Review: the Christopher Ward C1 Jump Hour Mk V

You have to hand it to Christopher Ward; they’ve been on a hell of a run. What was once a bit of an ‘also-ran’ brand with a stable of somewhat generic dive and dress watches has become a near-peerless independent powerhouse, turning out hit after hit and creating converts everywhere they (or at least their impressively enthusiastic team) go. Their latest offering, the C1 Jump Hour Mk V — released today — revives a complication with which the brand has a long history, and is sure to bring yet more converts to the fold.

Now, despite a sense of increased affection for the English brand in the last few years and its general rise in popularity, I’ve not spent much time writing about Christopher Ward. I’ve also, outside of quick hits at Windup fairs and in passing moments, spent shockingly little hands-on time with the brand’s recent offerings. So when I was offered the chance to spend a few days with their latest release, I leapt at the opportunity, curious to see if I’d be pulled into the ranks of the converted, as so many of my colleagues at Worn & Wound have been. I’ve now spent much of the last week with the Christopher Ward C1 Jump Hour Mk V on my wrist, and I have to admit, I’m somewhat smitten.

The Christopher Ward JJ01

Jump hour watches have been having a bit of a moment in the sun recently, but they’re nothing new to Christopher Ward. The brand introduced its first jump hour watch all the way back in 2011. The brand’s foray into the jump hour was made possible by a proprietary module, designed by Johannes Jahnke, called the JJ01. Married with a Sellita SW200-1, the JJ01 was the first serious entry by Christopher Ward into the world of designed movements, and arguably set in motion the series of events that eventually led to watches like the Bel Canto and the C12 Loco.

Unfortunately, despite the significance of the JJ01 to Christopher Ward’s history, it has been missing from the brand’s product lineup for more than a few years now, though it’s still been available to consumers through the English brand Fears (which has used the JJ01 to power their incredibly popular jump hour watches for the last few years). That’s no tragedy. The Fears jump hour watches are a wonderful option for those looking for a relatively affordable jump hour, but considering Christopher Ward’s increased focus on technical watchmaking, it’s nice to see the complication return to the catalog, especially in such a strong offering.

Case and Dial

The obvious standout here is the dial, which represents the biggest departure for the new watch, but before we get into that, I want to get some of the other stuff out of the way. The C1 Jump Hour Mk V uses Christopher Ward’s Lightcatcher case architecture. Unsurprising for a watch bearing the “C1” branding, the case design here — which measures in at 39mm across, 14mm thick, and just over 47.5mm lug-to-lug — is very similar to that of the C1 Moonphase released last year, with slightly adjusted proportions to accommodate the layered dial and JJ01 movement module. Basically, the watch is a little smaller and a little taller than the Moonphase, but it still wears wonderfully.

The watch is available on your choice of a leather strap or Christopher Ward’s five-link consort bracelet. The bracelet itself is well-made, with single-sided adjustment screws and an included half-link to dial in your initial fit (no micro-adjust here, unfortunately), and suits the watch well enough, but I found the watch just sung on leather. The included straps are made from Italian leather and come with a branded Christopher Ward deployant clasp. I might have opted for a pin-buckle had I had the option, but the leather straps optioned for the C1 Jump Hour are supple out of the box, pleasingly textured, and come in a range of five colors, which match the two dial color options at launch beautifully.

Which brings us back to the dial. Previous interpretations of the jump hour concept from Christopher Ward have, to my eye, sought to minimize the visual impact of the jump hour execution, leaning towards a simpler — and certainly less distinct — look than they might have otherwise pursued. Now, Christopher Ward seems to have taken and implemented many of the lessons learned from watches like the Bel Canto, Loco, or the C1 Moonphase, and embraced a more exciting visual language for their new jump hour watch.

Put another way, the C1 Jump Hour Mk V is unapologetic in its aesthetic sensibility, leaning into the unique opportunities provided by a jump hour layout. The dial here is made up of many layered and concentric elements, with polished elements, stamped details, transparent sapphire, and plenty of lume present in abundant supply. All of this comes together to create a dial with a lot of depth and a wonderfully contemporary look. Even the crystal feels like a real part of the dial design, with the tall boxed design adding another concentric element above the dial. It’s a new feel from the design team at Christopher Ward, but one which doesn’t feel out of place in a product lineup that includes both the Twelve 660 and the Trident C60 Sapphire.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a novel Christopher Ward release without something wholly new, which comes here in the form of a transparent sapphire minute track and matching sapphire minute hand. The use of floating sapphire elements is one we’ve all become familiar with, thanks to avant-garde brands like Ming, but I really enjoy seeing the technique used on what is objectively a more traditional-looking watch. The use of sapphire here also allows for a wonderful implementation on both the hand and the dial.

There are three lumed elements at play on the Jump Hour. The solitary minute hand is lumed from its center support to the inner portion of the sapphire minute track, which is, in turn, illuminated by a ring of luminous material set beneath it. Finally, the jump hour display itself is fully lumed. My assumption is that the jump hour function is achieved using a transparent sapphire date wheel, which sits above a permanently fixed luminous backing at the opening, so when the hour leaps, the backlight remains. I know that this is how MEC Horlogerie Américaine accomplished the effect on their MEC 1 jump hour watch, and it’s a clever way of lighting up an hour wheel that would otherwise be obscured by the dial and be unable to charge.

As I mentioned, there are two dial options on the C1 Jump Hour Mk V: Noon Blue and Dusk Gold. Each of these two-tone dials uses a darker shade of its respective color on the centermost portion of the dial, while the outer ring (under the transparent sapphire minute track) is several degrees lighter. I’ve been wearing the Noon Blue version of the watch, and absolutely adore it. The shade of blue suits my taste to a T, and is likely the direction I would lean if I decide to pull the trigger on the C1 Jump Hour Mk V myself.

That said, the Dusk Gold option is compelling and reminds me of the warm champagne color often found on vintage dress watches. I don’t think you can go wrong here, and I think the real fun will come in pairing the subtle dial colors with interesting strap options. For what it’s worth, I think either of these dials would pair well with a deep navy suede.

Final Thoughts

Christopher Ward has put a lot of work into their last few years of new releases. The introduction of the Bel Canto in 2022 certainly established a new high watermark for the brand, but it also put them in the difficult position of having to clear their own expectations with every new release. That’s not to say that every new release from the brand has had to match the heights of the Bel Canto, but in making the declaration that watch turned out to be, they raised the bar for what we all expect from the brand. I have to be honest, when they took that leap, I was anxious for them. Could they keep hitting the mark? So far, I don’t think any watch enthusiast can look at the Christopher Ward of the last three years and claim they’ve fallen short or say they haven’t.

The new watch, despite being — on its surface — different from anything previously offered by Christopher Ward, will rightly feel familiar to many, but I think in that familiarity, the C1 Jump Hour speaks to how far the brand has come. It takes a premise well iterated on by Christopher Ward and elevates it to match their new standard, marrying the technical acumen that has clearly existed at the brand for a long time, with the well-earned confidence to try something a little different that the brand has developed over the last half-decade.

It may not be as out there a watch as the Bel Canto, or even the Loco, but I feel like the C1 Jump Hour Mk V may be something more important to the brand — a perfect entry point into their high-end watchmaking. Priced at $2,975 on leather or $3,165 on a bracelet, the new Jump Hour bridges the gap between the accessible, everyday watchmaking that has made Christopher Ward so popular and the high-end technical novelties that have made the brand exciting.

I’ll be surprised if this watch doesn’t catch on, at least a little, and I don’t think it’s hard to see why. The C1 Jump Hour Mk V is a beautiful watch, offered at a compelling price, with an interesting complication, all from a brand that is quickly becoming a dependable cornerstone of the enthusiast market. Basically, the C1 Jump Hour Mk V is everything you’d want it to be, and I think, in this case, that’s more than enough. Christopher Ward