Christopher Ward’s C1 Bel Canto chiming watch revolutionised watchmaking on its release in 2022, bringing the art of <haute horlogerie> to more people than ever before. Its impact was so big that it won the ‘Petite Aiguille’ category at the 2023 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) awards – the ‘Oscars’ of watchmaking.
After the Anglo-Swiss brand added the guilloché-textured Bel Canto Classic in 2024, the series seemed settled. But the designers at Christopher Ward had one more trick up their (immaculately tailored) sleeves: the new C1 Bel Canto Lumière.
A fusion of art, acoustics and luminescence, this Bel Canto remix delivers a sci-fi experience that’s out of this world. And which places Globolight® – a luminous ceramic – at the centre of everything.
As with the original Bel Canto, the smoked sapphire dial floats above the platine, but here the circumference and handset are filled with Globolight® to deliver an intense neon-green glow for timekeeping after dark.
At its base lies the all-new platine, printed with multiple layers of Super-LumiNova® arranged in a shimmering sunray pattern. The lower two sectors glow blue, while the upper area is a vivid green, which all return to blue in daylight. Even the on/off indicator joins in, switching from white to a luminous emerald when the lights go out. Meanwhile, luminescence can also be found on a new white strap infused with Super-LumiNova® luminous pigment, delivering an all-wrist glow.
In every other respect, this is the classic Bel Canto the world fell in love with. Which means a chime on the hour every hour courtesy of the iconic ‘songbird’ striking mechanism, a Grade 5 titanium case that amplifies the sound, and the power and precision of CW’s ingenious FS01 movement.
The C1 Bel Canto Lumière is the latest addition to Christopher Ward’s Atelier collection, which brings together the company’s most advanced and exquisitely finished watches under one umbrella.
