Review: the Christopher Ward C1 Moonphase

Someday, a history of this period in affordable independent watchmaking will be written, and the chapter on Christopher Ward is going to be the longest in this hypothetical volume, for sure. They’ve been around since 2004, and in the ensuing twenty years have gone through just about every high and low a watch brand can experience. While the ultimate thrust of their story is one of incredible growth, those of us who have been around for a little while can probably remember a time when the thought of Christopher Ward winning GPHG awards and being the toast of the watchmaking town would have been fairly unheard of. 

The Bel Canto, introduced at the tail end of 2022, changed all that, but the brand had been on an upward trajectory for years before. They’ve come a very long way from being one of the most hotly discussed watch forum brands (so hot, in fact, they have their own forum for C. Ward enthusiasts) know primarily for somewhat generic, but always well made, dive watches. Over the years, they’ve stepped up every facet of their business, with particularly large steps taken in case finishing and movement design. In a very low key way, they are capable of doing things at the higher end of their range that other brands at similar price points simply can’t equal. 

While the Bel Canto deservedly gets a lot of the press, one my favorite little pockets of Christopher Ward over the last few years has been the inventive way they’ve incorporated the classic moonphase complication into many of their watches. From the C9 Moonphase back in 2016 and onward, Christopher Ward has dialed up the drama with oversized moon displays, lots of lume, an inventive use of sapphire, and, in the watch we’re considering today, liberal application of aventurine. 

The C1 Moonphase seen here is not exactly an original idea. There have been plenty of brands over the years that have combined aventurine dials with a moonphase indicator. It’s about as natural a combination as you’ll find: a moon disc set against a material that resembles the night sky. But in its own way, the C1 Moonphase is every bit as transgressive and interesting coming from Christopher Ward as a watch like the Bel Canto. Not as flashy, perhaps, but it’s certainly a watch in the same family, and shares a lot of the ambition of the Bel Canto, but is executed in a very different way.