CW Trident 65 vs. Oris Diver’s 65 Let the Battle Begin!

darkoverlord

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65 VS 65 A Battle of the Modern-Vintage Beasts (CW Trident 65 vs. Oris Diver’s 65)
To say vintage is in is an understatement and to be frank this is nothing new. Every 10-15 years something old becomes the new hottest fashion. Every 25-40 it becomes hip to re-introduce design. So it shouldn’t be a surprise then that vintage watches are all the buzz. Yet in some ways it is. Buying a new watch with markers that are supposed to look 25 years old flies in the face of collectors always looking for better brighter lume. Making a new dive watch that is less that 200m w/r while new records are being broken all the time, deliberately making a sapphire crystal to look like Plexiglas. These actions in and of themselves don’t make a ton of sense, that is until the package comes together.
Human beings may be complicated creatures but when it comes to selling us something, you just have to find out what we think is good looking, symmetrical, aesthetically not challenging…. Or well; Pretty.

And we (especially Americans) love vintage, we love the look of the past. We harken for the day when “things were built to last” even if they couldn’t be built to perform. And we watch collectors are probably the most romantic of the bunch with our $100k mechanical wrist clocks that don’t even keep time as well are our cell phones and fit-bits. Throwing down extra coin for chronographs we will rarely start and water resistance marks that could kill us if we tested them.
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Oris and Christopher Ward certainly aren’t the only two names in the current vintage game. Marquees from Bulova to Blancpain, from Timex to Breitling (and so many others) have all recently introduced models based on previous lines or perhaps even whole lines based on previous designs. To me what makes these two watches so compelling is audacity. The audacity of Oris to make a watch without modern improvements that deliberately performs sub-par of its own product line and to sell it for as much or more. The audacity of Christopher Ward to see Oris’ success and say “well we didn’t even exist in 1965 but we love your design and we want a piece of your success.” Routinely I’ve watched reviews of the Oris Diver’s 65 had heard lines like “it’s not a spec monster but just look at it!” or “don’t expect to be wowed by the technology of the Diver’s 65, esp. at almost $2000 but expect to be floored by its looks.”

Yes my dear collectors, we are romantics, we are the first ones to justify our impulses, we love PRETTY THINGS. And these are pretty watches for sure. But who’s done “pretty” better?
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From Oris: The Divers Sixty-Five looks back to Oris’s first diver’s watches, particularly an iconic 1965 model. Under their vintage aesthetic, the new pieces are engineered using state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques.
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DIVING BACK IN TIME
“Oris has dived back in time and is delighted to present the Oris Divers Sixty-Five – a revival of an iconic diver’s watch that first appeared in the Oris collection 50 years ago. The new Oris Divers Sixty-Five shares the retro looks of the 1960s original, but it’s been modernized using 21st century watchmaking techniques. The case is made of anti-corrosive stainless steel. The vintage-inspired bubble-curved glass is made of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and comes with anti-reflective coating on the inside to reduce glare and increase legibility underwater.”

Oris has been one of Switzerland’s longest standing independent watch makers tracking their lineage all the way back to 1904. One of the hallmarks of their popularity amongst modern day collectors is their ability to provide watches that exceed their competition in design and technical ability at a price one or two notches below the competition. How ironic then that the Diver’s 65 has quickly become their most popular piece. The Oris website claims that there are over 55 separate models of the Diver’s 65. Most of these are just different model numbers with a variety of straps. However the Diver’s 65 can be found in 36,40,42 and 43mm widths. With bronze bezels, bronze bezel inserts, in a chronograph, with vintage printed markers and as part of many short run limited editions.
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Limited Edition Movember Diver’s 65
From Christopher Ward: The latest addition to the C65 family – a range that occupies a unique space between our dress and dive collections – the Trident Diver is our ode to the lithe and elegantly masculine divers of the ‘60s. Using modern day technology to complement its retro appeal, the C65 Trident Diver is proof that the old and new can co-exist side by side. This is the past, but done better.
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Retro Dive Watches
With a little help from Sean Connery’s 007, everybody knows the appeal of the slim classic dive watches championed throughout the 1960s. Our Retro Dive Collection takes those vintage cues and embellishes them with the best of modern day engineering; these are watches that are as comfortable alongside dinner jackets as wetsuits.

Christopher Ward, the British watch brand founded in 2004 (exactly 100 years after Oris) by three watch loving buddies; has pretty quickly become a favorite amongst collectors. One can’t help but think their meteoric rise from watch fanatics to successful brand owners must resonate with a lot of collectors. But similar to Oris, Christopher Ward has made it their purpose to out spec, design and perform watches many times their cost. In fact price transparency is one of their main founding edicts. Just like the Diver’s 65, the CW C65 comes in a wide variety to choose from, however all C65s share the same case design and size of 41mm in width. From there however there are GMTs, automatics and mechanicals. In-house movement versions as well as Selita powered watches are offered. Colors ranging from vintage bronze, to black, white, blue, yellow, olive green and others are all available for your choosing.
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The two watches used in this comparison are from my personal collection and as such my money has gone to fund these pieces. While I took possession of both of these pieces recently; (end of 2019) both represent the starting points of their respective product lines.
Let’s get the specs out of the way:
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Oris Diver’s 65: (from their website)
CASE Oris Divers, 42.00 mm, 1.654 inches, Stainless steel, ,TOP GLASS Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside, OPERATING DEVICES Stainless steel screw-in security crown, WATER RESISTANCE 10 bar, INTERHORN WIDTH 21 mm, MOVEMENT Automatic winding date,NUMBER, Oris 733, base SW 200-1*
Price Range: Approx. $1000-$2300 ($2300 for a bracelet version of the watch with no discounts. Oris is sold through an AD network and through grey market retailer, hence discounts are often offered.)

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Christopher Ward Diver’s 65: (from their website)
Diameter: 41mm, Height: 11.55mm, Weight: 65g, Calibre: Sellita SW210, Case: 316L Stainless Steel, Water resistance: 15 ATM (150 metres), Vibrations: 28,800 per hour (4 Hz), Timing tolerance: +15/-15 seconds per day, lug to lug: 47.1mm, Strap width: 22mm
Price Range: $795-$2160 ($2160 for in-house movement. Christopher Ward watches can only be purchased through their website. They often offer 15% off coupons and occasionally $125 off coupons)

Packaging: Advantage = Christopher Ward
We all like to tell ourselves that the packaging doesn’t matter. That logical little Vulcan in our head is right after-all. Once opened what does it matter? Certain brands like Breitling and Zelos give you versions of carry cases with the package, so that adds to the value. But in the end the packaging is all about the experience. And R&D for most retail companies will tell you it matters a lot. I’d suspect in the modern day when people spend more money online the act of opening the package might be even more important.
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Oris here provides their typical box, with a “vintage” inner box and a relatively soft landing spot for your watch and a decent book. The hang tag is sad.
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Christopher Ward has thought outside the box on their, well their box here. Creating a long box that doubles as a nice display. They also include a great cloth with their watches (why don’t all companies do this? Especially the bigger ones?) and the perfunctory booklet no one reads. Hooray for a plastic hang tag (ok I know, hang tags don’t matter.)
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Warranty: Advantage = Christopher Ward
To put it plainly, Christopher Ward gives you 60 days to return your watch and a 60 month warranty if you keep it. Oris provides 2 years and you can add a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] by registering your watch online. I own two watches by each brand and neither have required service thus far for me to add that to the evaluation of the warranty.
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Movement: Advantage = Oris
In a lot of watches the comparison of movements would be a prime area of critique. This would be especially true were we comparing in-house movements. Both brands however here utilize Selita base movements and only refinish this with branding. The movement on the Oris being an Automatic is a practical advantage. The Oris also has a slightly longer real-life power reserve and maintains its accuracy for the duration.

Crown: Advantage = Oris
The crowns here are remarkably similar. Well maybe it’s not so remarkable when you remember that the C65 is an attempt to mimic the style of the Oris. In that regard the CW’s crown is actually finished a little nicer and has more “teeth” to grip. But the Oris’ crown screws down perfectly and winds more smoothly. Neither crown has much play or wiggle at all. But a better winding crown will always edge out a better looking crown for me. Screw down will win 9 out of 10 times vs. a push/pull as well.
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Lume: Advantage = Oris
Let’s not waste a lot of time pretending that either of these watches are lume monsters. The Oris Aquis line typically provides some very nice long lasting lume. But here in the Diver’s 65 they use the faux patina colored Superluminova by filling applied indices at all hours positions. The hands are of course painted the same. The Oris’ lume seems to fade quickly. However if your eyes are open in the dark long enough to adjust the Diver’s 65 lume is potent enough to read clearly all night, even if the color becomes dim. The C65 however fades just as quickly without the staying power. Perhaps it’s that the markers are much smaller and the “12” and “6” are merely printed on the dial?
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Case-back: Advantage = Christopher Ward
Ok so case back is another area where one might think the impact on the overall watch is (or should be) minimal. This impression can be true. But a quality case back can be more than additional, not often seen decorum for your wrist candy. The case back can affect comfort and fit. It can visually and literally change the overall depth of the watch and how it looks on your wrist. A tough to grab case back makes it hard to do work on your watch. A well designed case back also holds the gasket(s) in the back of the time piece. With that said both case backs here do the majority of what is required by them adequately. Both have nice open channels for your case back wrench. Neither detracts from the wearability of the watch. Neither makes the watch unduly thick (the Oris is already thicker between the case and crystal). And as such the much nicer design work is found on the Christopher Ward.
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Crystal: Advantage = Oris
Both watches in this study are attempting to make a sapphire crystal look like an old Plexiglas crystal. Both do a nice job visually from a distance. But the two companies definitely take a different approach. The Box Sapphire on the Oris is thick and deep. The edges give you genuine distortion. Yet the top down approach is crystal clear (pun intended.) Take a look at the picture provided below and compare how Oris has used the crystal to help define the overall shape of the watch. Christopher Ward has taken a slicker approach using a crystal whose lip and depth is far less pronounced. The makes the C65 a smoother overall design perhaps but doesn’t harken the classic plexi crystal the way the Oris does. The CW’s crystal is ever so slightly duller looking as well. The difference is extraordinarily small but is there when you look for it next to the Oris.
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Available Straps/Bracelet: Advantage = Oris
The tail of the C65’s strap and bracelet is an adjunct to much of the information provided in this review which will be further covered in the Customer Service area below. But let me say that when I look at both of these watches I think they look best on straps, leather straps to be precise. But let’s discuss the available options each company brings to the table and what I currently have for each watch. This Oris Diver’s 65 is available with 2 different brown leather straps, a black tropic diver’s strap and stainless steel “rivet style” bracelet and 2 different NATO strap options. This pretty much holds true across the product line. The Oris bracelet (which I don’t own but have tried on plenty) is, like more Oris bracelets, really, really well built. The clasp itself may not have the sliding adjustment of the C65 but the design helps it to stand out amongst other watches in this category and others. Oris NATO fabric is soft and supple. It may not be the most durable cloth on the market but the colors a vibrant and true to the watch. For 2019 and older models you get a divers milled clasp on your NATO as well with a minderless system for excess strap length. (I’m told moving forward Oris NATO straps will be designed with normal NATO style hardware.) The leather and tropic rubber straps are really well made too. I ordered The Christopher Ward C65 on oak colored brown leather. I received it on a brushed stainless steel bracelet. The newer CW bracelet as well, as the original bracelet displayed with this version of the C65 was a typical Oyster. This bracelet offers quick change pins, and an on the fly adjustment mechanism. Visually however I don’t feel it impacts the watch as well as the rivet style on the Oris. Having not yet received the proper leather strap I can’t use it here to evaluate the options for the watch. I can say however that CW straps are usually well-made if not spectacular. Herein is an example of the benefits of brick and mortar shopping. I have been able to try on all variations of the Oris whereas I can only speculate on the CW until and unless the straps arrive.
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Comfort: Advantage = Christopher Ward
Let’s face it, the two watches we’re looking at it here are not particularly diverse in size and shape. 42mm vs. 41mm, 48mm lug to lug vs. 47.1mm, etc. The Christopher Ward just has slightly better balance on the wrist making it just a bit more comfortable on top of its more demure proportions.
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Handset: Advantage = Christopher Ward
This may be the most clearly won battle between these watches in this whole comparison. Throughout its relatively short tenure Christopher Ward has rather consistently got one this right; handsets. This holds true here in the C65 as Christopher have created a simple set of 3 hands that at once blend into the design of the watch on a whole but also stand out as a defining feature and a highly stylized feature to boot. The CW’s minute and hour hands resemble elongated cricket bats. There is a short “grip” near the center of the watch followed but the length of the hands filled with vintage lume paint. But the hands are faceted and do a great job of playing with the light. The second hand of the C65 is a simple sharp pointed line with addition lume at one end and a lovely trident shaped counter-balance at the rear. Oris have kept things relatively plain here by comparison. The second hand features a lume filled lollipop and the hour and minute hands (also lume filled) are of a slight ladder style but overall emulate the straight forward design found on many a diver trying to harken to a vintage design scheme.
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Bezel: Advantage = Christopher Ward
In designing the bezel for the Diver’s 65 Oris was pretty true to the original, at least visually. The modern watch uses a stainless steel bezel with a black DLC insert with silver painted markers and numbers. The effect of the DLC is rather glossy. There is a lume pip at 12. The bezel turns nicely and while there is a little back play there is no significant slop. The black play is minute. Compared to the C65 the bezel of the Diver’s 65 is wider and hence it makes the dial opening of the larger Oris feel smaller. As a note depending on which Diver’s 65 you choose there are also full DLC bezels, full bronze bezels or bronze bezels with steel DLC inserts. Christopher Ward takes a very different approach to the look. The bezel is stainless steel but the insert is aluminum. The coloring of the bezel has a very pleasant texture to it. There is a retainer ring separating the bezel from the crystal. The CW’s bezel slopes nicely into the full design of the watch, has smaller cleaner cut teeth and the same 12 o’clock lume pip. It is a little harder to turn than the Oris. The Oris’ bezel is easier to use and the DLC coating may hold up longer over time than the C65’s aluminum insert. The Christopher Ward bezel looks better however. It was hard to pick a winner here but I went with design over function in this scenario in keeping with the themes of the watches on a whole. The can perform but both are fashion statements first and diver watches second (or perhaps third.)
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Dial: Advantage = Oris
One could easily argue that on and watch the dial is the most important feature. Aesthetically we are first pleased by the design of the dial. Practically we can’t tell the time without it. Here with have two slightly different approaches to the same vintage look. Both are well executed, both are handsome. And before diving too far deeply into these examples I will remind you: The Oris can be found in many colors, with varying marker shapes, and with printed Arabic numerals. Likewise the automatic C65 has all applied markers, and there are many dial colors available within the product line. With that reminder out of the way; The Oris’ markers are applied and bold. The cleverness of the 12 o’clock marker matching the shield of the Oris logo should not be overlooked. The logos are easy on the eyes. The gloss of the green dial is rich and appealing. The outer chapter ring is nicely sloped and filled with markers for each second. This approach does not clutter the dial. The trapezoid date box is nicely framed in grey. The Christopher Ward’s dial is certainly good looking in its own way. The outer chapter ring (once again sloped) has markings for 5ths of a second. Nicely executed but perhaps a little overkill when considering the design origin of the watch. The blue color is quite muted. The markers are small but very crisply applied. The logos are typically where people will argue with Christopher Ward’s design choices. The “de-bossed” twin flag logo at 12 is a cool element to me but often gets lost in dim or overly bright light. The fully spelled out “Christopher Ward” sits at 9 o’clock and takes up two lines of text. I am personally fine with this choice. The many who are not have certainly made themselves known of videos, watch forum posts, on Facebook, Instagram, etc. But it is a logo that takes a little getting used to.
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Versatility: Advantage = Christopher Ward (for now)
I know what most of you are thinking: “A blue watch against a green watch? Of course the blue is more versatile!” Well let’s not jump to conclusions so quickly here. The muted blue of the C65’s dial makes the vintage lume look somewhat orange. The color is so muted in fact that most blue straps do not work with the watch and I’ve not found that black leather looks too good on it either. (Black rubber looks fine.) The Oris’ dial is such a dark green that it is more of a chameleon in color. It actually looks nicer against most color shirts and on more straps in my collection that the Christopher Ward; if it would only fit on those straps. The Oris ends up losing this battle because of its 21mm lugs. It is a shame that I can’t fit any leather or rubber straps in my collection on the Oris, as next to almost all of these straps it looks great. 21mm straps aren’t impossible to find but they are scarce in comparison to the 22mm lug width of the C65. If I choose to go out and spend money on brown and black leather and other options for the Oris, it will become more versatile than the CW. But out of the box for most collectors, the C65 will have more shoes in your closet.
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Case & Design: Advantage = Oris
How does one legitimately choose here? Christopher Ward does go the extra mile by carving out some negative space on the case side. The C65 is also the more svelte looking piece on profile. But the Oris has a fuller presence at 42mm, and is more balanced looking from the front (largely thanks to the more evenly proportioned bezel width.) The thicker crystal of the Oris also adds to the somehow more authentic character of the piece. And then there is authenticity. Should extra points not be given to the originator; to the design that not only came first but inspired the latter?
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Customer Service: Advantage = Oris
Oris uses an authorized dealer network to sell their watches. As such in most scenarios your customer service experience will be as good as your authorized dealer is at treating their customers. With that I have a very good AD not too far from where I live. There is also an AD in my town, Torneau in New York City and even Jared are Authorized Dealers for Oris. However to add to this I have casually gotten to know the Oris regional representative just by going to the Wind Up watch fair on consecutive years. That has been very pleasant as well. Christopher Ward is the smaller and newer brand. They are the web-presence only brand here. As such they attempt to do it all themselves. Largely, they fail. The internet is littered with stories of Christopher Ward orders being incorrectly filled, shipping late, coming to the customers dirty. Typically the results are emails or calls to Christopher Ward whereas in time they eventually make up for their errors. I am not naive. I know enough to know that I will read more negative remarks than positive because people rarely take the time to expose companies who do what is expected. I will say this from personal experience. I ordered the C65 in this review and it arrived a day later despite paying for express shipping and on the wrong strap. I contacted customer service and did not get a response until 3 days later when I received a shipping notice that the correct strap was on its way. Two full weeks later the strap finally shipped. Two weeks after that it was returned to Christopher Ward by DHL having never left England. When reaching out to Customer Service again they claimed it was the first time they had heard from me. They said they would send the proper strap but yet today is day 53 and I still do not have the strap and currently there is no tracking that it has shipped. To contrast the in-person experience: Christopher Ward was also at the last Wind Up watch fair. The staff there didn’t know their product well. Mr. Christopher Ward himself was there. He was rather rude and aloof. He was considerable more interested in looking up football (soccer for Americans and Aussies) on his cell phone than interacting with customers.

So Who wins? Which watch is better? Does the Oris take the crown having nudged ahead of the Christopher Ward by 1 category? Do we consider the price being better for the Christopher Ward across the board and give it to the C65? The clear winner here is the consumer. Yes that it is a corny way to address the issue but having such great choice from two brands with two vast product lines is fantastic.

That said; I prefer the Oris Diver’s 65. They are both great watches. I enjoy owning them both. I intend to keep both at this point. I have gotten great joy from wearing them both. There is just something about the Oris though. Something you can’t quite quantify. Some reason why review after review online and in magazine keeps lauding its virtues despite its lack of technical ability. Yes something hard to perceive puts the Oris a tick above its competitor. Somehow when they put the package together they just got it right, the stars aligned. And man; the watch is just pretty.

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Excellent review! Thanks for putting in the time and effort. All of us WIS benefit.

I have the CW in black and while I do like the Oris, I just can't pull the trigger on it because of the price.
The CW is just such a good value. Maybe someone will gift me an Oris in the future. :hmm:
Enjoy both pieces and wear them often in good health.
 
I really enjoyed the versus review Gavin. You can always start a second career as a professional reviewer. Both of the watches look like keepers to me. I really like the vintage-inspired bubble sapphire crystal and the distortions it gives off. I recently picked up my poor-man's version below and the crystal was one of the things that drew me to it.

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The Sellita 210-1 seems to be a no-date version of the 215-1. If you look at the images it has 215 stamped on the movement. http://sellita.ch/index.php/en/movements



 
Fantastic review Gavin, thanks for taking the time, and posting. I vote Oris anyday of the week, especially now with Christopher Ward leaving his company. I have the Bico 65, and the original 65 black dial, Luv them both. Oris continues to make excellent timepieces, at solid values, IMHO.
 
I see Christopher Ward leaving the company as a breath of fresh air, especially if his heart wasn't in it anymore and as noted below he lost interest and his involvement declined a long time ago. Under his guidance since Wera* left, the company has gradually taken a dive with my own personal experience, but others may have had better luck.

*(Head of Customer Service, Patron Saint and wife of Christopher Ward, Wera, has resigned her position at Christopher Ward London. This is effective immediately. Wera has resigned to pursue new interests, and concentrate on home and family.)

"As the Christopher Ward brand moves forward into the new decade with more optimism than ever, it’s tinged with more than a little sadness that it will be without Chris himself.

For, after nearly 16 years, Chris has now left the business and will no longer be involved on an ongoing basis.

Of course, as a co-founder and the man whose name adorns the dial, he will always be part of the history of the brand but as many people inside CW know, his involvement with the business has declined significantly in recent years and it seemed right for everyone, including Chris, that this was the moment to formally step aside.

Peter and I will miss seeing him on a daily basis although we certainly won’t miss the smug look on his face as his beloved Liverpool Football Club chalk up yet another win on their way to the title. We’re hoping to be together at the Everton v Liverpool derby game in March when I am confident the blues will take the three points!

So, we thank Chris for the last 16 years, the ups, the downs, the football banter and the laughs (mainly the laughs!) and we wish him every future success in whatever he chooses to do next as well as reminding him to not become a stranger to his many friends at CW.

Mike France

CEO & co-founder"
 
A marvelous review Gavin! I like them both, but I think I'd settle on the Oris.:wink: Thanks for posting this up.:hat:
 
Just a great comparison review and the dueling wrist shot hit a home run for me. Thank you, Gavin, for taking the time and making a lot of effort for this review.
 
Great comparison Gavin! Thanks for putting this together so well. I have liked both the Oris and CW for sometime. The price of the Oris has held me back and the logo on the CW has kept me from pulling the trigger. But when the CW showed up in the 50% off sale I was able to accept the logo at that price and give it a try. Looking forward to receiving it even more now after reading your comparison.
 
Beautiful comparison / contrast. Thanks for taking the time to post.


Everyone loves a battle between the titans....



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Whoa, that is complete, detailed, informational and perhaps the best vs review I have ever read. I appreciate the time and work that went into it.
I love Oris, I am a huge fan. I have never been able to pull the trigger on a CW, but this is causing me to seriously reconsider that.
Again, great job.
 
thanks for your comments. Getting to handle the C65 in person and in a few different variations made me quite comfortable pulling the trigger.
 
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