Hands-On With The Colorful New Christopher Ward C60 Trident Reef Series

Summer is just around the corner (or already here for some of you!), so we published a list of five potential summer watches for 2025 last Friday. Another great candidate for that list is the new Christopher Ward C60 Trident Reef series. This addition to the popular C60 Trident collection presents four colorful models that could all be your perfect summer diver. The fifth and final model is a more traditional black one with a fun, colorful twist. I had a chance to go hands-on with the 41mm and 44mm Christopher Ward C60 Trident Reef in two colors. Let’s find out how they compare to the C60 Trident Pro series and which makes my summer list.

Over the past decade and a half, the C60 Trident has become Christopher Ward’s tremendously successful series of dive watches. Its success can be attributed to clever design updates and an impressive collection expansion. As a result, the series has become quite diverse. It ranges from hardcore dive watches, such as the C60 Trident Pro, to the C60 Trident Atoll series with stainless steel bezels and the impressive titanium C60 Trident Lumière models with Globolight markers. And those are just three examples. I also reviewed the colorful C60 Trident GMT 300 in September last year. The new Christopher Ward C60 Trident Reef series immediately reminded me of that watch regarding the colorful presence of four of the five versions. But there’s far more to the story than just their colors.

The story of the Christopher Ward C60 Trident Reef series

Let’s start at the beginning. Christopher Ward completely redesigned the case for this new series of C60 Trident divers. Additionally, unlike the Pro series, the watches eschew a date window. Lastly, they present a selection of funky colors that help make the Reef series a fun, affordable option. Let’s start with the new four-part Light-catcher case, which comes in 41mm and 44mm sizes.

The 41mm version has a 47.9mm lug-to-lug and an 11.45mm thickness, while the larger 44mm case boasts a 51.4mm lug-to-lug and the same 11.45mm profile. All the watches feature a screw-down crown and are water resistant to 200 meters.

The newly designed case features a stainless steel core and brushed lugs with polished bevels. A protective shroud visible from the side is made of aluminum and executed in the color of the dial and bezel.

Five dial colors for the C60 Trident Reef

The available colorways are Acro White, Helio Blue, Tuba Orange, Galaxea Black, and Chalice Yellow, but the last model actually has a green dial. The Acro White version is slightly different from the others in that it uses a sandblasted white ceramic shroud instead of an aluminum one.

Christopher Ward paired the case with a 120-click bezel containing an insert that matches the dial colors. The bezel features brushed trapezoidal teeth with polished facets for an additional visual sparkle.

The work of Ana Brecevic, a Franco-Croatian paper artist and designer, inspired the colors of the new C60 Trident Reef series. Her vivid coral-like creations explore themes of biodiversity and the fragile beauty of marine ecosystems.

The five dials each consist of a textured center combined with an applied white chapter ring finished in matte lacquer. The applied lume-filled indexes and the brand’s logo add even more depth and detail to the dials.

All the watches feature the familiar Christopher Ward handset with a contrasting minute hand for some more funky details and the characteristic trident seconds hand.

The new C60 Trident Reef is the full package

Inside the case, Christopher Ward equips the watches with the Sellita SW200-1 caliber. This automatic movement operates at 28,800vph and offers 38 hours of power reserve. The brand chose the Elaboré version of this movement and added a customized rotor with a twin-flag pattern over the colimaçoné finish. The Sellita SW200-1 offers an accuracy of ±20 seconds per day and is visible through the sapphire window in the screw-in case back.

Lastly, rubber straps matching the colors of the minute hands complete the look of the watches. These straps come equipped with quick-release spring bars, making it easy to switch things up after, for example, going from a swim during the day to an informal outdoor dinner. But if you like the look of the rubber straps, there is no need to change them. The comfortable and flexible straps balance out the watch on the wrist perfectly.

The Christopher Ward C60 Trident Reef on the wrist

So, how do these watches wear? Since we had both the 41mm Chalice Yellow and the 44mm Acro White in for review, we could compare both sizes. Straight out of the gate, the 41mm model feels better proportioned and more appropriate for the reasonably thin profile.

Additionally, I would immediately gravitate to the smaller of the two models because of personal preference. But we also hear from brands that many watch buyers prefer bigger dive watches, which is why both sizes are logical additions to the collection.

Both watches wear very well. Thanks to the curved lugs, they hug the wrist nicely. Of the two colorways we received, the Acro White model impressed me more. I like the icy white tone contrasted by the turquoise details and strap.

It just works very well. Then again, I wore the Chalice Yellow model more because of its sizes and dimensions. As you can see, that model is named after the yellow minute hand and strap.

While they contrast nicely with the emerald-green color of the dial and matte aluminum bezel insert, I would swap the strap for one in another color. A second option would be to choose the brand’s Oyster-style Bader bracelet. It’s a brilliant option because we know the bracelet is the best you can get at the Trident collection’s price point.

Final thoughts on the new Christopher Ward C60 Trident Reef series

Overall, I was seriously impressed by the new C60 Trident Reef series. As we know from Christopher Ward, the brand offers some of the most well-made and detail-rich watches at affordable prices. This new series adds a clever string of models to the collection that make for perfectly affordable and fun watches. The case construction with its colorful shrouds is fun to see, and the level of detail on the dials is rather striking. With this new series, the brand shows it is very hard to beat in the category of affordable watches.

The new Christopher Ward C60 Trident Reef is available on an Aquaflex rubber strap for €895. If you prefer the watch on the Bader bracelet, it is available for €1,095. That will save you €70 compared to the C60 Trident Pro models, which doesn’t seem like much.

But thanks to the new case design, the bold colors, and the absence of a date window, this series differs from the Pro series. Furthermore, as Christopher Ward has shown time after time, these watches are hard to beat at their price point.

Yes, there are plenty of dive watches under €1,000. However, with the quality standards that the English brand offers, these five new C60 Trident Reef models are hard to beat as some of the best options for a summer watch for 2025. Once the season ends, swap the strap for something a bit more reserved, and you’ll be good to go for the rest of the year!