Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic

Quick specs Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic
Price: starts at $ 4,540 | € 4.885 | £ 3,495 | CHF 4’150 (leather strap)
Size: 41 mm
Reference:
C01-41APT3-T00A0 (golden yellow)
C01-41APT3-T00B0 (rich blue)
C01-41APT3-T00G0 (silver white)
C01-41APT3-T00V0 (verdant green)

Launched in 2023 as the C1 Bel Canto, the Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic is a new iteration of this chiming watch. It now has a classic guilloché dial in the colors golden yellow (Oro), rich blue (Azzurro), silver white (Argento), and verdant green (Verde). And it still plays a “bel canto” – Italian for “Beautiful song”.

This watch is one of the most affordable mechanical chiming models on the market. Only the high-end brands offer mechanisms with gongs at prices easily exceeding 100k, up to over a million. However, then you will get a minute repeater, chiming the time (hours, quarter-hours, and minutes) on demand. Or a petite sonnerie (striking hours and quarter-hours) or grande sonnerie (the same but also with an “on demand” function).

CW’s hour-striker

Christopher Ward offers their ingenious striking mechanism solution for a fraction of the price of a repeater or sonnerie. As it only chimes the hours.

This is a so-called hour-striking watch, sometimes also called a “dumb repeater”. However, you cannot let it strike the time or the hours on demand.

How does the Bel Canto work?

The brand developed its FS01 module from the idea that its own jumping hour movement (caliber JJ01) could be adapted to create a chiming sound on the hour, every hour. 60 new components form the striking mechanism module which sits atop a Sellita SW200-1 base movement. Now with a 38-hour power reserve.

You can see the mirror-polished chiming gong on the guilloché dial, including 3D hand-finished bridges, spring, and hammer mechanism. Over each hour, the bird tail chiming ‘hammer’ draws back, until released to strike the steel spring which curves around the edge of the dial. All visible. And you can switch it off whenever you want.

Chiming sound of the C1 Bel Canto Classic

Its chiming sound on the hour, every hour, comes from a U-shaped gong that doubles back on itself around the rim of the face. A bird-shaped hammer mechanism, with a beak that indicates if the complication is on or off, and the tail strikes to make the sound.

The 41-millimeter case is from grade 5 titanium, which is less dense than steel. That makes it possible to amplify the chime in a better way. The case and its back, with a soundwave motif, are also optimized inside and out to create the nicest “ting” possible.

Pricing of the C1 Bel Canto Classic

This C1 Bel Canto Classic comes on a leather strap or a grade 2 titanium bracelet, which adds about 300 to 400 to the price. As said, the watch is one the most affordable chiming watches on the market with a price tag of around 3.5 to 5k, depending on the currency you use.

Given the high-level finish, including the guilloché dial in vibrant colors, this British-Swiss timepiece is almost a bargain.