Christopher Ward C12 Loco | HANDS ON

Russell Sheldrake

Christopher Ward has change into a little bit of a beast over the past couple of years. Ever for the reason that stratospheric rise of the Bel Canto, the half-British, half-Swiss model has taken the trade by storm. Now, now we have its follow-up, the C12 Loco, a conceptually easy watch, with an especially complicated execution.

I name this piece a Bel Canto killer in one of the simplest ways doable. Whereas I’ve been an enormous fan of the model’s sonnerie au passage for a very long time now, I’ve at all times seen it as a little bit of a distinct segment watch, regardless of its greater than spectacular gross sales figures. You must have a sure stage of understanding on the subject of complicated watch actions and the historical past of chiming mechanisms to completely admire what this watch has completed. However to completely admire the C12 Loco, you solely want to have a look at it. In fact, the work and innovation that the Christopher Ward staff has completed is extra than simply surface-deep right here, however the visible affect of seeing a free sprung stability flying away on the dial, held in place by an elongated bridge, is charming regardless of your stage of horological schooling.

So what makes this subsequent chapter in Christopher Ward’s story vital sufficient to warrant such an extended opening? It’s much less complicated from a pure performance perspective than a Bel Canto, but it affords extra when it comes to a classical watchmaking perspective. The CW-003 motion is a superb demonstration of simply how far the model’s motion improvement capabilities have are available in such a short while. With a balanced visible on each the entrance and the again, you’ll be able to inform that loads of work has gone into how this watch seems and what it means to make it as visually pleasing as doable. So let’s dive into the main points on this watch which will trigger much more noise than its chiming older sibling.

The motion

I’ve no selection however to start out with the motion right here. The CW-003 is a closely reworked SH21, not solely including an enlarged free-sprung stability, but in addition creating an extra day of energy reserve for a complete of six. That is achieved by way of its two barrel system which are on full show by way of the sapphire caseback, held in place by bevelled cocks that enable full view of their industrially utilized texture. A putting factor, or lack thereof, with this motion is that you don’t see the gear prepare. The winding mechanism and the dual barrels couldn’t be extra uncovered, however the gear prepare has been utterly hidden away beneath the big plates, with the timekeeping regulated to remain between -0/+7 seconds a day.

This motion shouldn’t be solely seen by way of the caseback. Its principal attraction, the free sprung, open stability, dominates the dial at six. Whereas it’s spinning at the usual 4Hz, it seems to be reaching the next beat fee because of the scale of this stability wheel. Regulated by screws, that is an superior show of what Christopher Ward can obtain in-house at this time because of its built-in motion improvement and manufacture in Biel. The event of this motion was not easy, nor was it completed over a protracted interval. After you have completed this learn, I might counsel you go and watch the documentary on Christopher Ward’s YouTube channel referred to as Freewheelin’ which follows the journey of constructing this watch, and the way tight the timings have been when it got here to getting this massive stability wheel high quality tuned and prepared for manufacturing.

Coming again to how aesthetics have been rigorously thought of at each step right here, I discussed that the gear prepare had been hidden, and so it’s clear which elements of this watch’s motion Christopher Ward needs you to focus on. With the expanded energy reserve afforded by the 2 barrels, and the charming free sprung stability, the one elements on show you might be continually reminded about are the place the model has put its R&D finances, and what makes this watch stand out.

The dial

We’ve already coated the principle attraction on the dial, however I need to spotlight a genius transfer from the design staff of Christopher Ward, who’re based mostly in Maidenhead, versus the motion improvement staff in Biel, as they’ve produced this pressured perspective-like impact with the diminishing dimension of the circles of the dial from 12 to six. The ring of floating utilized hour markers flows all the way down to the spinning stability wheel, with the smaller escape wheel tucked away beneath. This solely provides to the impact of movement on the dial that the stability already brings.

Moreover these elements, there may be loads of useless house on each the dial and the motion aspect. These are left deliberately featureless, given a brushing that performs with the sunshine however can are available in 4 totally different colors. A typical white and black, or the extra vibrant choices of orange and blue, which give the watch a much more energetic and youthful really feel. Whereas we’re used to seeing vivid colors from Christopher Ward with the numerous iterations of the Bel Canto, these are two shades we’re but to see from them and really feel becoming for such an edgy and modern-looking watch.

The case

Whereas this watch might need made sense within the Bel Canto case, and change into its pure successor, the choice to position it within the case of The Twelve, the model’s built-in bracelet sports activities watch, offers it a much more genuine really feel to me. This watch is edgy, trendy, and youthful in its design, which I don’t assume the Bel Canto is, and inserting it within the multi-sided, multi-faceted Twelve case solely amplifies this in my eyes. Measuring 41mm throughout, it wears extraordinarily nicely because of a brief lug-to-lug of 47.5mm, and whereas its thickness of 13.7mm makes it sound clunkier than it truly is on the wrist as practically 4mm of that thickness comes from the back and front crystals, so visually it stays fairly gentle.

However the angular case right here is merely appearing as a body by way of which the motion and dial may be considered, however that doesn’t imply it’s an afterthought. I admire the sloped lugs and angled mid-case that construct a sporty aesthetic, however the bezel and case again materials have been stored to a minimal. The crown is screw down, however the watch solely achieves 30m of water resistance, which feels a little bit low for a watch in such a sporty case and for one which comes on a rubber strap. However the reality that there’s a screw down crown makes me really feel like it is a true 30m of water resistance, and never one which it is advisable to really feel nervous about when strolling out into a lightweight bathe.

The strap

These watches can be found on dial-matching rubber straps that include deployant clasps. They’re fitted by way of a fast launch system that’s fairly straightforward to make use of, as you pinch the spring bar ends in and if you’d like, may be changed with an identical bracelet which is identical because the one discovered on The Twelve. A really snug choice that drapes fantastically, and if I have been shopping for one can be my selection as they’re bought individually from the straps.

The decision

As I discussed on the high, I’m dubbing this a Bel Canto killer. Whereas the Bel Canto was visually and audibly attention-grabbing as soon as each hour, the C12 Loco is attention-grabbing each time you have a look at it. The barrier to entry when it comes to information for this watch feels decrease than the Bel Canto, and also you even have to contemplate the platform on which the Bel Canto was launched and evaluate that to the one the Loco is launching from. The 2 firms are virtually unrecognisable, primarily because of the success of the Bel Canto. To me, this implies the Loco is best positioned for achievement, as the corporate has matured, its provide chain has too, and it now feels higher ready to ship a watch that captures the market’s creativeness.

The watch feels set to be successful and one thing that defines a brand new period for Christopher Ward because it strikes ahead from the Bel Canto in a watch that doesn’t really feel spinoff, however evolutionary. The model has learnt what it means to create such a well-liked watch, and is now seeking to seize that magic once more. Time will inform if this “easy” time-only watch can just do that.

Christopher Ward C12 Loco pricing and availability

The Christopher Ward C12 Loco is being bought in drops to start with, as 750 might be accessible for pre-order on Thursday twenty fourth at 3 pm BST, with extra being made accessible later within the 12 months. Value: £3,795, US$4,595, €4,950 (on rubber strap), £3,995, US$4,825, €5,205 (on bracelet)