Christopher Ward is on a mission to bring the highest forms of mechanical watchmaking to the widest possible audience.
If there was a bang for buck league in luxury watches, Christopher Ward would be challenging for the top spot.
That mission has seen the British-based business win a GPHG Award for its hourly chiming C1 Bel Canto Sonnerie au Passage, which is priced at just £3,125, and introduce high end materials and skeletonisation of its in house Calibre SH21 movement for the C60 Concept, which has long-since sold out after launching in 2021 for £3,495.
Today, Christopher Ward is introducing another skeletonised watch, the Twelve X, using its in house movement, this time a titanium version of its recently launched collection of sports-lux watches with integrated bracelets.
It is the first time CW has used the SH21 in a Twelve watch, the first skeleton reference in the family and the first time it has used both Grade 5 and Grade 2 titanium in its case and adjustable bracelet, which have contrasting brushed and sandblasted facets.
Grade 2 titanium makes up most of the case and bracelet, but the harder and more scratch-resistant Grade 5 is used for the bezel and case back, which has an exhibition portal exposing the underside of the movement.
“We’ve removed more material than ever before, exposing parts of the movement that have previously been hidden,” says CW designer, Will Brackfield.
“And the results are spectacular. We’ve simplified shapes, added more contrast between finishes and colours, and generally punched up the look.”
SH21 has two mainspring barrels delivering 120 hours of power, but it is the finishing of its skeletonised structure that is a leap forward for the brand.
The company says each exposed part of the movement is finished to new standard using CNC machines with custom-made diamond cutters. “Naturally, this demands the highest quality CNC machines, as any vibration will leave fine wrinkles on the surface,” head of product, Jörg Bader explains. “But get it right, and the results will almost match the most perfect hand polishing.”
Twelve X watches debut a re-engineered integrated bracelet with a new style clasp and mechanism for slightly adjusting its length, which is useful as wrists expand and contract in hot or cold or on aircraft.
“The classic butterfly clasp has one big disadvantage, in that it has no quick adjustment,” Mr Brackfield says. “Well, we had to see what we could do about that. So now you can easily adjust the length in seconds – by just 3mm, but it makes all the difference.”
The Twelve X has been introduced as part of two anniversaries being celebrated by Christopher Ward this year: the company’s 20th birthday and the 10 years since the Calibre SH21 was first produced.
“The Twelve X, the watch we have created to celebrate these milestones, is rather special as it demonstrates the core value principle of CW: that a piece should never be sold for more than three times the cost of its manufacture. In the £1,000 price range, we offer the design, finishing, materials and general quality of a watch typically seen at two or three times the price. But in this £3,000-4,000 ballpark, the contrast is even more stark,” says Mike France, Christopher Ward’s co-founder and CEO.
“Ultimately, the Twelve X is not just about the anniversaries, or bringing SH21 to more people, or hammering home the Christopher Ward value proposition; it’s also about evangelising the joys of high-end finishing, however it’s achieved,” he adds.
The 41mm watch comes with a choice of integrated titanium bracelet for £4,120 or rubber strap for £3,750.
