Christopher Ward has built a reputation on a compelling mission: delivering high-quality, well-engineered timepieces with genuine watchmaking credentials at accessible price points. While their catalogue spans diverse collections, certain releases stand out as defining moments. Prepare to meet perhaps the most spectacular Christopher Ward since the barnstorming Bel Canto: The C12 Loco.
This new integrated bracelet sports watch represents a significant leap, pushing the boundaries of design and technical execution for the brand. Its core appeal lies in a precisely executed open dial that doesn’t just show everything, but thoughtfully exposes and highlights key movement components while keeping others tucked away, creating a captivating mechanical spectacle on the wrist.
The fundamental allure of a mechanical watch often stems from its perceived ‘aliveness’ – the intricate symphony of wheels, pinions, barrels, and springs working together. Among these, open balance designs hold particular fascination, placing the crucial regulating organ front and centre for all to see.
The C12 Loco takes this a step further. Spinning mesmerisingly above the six o’clock position is a brand new, custom-designed, free-sprung balance wheel and hairspring – the very heartbeat of the watch brought to the forefront. This is Christopher Ward’s first timepiece to feature a free-sprung balance, underscoring its ambition as their most audacious creation to date. Realising this vision demanded not just top-notch design but also a brand-new, in-house movement: CW-003, conceived specifically and exclusively for this watch.
Developing a component as critical and complex as a unique balance wheel required enlisting specialist help, with Feller Pivotages SA drafted in to handle the “hair-tearing challenges,” including the creation of a particularly fine 0.045mm hairspring. Meanwhile, the CW-003 movement behind the visible display features fresh architecture and a new energy flow, reimagining the conventional layout to accommodate the unique display.
The C12 Loco’s dial is a thing of genuine beauty and considered design. It presents a striking layout with three vertically stacked circular apertures from twelve to six, anchored by strong horizontal bridges. These bridges support the visible elements below: the floating balance wheel and its escapement just beneath it, and a slightly off-centre step above to accommodate the time-telling dial at 12 o’clock. Depth and detail abound, from the visible gears in the trench below the hands to the dramatic ‘ski-jump’ drop-off.
The visible movement elements feature meticulous hand-finishing, with brushed surfaces contrasting against hand-polished facets – over five hours of hand-finishing on the bridges alone, a testament to the attention to detail. The manually-wound CW-003 movement is built from no fewer than 138 individual components and boasts an incredible 144-hour (six days) power reserve, offering exceptional longevity from a full wind. Its timing tolerance is a remarkable -0/+7 seconds per day, regulated by tiny screws for enhanced precision, oscillating at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour).
The C12 Loco is offered in a striking range of shades, moving beyond classic black (vertically-brushed) or opaline white (smooth) to include vibrant ‘supercar shades’ like Pasadena Blue and Frisco Orange – brand-new colours developed specifically for this watch over multiple iterations. Slick, highly technical, and innovative across the board, The C12 Loco represents Christopher Ward at its most modern and exciting. As elite-level haute-horology made accessible, this glittering, ever-moving landmark watch, priced at £3795, is one of the most explicit iterations of the Christopher Ward mission to date, appealing to both the child in us captivated by moving parts and the technocrat who appreciates technical ingenuity.
