C8 p7350 chronometer limited edition

Christopher Ward auctions one-off prototype chronometer to raise money for military charities

British watch brand Christopher Ward is raising money for military charities The Royal British Legion and SSAFA by auctioning the ‘000’ prototype sample of its C8 P7350 Chronometer Limited Edition. 

The silent auction will take place online on November 7.

The C8 P7350 Chronometer Limited Edition was created in partnership with TMB Art Metal who worked closely with Christopher Ward to source original Duralumin from the only remaining airworthy Spitfire to have flown in the battle of Britain – P7350.

This historic metal was then embedded into each watch within the 75 piece limited run. The ‘000’ prototype sample being auctioned this November, is the only watch of its kind.

The design of the 44mm watch is based on the Smiths Mk IIa clock that was used in the Supermarine Spitfire’s cockpit, including a careful matching of the original index fonts and colours and the black, anti-reflective case.

The reverse of the watch reveals a laser-cut piece of metal from P7350’s cockpit protected by highly scratch-resistant, museum grade sapphire crystal. A silhouette of the plane’s plan has been precision cut into the metal showing the registration and elliptical wing formation to great effect.

Powering the C8 P7350 Chronometer is a small-second, hand-wound version of Christopher Ward’s in-house movement, Calibre SH21. As well as providing 120 hours of power via SH21’s twin barrels, each movement is a COSC certified chronometer.

The November 7 auction will run for 11 hours (11am until 10pm), with people able to place their bid for the watch – a piece of genuine aviation history –  and show their support for veterans and serving members of the military via the Christopher Ward website.

Co-founder Mike France said: ‘We’ve kept the ‘000’ prototype of the C8 P7350 Chronometer LE aside since the original launch in 2015 as we always knew we wanted to do something meaningful with it. We carefully considered how we could utilise this special piece and ultimately decided that because of the links that the collection has to the Battle of Britain it would only be right to utilise this to commemorate Remembrance Day.

Through our auction we hope to mark Remembrance Day and to raise thousands of pounds for our chosen charities – The Royal British Legion and SSAFA who offer vital support to the veteran and Armed Forces community.”

On November 7, you can click here to view the auction and place your bid.

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