Christopher Ward introduces the C1 Moonphase: a subtle celebration of lunar marvel

Christopher Ward presented the new C1 Moonphase, a minimalist steel timepiece featuring an oversized moon. Price from €2,495

Aventurine dial, minimalist design, and accurate lunar tracking

British watchmaker Christopher Ward has unveiled the C1 Moonphase, a timepiece offering an eye-catching implementation of the moon phase complication.

Framed by a 40.5 mm x 13.3 mm stainless steel case highlighted by brushed and polished surfaces, the dial is crafted from aventurine, a glass infused with reflective flakes of copper oxide that resemble the starry night sky. 

Aventurine gets its name from the Venetian "a ventura", meaning "by chance". In fact, it was accidentally discovered by a glass-blower in Murano.

Each watch becomes unique due to the use of aventurine. In fact, no two pieces of this material share the same appearance.

To emphasise the display of the Earth’s satellite, the dial has been stripped indexes, markers and even the logo. This way, the focus is on the oversized moon and, of course, the handset.

Glowing in the dark and rotating on an aventurine disc, the two moons are made from Globolight, a ceramic and Super-LumiNova mix that can be carved into any shape. For a three-dimensional look, they have been covered with a four-colour print of the real moon. 

The box-shaped sapphire crystal is covered on both sides with an anti-reflective coating.

The satellite's phases are represented with great precision. The moon takes 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.9 seconds to complete its orbit around the Earth. Most watches simplify this to 29.5 days through their movements, resulting in an annual deviation of eight hours and requiring a full day's correction every three years. Differently, the Christopher Ward C1 Moonphase, when correctly set and assuming continuous operation, will only need a correction once every 128 years when set accurately and running continuously.

To achieve such precision, Christopher Ward integrated a Swiss automatic Sellita SW 220-1 movement with a dedicated moon phase module. This module integrates two additional gear systems, involving four wheels for driving the moon disc and an extra two wheels for the setting mechanism.

Visible through the screw-down display caseback, the movement beats at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and offers a power reserve of 38 hours. Water resistance is guaranteed up to a pressure of 3 ATM (30 metres / 100 feet).

The Christopher Ward C1 Moonphase can be paired with a smooth leather strap available in various colours or with a brushed and polished stainless steel bracelet featuring a butterfly clasp. The retail prices are Euro 2,495 / US$ 2,325 or Euro 2,655 / US$ 2,475, respectively. christopherward.com