My favourite Christopher Ward watch is back with a slimmer figure

When you think of the best watches on the market, you probably think of large price tags and lavish, precious materials. For a long time, the poster children of the luxury watch market have been those kinds of pieces.

Fortunately for those of us with lighter pockets, there's a much more exciting market beneath that. Somewhere in the £1-4k range, you'll find a stunning hybrid of quality and affordability. It's where you'll still get a luxurious experience with companies that offer great customer service, too.

That market is exemplified by Christopher Ward. The brand has gone from strength-to-strength in recent times, unveiling all manner of watches which seem unable to fail.

The brand offers everything from stylish models like The Twelve to classy pieces like the C60 Pro 300 Bronze, and even up to the Twelve X or the Bel Canto Classic. Recently, it has felt like everything that emerges from its doors had the Midus touch.

Now, the brand has brought back one of my favourite watches in an even more wearable case size. I loved the Christopher Ward C1 MoonPhase when I reviewed it last year – and it's now available with a svelte 37mm case.

That's a fantastic upgrade for the model. While the original 40.5mm case certainly wasn't a monster, it did wear slightly larger than some would hope for. That shouldn't be the case – pun intended – here.

You'll still get the same wonderful Aventurine dial, complete with oversized moon complication. There's still absolutely nothing on offer to help with telling the time – you'll find no indices, no logo and only the simplest trio of hands to ensure nothing gets in the way of the beauty of that dial.

Inside, a Sellita SW220-1 movement is paired with the JJ04 module to power the watch. That uses a 4HZ beat rate and offers 38 hours of power reserve, with an accuracy of +/-20 seconds per day.

You'll find it on either a Consort bracelet or a fine Italian Leather strap. The latter will set you back £1,995 / $2,325 (approx. AU$3,900) while the former will cost £2,130 / $2,515 (approx. AU$4,150). While it's not a cheap watch, it is absolutely beautiful, and perfectly proportioned for most wrists. What more could you want?