When a young watch designer joins an established luxury watch brand and his first major brief is to develop a radical new expression of the brand’s most iconic model, he needs to have some great ideas ready. Young Swiss designer Adrian Buchmann (28) rose to that challenge, taking Christopher Ward’s Trident collection to a new level with a stunning new interpretation of the mighty Trident – the C60 Trident Chronograph Pro 600. The design clearly shares the instantly recognisable Trident DNA, but Adrian’s creative new influence is immediately apparent right from first sight of the dial – this is a living, breathing Trident.
The eye is particularly drawn by two highly engaging design elements. For some, the most prominent feature will be the boldness of the deep navy and metallic yellow dial that invites closer inspection of what is probably Christopher Ward’s most detailed dial to date. For others it will be the intriguing and mesmerising 60 seconds sub-dial at the 9-o’clock position – a design inspired by a diver’s breathing regulator – which ‘breathes’ via a rotating disc behind a cut-out display, injecting life into this deep-sea machine. This dynamic feature blends design with inherent practicality, offering ease of reading for the diver and instant reassurance at depth; while the more casual, land-based user will simply delight in the vivacity of the display. Finally, the deep (sea) blue colour of the dial adds an atmospheric backdrop to the drama of the vivid yellow sub-dials.
Beyond aesthetics, the C60 Trident Chronograph Pro 600 also provides technical advances too. With the needs of the professional diver in mind, the uni-directional ceramic bezel has been enhanced by the addition of a full minute-track and a more robustly defined font for the numerals, which are filled with high-grade SuperLuminova™ for outstanding luminosity. Engineered to resist water at up to depths of 600 metres (2000 feet) the fluid contours of the Trident’s 43mm case, which also incorporates an automatic helium release valve, surround one of the most reliable and robust of chronograph movements, the self-winding ETA Valjoux 7750.
Further incremental enhancements include the ergonomically elegant case-back, with the edges of its fluid contours now chamfered and softened, blending elegantly with the re-designed rotating ceramic bezel. Mike France, co-founder of Christopher Ward, hails the new Trident launch as a significant milestone for the company: “This remarkable model, which we nicknamed in development ‘The Big Blue’, is a significant part of our unfolding brand story, not simply for Adrian’s first major design contribution but for the further advance in the extraordinary saga of the Trident family. We are committed to continual improvement, not least in Trident, our best-selling collection, but each time we rise to that challenge we have to work harder to find new enhancements that truly take Trident to a new level. Last year’s re-engineering across the collection delivered some outstanding advances and Adrian’s input into the C60 Trident Chronograph Pro 600 creates an extraordinary new expression of Trident that I am sure will absolutely delight watch lovers and position Christopher Ward in the vanguard of British watch design.”
Adrian Buchmann, chief designer at Christopher Ward, adds: “The Trident is a truly iconic range. The brief was to create a professional diving ‘tool’ built on the Trident’s technical excellence but also push the boundaries even further. It needed to look über cool too. I’m biased, but I think we’ve done just that!”
The C60 Trident Chronograph Pro 600 is offered with the option of a stainless steel bracelet (£1455) or a newly-designed, colour-matched rubber strap (£1395) with embossed wave pattern.
