/date display.
Before we get to that particular design feature, though, it’s worth noting the movement making all of it possible. With the Harrison line, each model has a movement that is particularly designed and modified by CW’s Master Watchmaker, Johannes Jahnke. In this case, it’s an ETA 2863-2 that went under his knife, and emerged to be encased as we see here.
Even though this particular C9 carries the word “big” in its name, it’s not an overly large case – thankfully. The stainless steel measures in at 43mm in diameter, and a relatively slender 12.3mm thick (made all the more impressive when you consider it’s an automatic). No, the “big” portion of the name comes to being with the day and date display that resides at the three o’clock position.
While it might not be as tall as some other brands have with the individual numerals for the date, there’s no disputing it’s bigger than you might normally expect, as it’s extending from the edge of the case back to almost the center arbor that the hands are mounted on.
The handset itself is doing it’s work over top of a brilliant white metal dial, which, when combined with the simple indices around the dial, combines to make a watch that I think would work quite nicely as either a daily wear piece, or a dressier watch (your choice of the available straps, either brown or black, would certainly go a long way to informing that aesthetic as well).
While I don’t see this watch filling any particularly unfilled niche in my own watch box, I can definitely see it being a rather versatile piece that will have any number of fans. At an asking price of $899, it is a tad higher than other lines in the brand carry – but Harrison family has always lived as their premium model, so I’ve no doubt that the fit and finish should live up to that standard. christopherward-usa.com
Tech Specs from Christoper Ward
- Diameter: 43mm
- Height: 12.3mm
- Calibre: ETA 2836-2 (Modified)
- Case: 316L stainless steel
- Water resistance 5 atm / 50 metres
- Strap: 22mm leather with butterfly clasp
- Dial Colour: Optic white
- 50m water resistance
