The Watch: The Bel Canto is the watch that forced the industry to take Christopher Ward seriously. A chiming watch, the kind of complication normally reserved for six-figure pieces, at a price under five grand, and it won the GPHG's Petite Aiguille prize to prove the point. Every hour on the hour, a hammer visible on the dial strikes a steel spring and the watch sings a clear note of D, with the Grade 5 titanium case acting as the resonance chamber. There's an on/off indicator on the dial for when you'd rather it kept quiet.
The Lumiere version takes that mechanical theater and adds a light show. The time display at 12 is built from a smoked sapphire disc framed by a ring of Globolight, a solid material made of ceramic fused with Super-LumiNova, with matching Globolight tips on the hands. Beneath the exposed chiming works sits a sunray-patterned plate loaded with two shades of Super-LumiNova, blue and green. In daylight it reads as a handsome openworked dial. In the dark the whole architecture glows in layers, and even the white rubber strap is injected with lume.
The case is 41mm in Grade 5 titanium, and the chiming module of more than 60 components sits on display under the crystal, with the hammer, spring, and bridges finished to a standard that embarrasses watches at several times the price.
This example comes as a full set in excellent condition.
