Christopher Ward C9 Jumping Hour Mk3

Introduction

We have master watchmaker, Johannes Jahnke, to thank for the Christopher Ward Jumping Hour watches. He took the ETA 2824-2 calibre and modified it with his JJ01 Jumping Hour complication and create one of the most affordable Jumping Hours ever made.

The Mk1 Jumping Hour was something of a watershed watch for Christopher Ward. At £1,000 it was their most expensive watch and represented something of a gamble - would a customer base used to their lower budget watches handle the jump in price forced by the additional complexity of the JJ01 movement? Would it be a hit of a miss? Launched at the end of 2011 and sold out by April 2012, it was pretty clear hit - paving the way for the C9 Mk2 JH, the C9 Mk3 JH and most recently the C1 Grand Malvern JH. It also gave CW the confidence to create watches using JJ’s other custom movements which include the JJ02 single-pusher chronograph, the JJ03 Worldtimer and the JJ04 Moonphase.

The Mk3 Jumping Hour was the first full production piece (the Mk1 and Mk2s were limited edition) and it came in a number of different colours and sizes - it was offered in 43mm and 40mm.

I have to declare an interest here - the Jumping Hour is probably my favourite CW of all time. Because I’ve got relatively small wrists, the 43mm is too big, so I’ve had a 40mm Mk3 for around 10 years now.

But the Mk3 only comes with arabic numbers, and I preferred the roman numerals of the Mk1 and Mk2. When I had an opportunity to acquire a Mk3 prototype that was 40mm but had the roman numerals, I snapped at the chance.

I thought that the one I bought was a one-off. It’s not - this is another. I can’t believe that there are many out there at all, so if you want a 40mm case with roman numbers, this is your chance.

Warranty

It comes with a six month Ward Hoard warranty.

Strap

Price includes this CW brown leather strap in very good condition..

If you would prefer a different leather strap either new or old style (or head only) then please ask and I’ll give you some options.

Condition

Lovely condition, no issues of any note.

Keeping great time on the timegrapher.

Comes boxed with unused cleaning cloth. No manual, but this can be found online,

Specs:

• Diameter: 40mm

• Height: 13.3mm

• Calibre: CW JJ01 (SW-200 Mod)

• Water resistance: 5ATM (50m)

• Strap lugs: 20mm

Owner’s Handbook

The 24 page owner’s manual is well worth a read if you’d like to learn more about the history of Jumping Hour watches and how the C9 Jump Hour was created. It’s available from the CW website: https://www.christopherward.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-cw-library/default/dw68e68be2/pdfs/Dress/c9jhmk2_manual.pdf