When I first saw the Azzurro Bel Canto prototype at the CW showroom I must admit I was somewhat disappointed. It might been a horological masterpiece, BUT what I saw was a ‘mechanical bird’. I remember asking myself, “what’s that all about”??? It’s a question that has bugged me for months. In fact, the Bel Canto has tested my very appreciation of watches.

Being me, I was caught in the moment and I reserved an Azzurro Bel Canto #57, my birth year. As this was only an expression of interest I thought why not. It’s not as if I had placed an order, I could simply say no thank you later.

As the weeks passed and the first of the reviews appeared I began to question myself. I felt at odds with what was being said about the Bel Canto, I was still struggling with a watch where most of the dial is taken over by a chiming mechanism, leaving a small dial at 12 o’clock for the actual time.

I wasn’t entirely surprised by how both the limited editions Azzurro and the subsequent Verde editions sold out in a matter of hours. The anticipation surrounding the launch was extraordinary. Instead of joining the excitement I had reached a point where I did not want to think, read or see a Bel Canto. Then came a call from CW reminding me of #57. At that point my wife persuaded me to take a second look and she made a showroom appointment.

Despite my doubts, my wife persuaded me to order the watch. It wasn’t as if I was under any pressure, far from it. What the heck, if CW offer a 60 day free returns policy I had nothing to loose. A week later I called CW customer services and requested that they hold onto the watch until I next visited Maidenhead.

Although my Bel Canto had been available for dispatch for several weeks I remained in no hurry to receive it. Weirdly, I began to feel guilty, here I was fretting over a watch - definitely a first world problem. Anyway, I’m due to collect the Bel Canto tomorrow. It may be that with the release of these four additional colours CW have provided me with an answer to my doubts.

mvlow wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:32 pm

I don't recall it being made quite clear their intention was to do a few colors when they initially released the blue limited edition. Where did you see that statement in their advertising? I seem to recall people being quite surprised when they almost immediately released the green dial after the blue dial sold out.

MF interviews online stated it. But he did not specify the number of future colours. He did state the next one was scheduled for Spring 2023 (which was the green).

Love the black ….. just got to talk myself into paying £1k and then waiting approx 12 months

tikkathree wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:48 pm Am I the only one thinking "Quality Street wrapper colours"? Quality watch, quality street?
I'll try again in daylight but the love is not yet upon me.

Yes, me too... especially "the purple one"

I like the salmon dial a lot more than the green dial I have reserved. However, with these 4 new colors being "open serial" it definitely makes the Bel Canto seem less special in general. In today's market, rarity equates to price stability, which is something that CW is largely affected by. With "open" production, the more pieces enters the market the lower the price and demand drops.

I understand CW is trying to capitalize on the hype but I think they may see a fair bit of returns which ultimately comes back to haunt them.

unforced_error wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 10:13 pm I understand CW is trying to capitalize on the hype but I think they may see a fair bit of returns which ultimately comes back to haunt them.

I agree, it’s taken me by surprise. Being an open series, can anyone tell me whether the price is the same as the so called Limited Editions?

unforced_error wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 10:13 pm I like the salmon dial a lot more than the green dial I have reserved. However, with these 4 new colors being "open serial" it definitely makes the Bel Canto seem less special in general. In today's market, rarity equates to price stability, which is something that CW is largely affected by. With "open" production, the more pieces enters the market the lower the price and demand drops.

I understand CW is trying to capitalize on the hype but I think they may see a fair bit of returns which ultimately comes back to haunt them.

CW did make a special watch, but they aren't trying to keep it exclusive, via high price or a very exclusive run. Plenty of other brands are doing that repeatedly. If they only sold the initial 300 in blue then they really wouldn't be making much, if any, money back on the cost that went into the R&D, design, production etc. Their intention is to get a chiming watch on the wrists of as many people who want one. Certainly nothing wrong with them capitalizing on the work done to create the Bel Canto. Even at retail, no matter how many they produce, it's worth the money from a materials, design, complication point of view. Not going to find anything else even close to it or in the same price range. If exclusive is what someone wants, then the blue and green serialized versions exist and won't be produced again. My thoughts on it anyway...

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 10:34 pm ^^^^ Yes; the new open series in four colours is £3,305 on bracelet
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Thank you Guy, I’ve some thinking to do.

JasperCat wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 10:05 pm

tikkathree wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:48 pm Am I the only one thinking "Quality Street wrapper colours"? Quality watch, quality street?
I'll try again in daylight but the love is not yet upon me.

Yes, me too... especially "the purple one"

When I saw the purple one, my first thought was Barney

I have a Bel Canto, one of the original blue ones. As I don't intend to sell it I have no problem with the second hand value going down. Neither do I agree with the idea that releasing it as an open series is bad form or a slap in the face for buyers of the original limited edition colours. I might be more miffed if they had re-released the blue and green colours as a normal series but they haven't. If I was so desperate to get one that I paid a couple of thousand pounds over MSRP for a second hand one then that's my problem not Christopher Ward's. Caveat emptor and perhaps you'll be a bit more careful in the future.

If the first 600 limited edition watches show CW that they have a route out of value dive watches and into the world of "petit luxury" then great. The 1,000 pound dive watch market can only get fuller, more desperate and harder to swim in. I want the brand to do well and if having ranges in the 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000+ brackets is they do that then the Bel Canto is a harbinger of great things to come.

Christopher Ward need the Bel Canto to be a success. Its original success caught them by surprise. They had a winner and they didn't know it. Good for them. If there is a market for the watch in larger numbers then they should take that opportunity. Looking at the new, open-series colours I'd say the black is the winner.

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 10:46 pm You've gone 80/20 against buying the Blue LE you have on pre-order (for collection in the next few days?), then?

I’ve gone to 90/10 against, I keep remembering the conversation I had way back in September. The picture then was very different. My wife persuaded me to place an order, a fitting 65th birthday present. I don’t want to let her down. As said, I’ve some thinking between now and 2pm tomorrow.

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: ↑Tue Dec 20, 2022 10:34 pm ^^^^ Yes; the new open series in four colours is £3,305 on bracelet which is the same price I, and presumably you Richard, paid for the Blue LE on bracelet.

Kudos to CW for keeping the price the same. They could easily have added £500.

Guy

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Wow, with this level of spin CW should start paying you

uploaded some hires images of the color combos i like. the black is now growing on me reminds me of a black Lange Zeitwerk!