SKU: 24878
Quantity selected exceeds current stock
WHAT WE LOVE:
A Sonnerie au Passage — a striking watch that chimes the passing of each hour — is among the most technically demanding and most historically significant complications in the watchmaker's repertoire. In grand complications at established Swiss houses, the complication routinely appears in six-figure watches. Christopher Ward's C1 Bel Canto makes a credible version of the same complication available at a fraction of that price, through genuinely original engineering: CW technical director Frank Stelzer realised that the brand's existing jumping hour movement architecture could be adapted to drive a hammer striking a steel spring that circles the inner dial — and rather than just adapting it, he built over 60 new components into a dedicated FS01 module that chimes a clear "D" note on every hour. The chime is not a buzzer or an electronic alarm. It is a hammer striking a steel resonator, exactly as in the great sonneries of Swiss tradition. Grade 5 titanium for the 41mm case is not a concession — it is a deliberate choice, because titanium's resonance properties improve both the tone and the projection of the chime relative to steel.
The Viola dial is the most intriguing of the Bel Canto's four colour options: the deep purple of the sunray-finished main dial, the floating time-telling sub-dial elevated above it in a layered architecture, the polished hammer and spring mechanism visible in the lower half of the dial, and the "Swiss Made" text confirming the FS01 module's manufacture provenance are all elements of a composition that earns extended examination. The sapphire crystal maintains legibility while the 30-metre water resistance and titanium bracelet confirm this as a daily wearer. Every hour on the wrist, the hammer falls and the watch announces itself — quietly, precisely, in the manner of instruments that exist specifically to mark the passage of time.
WHAT’S INSIDE:
Sellita SW200-1 automatic base (29 jewels, 28,800 vph) with Christopher Ward FS01 Sonnerie au Passage chiming module — hammer strikes steel spring every 60 minutes, chiming a "D" note on the hour. 41-hour power reserve. Time displayed on floating sub-dial.
FIVEFORTYFIVE SIX MONTHS WARRANTY
