Christopher Ward is showing off a new C60 GMT this week called the Clipper GMT, and it takes a rather on the nose approach to honoring transatlantic travel as pioneered by PanAm airlines in the late ‘50s. In fact, if you were to close your eyes and imagine what the watch might look like based on that first sentence alone, you’d probably be right in the ballpark. The PanAm logo is there, airport codes appear on the bezel, and of course, a blue and red motif is worked into the 24 hour scale. And yes, even the counterweight of the seconds hand takes the form of a plane. It hits all the notes it needs to hit, even if the relevancy of an American airline to a British brand selling Swiss watches feels a bit of a stretch.
It’s easy to take a cynical view of co-branded projects such as this, nakedly tapping into nostalgia without the underlying foundation through which it is earned. On the other hand, there’s something undeniably fun about how this has been executed. The line seems to be just how seriously a brand takes themselves when they make watches like this, and knowing Christopher Ward, they can walk right up to that line. With this watch, they do exactly that, and the result won’t be to everyone’s taste, which is just fine by me.
The C60 Clipper builds on the existing C60 GMT collection with a 42mm steel case, a size not currently available in regular production references. The Clipper takes an old-school approach with the use of an aluminum bezel insert and aged lume set on an egg shell colored base dial. Light blue and red accents define the rest of the design, with the split color rehaut hosting the 24 hour markers. The unique typeface mirror the PanAm logo and fills in the airport codes in the bezel, with EYW being rendered in red as a nod to the takeoff location of PanAm’s first ever flight in 1927.
The PanAm logo is placed on the dial at six o’clock, right above a framed date aperture (the date disc is white, not eggshell, FYI). The caseback also gets the airline’s famous globe or ‘meatball’ logo engraved to drive the point home. Underneath you’ll find a Sellita SW330-2 automatic movement at work, which powers the caller style GMT hand on the dial. The best part of the watch is undoubtedly the light catcher case, which boasts a distinctive profile that not only looks good but is also quite ergonomic. The total thickness is 12.45mm and the curvature of the lug makes it imminent wearable.
Christopher Ward will produce just 707 examples of the C60 Clipper, which is a nod to the Boeing 707 used by PanAm. All of the connections may be spurious at best, but it’s a testament to the lasting power of the PanAm brand, if nothing else. The C60 Clipper is priced at $1,995 on a steel bracelet, with a woven passthrough strap included in the special packaging. Shipping begins in March of 2026. Christopher Ward
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