Christopher Ward claims top gong for Brits in Swiss home of watches

Maidenhead’s Christopher Ward gains ground for homegrown horology, winning big at at the ‘Oscars of watchmaking’ in Geneva.

South England’s relatively youthful, wilfully disruptive Christopher Ward made history last month by becoming the first British watch brand to win at the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).

Its charming, chiming C1 Bel Canto rightfully bagged the ‘Petite Aiguille’ trophy, from a pool of tough nominations – a special-mention prize for timepieces that step sideways from the usual categories with an agenda of their own, but crucially at an ‘affordable’ price point.

The Bel Canto held off competition from the likes of Bulgari and Tudor in a class that covers watches priced from 2,000 to 8,000 Swiss francs. But its party trick and the execution thereof had – in accordance with Christopher Ward’s defining democracy in marketing – many industry insiders scratching their heads over how it could be achieved for just £3,195 RRP.

The Bel Canto features what’s called a passing chime, or ‘sonnerie au passage’ complication. The key being FS01, a mechanical chiming module named after the brand’s current technical director Frank Stelzer, which piggybacks the base timekeeping movement, hidden beneath the dial.

It started life ten years back as Christopher Ward’s first ‘in-house’ mechanics, driving a ‘jumping’ hours window. In 2019, Stelzer started translating the hour-long charge process for the hours disc’s ‘jump’ into a wind-up process for a tiny hammer at the 8 o’clock position, which rings out each hour on a wire ‘gong’, circling the dial. A process that led to the creation of 50 new components.

No wonder the first 300 pieces sold out instantly when the Bel Canto surprise-dropped in November 2022.

“Ever since day one, we’ve aimed to put quality timepieces in the hands of as many people as possible, and nothing symbolises that better than the C1 Bel Canto,” attests Christopher Ward’s co-founding CEO, Mike France.

“But while we’re incredibly proud to win this award, this is a victory for the whole of UK horology. The sector is undergoing a renaissance, as seen with the foundation of the Alliance of British Watch and Clockmakers, plus the growing number of indie watch brands making their mark.

“I’ve never felt more positive about British watchmaking!”

• The C1 Bel Canto is available to pre-order for End July 2024 direct from christopherward.com at £3,195 on leather or £3,530 on steel bracelet