Military Lightweights - The Christopher Ward C63 Colchester

The British Army has a history of commissioning lightweight variations of existing designs to be air transportable, a notable example was with the Land Rover Lightweight, which was a variation of the Series ii designed to fit within the payload limits of the Westland Wessex helicopter.

The ‘lightweight’ special commission rather ironically ended up weighing 192KG over the standard 88”. This was due to the extra frame strengthening, larger fuel tanks and extra batteries all required for a military vehicle.

With the C63 Colchester fortunately Christopher Ward managed to keep durability and water resistance of the standard model while further reducing the weight through the use of a new material, injected carbon.

Background

Christopher Ward has long been a brand I’d recommend to others. On paper, they tick all the boxes: quality materials, reliable movements, and approachable pricing. Yet, for years, I couldn’t quite bring myself to buy one. Their emphasis on prioritising value didn’t quite sit right with me, is any watch that costs more than a f91-w really good value? Recently though I feel like the brand has turned a corner, elevating its offering without losing its core values.

Photo by The Analogue Collective

Colchester is the home town of the British Army Parachute Regiment, who CW states, assisted with the development of this reference throughout. Some of the key adaptations were the ultra-lightweight design, the pop-out crown to minimise snagging, the choice of a durable nato strap or a rubber strap offering and the colourway which matches the famous berets of the parachute regiment.

Construction

The C63 Colchester is the most lightweight and technical offering in the lineup of C63 references which encompasses several complications and materials.

The Colchester weighs in at an incredible 38 grams, which is featherweight even when compared to other carbon fibre watches such as the new carbon Tissot PRX which weighs in at 75 grams. The Colchester achieves this featherweight status by ditching the steel core that many competitors use to achieve their water resistance rating and instead opting for use of injected carbon which can be formed into a consistent shape and relied upon for water resistance directly.

In this way the Colchester feels truly innovative, benefiting from the properties of the material rather than a halfway-house solution.

The downside of injected carbon over forged carbon is that the finish is slightly more plain than the bright faceted reflectiveness of forged carbon. This is where the Colchester demonstrates that, over everything else, it is a tool for the military; function takes precident over form.

The skeletonized rim around the dial reduces weight both physically and visually when in combination with the partially open case back.

Photo by The Analogue Collective

Speaking of the dial this swaps injected carbon for the more visually appealing forged carbon which is a unique pattern on each watch. The dial features applied multi-faceted brushed and polished markers with lume filling the centre, elevating the otherwise utilitarian design. The hands are easily distinguished with the hour being a large arrow shape and the minute hand adopting a longer sword design reaching the outer chapter ring. The priority of minutes in the design of this instrument leads itself well to a mission timer application, further improving its usability by the military.

On the rear, a stamped carbon motif seals the watches connection to the British Army Parachute Regiment.

Photo by The Analogue Collective

Wearability

After wearing the C63 Colchester daily for three months, it’s become a key part of my current active lifestyle. It’s a watch that I comfortably wear to the gym, while running or on trips. I recently took the watch on a lightweight backpacking trip across Norway, where the watch fitted perfectly as an often forgotten about companion. It’s truly a watch that is easy to wear, durable enough to not think about, lightweight enough to forget you have it on, but there when you need it.

Movement

Powered by the Sellita SW200, the Colchester balances affordability with reliable performance. This is a very common movement within this price range. It would have been nice to see some black finishing on the movement itself or even just on the rotor, but this would have likely been hard to achieve with an off the shelf movement. The SW200 has a power reserve of only 38 hours which is fairly limiting but the ease of operating the unique titanium pop-out-crown offsets this by making the watch incredibly easy to set.

Photo by The Analogue Collective

The choice of an off the shelf movement is similar to the choice of a standard Land Rover drivetrain in the Lightweight allowing easy field serviceability and repairs.

Final Note

In a world where military special editions can feel only skin deep, the Colchester stands out. It is clear that this model has been developed by the Parachute Regiment to be their own, not just licensed with their motif. The application of carbon without using a steel core means the benefits of carbon are fully realised.

Above all, it’s a functional tool watch that combines practicality with an undeniable cool factor— it really feels like it could be worn in a British version of Top Gun.