Field Watch Elevated: Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian Review

I reached up onto the granite boulder and placed my hands in a small crack. Finding a decent foothold, I pulled myself upward, shifting my weight in a familiar, if rusty, fashion. I felt the bracelet of my watch press into the rock and reminded myself to use my fingers, not my wrist.

The Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian shined against the granite, sparkling with an attractive shimmer. Too nice for light bouldering? Probably.

But the C65 Dune Aeolian carries a reasonable price for a watch meant to get outside. And darn if I’m not going to pull a few moves at Joshua Tree, even if my plan is mostly hiking. The body may be out of practice, but I’m still a rock climber at heart.

I tested a pre-release C65 Dune Aeolian for the past month and have been consistently impressed. At $895, it’s far from a cheap watch. But with exceptional fit and finish and a very handsome 3D ripple-effect dial, it’s an incredible value that competes with the luxury watch segment while maintaining a price that begs it to be worn.

In short: Christopher Ward has raised eyebrows by building luxurious watches at accessible prices for several years. The C65 Dune Aeolian reviewed here elevates an affordable field watch to a surprisingly high degree of luxury while maintaining legibility, durability, and reasonable pricing. It’s a great value in the sub-$1,000 price range.

Compare it with other top choices in the guide to the best field watches.

Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian Review

Over the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to test a handful of Christopher Ward watches, and I’ve been impressed with them. The C65 Dune Aeolian might be my favorite yet.

However, it might not be the best field watch if you need a rough-and-tumble, subtle, and super-legible watch. It’s beautiful, but if you’re wearing camouflage, bling can certainly be a detriment. So bear that in mind.

The biggest negative is that this watch might be a little too pretty for some.

If you’re not in that camp, this watch is a functional beauty. It looks great on the wrist, is relatively easy to read (more on this later), and runs very accurately on a well-regarded Sellita SW200-1 Automatic movement with a 38-hour power reserve. This Swiss-made workhorse movement is found in many watches and has proven itself a reliable, accurate performer. While not exactly premium, the movement winds smoothly and makes adjustment pleasant.

Unscrew the highly reflective and textured crown, and it pulls out crisply. The hand adjustments are glassy as the crown rolls between fingers. Press it in and listen, and the watch ticks reassuringly with a steady thrum. Both visually and tactilely, the watch radiates quality.

C65 Dune Aeolian: A Face Like Waves

Probably the most stunning element of the watch is its “ripple” face. It looks like waves, particularly those caused by wind on sand. It’s organic, natural, and eye-catching.

It’s worth noting that Christopher Ward makes multiple models in the C65 Dune Aeolian collection. It comes in four face colors: blue (tested), green, tan, and gray. It also comes in a COSC-certified bronze model and a GMT edition. The GMT models have a significantly different appearance and lack the textured face, so I won’t address them here.

I tested a model on a stainless steel bracelet. It was easy to resize at home with just an appropriately sized screwdriver. The clasp functions with an easy pinch to open, and it unfolds for plenty of room to put it over your hand.

The Dune is also available with a leather band. As a field watch, neither of these options is exactly ideal, but both will do the job and look really nice on the wrist.

As I’ve said before, this watch is very pretty. It will look great dressed up or down. It should grab eyes, but isn’t overly showy. The C65 strikes a nice balance, and at 38mm, is a size that most people will find comfortable.

While the watch is legible in low light, it falls short of fast readability. That’s because it uses circles and batons for its hour indicators. While there’s nothing wrong with that, the best field watches, at least for genuine outdoor, military, or other hard use, tend to have numerals on the dial.

Numerals lead to faster reading and less room for error. It’s a minor nitpick, but it’s something to consider if you rely on a watch for fast reference in tough conditions.

That’s my only critique of the watch. A longer power reserve would be lovely, but it is relatively unimportant for a field watch that will never leave your wrist while in the field. Expect to rewind and set it if it sits on your nightstand longer than a weekend.

Who Should Buy It?

The Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian is an attractive Swiss-made wristwatch. It scratches the itch for a luxury watch, at least for me. If I were looking for a little field watch wrist-bling, I can’t really see any reason to spend more than the $1,000 or so that one of these versions will cost.

If you are looking for a hard-wearing wristwatch and appearance is of little concern, there are better options. But if you expect this watch to accompany you mostly for office days and dates, it’s an excellent looker. And with serious weather resistance and toughness, it should handle some rougher days on the wrist with no issue.

Christopher Ward has built another beautiful tool watch with the C65 Dune Aeolian collection. If it’s not too pretty for your use, it brings a lot of value in a genuinely elevated, elegant field watch.