Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto Lumiere - Forward To The Future
This one caught me completely off guard and very nearly knocked me off my feet. The latest addition to the Bel Canto lineage feels like it slipped through a crack in the space-time continuum. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone spotted Mike France hitting 88mph in a DeLorean, returning from the future with this thing in hand. The Lumière is something genuinely special, and I can’t wait to see it in the metal.
When the original Bel Canto launched, its contemporary design turned heads and instantly put the brand on the map. This time around, the C1 Bel Canto Lumière feels interstellar, more other-worldly than evolutionary. It isn’t just a follow-up; it’s a statement that the brand isn’t done bending expectations or, apparently, time itself.
This is Christopher Ward’s most advanced voyage into light and luminescence yet. The 41mm Grade 5 titanium case houses the FS01 chiming module, responsible for that signature Bel Canto chime in the note of D. The tech story remains delightfully unconventional, Technical Director Frank Stelzer realised the module used in the JJ01 jump-hour calibre could be ingeniously repurposed to chime on the hour. That spark of lateral thinking led to the FS01 calibre and the creation of 50 additional components. Its multi-layered mechanism sits proudly dial-side, complete with hand-finished hammer, spring, and bridges, all showcased beneath a raised box sapphire crystal first introduced on the Bel Canto Classic.
New to the Lumière is a smoked sapphire time-telling dial framed by a blue Globolight® ring, with linear-brushed hands featuring diamond-polished facets and blue Globolight® tips. In daylight, it’s intriguing, after dark, it goes full sci-fi. The ring and hand tips erupt into a vivid green glow.
Beneath it all lies a brand-new platine printed with layered Super-LumiNova® in a radiant sunburst pattern emanating from the dial. The lower two sectors glow blue, while the upper sector surrounding the dial glows green, though all three present as blue by day. Even the on/off indicator gets in on the act: white in daylight, glowing green at night.
C1 Bel Canto Lumiere
on the 5-link Consort bracelet
And the lume doesn’t stop at the case. The new white strap is infused with Super-LumiNova®, turning the whole wrist into a light display. For those who prefer metal, the Bel Canto Lumière is also offered on both Consort and Bader bracelets in Grade 2 titanium.
This is CW at their most playful, and wow does it pay off. Pricing is, frankly, refreshingly reasonable: £3,495 on the Aquaflex lume rubber strap, £3,745 on the 3-link Bader bracelet, or £3,815 on the 5-link Consort. I’m currently working out whether I truly need both kidneys, because the rubber-strap option has me half-way to listing one on eBay. Either way, there wont be a bun fight for these, as they will form as part of the core collection, thank the Lord!
CW have stepped cleanly outside convention here and absolutely nailed it, Tron style. The Bel Canto was already one of their finest pieces, but this takes things to another orbit. And with Christmas on the horizon? Forget decorating a tree, just hang one of these up and hand Santa a pair of sunglasses.