Introducing: The Christopher Ward C12 ‘Loco’ (Live Pics)

What We Know

Big news out of Maidenhead, England, and Biel, Switzerland, today as the two locales for Christopher Ward’s watchmaking have announced their next new big release – the C12 “Loco”. It’s a new model that takes the brand’s integrated sports watch, “The Twelve,” and adds the new manually-wound in-house calibre, the CW-003, with a striking open balance design. The name is both a reference to the Locomotive train, driving the development of Christopher Ward forward, and because they say the watch is a bit crazy. The watch you see in the live pictures is a pre-production piece, so we’ll be sharing a few photos directly from Christopher Ward as well.

The C12 Loco is powered by the CW-003 movement, which has a seriously impressive 144-hour power reserve, and the balance on the front ticks at 28,800 vph with a timing accuracy of -0/+7 seconds per day (also impressive). It also features a variety of hand finishing techniques, especially on the bridges, which are polished and angled. The rear side of the watch features a more austere movement design with three long, exposed bridges, and two large barrels for the power reserve.

The watch is cased in a redesigned, three-piece, 41mm stainless steel Twelve case, with steeply downturned lugs. The C12 measures 13.7mm thick (including the 3.55mm front box crystal and 0.4mm rear crystal), and it still features the brand’s integrated bracelet design with a butterfly clasp and a single micro-adjust link near the clasp.

The C12 “Loco” comes in four dial colors: an anthracite grey/black, white, bright blue, and bright orange. There’s also the option to buy the C12 on a color-matched rubber strap with deployant claps instead of the integrated bracelet, though keep in mind, the bracelet has built-in micro-adjust, which is a great deal at the price. Oh yes, and the price; it’s $4,595 on the strap and $4,825 on bracelet.

What We Think

Christopher Ward continues to surprise and push the boundaries of what’s possible in a more affordable package. The C1 “Bel Canto” set the tone for a brand that was looking to expand from the position of relying on the creation of affordable yet familiar designs. There’s a lot of value in this new C12 “Loco” and the idea of an open balance design like this for less than $5,000 is attractive (not to mention the power reserve and stated accuracy), but I will say, it struck me as less of an advancement for the brand than that of the Bel Canto. 

I covered “The Twelve” about a year ago, and it’s a comfortable design with many great features for the price. They’ve also built the collection into one with great variety– steel, titanium, openworked, 40mm, 38mm, 36mm – and that’s great for the market. But I can’t help but think how close the watch looks to the Czapek Antartique. Then it was pointed out to me (and I had somehow missed) that the designer of the Antartique (Adrian Buchmann, now working for Christopher Ward) also designed “The Twelve,” which puts a finer point on the similarities for me. 

Yes, Gerald Genta had a design vision he evolved from the Royal Oak to the Nautilus to the Locomotive and others, but they were evolutions and didn’t feel as close as the Czapek and CW do. Then, after polling some colleagues, we all agreed the new “Loco” looks a lot like the Antartique Tourbillon from the front and has touches of Armin Strom on the movement side. I even feel unsure about the name after the re-launch of the Credor Locomotive last year.

Yet there are plenty of arguments and positives in support of this watch. With the amount of bang for the buck you get, I can understand the appeal of adding one to your collection. From the aesthetic to the comfort to the micro-adjust, there’s a lot going for the C12 “Loco.” I think price sensitivity will be high on the market for a while, and with Christopher Ward’s business model, it’s hard to beat the value they provide, as long as the tariff situation doesn’t hit the brand too hard. 

As such, any critique I make of their design is always done with the hope that it will catch the eye of the brand and help them push a bit more to bring something truly unique to the market. To be clear, the C12 is far from an unsuccessful watch, but I feel the above context is worth mentioning in a consideration of the Loco, especially when it comes to the design language. 

Zooming out a bit, as a follow up to the Bel Canto and a major flagship for the design footing of the The Twelve, the C12 Loco is an exciting move for Christopher Ward that continues the brand’s work in the still-popular integrated steel sport watches while expanding it’s scope of watchmaking and technical prowess. While elements of the design are indeed recognizable, it’s hard to understate the appeal when you factor for a price point that actively undercuts much of the comparisons (competition or otherwise). This has long been an element of Christopher Ward’s enthusiast-driven success, and the C12 Loco does little to push this train off the rails. 

The Basics

Brand: Christopher Ward
Model: C12 Loco

Diameter: 41mm with a 47.5mm lug-to-lug
Thickness: 13.7mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Color: Anthracite, blue, orange, or white
Indexes: Applied
Lume: Hands and hour markers
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: Integrated stainless steel bracelet or rubber bracelet with deployant strap

The Movement

Caliber: CW-003
Functions: Hours, minutes, open balance
Power Reserve: 144 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 4Hz
Jewels: 29
Chronometer Certified: No, -0/+7 seconds per day

Pricing & Availability

Price: $4,595 on strap and $4,825 on bracelet
Availability: Immediately on launch with a number of pre-produced pieces, with two more drops before the end of the year.
Limited Edition: No

For more, click here.

​Hodinkee 

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