As a technology and fashion journalist, my doorway is constantly filled with packages, with various review samples arriving for me to try from a litany of brands. Once a novelty, this has long since turned into a logistical difficulty that my partner has grown weary of, and most new items are met with a muted reaction. But this year, one item sparked genuine excitement for both of us.

It was a new watch from the British-based Christopher Ward, whose watches are affordable, enthusiast-focused, but still high-quality, and made in Switzerland. While the watch market has generally cooled since the heights of the COVID-19 speculation boom, the budget watch market has never seen much attention and competition, with micro-brands and conglomerates competing in the $1,000 to $4,000 watch segment.

Christopher Ward, however, was one of the earlier players to make a name for themselves here, and they’ve done so through a clever balance of enthusiast passion, quality, and value. Their first fans came for their dive watches, but over time, they’ve pushed their design and engineering expertise further and further.

Their most notable watch was the Bel Canto from last year. It’s a chiming watch with the exposed linkage one typically sees in a skeletonized watch and the audible chime of a minute repeater. It’s clever, bold watchmaking, deserving of its many award wins—despite starting at under $4,000. Few watches are as technically impressive at double the Bel Canto’s price, and nothing can beat it at under $5,000.

But its design isn’t for everyone. Its arachnid aesthetic is very bold, even on a black dial, and some of us prefer a slightly more subtle design.

That’s where the C1 Moonphase comes in, which looks far more premium than its sub-$2,500 price tag suggests, and so impressed my partner and me earlier this year. The trick of the watch is its combination of the simple and the ornate. The case design is classic and subtle, aside from the long, thick lugs, with curved glass and simple silver hands. The metal sports band isn’t too sporty, and the blue leather Mastrotto strap — which the watch looks best on — would go perfectly with a tuxedo.

But then there’s the dial. At first glance, it’s just a dark blue dial, but on closer inspection, it has a flecked night sky dotted with reflective little points and a moon dial along the top. Showing the movement of the moon through a complication is hardly novel, but rather than reducing this to a six-o’clock subdial, the C1 Moonphase puts it right along the top of the dial, showing the three-dimensional moon at 12-o’clock when in the full moon position.

It looks nice in photographs, but it’s breathtaking in person, constantly reacting to the movement of light.

Though the watch uses a Sellita SW220-1 movement, the moon phase complication is courtesy of their in-house Caliber JJ04 module. Using four wheels, the large moon disk fluidly and constantly moves, keeping the watch in motion and in time with the moon.

It’s a superb watch, and I would have bought one earlier this year were it not for one problem: the size. The C1 Moonphase was initially available exclusively in a 41mm size, and though that would fit some men, it was simply too large for my wrist. Additionally, its elegant design better suits a smaller size.

Christopher Ward seems to agree, as they have now announced a second version in a perfect 37mm size. It’s slimmer than before, with a smaller dial, but still as perfectly proportioned as the original watch.

As such, it removes the one thing that stopped the C1 Moonphase from being a “must-buy” watch and my favorite of the year. And with that, I will be placing an order.