Christopher Ward has brought back one of its most interesting complications — and I couldn’t be happier. The new C1 Jump Hour Mk V, launched today, marks the fifth generation of the brand’s jump hour watches, tracing its roots all the way back to the 2011 C9 Harrison.
That original watch introduced Johannes Jahnke’s JJ01 modular movement, and every model since has refined the formula.
This latest version feels like the point where old Christopher Ward and new Christopher Ward meet. As Product Director Jörg Bader puts it, “The Mk V is a bold reinterpretation, fusing modern Christopher Ward design language and the technical ingenuity offered by JJ01.”
The translucent sapphire dial ring immediately grabs you. It’s printed with minute markers, softly glows blue thanks to layers of Super-LumiNova, and lets light through to charge the hidden hour wheel beneath. The result? Only the current hour numeral shines through. It’s a neat, unique (as far as I know), almost cinematic reveal each time the hour jumps.
Four polished pins secure the ring, giving the whole face a sense of deliberate precision.
I love how the rest of the dial (available in Noon Blue or Dusk Gold) plays with texture: a sunray centre, a brushed circular ring, and a metallic outer section that shifts as the light changes.
The sapphire minute hand (a first for the brand) glows from within and seems to hover above the dial. This might be one of my favourite Christopher Ward designs yet – you can see the brand getting more and more confident.
The 39mm case mixes brushed and polished finishes and has a gorgeous box-domed crystal.
Flip it over and the caseback echoes the dial’s layers with alternating sandblasted and polished textures.
The C1 Jump Hour Mk V is available now, priced at US$2975 / £2150 on leather or US$3165 / £2285 on bracelet.
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