Cars and watches go well together, so for our new Aston Goodies category we’ll regularly cover typical Aston Martin watches.
Today we’ll look at the Christopher Ward C70 DBR1 chronowatch.
I bought this limited edition (500 pieces) C70 DBR1 chronowatch in 2010, immediately after it became available in Christopher Ward’s webshop. When the watch was delivered, I was impressed with the quality and the design of the watch. The 42mm size perfectly fits my wrists.
As you may know, the name DBR1 refers to Aston Martin DBR1 that won the Le Mans race in 1959, driven by Roy Salvadori and Caroll Shelby. After completing 323 laps (approx. 2,700 miles), they finished just ahead of another Aston Martin DBR1.
The design of the C70 DBR1 reflects many details of the winning car. The British Racing Green mirrors the colour of the original Le Mans car. The watch hands pick up on the DBR1’s white needles on the speedometer. The large numbers on the dial reflects the racing numbers in white circles that were on the sides of the car.
2011 re-release: the C70 DBR1 COSC
In 2011 Christopher Ward re-released the DBR1 watch: the C70 DBR1 COSC. This one has only been made in an limited edition of 200 pieces worldwide. COSC means that the watch has been certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, the institute that measures the accuracy and precision of watches in Switzerland. Both original C70 DBR and C70 DBR1 COSC were sold out in a record time.
2013 C70 DBR1 special edition
In 2013 Christopher Ward released another version of the C70 DBR1 chronowatch, this one even more special. This special edition watch is produced in just 100 pieces worldwide, each of them with a metal plate from the actual DBR1 that won the Le Mans in 1959 that sits under the sapphire crystal. The metal plate was acquired when the legendary winning Le mans Aston Martin DBR1 was undergoing restoration.
(a while ago this rcar was sold for £20 million. making it the second most expensive car ever sold at the auction.)
Currently the C70 DBR1 special edition is out of stock at Christopher Ward website. But whenavailable they cost 1.950,- UK pounds (approx. 2.350,- euro). I expect they will sell out quickly like the previous editions of C70 DBR1.