One of the stand out watches of this decade so far is without question the Christopher Ward Bel Canto – and you don’t have to take my word for it, you the Oracle Time readers named it the best watch of the year 2023. The unexpected mega success of the original led to a quick turnaround of a second edition and then eventually some limited editions such as the 10-piece British Watchmaker’s Day edition. However, now Christopher Ward are ready to launch a new generation of the watch called the Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic.
Off the bat, the biggest improvement and change to the watch is the dial. The previous sunray brushed plate has been replaced with a glorious guilloché piece produced by AJS Production, the same team behind the British limited edition. Here the guilloché has been achieved using a modern laser engraving technique as opposed to traditional methods, which was deemed important in order to keep supply in line with demand. The dial is available in rich blue, golden yellow, verdant green and silver white.
An interesting side effect of the guilloché is that the dial is necessarily thicker to account for the three-dimensional nature of the design. As such, the various components of the Bel Canto’s signature chiming complication at 6 o’clock and the time display at 12 have been pushed forward, closer to the sapphire glass. In order to accommodate this, the sapphire glass has been totally redesigned as a box sapphire to provide more space inside the display.
Another update for the C1 Bel Canto Classic is the time display at 12 o’clock, which features a new hand set and Romen numerals. The hands are slimmer and the Roman numerals mean that you actually have actually have numerals to read instead of blank batons. Both of which emphasise the fact that this is a dressier style watch compared to the original, leaning more into the traditional elements of dress watch design – hence the name Classic.
The case and the movement held inside of it are the same as the original Bel Canto. It measures 41mm in titanium and is powered by the FS01. If you’re unfamiliar with the FS01 it’s a heavily adapted version of the Sellita SW200-1 that adds a chiming complication – a module that uses a hammer and gong to give an audio cue to chime the hours. Most chiming complications are incredibly expensive yet the Bel Canto makes it downright accessible in comparison.
Specifically, the Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic is £3,495 on Seta leather strap or £3,745 on titanium Bader bracelet. I think the Classic helps to refine the idea of the Bel Canto to a more cohesive state. Previously there were mismatched elements that were either dressy or sporty but now the watch has a better-defined identity as a dress watch. Do you prefer this or the original?
Price and Specs:
More details at Christopher Ward.
