Christopher Ward… what’s the good, bad and ugly??

[DoctorA]

I’ve taking a liking to CW, especially their C1 Bel canto classic

The watch looks beautiful and I love the hourly chime feature but to be honest what’s holding me back is the price!!

I know……. We complain about some watches being over priced but here, it’s a different story!! Is it “too good to be true??” I can see Patek or even Moser putting some more case refinement and selling the same watch for $30k- $40k easily!!
I know it won the best watch under $8k award a couple of years ago but I still feel something is missing!

Anyone who owns the watch or any CW can share their experience? Reliability, accuracy, QC issues??

Pictures always help!!

Thank you!!

[Jackie Daytona]

I don’t own one. Just chiming in that they make some seriously cool watches. Hoping to add one before the prices inevitably start inching north from the high praise I’m constantly hearing. Im interested as well.

[ap1]

Love my purple. Purchase approved. I kinda want the skellie too

[Ichiran]

Originally Posted by ap1

Love my purple. Purchase approved. I kinda want the skellie too

You have all the interesting watches buddy

[ap1]

Originally Posted by Ichiran

You have all the interesting watches buddy

Cmon. Let’s trade!

[INC]

Originally Posted by DoctorA

The watch looks beautiful and I love the hourly chime feature but to be honest what’s holding me back is the price!!

I think you should send them an email so they can charge you an extra surcharge to make sure you're satisfied

Or not

I know it won the best watch under $8k award a couple of years ago but I still feel something is missing!

In my opinion, the answer is obvious. Christopher Ward makes his watches under his own name, as the "great watchmakers" have done for centuries.

But, as a result, he does not have a heritage of several hundred years.

And he did not even dare to buy some forgotten, long-closed big-name watch brand, to "resurrect" it and sell the same wonders at exorbitant prices. This is something, what you can appreciate about them. I, for example, like this attitude

Anyone who owns the watch or any CW can share their experience? Reliability, accuracy, QC issues??

Phoenix, Vulcan: no problem at all. All perfect, solid watches. You can feel that these are not just "small-scale" works, but that there is really serious engineering behind them.

Pictures always help!!

JasH always shares the pictures of his special editions. And honestly, he has a much better ability to take good pictures than I do.

[KatGirl]

I think some of their models are overpriced for a micro brand. I do like a few of their offerings. The 12 looks an awful lot like Tissot’s PRX Powermatic 80, but is priced higher. I am thinking of getting their C63 Sealander GMT, in white. It’s a great size, and reminds me of an Explorer ll.

Kat


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[DoctorA]

Thank you all for the quick input!
Next question is what color?
I honestly like them all equally!

I like the timeliness of their blue
I like the bold green
I like the legibility of the silver (blue hands)
I like the contrast of the gold/yellow

What’s TRF community take on the more desirable color?

[Enzo954]

I like my OG Viola Bel Canto. I find it wears a little chunky on my just under 7" wrist but not too bad. No QC issues on mine and it seems to be keeping time well. I'm not a fan of the revised Bel Canto with the guilloche dial. IMO it just has too much visually going on. They're trying to make it look like a dress watch, but the proportions don't cater to that segment.

[WatchEater666]

The Bel Canto is amazing. They trade for less used, just grab one "preowned" and dont worry about depreciation!

[Easy E]

Originally Posted by ap1

Love my purple. Purchase approved. I kinda want the skellie too

I just backed out of one of those.

Really do dig my Bel Canto argento

[BraveBold]

Never owned so my opinion can be discounted but from the couple I’ve handled I find them overpriced for the quality / finishing. I also find their logo unattractive but that’s entirely subjective.

[rajurama]

Might get torched here but look and feel of the finishing is of some mass produced parts sourced from asia and assembled by the brand which is marketed quite well. Again as fun watch below 5k price is fair like the Mb&f Mad 1 or so.

[Easy E]

Originally Posted by Easy E

I just backed out of one of those.

Really do dig my Bel Canto argento

Because pictures are good. I haven't bothered to meter this, but when I can, I check the time against phone or PC when I hear the chime. So, far its always top of the hour.

[Enzo954]

Originally Posted by BraveBold

Never owned so my opinion can be discounted but from the couple I’ve handled I find them overpriced for the quality / finishing. I also find their logo unattractive but that’s entirely subjective.

I don't see any logo on the dial of the Bel Canto.

[samson66]

I've owned three (currently one) Christopher Ward watches. I really like them. Their prices have creeped upwards the last couple years but they are still a decent value. The vast majority use the Selita SW200 or SW300 movements which are reliable and easy to work on, but nothing all that exciting about them either. My only issue with CW is their crowns can be prone to stripping so I always recommend winding backwards slowly with a little pressure to get the crown to seat before screwing it down. If you do that you should never have a problem.

I really love the Trident Pro 300 series. This is my bronze.

[WatchTimes]

They are cool watches, I like the Bel Canto and how it chimes. It's a great option for someone who wants that complication but doesn't want to spend insane $.

Not something Id own, I also feel they are making a sporty watch (it's size, its bracelet (nice but not a dress watch bracelet to me) into a dress watch.

For me it's bigger than I like for a dress watch and its too hard to quickly read to be a daily watch for me.

[macluven]

They opened a store in Dallas. I've been thinking about booking a time to go into their boutique to take a look at their offerings.

I do like the Bel Canto Classic, but I also feel like there's a lot of wasted real estate with the chime mechanism. The dial looks amazing but the actual time telling portion of the piece is so small, it's holding me back from pulling the trigger.

[Akacoke]

I own the limited red bel canto. Nothing bad to say about it. I'm wondering why I'm spending tons of money on Rolex, Tudor and etc

[macluven]

I'm actually thinking about purchasing the MB&F M.A.D 1S off the grey market if I don't pull the trigger on the CW Bel Canto Classic.

[enjoythemusic]

Love the C1 Bel Canto, and some of their other designs are nice. Go for it :)

[ansharma]

Great watches - I have 2 and have the C1 moonglow limited to 80 pieces on order (pics from CW).

Finishing and complications on offer far outweigh their price tag and the movements used are decent but at this price point as expected not highly decorated.












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[jimmap]

I received my Bel Canto Classic last week after a 2 month wait (not complaining I knew it was a 2 month wait). Watch was running fine for a few days but now it seems to randomly loose time in big jumps. For example, this morning at 10 AM it chimed and I checked my pc clock and it was accurate. I looked again at the watch at 10:50 AM and it was at 10:30 AM. Lost 20 minutes. Now its 3:55 PM and the watch says 2:45 PM. Its fully wound. If correct the time it will run a while and then start to lose time again. I'm waiting to hear back from CW. Do I tell them to just refund me or fix it? No idea what the wait time will be. They better not try to add in a tariff fee since I already received it before the tariff.

[INC]

Originally Posted by jimmap

Do I tell them to just refund me or fix it? No idea what the wait time will be. They better not try to add in a tariff fee since I already received it before the tariff.

No one charges a duty on anything that crosses a border for warranty repairs.

By the way, there is a CW store in the USA, so you do not even have to send it abroad. Contact them, they will definitely help you. By the way, a defect never means that you can return the watch for a refund. However, in the case of CW, as far as I remember, you can return it within 60 days and get a full refund. So, send it back, but do not forget to indicate what you want from them to do.

[enjoythemusic]

Email / call CW, am sure they'll take care of it.

[ansharma]

Only got more wonderful things to say on CW. Here are my latest two additions! Plenty of design variety- this company really does have a watch for all!






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[metallic]

The Bel Canto is a game changer. A minute repeater in that style at that price is incredible.

I feel their other watches are simply excellent value cheaper alternatives to more respected brands. The Twelve for example is a nice economical alternative to a Royal Oak, Laureato, Antartique, Land Dweller, etc.

All in all, a great value oriented watch.

[Enzo954]

They make decent watches for the $. The only real turnoff I have with them is their fanbase. Many CW enthusiasts act like their watches are on par with high end brands and at times they can come off as a little obnoxious.

[MichelleP]

I have The Twelve 36mm and this it's great for the price point. Been looking at the Trident C60 Lumiere Titanium in blue

[MattyL147]

Don’t own any of em, but some are attractive. The brand has always seemed like something you’d find in the back of an airplane magazine - not sure why. But that’s how I’ve always perceived them.