Christopher Ward C60 Trident 300 Quartz; A short story. It’s been a long day. You get home and peruse your liquor cabinet, undecided on the libation of choice for the evening. As your eyes glide from bottle to bottle, a scent-memory of a favourite wool sweater, fresh salt-tinged sea breeze and old leather comes to mind. You settle on scotch. “But, which to select?” you ponder. Single malt or blended? On this fine weekday evening, you single out an everyday classic, a blended Famous Grouse.

You handpick a crystal glass with a stout base, enjoying the sound it makes as you place it on the marble surface of your counter. You twist the metal cap off your bottle, and slowly pour yourself two-fingers worth of liquid gold. The familiar scent melts all the stresses of the day, and you sink in your favorite leather armchair. You turn on the lamp, the round fabric shade bathing the room in a low orange glow. You breathe in the aromas of your scotch.

You bring the crystal vessel to your lips and take your first sip. The taste is sharp yet enjoyable, you let out a sigh. You feel at peace, ready for an uncomplicated evening. You glance at your wristwatch and admire a wave-patterned dial. The lume has started to yellow slightly, the contrast highlighted by the crispness of the white dial. The mixture of styles in the handset seems slightly odd, yet acceptable. You take another sip, glimpses of some long-forgotten memories appearing and disappearing just as quickly.

You settle your thoughts back on your timepiece. Its diminutive size for a diving watch at 38mm leaves no bare space on the dial and ensures a pleasing balance. The placement of the date is surprisingly unobtrusive, even with it’s glittering silver frame. You notice the date frame is frosted on the bevel, yet reflective on its other surfaces. You raise your glass to the designers for taking care of smaller details such as this. You take another sip. You’ve argued with clients on too many points today, deciding not to debate whether putting your name (which happens to be the brand name) on the dial was an appropriate choice. Others will heatedly debate this point ad nauseum. You choose to simply let it be.

Another sip is taken, a warm and tingling sensation reaching your extremities. The glass slips between your fingers and smashes down on your diver, its 3mm thick sapphire crystal taking the brunt of the impact and spill the remnants of your scotch. You utter your favourite swear word. The 300m depth rating easily protects the quartz heart vibrating within from the spilled liquid. You dab yourself with a tissue, slowly cleaning this catastrophe. You notice that the scotch spilled onto the bracelet, coating the inner reflective and outer brushed links. You decide to rinse it under running water, knowing there is no risk of damaging the piece, especially with a screwed-in crown.

You dry the watch with a soft cloth, slide it back on the wrist and close the milled clasp with a satisfying click. You remember that the bracelet has an integrated small-adjust mechanism, which makes you smile to yourself, knowing that this is rare in a watch at this price range. You dry off your glass, pour yourself another two-fingers, and sit back down in your chair. You breathe in once again the sweet aromas, knowing that the family is about to get home, and the quietness will soon be broken.

Epilogue The Trident is a tough little watch. It’ll get you through any situation and is truly a grab-and-go model. I do liken it to Famous Grouse. It’s a solid choice that’ll get the job done any day. Famous Grouse may not have the cachet nor complexities of a single malt such as a Lagavulin 16 or a Highland Park 18, it has its use, time and place, just like this Christopher Ward C60 Trident 300 Quartz. I would argue that many collectors’ watch collections would be enhanced by a piece such as this.