The Best Affordable GMT Dive Watch Is Finally Back

For most of its existence, Christopher Ward has largely been known for one watch: the C60 Trident dive watch. With unmatched specs and quality for its price point, the original Trident 600 was CW’s flagship watch for the vast majority of its 20-year history.

But over the past couple of years, Christopher Ward has expanded its catalog with ambitious and impressive new models like the Bel Canto and The Twelve, and in doing so, it’s also expanded its audience from niche budget dive watch enthusiasts to basically anyone paying even a modicum of attention to the watch industry.

Still, the Trident line remains incredibly important to Christopher Ward and is a strong seller. In the summer of 2022, the brand revamped its flagship diver by replacing the Trident 600 with the thinner Trident 300. But there was something major missing from the update: a GMT.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

The dual-time version of the Trident 600 had existed since 2010, making it just one year younger than the Trident diver itself. But curiously, the brand’s move to the Trident 300 left CW’s flagship dive watch without a GMT version. Well, I’m happy to say the brand has finally righted this wrong after two years.

Christopher Ward

Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 300 GMT

• $1,380 at Christopher Ward

The C60 Trident GMT Returns

After a two-year hiatus, there’s finally a GMT version of the C60 Trident dive watch again. Just like its dive-only sibling, the new GMT is thinner and more refined than its Trident 600 predecessor, and like everything else from CW these days, the quality and attention to detail have been taken to the next level.

The C60 Trident 300 GMT looks an awful lot like the C60 Trident 300 diver, and that’s a good thing. It has the same tall beveled applied hour markers and sharp handset, both filled with the strongest lume formula SuperLumi-Nova makes (C1 BL Grade X1). There’s an applied five-piece Twin Flags logo at 12 o’clock, and the dial symmetry is furthered along by a color-matched date wheel at 6 o’clock.

The case is also the same “light-catcher” case design used on the diver but is slightly thicker due to the addition of the GMT movement. At 11.8 thick, it’s exactly half a millimeter thicker than the non-GMT version. That’s still quite slim for a 300m-rated sports watch with a sapphire display caseback, and if you’ve ever worn a Trident with a light-catcher case before, then you know this will wear even thinner thanks to the design’s many contours and varying finishes.

Christopher Ward

The greatest changes can be found in the new GMT’s bezel, or rather, bezels. There’s still a ceramic bezel insert, but it has some notable improvements over the old Trident 600 GMT that I used to own.

The bezel still has 120 clicks but is now bidirectional, which is always preferable on a GMT as it allows for quicker time zone tracking. It’s also now bi-color ceramic for the first time, giving the watch more of a traditional GMT look while also showing off a little extra manufacturing prowess. On the downside, the bezel is not fully lumed like on the previous version. I’m assuming this is related to the difficulty of applying lume to a bi-color ceramic format. (The pip is still lumed.)

There’s also a version with a steel relief bezel in place of the ceramic bezel. This, again, is a new option for a Trident GMT and will likely appeal to those wanting a GMT with a more original design.

Christopher Ward

A Familiar Movement

The only thing that’s a bit disappointing to me about the new Trident GMT, if unsurprising, is the movement used.

Like in the previous generation, CW has opted for the Sellita SW330 automatic, though the brand is using the updated SW330-2 version that bumps the power reserve from 42 hours to 56 hours.

There’s nothing wrong with Sellita or the SW330 — it’s a well-tested and fine movement, and I’ve never had an issue with it in any of the watches I’ve owned that used it (and there have been quite a few).

But, it is starting to feel a little outdated. The SW330 is an “office” GMT, which means the GMT hand can be adjusted independently. This is great when tracking a second time zone from home, but frequent travelers often prefer a “traveler” GMT where the local hour hand is independently adjustable, as it makes changing time zones on the watch quicker and easier.

Christopher Ward

“Traveler” or “true” GMT movements used to be rare, but the past couple of years have seen a deluge of new options hit the market. The most notable is the Japanese Miyota 9075, which has found its way into many microbrand watches, almost all of which are priced under $1,000.

Swatch Group’s ETA has also recently developed its own affordable “true” GMT calibers, which it has happily deployed in watches across its stable of brands, including Tissot, Hamilton, Mido, Certina, Rado, and Longines.

The proliferation of traveler GMTs in the affordable watch market has made movements like the SW330 less desirable to many, but right now, the Sellita is simply the best option on the market for Christopher Ward — they really have no other choice but to use it.

CW is a Swiss-made brand. All of its watches are made in Switzerland, and they all say Swiss made on the dial. It’s a core part of the brand’s identity, and that’s not going to change. As such, CW cannot use a Miyota movement, as part of the criteria for having a watch labeled “Swiss made” is that the movement must be produced in Switzerland.

Christopher Ward

ETA is not an option either, as the manufacture does not sell its GMT calibers to brands outside of the Swatch Group. So until Sellita creates a clone of these new ETA true GMT movements — the Sellita SW330 itself is a clone of the older ETA 2893-2 — or Christopher Ward’s manufacturing subsidiary Synergies Horlogères creates a true GMT module — they’ve previously created a moonphase module — CW’s GMT watches will be stuck with the SW330 as the best option.

Size, Colors, Options and Pricing

At launch, there are three color options available for the Trident 300 GMT: blue with a dark-and-light-blue ceramic bezel, white with a white-and-dark-blue ceramic bezel, and a turquoise-and-yellow fumé dial with a steel relief bezel. This last combo is certainly the most niche and is similar in styling to CW’s “Atoll” variant of the Trident 300 diver.

The watch is available in just one size for now, 40mm, but it seems pretty likely that other sizes will follow in the coming months. A CW rep has told me that new models first must prove their commercial viability in a crowd-pleasing size (e.g., 40mm), and if demand and performance are strong, then other case sizes will be produced.

Christopher Ward

Finally, the Christopher Ward C60 Trident 600 GMT will be offered on three choices of bracelets. The cheapest option is to get the watch on the brand’s tapered FKM rubber Aquaflex strap, which will run you $1,195.

Opting for the Oyster-style three-link stainless steel bracelet with a micro-adjustable clasp increases the price to $1,380. Finally, the priciest option is to buy the watch on CW’s dressier and more intricately finished Consort bracelet — which is basically the brand’s version of a Jubilee. It includes a micro-adjustable butterfly clasp and retails for $1,420.

As usual, all of these prices are extremely competitive, keeping the Trident GMT firmly in the conversation of the best affordable GMT dive watch you can buy.

The Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 300 GMT goes on sale August 1.

Christopher Ward

Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 300 GMT

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Sellita SW330-2 automatic GMT
Water Resistance	300m

• $1,380 at Christopher Ward

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