Hands-On With The New Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic

Christopher Ward surprised friend and foe with the C1 Bel Canto in November 2022. It perfectly symbolized the brand’s talent for democratizing luxury watches. Today, one day before the model’s second anniversary, CW introduces a new version. I have had the chance to try the new Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic. This is how we fared.

The new Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic comes in four dial colors — gold, green, silver, and blue. You can choose between an Oyster-style bracelet and several leather straps. My review unit is the silver model on the bracelet. The watch costs €4,550 on leather and €4,885 on titanium.

Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto

Today’s updates are purely aesthetic, so the Bel Canto Classic is a “classic” Bel Canto under the hood. You get a titanium case measuring 41mm across by 48mm long and 13mm thick. With these dimensions and a 22mm lug spacing, the watch undoubtedly has an assertive wrist presence. The crystal is sapphire, and the case back is solid titanium as part of the acoustic system.

And that acoustic system is, of course, the party piece. Christopher Ward’s Frank Stelzer adapted the brand’s jump-hour caliber JJ01 to chime hourly. You can switch the system on or off via the pusher at 4 o’clock. When engaged, a large hammer strikes a titanium gong every hour. For the musicians out there, the gong is tuned to D. Many of the 60+ new components required to make this all work are visible above the dial. A hovering sub-dial at 12 displays the time.

Just to prevent any misunderstandings, it is good to realize this is not a minute repeater, nor does it strike the hours like a cuckoo clock. Instead, you get one discreet chime every hour. Another good thing to clarify is that the base caliber is a Sellita SW200-1. The adapted jump-hour module FS01 sits on top. Thus, the resulting caliber shares most of its specs with any SW200-1, including a 38-hour power reserve and 28,800vph frequency. Christopher Ward regulates it to run within ±20 seconds per day.

The new Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic

The new Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic takes that exact recipe and covers it in a more classical sauce. A guilloché dial replaces the original’s sunray dial. CW makes this dial through laser etching. No traditional rose engines are used here. This makes sense not only from a price perspective but also from a capacity perspective (more on that later).

Next, we see classic black-painted Roman numerals along a concentrically brushed ring. These replace the regular model’s modern applied indices. A simple blue handset replaces the lumed, more intricate one on the regular model. There is one technical change to the earlier model, though, as the thicker dial requires a slightly more domed crystal.

The press materials describe how Breguet first applied guilloché to its dials and how it became characteristic of British watchmaking afterward, listing George Daniels, Roger Smith, and Garrick. I am glad CW itself drops the Breguet name because…well…just look. The guilloché, Roman numerals, and dial-side mechanics scream Breguet Tradition.

Upping capacity

The first Bel Canto, limited to 300 pieces, sold out in eight hours. The second, another 300 units, took just two hours. The problem was that the watch could not be produced in much greater numbers due to several manufacturing bottlenecks. The brand is transparent about its initial capacity of 50 Bel Cantos per month and how it upped this to 500 per month by September 2024.

Christopher Ward found new suppliers, trained staff, optimized efficiency, and even took a stake in one of its suppliers. After all, making luxury watches attainable for a larger audience is no easy feat. CW has a reputation for offering crazy value for money, and the Bel Canto case shows that this needs to be in every fiber of the business to work.

Another good example is the aforementioned laser etching of the dials. A craftsperson on a rose engine can produce around five dials per week, while a single laser can churn out 84. Don’t expect the same sharpness and rich light play, but it gets you close enough in this segment. Still, there is quite a bit of handwork on display. Have a look at the beveling of some of the dial-side plates, for instance. APJ, CW’s finishing partner, had to attract new staff and send three people on a four-month training course to master hand-beveling, which is visible on some of the dial-side parts.

So, what is the Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic like in real life?

I have some mixed feelings about the Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic. On one hand, it is immensely impressive in a “how do they do it?” kind of way. Especially if you know a thing or two about producing watches, the sub-€5,000 price just seems crazy. As is often the case with CW, you get a ton of watch for the money.

So, where do my mixed feelings come in? I think it has something to do with identity. Christopher Ward’s designs cleverly reference shapes and watches we all know and love. They’re not usually straight-up homages, but they are close enough to feel familiar and safe. Add to that a strong focus on specifications and price, and you have a winning recipe. You also have a recipe that often leaves me a bit cold. Yes, €5,000 is a very sharp price for this watch, but it is still a massive amount of money. If I spend that much, I do not want something that constantly reminds me of a Breguet Tradition.

The Oyster-style bracelet confirms my feelings. Now, being a CW bracelet, it does come with toolless micro-adjustment and quick-release pins. And yes, it is another ode to something familiar, but it’s also a total stylistic mismatch for this watch. The chunky case and the three-row bracelet look like they should house a dive watch. To see them culminate in a dial that hints at classical complicated watchmaking is jarring. I strongly prefer the regular C1 Bel Canto (on a strap) because it looks much more like a Christopher Ward. Just embrace what you are.

Closing thoughts

I can certainly see why Christopher Ward gets so much love from the online watch community. Brands tend to come out favorably if they tick all the spec boxes and keep prices down. The C1 Bel Canto is a prime example of this. I, too, was deeply impressed when I saw the first model back in November 2022.

However, this new C1 Bel Canto Classic does not feel like a step forward to me. It feels stylistically incongruent and too much like an homage watch. I know this is fairly harsh criticism, but I think CW can take it on the chin and be fine. If you have to scale up to 500 pieces per month of one of your most expensive models, you are clearly hitting the right nerve with an audience. Quite simply, it is extremely impressive. As for me, I admire it but don’t lust after it.

What do you think of the new Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic? Let us know in the comments section below!