Chiming Watches and Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Preview

Once in a while a watch comes along that changes expectations. Quite honestly, it is very rare. Chiming watches are a niche of haute horology inaccessible to most makers due to closely guarded secrets and inaccessible to most enthusiasts due to cost. The Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto changes the equation significantly.

This post and video are an introduction to chiming watches and the Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto. I provide a brief overview of chiming complications, discuss the complexities of their technical design, show examples of my own chiming watches, and then dig into the specifics of the Sonnerie au Passage, or passing chime complication. I include some past and current examples of this particular complication and then briefly discuss the CW C1 Bel Canto.

Some details may be captured in the video that are not captured here and vice versa. The C1 Bel Canto images herein are sourced directly from Christopher Ward. My pictures will follow in the November 2022 review (of course I bought one).