British watchmaker, Christopher Ward has a new flagship model in the form of The Twelve X. We’re big fans of The Twelve here at T3, so naturally we’re pretty excited about the new model – and with a titanium case and skeleton dial, it doesn’t disappoint.
Powered by the company’s in-house Calibre SH21 automatic mechanical movement – a first for the Twelve collection – the X also premieres Christopher Ward’s new integrated bracelet, which has a micro-adjustment function for the first time. This means the wearer can adjust the bracelet by up to 3mm without adding or removing links.
Equally new is the X’s skeletal design, which gives a detailed view of the movement within, plus there’s a sapphire exhibition case back, too.
The movement uses a twin-barrel design and has a power reserve of 120 hours – enough for the watch to keep accurate time when not worn for up to five days when fully-wound. This is also the first member of the Twelve family to have a case made from two types of titanium. The bulk of the 41mm case is made of type two titanium, while denser, higher-grade type five titanium (as found on the company’s C1 Bel Canto) is used for the bezel and case back.
Because the movement is on full display, Christopher Ward says it has paid special attention to the look of every component – more so than if they were hidden by a conventional dial. Many of these exposed parts of the mechanism are deliberately made a fraction of a millimeter too tall, so they can be machine-polished down to the right size, using custom-made diamond cutters.
Instead of being a limited-edition timepiece, as is often the case with Christopher Ward, The Twelve X is an open series watch, suggesting it’ll be in production for quite some time. Water resistant to 10 ATM (190 metres), the watch marks both 20 years of watch production by Christopher Ward, and also 10 years of its Calibre SH21 movement. It is also the most expensive watch the company currently sells, with a price tag of £3,750 on a black rubber strap and £4,120 on a titanium bracelet.
That said, the company is keen to say how it strives to offer better value for money than some better-known rivals.
Mike France, co-founder and CEO of Christopher Ward, said how The Twelve X “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.”
