Christopher Ward have just launched the new C60 Clipper GMT, a limited-edition watch created in collaboration with Pan Am. On paper, it’s an easy watch to like. It’s familiar Christopher Ward territory, well made, sensibly specced and tied to one of the most romantic names in aviation history.
But once you scratch the surface, this release feels like it’s doing a few different things at once, and not all of them sit entirely comfortably.
At its core, this is a C60 GMT. You get the Light-Catcher case, 42mm in diameter, 300 metres of water resistance and a Sellita SW330-2 GMT movement. It’s solid, dependable and exactly what we’ve come to expect from Christopher Ward at this price point. No complaints there.
The design leans heavily into mid-century aviation nostalgia. The off-white dial, the restrained blue accents and the Pan Am branding are all deliberately chosen to evoke the golden age of transatlantic travel. The bezel replaces the usual 24-hour markings with IATA airport codes, a nice idea in theory and certainly a conversation starter, even if it’s not the most practical execution of a GMT bezel in day-to-day use.
There are lots of small details that are objectively well done. The seconds hand counterweight shaped like a Boeing 707 is fun. The Pan Am globe on the caseback is tasteful rather than shouty. It’s clear that care has gone into this, and as a product, it’s very competently put together.
And yet, I can’t shake the feeling that this watch looks like something you’d receive after twenty-five years of service. Not in a bad way, but in a very specific way. It has that slightly corporate commemorative feel to it. The kind of watch that comes in a very nice box, with a story card, and lives most of its life in a drawer being taken out occasionally to explain where it came from.
That’s not helped by the Pan Am connection itself. Within watch culture, Pan Am is inseparable from the Rolex GMT-Master story. That’s the reference point, whether Christopher Ward like it or not. And while this isn’t a copy of a Rolex, it is very clearly trying to tap into that same well of nostalgia. The problem is that Pan Am, as an airline, has been gone for decades. What remains is the branding, and this watch feels more like a licensing exercise than a continuation of a living tool watch legacy.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but it does mean the emotional pull is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
This also feels very much like part of a broader pattern with Christopher Ward. We’ve recently seen themed releases, collaborations and slightly left-field projects like the pocket watch collaboration, and this Clipper GMT fits neatly into that rhythm. It has the feeling of a scheduled publicity moment rather than a watch that had to exist.
Again, that’s not a criticism of the quality. Christopher Ward are very good at this. But it does suggest that we may be entering a phase where we should expect more watches like this. Limited editions, strong narratives, external brand partnerships, and releases that are as much about the story as the watch itself.
At around fifteen hundred pounds, this sits in a fiercely competitive part of the market. Strip away the Pan Am branding and you’re left with a very good GMT, but not one that would necessarily stand out on specs or design alone against Longines, Oris or the used market. The collaboration is what gives it its reason to exist.
So where does that leave the C60 Clipper GMT?
It’s a well executed watch, with plenty of charm, and for the right buyer, the Pan Am connection will be exactly the point. If you love aviation history and want something that leans into that nostalgia without going full pastiche, this will make a lot of sense.
But if you’re looking at this purely as a watch, it’s hard not to see it as slightly corporate, slightly calculated and very deliberately positioned. It feels less like a natural evolution of the C60 and more like a very polished piece of brand storytelling.
Whether that’s a smart move or a slippery slope probably depends on how many more of these we see.
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