Christopher Ward’s C1 Moonphase is their Most Ambitious Version of this Complication to Date, with a Gorgeous Aventurine Dial

Christopher Ward has been on a hot streak over the last year, with the introductions of the Bel Canto and the Twelve collection raising their profile with enthusiasts who veer toward the avant-garde and a style of sleek sports watch that’s in fashion at the moment. These watches have been met with a certain degree of, “Oh, I didn’t know Christopher Ward could do that…” by crops of skeptics who have since been won over. But the fact is, Christopher Ward has been upending expectations and redefining what the brand could be for years. For many in the collector community, a watch that really signified the brand branching out was the C1 Moonglow, which Zach Weiss reviewed here in 2019. A combination of an intricately layered dial design execution and liberal applications of lume in an inherently playful complication was a sign that Christopher Ward had even more ambitious ideas they were willing to play with, and now they’ve introduced a long awaited follow-up to the Moonglow, the C1 Moonphase.

Christopher Ward describes this watch as their most ambitious moonphase to date, and it feels very much a part of this newer crop of Christopher Wards that really push the envelope in terms of design, reaching toward ideas that have typically been associated with haute horlogerie in the past. The C1 Moonphase features an aventurine dial, a material often associated with the moonphase complication because of its resemblance to the night sky. Aventurine is essentially glass that has been infused with flakes of copper and other metals to create a reflective effect. This dial is absent any minute or hour markers, allowing the aventurine and dramatic, glowing moon display to take center stage. 

Christopher Ward notes that in this edition of the C1 Moonphase, the moon is 25% larger than that of the C1 Moonglow. The moon discs have been crafted from Globolight, a material that is a mix of ceramic and Super-LumiNova and glows white. The moons are linked to Christopher Ward’s Calibre JJ04, a modular movement developed in-house for the original C9 Moonphase. Unlike many moonphase complications, the execution here sees the phases of the moon change in one smooth motion, which in turn leads to greater accuracy. Christopher Ward claims that the JJ04 will accurately track the phases of the moon over a 128 year period before needing to be reset. 

The stainless steel case of the C1 Moonphase measures 40.5mm in diameter and is 13.3mm tall (it’s 47.9mm from lug to lug). It has 30 meters of water resistance, and is available on either a leather strap or Christopher Ward’s Consort bracelet, a new five-link style bracelet that debuted earlier this year. The crystal is sapphire, and is also the subject of a refinement from the prior version of this watch, which now features a box style crystal with an anti-reflective treatment on both sides. Christopher Ward says this was done in the name of improving clarity, which is clearly front of mind when dealing with such a highly detailed aventurine dial. 

The retail price of the new C1 Moonphase is $2,325 on a leather strap, and $2,475 on the Consort bracelet. Christopher Ward