There’s something innately attractive about retro style field watches. Watches that follow the design archetype established by the Dirty Dozen way back in the 1940s. Fixed bezels, relatively svelte dimensions, hyper-legible displays and accurate movements. All of that applies to the Christopher Ward C65 Dune, a sleek 60s inspired timepiece. Now, Christopher Ward are expanding the Dune range with a new dual time zone model, the C65 Dune GMT White Sand.
I really like the case on the C65 Dune, 38mm is in my opinion the perfect size for a field watch. Large enough that the display is easy to read but also small enough and lightweight enough not to impede your wrist movement in any meaningful way, which is exactly what you want from a watch designed for use during vigorous activity. It’s made from stainless steel and features a smooth, fixed bezel and contrasting brushed and polished surfaces.
Moving to the dial we see where the Dune GMT White Sand differs from the existing Dune collection (I hope that it isn’t confusing talking about Dune watches when Hamilton just released theirs). The watch features an additional, green-tipped 24-hour hand on the central stack that points to a peripheral 24-hour scale, also in green. This is the GMT function, allowing you to keep track of one time zone with the regular hour hand and a second time zone with the 24-hour hand, ideal for travellers who want to keep track of the time at home.
The green GMT function has been combined with the standard White Sand colour scheme of a pale cream dial with khaki Super-LumiNova hour markers and hands. I really like the combination because it reminds me of the grassy tussocks you find in dune landscapes. The rugged British coastline is a fantastic place to find inspiration.
Beneath the surface of the sandy display is the Sellita SW 330-2 automatic GMT movement. It has a pretty impressive 56-hour power reserve and elaboré finishing, visible through the exhibition caseback. The only downside to this movement compared to others that have been used in the Dune previously is that it doesn’t have COSC chronometer certification.
Adding an additional complication to a field watch is always a risk because it can limit legibility and move the watch too far away from its tool watch roots. However, the Christopher Ward C65 Dune GMT White Sand avoids that by making the GMT very subtle on the display while simultaneously boosting the overall functionality and utility of the watch. Field watches are in many ways the original adventure watch and with a GMT, now you can adventure all over the world. Plus, at a price of £1,075 on webbing strap or £1,240 on steel bracelet, the Dune GMT remains incredibly accessible.
Price and Specs:
More details at Christopher Ward.
