One of the biggest success stories to come out of the watch industry is that of Christopher Ward, a brand known, for much of its 20-year history, primarily as a UK-based direct-to-consumer watchmaker focused on sensible, value-oriented watches. The brand, co-founded by current CEO Mike France, along with Peter Ellis and the eponymous Christopher Ward, began its life in a chicken shed of all places, and quickly became a pioneer when it came to selling watches online.

From the very start, the brand has had an approach that was distinctly outside the conventions of the Swiss watch industry — in 2005, the Swiss would have recoiled in horror if you suggested selling a watch online, for example. On top of that, Christopher Ward has been staunch in its advocacy for good value and sensible margins, providing a welcome alternative to an industry renowned for obfuscation. For most of its history, Christopher Ward stayed in its lane — a slightly rebellious brand with a decidedly non-Swiss attitude that was beloved by fans, but hardly shaking down the doors of the establishment. Then, the brand released a watch that drew the world’s attention: the Bel Canto.

The release of the C1 Bel Canto in 2022 was, without a doubt, a pivotal moment for the brand, and not just for the fact that the chiming watch is largely responsible for doubling the brand’s 2023/2024 revenue, but because the watch — which won the brand its first-ever GPHG award in 2023 — framed how people looked at Christopher Ward. Seemingly overnight Christopher Ward changed from the sort of brand that you would recommend for people looking for their ‘first good watch’, to a cool, hypey ‘it’ brand, an upstart outsider that was busy bucking the Swiss hegemony with a firm commitment to the customer, and a business model that didn’t rely on massive margins and an expensive boutique network. In short, the Bel Canto made Christopher Ward cool.

C1 Bel Canto Classic

Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic (Image: ©Revolution)

In 2024, Christopher Ward showed us the first evolution of the Bel Canto — the C1 Bel Canto Classic. Fundamentally, not much was changed from the original model — the 41mm grade 5 titanium-cased watch, powered by the calibre FS01, with the charmingly interactive passing chime with on/off pusher, and that distinctive above-the-dial movement architecture that is so visually arresting. The fundamentals are the same as the debut, and rightfully so — it was a lot of hard work for Christopher Ward to not only design, but nail down the production details of this dramatic timepiece.

No, what makes this new Bel Canto ‘Classic’ is the dial. Underneath the floating dial and chiming mechanism is a hypnotically finished dial, laser-etched in a pattern that looks very much like traditional barleycorn guilloché, radiating out from the central hand pinion and offered in blue, green, gold and silver. It’s a lovingly executed homage to the codes of traditional watchmaking — realised in a very Christopher Ward way. All the colours have their pros, but if you really want to evoke the mood and atmosphere of horological classicism, gold is the way to go. Of course, there are some other tweaks to the Bel Canto design that only enhance the traditional aesthetic — most notably the addition of Orman numerals and a railroad minute track to the dial, and a new box sapphire crystal, which affords an unrestricted view of the dial, as well as adds a pleasingly vintage, plexi-adjacent aesthetic.

The laser-etched in a pattern that looks very much like traditional barleycorn guilloché (Image: ©Revolution)

Tech Specs: Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Classic

Movement: FS01 (Sellita SW200-1 base), automatic with 38 hours of power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, passing chime with on/off pusher
Case: Grade 5 titanium, 41 x 13mm, water-resistant to 30M
Dial: Gold with laser-etched guilloché pattern
Strap: Seta leather strap or grade 2 titanium bracelet
Price: EUR 4,550 on leather, EUR 4,885 on bracelet

C12 Loco

Christopher Ward C12 Loco (Image: ©Revolution)

Earlier this year, Christopher Ward proved that they weren’t planning on resting on their Bel Canto laurels, but rather intend to use the popularity of that model as rocket fuel. The C12 Loco takes many of the lessons the brand has learned on that watch and applies them to a design that, for all its similarities, is a very different beast altogether.

The C12 Loco is an evolution of the brand’s sporty ‘Twelve’, a watch with an angular aesthetic and integrated bracelet — a look and feel instantly familiar and perennially popular. The Loco takes this profile and upends it in spectacular style.

A vibrant hit of orange is the bold backdrop for the floating a custom designed free-sprung balance wheel and hairspring, which sits front and centre on the open dial of the watch (Image: ©Revolution)

We can’t talk about the avant-garde looks of the Loco without talking about the movement. The CW-003 is the brand’s second in-house calibre, an impressive manual-wound number with six days of power reserve, and most prominently, a custom-designed free-sprung balance wheel and hairspring, which sits front and centre on the open dial of the watch. Loco is, as CEO Mike France explains, a particularly aggressive move for the brand; “This is a truly audacious piece, taking us as high up the watch ladder as we’ve ever dared to climb. The C12 Loco embodies a state of perpetual motion – both in its mesmerising mechanics and in what it signifies for Christopher Ward: a refusal to stand still and an unrelenting drive forward.”

The in-house calibre CW-003 (Image: ©Revolution)

We can’t argue with the audacious claim, but we’d also throw ‘attractive’ into the mix. This is a good-looking watch, front and back. The movement design is symmetrical and balanced, with none of the aesthetic compromises that you often find with open watch designs that use non-dedicated calibres. It’s also made for comfort; at 41mm, it’s in the sweet spot of contemporary sports watches, and the slender height and steeply turned lugs ensure it works well on the wrist.

Finally, we can’t not talk about the colour. As you’d expect from a watch named Loco, the brand hasn’t stuck with the safe options. There’s the obligatory black, sure, but even the white option feels starkly compelling, while the Frisco orange is a real attention seeker. For us, though, the Pasadena blue is fresh and energetic, and thanks to the mix of finishes in play, it serves as the perfect backdrop for the floating dial and that constantly moving balance wheel. You can’t stop this Loco.

Tech Specs: Christopher Ward C12 Loco

Movement: CW-003, manually wound, 144 hours of power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes
Case: Stainless steel, 41 x 13.7mm, water-resistant to 30M
Dial: Pasadena blue or Frisco orange
Strap: Rubber with deployant or integrated steel with micro-adjustment
Price: EUR 4,950 on rubber strap, EUR 5,205 on bracelet

C1 Moonphase 37

Christopher Ward C1 Moonphase 37 (Image: ©Revolution)

Compared to the previous watches, the C1 Moonphase looks sedate at first glance, but if you gaze properly into its hypnotic dial, it quickly becomes clear that this elegant take on one of the oldest ways of tracking time is utterly compelling.

The new, smaller 37mm case (down from the previous 40.5mm original) isn’t just more versatile on the wrist, it also serves to make the dial — and the moon that dominates it — seem all the larger. Crafted from aventurine glass, speckled with glittering copper oxide inclusions that mimic the endless expanse of a starry night, the dial definitely sets the tone for the watch, and its shining star — the moon. Typically, moonphases are dainty affairs, with the lunar disc occupying a small portion of the dial. Here, it’s the whole show. The moonphase aperture occupies half the dial, making the realistic, luminous moon dominate, especially when it’s full. The moon itself is made from Globolight, a blend of ceramic and Super-LumiNova that gives the moon a bright white glow. Powering this stunning moonphase is Christopher Ward’s in-house JJ04 module, sitting on top of the base calibre, an execution which, if you manage to keep your watch continually wound, will track the moon accurately for 128 years.

The C1 Moonphase 37 features a shimmering aventurine dial (Image: ©Revolution)

Tech Specs: Christopher Ward C1 Moonphase 37

Movement: Sellita SW220-1 with JJ04 module, automatic with 38 hours of power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, moon phase
Case: Stainless steel, 37 13.10mm, water-resistant to 30M
Dial: Aventurine
Strap: Consort bracelet or Italian leather strap
Price: EUR 2,700 on bracelet, EUR 2,495 on leather