Christopher Ward – C1 Bel Canto Automatic Edition

Christopher Ward – Limited C1 Bel Canto Titanium Automatic Edition 2022

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The art of sound
C1 Bel Canto: the chime is now

Creating a chiming watch is one of the greatest challenges in watchmaking – and one that Christopher Ward has passed with the limited-edition C1 Bel Canto.

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Meet the extraordinary C1 Bel Canto.

Limited to just 300 pieces, it marks the debut of a brand new in-house calibre, FS01. In the metal, it feels utterly alive, marking each hour with its cheerful, reassuring internal chime. And it sees CW assert its horological ambitions like never before.

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Christopher Ward has always pushed the creative envelope. It’s this philosophy that produced in-house movement Calibre SH21, and was responsible for the legendary JJ calibres (named after our first master watchmaker Johannes Jahnke) – unique modules piggybacking on existing movements.

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Today, the key to the C1 Bel Canto is FS01, a new chiming movement named after current technical director Frank Stelzer. In all horological history, little has tested the watchmaker like creating sound, so it’s no wonder Bel Canto took three years of tortuous development.

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Bel Canto is what’s called an hour chime, or – more romantically – a Sonnerie au Passage complication, which translates as ‘Passage of Time’.

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“Bel Canto is an extrapolation of the C60 Concept, in that we’re taking the best hand-finished components and putting them within reach of many,” says Jörg Bader Junior, head of product at CW’s Biel atelier. “But in terms of technological challenge, it’s taken us into uncharted territory. We had to figure everything out for ourselves.”

The layered dial plays host to a floating time-telling sundial

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With each JJ calibre, the desire wasn’t just to produce a complication, but to do it in a fresh, efficient way. Ten years ago, JJ01 was designed to offer the most accurate jumping-hour function possible and, by spreading the load over an entire hour, Johannes managed it. This success became one of the starting points for FS01.

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It’s a little known fact that Christopher Ward creates watches for Meistersinger, the German specialist in single-hand timepieces. A few years ago Frank made a new model for them, the Bell Hora, a Sonnerie au Passage. Would it be possible to do something similar for Christopher Ward?

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“The Bell Hora was a stepping stone,” says CEO and co-founder Mike France. “But with Bel Canto we wanted to bring the striking mechanism to the front, so the wearer could watch it in action. The question became: could we make a chiming watch both look and sound beautiful at the same time?”

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“Finding a way to split out the components so they felt balanced across the entire face, took years,” says CW watch designer Will Brackfield. “Each time we moved one piece, it had a knock-on effect on the others. The platine – the blue module plate behind the important elements – would have a gorgeous sunray finish, so we needed to find a way to hide minor components behind that too.”

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Frank began with a Sellita SW200-1 automatic base movement paired with JJ01, which charges incrementally over an hour to then make a single movement. But his modifications would eventually involve the creation of 50 new components, and become a race against time once an on-sale date of Autumn 2022 was confirmed.

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“One of the great challenges was striking the right balance between note and loudness,” says CW’s head of product design, Adrian Buchmann. “We soon learned that the case would have to be made of Grade 5 titanium, a material we’d never used before, with lots of empty space and resonance points. It’s a very dense metal – and creates a sound cage with the best possible vibrations.”

So, what exactly does the chime sound like? “Elegant,” says Mike. “Luxurious,” says Will. “A long, high-pitched note,” says Adrian.

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No one can quite define it – it is more like a xylophone, or a hotel bell? – but all agree that it’s delightful. Technically, it turns out to be a D, also known as Re (“a drop of golden sun”) on the fixed do solfège system, familiar from The Sound Of Music.

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“One thing everyone comments on is how the bridge structure towards the bottom looks like a bird,” Mike says. “The red ‘beak’ is actually the on-off mechanism, controlled by a pusher at 4 o’clock, and moves to indicate whether the chime is on or off, while the hammer is its tail. Bel Canto means ‘beautiful singing’, so there’s whimsical humour going on which seems very Christopher Ward.”

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Other details are equally as ambitious. The dial consists of intriguingly stacked layers, rising from the platine through the bridges to the time-telling subdial and finally the twin-flags logo, printed on the lower surface of the sapphire crystal, while the 41mm Light-catcher™case has been given a subtle sporty makeover.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO Of course, CW couldn’t do this alone, and the C1 Bel Canto is also a tribute to many brilliant suppliers and partners, all noted specialists in their fields. Perhaps the most famous is Armin Strom, maker of high-end open worked watches, which contributed the platine, but Chronode (the bridges, hammer and gong) and Viquo Deco (the special wheels required) were also crucial.

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It goes without saying that the C1Bel Canto is far more affordable than any comparable watch. Chopard’s LUC Strike One costs £54,000 for a similar mechanism and finish, while others are twice that or more. And Bel Canto? On a leather strap it’s £2,995 | $3,595 | €3,895 and on the titanium bracelet, £3,305 | $3,975 | €4,295.

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Quite simply, no brand anywhere has made the art of sound so accessible, or opened up the possibility of owning such high horological art to so many. Hearing really is believing.

#ChristopherWard #C1BelCanto  

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model: C1 Bel Canto Automatic Edition

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Case
    Material: Grade 5 Titanium
    Size: 41mm
    Dial Colour: Rhodium
    Platine Colour: Azzuro blue
    Height: 13.0mm
    Lug-to-Lug: 48.0mm
    Case Weight: 53g
    Water Resistance: 3 ATM (30m)
Movement
    Calibre FS01
    Power Reserve: 38 hours
    No of Jewels: 29
    Complication Type: Passing chime
    Vibrations: 28,800 p/hr (4Hz)
    Timing Tolerance: +/-20 sec p/day
    Lume: SLNC1X1BL
Strap
    Size: 22mm
    Material: Italian leather and Titanium bracelet
    Leather Strap Colour: blue or camel

Features

•     Swiss made
•     Limited Edition of 300 pieces
•     Self-winding 29 jewel movement with FS01 module that chimes on the hour
•     Floating time display with fully visible mechanism
•     Hand finished bridges, gong and hammer
•     On/Off pusher at 4 o’clock with red on/off indicator
•     38-hour power reserve
•     Brushed and polished case in titanium grade 5
•     Deep stamped caseback with soundwave motif
•     Push-down crown with twin flag motif
•     Anti-reflective domed sapphire crystal
•     Raised and polished indexes
•     Eco-friendly luxury presentation case and owner’s handbook 

Limited to 300 pieces

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Press releases - 2022
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www.ChristopherWard.com

Christopher Ward – C63 Ukraine Edition

Christopher Ward – SPORT C63 Ukraine Limited Edition 2022

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Helping those in need

What’s the best way we can help those whose lives have been devastated by the Ukraine war? By creating a unique timepiece – with all the profits it generates going to the Red Cross in Ukraine.

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The C63 Ukraine LE is limited to 300 pieces and boasts a dial that represents the ancient colours of the 🇺🇦Ukraine flag. Meanwhile on the backplate, the words ‘Слава Україні!’ (Glory to Ukraine!) have been engraved. Our goal is simple: to raise £150,000 – it’d be fantastic if you can help us get there.

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The C63 Ukraine Limited Edition. Based on the C63 Sealander Automatic, all proceeds from the watch will go to the International Committee Of The Red Cross (ICRC) in Ukraine.

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Limited to just 300 pieces, the C63 Ukraine boasts a dial that represents ancient colours of the 🇺🇦 Ukraine flag, while on the backplate,‘Слава Україні!’ (Glory to Ukraine) has been engraved.

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Thanks to our suppliers’ generosity – who’ve reduced their prices for this watch – even more of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross. Of course, it’s you, our customers, who’ll be making the most significant contribution if you purchase one of these unique timepieces.

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With your generosity we hope to raise around £150,000 ($200,000 / €175,000) for the ICRC to distribute to those most in need.

#ChristopherWard #C63UkraineLimitedEdition #standwithukraine

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model:  C63 Ukraine Limited Edition  

Collection:   SPORT  

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Reference:  C63-39ADA3-UKRN-VK

Case
Material Stainless steel 39mm
Height 11.25mm
Lug-to-Lug 45.8mm
Elaboré ‘Colimaçoné’ finish on the movement
Brushed and polished marine-grade stainless steel case
Circular brushed and polished fixed steel bezel
Anti-shock system
Embossed screw-down crown
Screw down display caseback
Unique engraved serial number
Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Case Weight 61g
Weight inc. Strap 86g
Water Resistance 15 ATM (150m)
Movement
Caliber: Sellita SW200-1
Power Reserve 38 hours
No of Jewels 26
Complication Type Date
Vibrations 28,800 p/hr (4Hz)
Timing Tolerance +/- 20 sec p/day
Twin-flag engraving over 'Colimaçoné' finish on the rotor
Dial
Colour Blue/Yellow
Lume SLN X1 BL C1
Strap
Vintage black leather
Marine-grade stainless steel bracelet with 'Christopher Ward' engraving, micro-adjustable ratchet clasp and quick-release system for easy changing
Eco-friendly luxury presentation case and owner's handbook

Features
    Swiss made
    Limited edition of 300 pieces
    Central hacking seconds
    Date calendar
    Polished lacquer dial
    Top-brushed indexes with diamond polished facets
    Brushed and polished steel hands
    Signature Trident counter-balance on seconds hand
    Super-LumiNova® Grade X1 BL C1-filled hands and indexes
    Vintage oak leather strap with quick-release pins for easy changing
    Eco-friendly luxury presentation case and owner's handbook

* Pre-order for early July 2022


Limited to 300 pieces

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Press releases - 2022
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www.ChristopherWard.com

Christopher Ward – C7 Apex Black PVD Steel 42mm Edition

Christopher Ward – C7 APEX Black PVD Steel 42mm Limited Edition - 2018

Hyperbole plays a role in the marketing of any watch, 

and in the case of the C7 Apex – apex being the Latin word for ‘summit’ or ‘peak’ – its name establishes a certain level of expectation.

Yet here, it’s warranted: this fifty-piece limited edition is a milestone moment in the journey of Christopher Ward. Engineered to mark five years since the team first held the original prototype of the brands in-house movement, Calibre SH21 – a creation that was as symbolically important as it was technically brilliant – this timepiece represents the progress Christopher Ward has achieved since then.

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Designed with the intention of showcasing more of Calibre SH21 than ever before, the mechanical modernity of the C7 Apex Limited Edition’s semi-open dial is bold, futuristic and quite unlike anything Christopher Ward has ever produced. On the dial, both the Apex’s hands and a recessed outer ring have been filled with white Super-LumiNova®, the power reserve hand is mounted onto a red skeletonised bridge and a raised speedometer-influenced indicator is finished in a combination of red, black and steel detailing.

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Then, a ruthenium-coated plate has been cut away to reveal glimpses of the movement underneath – most prominently in its centre, where Calibre SH21’s hour wheel is wholly visible for the first time. The striking timepiece is also housed within the distinctive four-part case of Christopher Ward’s motorsport collection, which is constructed from sandblasted and matte finished steel, with a grey DLC coated steel band around its centre.

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The C7 Apex Limited Edition is powered by a hand-wound, chronometer-certified Calibre SH21 movement, complete with 120-hour power reserve. Christopher Ward created Calibre SH21 at a time when no other British watch brand had created a commercially viable in-house movement for 50 years, marking a significant achievement for the brand. In the five years that have since passed, Calibre SH21’s decoration has been tailored on multiple occasions to reflect the watches it has appeared in.

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For the C7 Apex Limited Edition, the movement and the dial were planned in unison - sharing the same red bridge (two this time, one for each of Calibre SH21’s barrels); the same vertically brushed ruthenium; and, much like the minute wheel visible through the dial, both of SH21’s mainsprings have been revealed. By paring down its front and back, Christopher Ward’s in-house movement has been given the showcase it deserves, along with a level of detailing previously unseen until now.

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Technical Specifications

Model:   C7 Apex Limited Edition

Reference:  C07-42HPR1-S0KK0

Case
Steel 42 mm
Black PVD sandblasted diamond-like carbon (DLC) finish
Glass: Anti-reflective double curve top sapphire crystal
Thickness: 13.15 mm 
Case back Glass:  Sapphire with anti-reflective treatment
Waterproofness: 50 m
Movement
Manual-winding mechanical chronometer-certified
Christopher Ward's own in-house COSC certified movement
Calibre SH21
Diameter: 40.5mm
Height: 11.85mm
Jewels:  30
Weight: 59g
Power reserve: 120 h.(5 day).
Frequency: 4 Hz (28'800 A/h) variations / hours
Timing tolerance: +6/-4 seconds per day
Functions
Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date, Power reserve
Strap
Perforated black leather strap
Black PVD butterfly Pin buckle

* Luxury presentation case and owner's handbook
Year 2018
Price incl. VAT  4'043 CHF

Limited to 50 pieces

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Press releases - 2018
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www.ChristopherWard.co.uk

Christopher Ward - C60 Automatic Trident Pro NATO Version

Christopher Ward – C60 Automatic Trident Pro NATO Version

 

Christopher Ward unveils a new design inspired by one of the world's most iconic dive watches, the Rolex Submariner as worn British spy and ex-Royal Navy Commander, James Bond in the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Elements have also been taken from the famous 1954 Rolex GMT Master, which was around at about the same time as Ian Flemming started writing his first Bond novels. This comes as the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond films and the releases of the latest film, Skyfall approaches.

This NATO strap edition harks back to the golden era of James Bond and is introduced to mark the 50th Anniversary of 007 on our screens.

Whilst the C60 Automatic can't describe the time in two time zones simultaneously, like its stable companion the C60 GMT, this automatic, powered as it is, by the famous ETA 2824-2 / Sellita SW200-1 movement is a premium diving watch which has been engineered for perfection and that famous Swiss precision.  The 42mm, 300m. It also looks so cool on the wrist that everyone at Christopher Ward (including the women) wants one!

The C60 Trident-PRO Automatic
SKBRG22 has an MSRP of £350.

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Technical Specifications

    Swiss made
    > 25/26 Jewel automatic movement
    > 38 hr power reserve
    > Marine grade stainless steel case
    > Uni-directional bezel
    > Screw-in crown and back plate
    > 30 atm (1000 feet) water resistant case
    > 4.0mm Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
    > Adjustable nylon NATO strap
    > Super-Luminova indices, bezel marker and hands
    > Unique engraved individual serial number
    > Beautiful presentation case and owner's handbook

Technical

    > Diameter: 42mm
    > Height: 13mm
    > Weight: 129g
    > Calibre: ETA 2824-2 / Sellita SW200-1
    > Strap: Nylon
    > Vibrations: 28,800 per hour


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www.ChristopherWard.com