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A review of the Christopher Ward Malvern Automatic
by David Malone
Technical Data
Diameter: 38mm excluding crown
Height: 10.8mm
Weight: 80 grams
Case: 316L Stainless Steel
Water resistant to 50 metres
25-jewel Swiss mechanical movement
Movement calibre: ETA 2824-2
Vibrations: 28,800 per hour
Incabloc™ anti-shock system
5-year movement guarantee
Movement
The movement appears to be a fairly standard ETA2824-2 with Incabloc shock absorption, ETAchron fine regulator, blued screws, gold plating, and a checked pattern on the rotor, which is engraved with Christopher Ward and the CW logo.
Case / Crystal/ Crown
The hand-polished, three-piece case is made from 316L stainless steel and has a classic look with straight sides and a gently curved bezel. The line of the bezel appears to continue through the slight curve of the sapphire crystal. Some mauve reflections on the crystal indicate there is some anti-reflective coating, probably on the underside.
The display back is attached with 7 small screws and, around the perimeter, engraving indicates 5 ATM water resistance and the watch’s serial number. The screw-down crown is a comfortable size. It is signed and screws down smoothly.
Dial / Hands
The dial and hands work beautifully together. The two-piece dial and raised markers provide a multi-layered appearance reducing the distance between the dial and the crystal at the edge. The minute hand glides just above the raised markers.
The dial is an attractive cream colour, which varies somewhat with the light and can appear silvery off-white, as in these low-light photos. The crisply embossed markers and the ring around the date aperture are highly polished and the date wheel sits neatly under the dial without a gap. The centre section of the dial has very fine circular engraving and this gives an elegant shimmer. The effect can seem pronounced in photos but it is actually quite subtle and well integrated. The hands are slender and highly reflective and are generally easy to read against the dial.
The hands are what I would consider to be the perfect length and are longer than on the prototype on the company’s website; the hour hand reaches precisely to the top of the logo and to the near edge of date aperture, the minute hand reaches comfortably to the minute markers and the second hand extends to about half the length of the markers.
Strap / Buckle
Italian leather strap with croc pattern – mid to dark brown. The 18/16 fully padded strap suits the look of the case and a deployant clasp engraved with the Christopher Ward name and logo is attached.
Accuracy
As a brand new watch it runs about 8 seconds fast per day and, like other ETA 2824-2 movements, could be further improved with regulation at a later date.
Comfort
The watch and strap balance each other and the deployant clasp is comfortable. The watch wears well on my wrist without sliding.
Packaging / Manual
Packaging is remarkably good at this price and is used in the background of these photos. Full-colour booklet, hard outer box, glossy inner cardboard box, large black padded watch box embossed with the CW logo and a good-sized, washable micro-fibre cleaning cloth were included; as was a personally addressed welcome letter signed by Christopher Ward. The colour of the packaging is the same as the dial and the overall effect is stylish and hip and consistent with the look of the four watches in the Christopher Ward catalogue.
Overall Impression
This watch is truly exceptional value. It is very appealing; a comfortably large dress watch that feels a little luxurious. Not desperately retro, not a mere copy, but simply a cultivated English design with a style that is carried through to the manual and packaging. It is lowly priced yet beautifully executed. With its three-piece case, slightly curved sapphire, screw-down crown, high quality dial, strap and clasp, and very acceptable ETA movement this watch is a bargain and the fact that Christopher Ward can supply a watch of this quality at this price makes even the ordinary Swiss and German brands look overpriced. As an added bonus, exchanging emails with Chris Ward before buying the watch was a pleasure.
The Malvern Automatic is available via the Christopher Ward London website. The watch is sold in the UK for 99 pounds sterling or approximately $US175. As this includes 17.5% Value Added Tax the price to customers outside the UK is even lower. For me the saving in VAT covered the cost of express courier mail to Australia. I still find this price amazing.
David Malone / DavidM1
Copyright November 2005
