Introducing: The Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic With Laser-Etched Guilloché Pattern
What We Know
Christopher Ward has unveiled a new selection of four watches to complement their already cult-classic C1 Bel Canto lineup released in 2022. The watches, with their three-dimensional domed design reminiscent of MB&F’s half-above/half-below Legacy Machine line, still have a sonnerie au passage chime that dings once an hour as the minute hand passes the top of the hour. Now, they also come with a slightly more classic dial platine in a laser-etched, barleycorn-esque guilloché pattern.
Photo: courtesy Christopher Ward
That is a whole heck of a lot of French watchmaking terms for a watch that clocks in at $4,225 on a strap and $4,540 on a bracelet. At that price, you shouldn’t be surprised to hear that – as I just said – the dial pattern is not engine-turned like true guilloché (no long debates needed about how long the guilloché takes), but the choice of gold, green, silver, or blue dials still has that effect, radiating from the time-telling subdial at 12 o’clock. That subdial now has Roman numerals, leaning into the “classic” namesake.
The watch still measures 41mm by 13mm thick with a 48mm lug-to-lug and 22mm lug width, with a titanium case. The chime dings a crisp D note at the top of the hour, powered by the FS01 manually wound movement (a Sellita SW-200 base), with 38 hours of power reserve. If you want to learn more about the development, you can refer to past coverage. The watches aren’t a limited edition but a part of the new C1 core lineup and are available for order, with delivery expected in two months. The price is $4,225 for the strap with a deployant Bader clasp and $4,540 for a titanium bracelet.
What We Think
I covered the original Bel Canto back in January of 2023 as a great value proposition for chiming watches that have otherwise largely been relegated to the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sure, it’s no minute repeater, and yes, the chime is a bit quiet (a slightly flat D6 on my sample) and only happens once per hour, but it still was a watch that has won over a lot of fans for CW.
There’s something charming about any mechanical chiming watch at an affordable price. It even won the Petite Aiguille award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (best watch under 8,000 CHF) that year. But the rollout of the watch went less than smoothly. People had given deposits and kept facing delays due to production issues. Others got the wrong color after their long wait. Representatives at Christopher Ward told me they know things could have gone better. That’s why they’ve changed more than just the dial here.
Christopher Ward told me that customers for the Classic will receive their watches just two months after launch, and the goal is to be at a consistent in-stock position by the end of February. Not all customers will be convinced and time will tell if that happens, but they seem to understand that they have a bit of an uphill battle to win back trust.
As for the watch itself, I actually got a glimpse of the guilloché pattern during my first interviews with the brand last year and was told it was one possibility they were considering. Then I spoke to someone else at the brand who essentially told me that such a thing wasn’t possible – that it would be too busy of a design when mixed with the bridges and exposed chiming components. I don’t know if they were trying to get me off the trail of something I saw, but I’ve kept my mouth shut, waiting for this moment.
Is the blue too blue? We’ll have to wait and see. Photo: courtesy Christopher Ward
In person, the visual experience of the watch just works. From what I saw in images ahead of the launch, I was sure that the blue and green dials would be a bit too vibrant and would clash with the guilloché pattern. It turns out that (in the case of the green, at least) there’s almost a lizard-scale rainbow quality to the pattern that softens the color in person. It’s much less uniform or punchily vibrant than I expected from the “soldier” straight-on product shots. I can only imagine the same would go for the other colors (though in the lifestyle images the brand provided, I still think the blue could be a touch toned back).
I also don’t know that the Roman numerals work that well or are necessary. They may be too on the nose as a reference to MB&F’s Legacy Machine line (which could be said about the whole thing). Either way, my best guess is we’ll see more experimentation in the coming year in this vein, and it’s a great complementary option for what I think is Christopher Ward’s most successful and innovative product in years.
The Basics
Brand: Christopher Ward
Model: C1 Bel Canto Classic
Diameter: 41mm
Thickness: 13mm
Lug-to-Lug: 48mm
Case Material: Grade 5 Titanium
Dial Color: Gold, green, silver, or blue laser-etched guilloché pattern
Indexes: Roman numerals on a time-telling subdial
Lume: None
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: Seta leather straps with deployant Bader clasp, with an increased taper from 22mm down to 16mm, or Grade 2 titanium Bader bracelet
The Movement
Caliber: FS01 (Sellita SW200-1 base)
Functions: Hours, minutes, passing chime with on/off pusher
Power Reserve: 38 hours
Winding: Manual
Jewels: 29
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Chime in the key of D (D6 note)
Pricing & Availability
Price: $4,225 on strap and $4,540 on bracelet
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No
For more, click here.
Hodinkee