The New and Updated Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic

If we asked our regular readers to name two of the most attractively priced watches with a striking hour complication, the C1 Bel Canto from Christopher Ward would definitely be one of them – the other would be the MeisterSinger Bell Hora. This British brand introduced its sonnerie au passage timepiece in late 2022, and it quickly garnered acclaim for its design, craftsmanship, and high horology complication – the whole package offered at an accessible price. We recently reviewed the admirable C1 Bel Canto with a salmon-coloured dial, a variation that retained the distinctive design of the original 2022 model. Now, we’re happy to present the evolution of this great watch, the C1 Bel Canto Classic.

The C1 Bel Canto Classic retains the nicely proportioned 41mm diameter and 48mm lug-to-lug grade 5 titanium case of its predecessor, featuring gently curved lugs. The case combines a brushed finish with polished chamfers along the midsection, and parts of the signed crown and the pusher for activating the chiming mechanism are also polished for contrast. While water resistance remains at 30 meters, the C1 Bel Canto Classic introduces a new glassbox sapphire crystal, which accommodates its most obvious update: a dial plate decorated with a laser-etched guilloché pattern, available in shades of blue, gold, green, and silver.

Another noticeable update is the redesigned time dial, now circular-brushed and featuring crisp Roman numerals, replacing the baton indices of the earlier Bel Canto. The minutes track has also been refined and is now a thin, stepped outer ring of the time dial with dot markers, making reading time to the minute effortless. The handset remains similar in shape but now omits luminous inserts and is customised to match each dial colour: black hands for the gold dial, silver-toned hands for the blue and green dials, and blue hands for the silver dial. One more colourful touch is the on/off indicator for the “sonnerie au passage” function – red on the blue and green dials, while the silver and gold dials match this indicator to the handset.

The chiming mechanism remains unchanged and is showcased on the dial, along with other visible elements, revealing an exceptional level of hand-bevelling and meticulous finishing that adds to the watch’s harmonious and now classic image, in contrast to the very modern appearance of the earlier C1 Bel Canto version. Once again, the dial forgoes the Christopher Ward logo, highlighting the brand’s pride in its distinctive creation.

The Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic continues the use of the Sellita SW200-1 automatic 38-hour power reserve movement with an FS01 striking hour module developed by Frank Stelzer, who is also responsible for making the same adaptation of the jumping hour module work for the MeisterSinger Bell Hora series – another accessible chiming watch familiar to our readers yet exhibiting a totally different aesthetic. 

The new C1 Bel Canto Classic offers a choice of Seta leather straps that taper from 22mm to 16mm or on a Grade 2 titanium bracelet with quick-release end links and on-the-fly micro-adjust. The price is EUR 4,450 with a leather strap and EUR 4,885 with a bracelet – once again, great value for such a complication with an impressive set of specifications. 

For more details, please visit www.christopherward.com.