Hands-On With The Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Extreme GMT
Christopher Ward released a great stream of watches in 2025. One of our highlights, based on seeing the pictures and reading the press release, at least, was the C63 Sealander Extreme GMT. While we have seen more technically savvy releases from Christopher Ward, the C63 Sealander Extreme GMT is a reminder of what makes it such a strong brand. This watch looks like one of the best adventure-inspired GMTs currently out there. Will it live up to that? Let’s find out.
If there is one thing that Christopher Ward has become known for, it’s offering incredible value for money. And that’s exactly the first thing that came to mind when Nacho and I saw this release come in. On top of that, this is a style of watch that we don’t often see but greatly appreciate. The first two visual references that immediately sprang to my mind were last year’s Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT (on a strap) and, of course, the Rolex Explorer II (on a bracelet). These are not bad references to begin with, but does the C63 Sealander Extreme GMT live up to the examples they set?
The details of the Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Extreme GMT
Let’s kick things off with a reminder of the specs. The Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Extreme GMT has a fully brushed 41mm stainless steel case with a 48mm lug-to-lug and a 12.05mm thickness, including the crystal.
Topping the case is a black sandblasted ceramic bezel with a 24-hour scale in cream-colored, green-glowing Super-LumiNova. This corresponds with the lume filling on the orange GMT hand. The vintage lume color also matches the Globolight hour markers that top the matte black or green textured dial. A nice touch is the Globolight Christopher Ward logo that joins the light show in the dark.
Speaking of which, the Globolight hour and minute hands light up bright blue in the dark. And I can say the lume is impressive. The dial and bezel light up like a Christmas tree, ensuring you can easily read the time in two time zones, even in utter darkness.
The outlier is the black seconds hand, but that gets an orange tip to visually link it to the orange GMT hand and the “Automatic GMT” text on the lower half of the black dial. Lastly, you will find a date window at 6 o’clock, a cream-colored minute track on a separate black ring just above the black dial, or a black minute track on a green ring above the green dial.
The different options
In the initial press pictures, the green dial appeared to be a mossy shade. In reality, though, it is far brighter than that. This makes it an acquired taste, you could say.
The black dial is my clear favorite. It ensures that the orange elements contrast nicely, and the cream-colored markers on the dial and bezel create a nice, comfortable aesthetic. I also like how the date indicator matches the dial with a black disc and cream-colored numerals.
Inside the case, you will find the Sellita SW330-2, protected by an internal anti-shock system. This automatic GMT caliber is a go-to for the brand. It also powers my Christopher Ward C65 Dune GMT, and it’s an excellent, reliable caliber. It operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, contains 25 jewels, and offers a 56-hour power reserve. In terms of accuracy, it provides nothing revolutionary, with a standard rating of ±20 seconds per day.
However, after tracking the accuracy of my Christopher Ward, I found it runs significantly more accurately than the official numbers suggest. While the caliber might not offer the practicality of a flyer-style GMT, I have never found it inconvenient.
In all honesty, though, that’s also because I don’t often travel through different time zones. People who do would love the benefit of being able to quickly adjust the local time over the option to adjust the 24-hour GMT hand.
The new Cordura V-Strap is super comfortable
Christopher Ward offers these watches on either the stainless steel Bader bracelet or the new Cordura V-Strap in bright orange or black. Both are 22mm wide, ensuring that the visual proportions are just right. The straps come in two lengths.
The first size fits 15.5–18cm wrists, while the XL version fits those in the 17.5–21cm range. The Cordura Velcro strap is sturdy and ensures the watch sits nicely on your wrist. You may need to break the strap in for a bit after taking it out of the box. But as soon as you have done so, it is smooth sailing from there.
When it comes to the bracelet, you probably already know how good it is. The fully brushed Bader bracelet includes screws in the links and a folding clasp featuring a toolless micro-adjustment system.
While I find the 20mm bracelet on my C65 Dune GMT to be slightly better, this 22mm bracelet is still quite impressive. It offers both comfort and build quality that easily surpasses many of the brands that charge double the price of this C63 Sealander Extreme GMT, which comes in at €1,895 on the bracelet or €1,695 on one of the straps. What you get for that money is simply unbeatable at either price.
Wearing the Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Extreme GMT
Once on the wrist, the C63 Sealander Extreme GMT shows just how impressive it is. The materials, the engineering, and the overall quality make this a watch that feels ready for anything you throw at it. The one important discussion that arose among my colleagues was about the looks, especially of the black-dial model, which was the collective favorite.
If you put it on the black Cordura strap, it does feel closest to the Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT. I also had the pleasure of reviewing that watch, and it is one of my favorite models that Tudor offers. Putting the two side by side makes me favor the Pelagos because it feels more refined and visually balanced.
Once you put the C63 Sealander Extreme GMT on the Bader bracelet, it feels much more like a Rolex Explorer II due to its fixed bezel. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But despite the Explorer II’s larger case and fairly extravagant design for a Rolex, it also feels slightly more refined, just like the Tudor. This is mainly due to the Sealander Extreme GMT’s hour and minute hands and the large Globolight markers.
However, if we pause for a moment, the Tudor costs almost three times the price of the Christopher Ward, while the Rolex is roughly six times as much. While the comparison is rooted in looks, the fact that I am pointing it out says something about this watch.
At its sub-€2,000 price point, it is tough, if not impossible, to find a better, more competent adventure-style GMT than this one. The only one that comes to mind is the Sinn 105 St Sa UTC, but I prefer the looks of the Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Extreme GMT.
Final thoughts on the Christopher Ward C63 Extreme GMT
My praise for this watch is not just rooted in the spec sheet. On the wrist, the new Christopher Ward looks great and is super comfortable. It also feels competent, like a proper tool watch should. On top of that, there is the bonkers lume that I treated like a party trick because my adventures are limited to urban office expeditions rather than true outdoor adventures. But if you need it to perform in the dark, the Globolight markers will absolutely not let you down.
This leaves me with no choice but to give Christopher Ward yet another big compliment. The brand manages to live up to its promise of delivering best-in-class watches at their respective price points. As I already stated, it is nearly impossible to find a competing watch that offers the same specs, build quality, and comfort as the C63 Sealander Extreme GMT.
While you can debate looks, it is hard to deny that Christopher Ward has added another great GMT to its ever-expanding catalog. It begs the question of where things will go from here. Can the lineup get better? I’m sure Christopher Ward knows that the answer is in its future releases…
