Without sounding like a snob, I never thought I would be featuring a Christopher Ward watch here at WCL, but the time has come. For me to talk about certain watches, these watches need to earn the right to be here, not because I think of WCL as the non plus ultra —nothing further beyond— but more than anything, because I truly believe in honest and unbiased watch content. You just can’t pay me enough money to talk about a watch that I don’t like or that I don’t believe in. And just as I talk about grand complications in the six-figure price range, I love talking about watches that bring horological value to the table, regardless of their price.
Last week, I was blown away by the launch of the new Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto. From its looks to its functionality and everything in between, this is the type of watch that I like talking about. You need to understand that there are times when I feel so jaded that is even hard to write content anymore.
At least to me, Christopher Ward has always been a mid-range watch brand that I would often see on in-flight catalogs on my regular travels to Europe. With a sweet spot pricing between $850 to $1,300, there wasn’t much horological value —at least until now— for me to pay much attention to them and talk about their watches regardless of their lower price point. I mean, in the past I’ve talked about the $375 Tissot PRX, so it really doesn’t come to pricing in my book.
The Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto is a Swiss-made chiming watch under four thousand dollars. That right there is already impressive enough. With a round case in titanium measuring 41 mm in diameter, the proportions of the watch seem just right and I still have not seen it in the metal. The grade-5 titanium case improves the resonance and tone of the chime, and also ensures lightness and durability, while the intricately polished and stacked dial plays host to a time-telling sub-dial. As far as looks I am concerned, this watch is very good looking and it makes me feel like Arnold & Son, Jaquet Droz, and Armin Strom had a child together.
Per Christopher Ward’s website:
From the first sketches, the goal was not just to provide a watch that chimes on the hour, every hour, but also to showcase the striking mechanism. As time passes, the movement of the hour and minute hands on the floating time-telling dial draws the chiming ‘hammer’ until it strikes the steel spring which curves around the edge of the dial. The sound is both melodic —and discernible from the wrist.
While the watch is powered by their new FS01 movement, this is not an in-house calibre but a modified movement with a chiming module that sits over an automatic Selitta SW200-1 base movement with 29 jewels and with a power reserve of 38 hours. Nothing wrong with this and still quite impressive when you see the movement architecture and the finishes throughout the striking mechanism and steel spring on the front of the watch. This modification was created by CW’s technical director Frank Stelzer and it took three years to accomplish —after testing more than 80 different springs and hammers of different materials, lengths and shapes.
With an inspired piece of lateral thinking, Frank realized that CW’s ‘jumping hour’ movement could be adapted to create a chiming sound on the hour, every hour. More than 60 new components form the striking mechanism module, and every 60 minutes a ‘hammer’ strikes a chime to mark the hour —what is called a ‘Sonnerie au Passage’ complication. The chime gives a beautiful tone in the key of D that can also be silenced through a pusher located at 4 o’clock that is also linked to a red arrow —black for the salmon dial model— indication on the dial.
Named after one of the most melodic styles of opera, the watch combines Haute Horlogerie with a level of finish usually reserved for the most exclusive and expensive Swiss timepieces. I’ll have to further validate this when I peruse the watch in the metal.
The multi-layered architecture of the Bel Canto’s dial is enhanced by the exquisitely executed polishing of the hammer, spring, and bridges. This is also the first CW case made from Grade 5 titanium, a metal that is less dense than steel, and much like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie, it has been chosen for its ability to amplify sound. The internal architecture of the case has also been designed for the same reason.
The watch has a total weight of only 113 grams on a strap and there are four options as far as the dial including purple —viola—, black —nero—, sky blue —cielo—, and rosa —salmon. The watch is sold on a grade 2 titanium bracelet equipped with a micro-adjustable ratchet clasp, single screw links, and a quick-release system for easy changing or on a strap matching the color of the dial. The price difference is so insignificant that going with the bracelet and then adding the strap seems like a perfect thing to do.
This new Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto is under pre-sale with a deposit of only $1,200 USD and delivery at the end of 2023. The watch comes with a 5-year warranty and is just priced right. Definitely a lot of watch for the money. Kudos to Christopher Ward.
Although there’s not much pedigree as far as the brand goes, I love to see that some of this entry level brands are going above and beyond to increase and improve their offering, more so than some of the century-plus-year-old brands. The Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto is a watch that I would absolutely rock and that I consider the most unexpected release of 2023 thus far.
Sticker Price $3,975 USD on a bracelet and $3,595 USD on a strap. For more info on Christopher Ward click here.
