TOP

The first moon phase from Christopher Ward

The 40 mm C9 Moonphase comes in two colours, white and gold, or midnight blue and silver.

The 40 mm C9 Moonphase comes in two colours, white and gold, or midnight blue and silver.

Last week, Christopher Ward — the British brand that is known for making Swiss watches affordable — has unveiled the C9 Moonphase collection. They are powered by the new Calibre JJ04, developed by the brand’s master watchmaker, Johannes Jahnke, who took a day date ETA 2836-2 base, and made into a moon phase watch by creating a two gear systems incorporating four wheels to drive the moon disc, and a further two wheels for the setting mechanism. With this approach, the moon disk has a continuous movement, in synch with the minutes and hours, creating an advance on the common use of a disc that jumps once a day (which often renders the moon window inaccurate for several hours each day). Once set, the representation of the moon’s phase at any particular moment is unerringly precise and the new gearing ensures that the moon disc is also accurate to within one day every 128 years of the base movement’s accuracy.

Judging only by the pictures, the C9 Moonphase is rich in textures that will make it an interesting timepiece to observe under any lightning conditions. The rough surface of the large moon disc and the guilloche pattern, the thin indexes and the elegant hands, denote the care and attention to the smallest details.

The C9 Moonphase is offered in two dial versions, white & gold or midnight & silver, and strap options include a luxury leather strap or alligator upgrade each with a Bader deployment (strap colour options vary to complement the relevant dial colour), and a stainless steel bracelet option.

Launched at the Salon QP in London (12th-14th November), the C9 Moonphase is available on pre-order for delivery in mid November, with the leather strap version from £1295 (Alligator upgrade £1357.50) and the stainless steel bracelet model at £1395, exclusively at www.christopherward.co.uk

As a graphic designer, I'm fascinated by the crossroads between technology and aesthetics. Horology is one of these crafts, where art and engineering come together to produce mechanical wonders that grace the eye. WatchPaper was born from the desire to create an online tool where I can share my passion for watches.