This is the Christopher Ward C20 Lido (Ref. C20SST). A tribute to the 1960s watch designs of IWC and others, to me it bears a likeness to the IWC Ingenieur, especially the bezel and lugs:
Which is fine with me. I’ve long admired the Ingenieur, but the price is an obstacle, and I actually dislike their bezel – five screw holes? Why not 12, like Christoper Ward did? At least then they’re hour markers. Anyway, back to the Lido.
The Lido first came out last year in a quartz version, still available and a fine choice for gifts and those not afflicted with the mechanical movement obsession. The C20 model sports the ETA 2836, a solid and impeccable workhorse that’s easy to like. Hacking, handwinding, quickset day and date, 38 hour power reserve, topped with a signed screw-down crown.
On the back, you have a movement window showing the inner workings. Gilt movement, engraved rotor with Geneva stripes, quite nice for this price point. Echoing the design of the bezel, the caseback has similar holes for an opening tool.
Signed crown, screwdown, well-made threads. You can also see the screws on the strap as well as the brushed case finish. The Lido is brushed throughout, for a low-key appearance.
I took this picture to show the polished surfaces of hands and applied markers, and it also hints at the domed and coated crystal. A nice play of light as you move your wrist. The dial is brass with a central guilloche pattern.
At 40mm by 8mm and 140g, it’s solid but not heavy, and well shaped to slide under cuffs.
The strap is textured leather with a butterfly deployant. There’s also a bracelet option ($100), alligator ($250) or black strap ($70). As you can see here, it’s low profile as a dress watch should be.
Although the lugs are non-standard, CW has replacement straps for a reasonable prices, and other vendors can easily make one to fit. If you get the bracelet, at 100m of water resistance this is a watch you could take most places and not worry; quite versatile.
Luminosity is good but limited – the hands have a nice stripe of lume, and there are small dots at 3, 6, 9 and 12.
I’m a big fan of the Christopher Ward brand. I’ve bought five of their watches since 2006, including a very nice C5 Malvern for my brothers’ college graduation. CW makes really nice watches that are stunning values: Swiss made, ETA movements, sapphire crystals with anti-reflective coatings, good lume, excellent straps or bracelets, and under $1,000. The Lido here is 254 pounds for non-EC buyers, which works out to $420 (US Price here). A wonderful deal.
Overall, a strong recommend from me. I like the dial design quite a lot, found no significant drawbacks, and the price is very good.
My thanks to Christoper Ward for the review watch – as I plan to keep it, I’ll be placing a bracelet order soon!