Christopher Ward C70 US Limited Edition

The C70 Grand Prix series of motorsport-inspired watches was launched by Christopher Ward in 2009 and consisted of six pieces (500 of each), created to commemorate the first Grand Prix races in the following six countries:

• France (The Grande Epreuve)

• Belgium (The Ascari)

• Germany (The Silver Arrow)

• Great Britain (The Brooklands)

• Italy, (The Rosso Corsa)

• and finally the USA (The Cunningham Stripe)

The US model here takes inspiration from the blue parallel lines made famous by Briggs Swift Cunningham II, who introduced them to his racing cars in 1951, starting the trend for all manor of racing liveries we see today.

That initial set of C70 six watches was a great success, paving the way for an eventual 21 different C70 GP models.

The eye-catching designs with their over-sizeed 3, 9 and 12 digits make C70s very popular with collectors, however they do have something of an Achilles Heel in their exposed and painted alloy bezels. They mark relatively easily and with CW having long sold out of replacement bezels, it’s not unusual to find C70s coming up for sale in seemingly battered condition, thanks to the multitude of bezel marks they tend to collect. The watch for sale here has inevitably picked up a few minor blemishes over the years, however their low number and minor nature reflect this being a watch which has seen only occasional wrist time - a fact backed up by the original leather strap (with butterfly clasp) also being in very good condition.

The watch comes in CW presentation case along with polishing cloth and covering letter, however it’s missing its original owner’s manual. A PDF version is available here: www.christopherward.co.uk/media/manuals/c70_manual.pdf

The watch was recently returned to CW for a new battery and pressure test, so should be good for another 4-5 years before it needs replacing again.