Christopher Ward - British Watchmakers’ Day

Some very nice watches from Christopher Ward. All last year and this year, they’ve been releasing watches that call out to me. So much so, that honestly each new release has me thinking “Phew, at least I waited, I actually really want this one now not that one!”

Makes it hard to know when to jump!

My first ‘nice’ watch I bought myself was this Trident, so I’ve a soft spot for the brand and I keep an eye on what they’re doing.

The Sealander GMT was a surprise for me. I wasn’t sure about it in photos but the 39mm wears really well. Online I thought I’d go polar, but the black dial looked much better to me. Funny, as I’ve recommended the white dial to a friend, that’s how confident I was!

The only one let me down a little was the C63 aventurine or Celeste. It didn’t photograph terribly well (I didn’t help by it being blurry), but even on a wrist roll it just left me a little “eh…”

I think half the problem was seeing a Czapek at WatchPro Salon last year!

There was a live demo of how to build a Bel Canto which was very cool. Lots of the bigger brands were doing their best to set themselves apart at the show. This was their take!

Here’s that British Watchmakers’ Day edition of the Bel Canto. Hopefully a sign of more to come!

The Twelve was everything I’d hoped. Everything my wallet didn’t hope for if I’m honest. I’m a 36mm fan, so this did a lot for me. I’ve tried on a 37mm Royal Oak and Overseas, so I had a feeling it’d work. Lovely colour on the dial too!

Relative to the 37mm watches I mentioned it hugs the wrist a little more than the Royal Oak, those first links articulate more easily. For the Overseas it didn’t feel any smaller to me.

All in all, they’re doing some great stuff around the £1,000-£2,000 mark. Apparently something even crazier is coming soon. After the Bel Canto, I’m predicting more in house movement tech and as a moonshot pick, an annual or perpetual calendar.

It feels like that’s the next big statement to make after the moon phases and Bel Canto. Who knows!