Could the new Dune Aeolian from Christopher ward be one of the best field watches available today? We spend some time with an understated and possibly overlooked gem from Christopher Ward to see if this could well be one of the best options for a go-anywhere do-anything watch.
Christopher Ward have grown over the years to become one of the most well respected British brands in watch making. Taking a bold approach to transparency and without high street or retail presence (until their recent partnership with Time+Tide) . In more recent years, models like the Bel-canto, the Twelve and the Loco have demonstrated the brands ability to diversify, innovate and push the boundaries for affordable watchmaking competing with much bigger brands and showing what’s possible with creative design and innovation.
While dive watches clearly dominate the sports watch category, they do have their down sides. features like helium escape valves and rotating bezels, along with cases designed to resist the pressures of the deep (usually far deeper than most humans will ever actually dive), this often creates the proportions and aesthetics that while functional (and are great by the pool or the beach) some feel are too bulky to be worn everywhere. Field watches often occupy that segment better – a go anywhere do anything watch (within reason). This is why watches like the Rolex Explorer are so popular as they can be worn swimming, mountaineering, or to dinner with aesthetics that are easy on the eye and yet robustly functional.
The Aeolian was released earlier this year by Christopher Ward as an update to the Dune field watch released two years ago. Following the limited-edition Dune called The Shoreline in collaboration with Oracle Time, which sold out incredibly fast, the Dune Aeolian builds on that concept with more refined details, versatile colours, and improved straps.
“Three-dimensional textured dials are not something we’d done much before The Twelve,” says Mike France, Christopher Ward’s co-founder and CEO. “But they’re exciting and can truly bring a watch to life. Dune Aeolian’s dial is very different to the Twelve’s, though: with no sharp corners, it’s undulating and organic.”
The Dune Aeolian builds on the already great formula with 4 dial colourways:- Silica grey, Eve blue, Marram green, and White Sand. In addition, there are also two bronze variants with a Dusk brown or Marram green dial. Interestingly Christopher Ward chose to release the bronze dialled watches with greater accuracy as COSC models for a £235 premium – but we’ll get to the price later…
So what does it do? Well it tells the time. simply, yet elegantly and reliably – the but where a field watch would typically pursue function over form, this embodies an attention to detail not often seen. The pursuit of the superfluous in delivery of charm and character at the same time as delivering a robust go anywhere do anything watch. Rather than delivering a sterile, plain dial lacks interest, this watch delivers a beautiful textured dial while still arguably maintaining the same easy readability that you would come to expect from a field watch. Although there is some text on the dial, it’s position and size mean it doesn’t detract from the easy legibility.
The stainless steel case measures 38mm across by 11.9mm and features a mixture of brushed and polished surfaces. On the top is a box sapphire crystal and underneath is an exhibition case back allowing you to see the movement with the decorated Christopher Ward rotor. The crown is beautifully embossed with Christopher Ward’s logo and screws into the case. Altogether these deliver 150m of water resistance – far more capability and reassurance of its abilities than will be put to the test by you or I!
But look a further and you will find the inside of the crown painted red – this becomes more easily visible once the crown is unscrewed and acts as a visual aide-memoir to prevent you accidentally leaving the crown undone. Flip the watch over and you will see a screw down exhibition case back and a decorated rotor adorning a Sellita SW200-1 movement – nothing fancy, but proven, robust, and easy to service. A nice touch here is that there is no ‘ghost’ date mechanism: release the crown to wind and pull the crown out one position to change the time.
On the front of the watch the dial clearly steals the show. with a deep contoured pattern resembling grooves in the sane blown by the wind the contours add a wonderful sense of depth. Adding to this are both the Christopher ward logo and applied indices which have a generous in-fill of super Luminova helping this to remain clearly visible long after the lights have gone out.
The Aeolian now comes on a new ‘Orlando’ leather strap that’s soft, supple and needs no breaking in. It’s fitted with quick release spring bars and suits the watch well. Overall this is a brilliantly designed and executed field watch that’s at home whether hiking in the mountains, taking a dip in the ocean or dressing up for a night out. It’s also extremely well proportioned, at 38mm it sits at a universal sweet spot that suits so many wrist sizes. We’ve now had this watch on loan from Christopher Ward for a number of months and have thoroughly put it through its paces. It’s been a great summer watch and as you can see from the photos almost looks like it was made for a NATO (which would be a great option for Christopher Ward to supply with the watch!)
While lots of the attention towards Christopher Ward has focused on the Twelve, the Bel Canto and the other great innovations, the Aeolian delivers a go-anywhere do-anything field watch that is quite frankly a bargain starting at £750.
The Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian is available from www.christopherward.com from £750
