When the Christopher Ward Bel Canto first hit the shelves, it caused something other than the tsunami of adoration that would soon follow. The first thing many would-be customers experienced — myself included — was confusion. How is this possible? A striking mechanism and exceptional finishing from a known brand for… how much? I know from having spoken to a lot of fellow watch lovers that many of them caught on to the incredible value proposition of the Bel Canto before I did. Even after months had passed since its release, I still found myself staring at the images on screen with an expression of utter puzzlement fixed on my face. Truth be told, I’m simply not sure I believed it. Much less was I willing to consider that such a model would actually be available. Surely not. Surely that was a bridge too far…
Christopher Ward Bel Canto - Credit WatchGecko
Eventually, I got the watch in hand and was forced to admit that it was indeed real. Not only is it real, it really is as magnificent (perhaps even more so) than speculation had suggested. I turned it over in my hands repeatedly, analysing every aspect of its design. The finishing on the dial side components that comprise the striking hour complication vastly exceeded my expectations and not even the understandably closed case back could disappoint me. Everything made sense from a design perspective, but still, the cost baffled me.
Let’s dig into that a bit more. Christopher Ward is known for its ×3 pricing strategy. Simply, that means whatever the watch costs Christopher Ward to make, the brand charges customers three times as much at the point of sale. This is far below industry norms with barely any volume brand considering markups less than four times the cost price, with five times cost far more common. The further up the pricing tree you climb, the bigger the multiplier. At some point (in fact, pretty soon on the ascent these days), the concept of luxury tax manifests in bloated ticket prices that hit your wallet hard.
Christopher Ward Bel Canto on ZULUDIVER 1973 British Military Watch Strap: AIRBORNE Elastic - Credit WatchGecko
I do hate to hate on the new Omega Speedmaster with a white dial (because, as a watch, I actually love it), but 8K+ for a pretty standard Speedmaster (albeit with a glossy white dial) is a tough one to swallow. When you compare that model to the Bel Canto, you’d be right to wonder how much of your hard-earned cash is going on everything but the watch itself.
In that context, consider this: if we take Christopher Ward’s communication as gospel, the brand has managed to not just build but also develop the Bel Canto for the trifling sum of £1,000. It would even be tough to imagine that Omega, as competently finished as the manual chronograph movement powering the Speedmaster is, is spending that much on actually creating the product (which becomes even more likely when you consider how long it took them to come with the concept of a white dial with a bit of red on it — not exactly a long day at the office).
Christopher Ward Bel Canto on Original Vintage Highley Genuine Leather Watch Strap - Credit WatchGecko
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And so the question is, has the Bel Canto done the watchmaking industry en masse a service or otherwise? Has it raised the bar of the kind of horological integrity one can expect for a sub-5K watch to the point at which other brands will have no choice but to follow? Is it and will it remain an anomaly that no other brands feel willing or able to match pound for pound? Will it ultimately be a good thing for the brand that might suddenly be expected to churn out complications of this complexity and affordability on the regular?
Crucially, I am glad the Bel Canto exists. It is an excellent watch and a love letter to the watch-loving community that was dearly deserved. Considering watch buyers keep watch companies in business, it’s mind-boggling how often the companies seem to treat their customers with contempt. It’s nice to see a brand pull out all the stops to reward a community with a product proposition that makes a tangible statement of how far Christopher Ward has been carried by its adulating fans.
Christopher Ward Bel Canto on Leuven Cavallo Flat Handmade Horse Leather Watch Strap - Credit WatchGecko
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But has it changed customer expectations for good? I don’t think so. Fundamentally, customers are only able to buy what watch brands make available for sale and I simply can’t see enough brands feeling like they have to follow CW’s lead to have success in that price point. I do think we’ll hear a lot more griping and moaning about seemingly inflated “basic” watches with the Bel Canto frequently wheeled out as a counterpoint to overpriced dross, but we’ve got enough evidence to feel pretty confident in saying the broader watch buying public will continue to drink the milk the watch industry pours, no matter how rancid it may be.
How about the expectations of Christopher Ward’s customers when it comes to the brand’s own novelties? Will every watch from CW need to be as super-duper as the Bel Canto to meet with positive reviews? Again, I don’t think so. I think that thanks to Christopher Ward’s transparent pricing strategy the brand is basically set up to do whatever it wants without having to explain itself. CW can say, more accurately than other brands, that the watches simply cost what they cost (and this is why). Thereafter, the customer’s budget and personal preferences come into play.
Christopher Ward Bel Canto - Credit WatchGecko
What it does offer the brand, however, are three distinct positives. One, there was a tendency in the past to see Christopher Ward as an opportunistic maker of homage pieces retailing at a reasonable price, but not as a leader in the design or development spaces. That has now changed.
Two, the Bel Canto’s price allows the brand to stretch its pricing delta without any explanation. It’s an incredibly positioned model but it is positioned at a price significantly more than the bulk of CW’s output. Having it there (at an unquestionably fair price) helps normalise higher prices for the brand, which opens up the opportunity of adding even more complicated pieces in the future with higher (but still reasonable) prices without anyone batting an eyelid.
Christopher Ward Bel Canto on Stanway Vintage V-Stitch Conceria Opera Suede Dress Watch Strap - Credit WatchGecko
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Three, the presence of the Bel Canto simply elevates the entire brand to a new level. In the past, if you’d bought a run-of-the-mill diver from Christopher Ward there was nothing beyond the watch itself to suggest it was any better than any other have-a-go microbrand. Two years ago, if you’d shown a watch lover a Christopher Ward alongside something like a Steinhart, would you really have expected them to say the CW was better because CW is able to build better watches? There was some indication that was the case but nowhere as much categorical proof as has been provided by the Bel Canto’s very existence. Now, every model by the brand is better. That’s a hard-won but well-deserved benefit I think the decision makers at Christopher Ward can be very proud of indeed.
To summarise: no, the Bel Canto may not have a huge effect on customer expectations across the board but do expect it to be one of the first models off the lips of anyone suggestion what the best watch to buy for £3,000 is. As for its effect on the brand of Christopher Ward, however, I think it will be transformative. And although I don’t expect the brand to be releasing a model of this horological calibre every year, I do expect we’ll see semi-regular drops that remind us that Christopher Ward has a plan and is racing towards it at the speed of sound.
