Hands-On Debut: Christopher Ward C12 Loco Watch
About 2 months ago, I heard that Christopher Ward was coming out with something “Bigger than the Bel Canto,” Shortly after that, the brand dropped a cartoony collab with Mr. Jones, and I thought that was it. Imagine my disappointment: I was expecting something mind-blowing and instead I got a “Rick and Morty” fever dream moonphase. Let me be clear, I love the Mr. Jones collab, but it is objectively not “bigger than the Bel Canto.” Continue to imagine, then, my relief when just days later, I got the actual announcement for the actual watch that was actually subject to the claim of being “Bigger than the Bel Canto.” While I’m not sure if the all-new Christopher Ward C12 Loco is bigger deal than the Bel Canto, it is pretty incredible.
The general conceit with the C12 Loco seems to be translating the visual appeal of the Bel Canto to the The Twelve, Christopher Ward’s very successful integrated bracelet model. CW didn’t say that was the goal, but I don’t think it’s a big leap to that conclusion: The Bel Canto and the The Twelve were certified hits (certified by me) and combining the two must’ve been a no-brainer. The brand has gone a bit further than just porting the Bel Canto into the The Twelve, though. It’s developed its second fully in-house movement and reworked the case of the The Twelve to ensure the C12 Loco can be enjoyed in all its glory.
The new Chrisopher Ward C12 Loco is set in a bulkier case than other Twelves, similarly to the Christopher Ward The Twelve X. Where the X brought the thickness to 12.3mm, the Loco ratchets things up yet again to 13.7mm. With a width of 41mm, that’s somewhat thick, but the steel case is far more sculpted than any previous Twelve. The crown guards are gone, and the mid-case is cut away save for the lugs, which have a steeper angle than previous models and an attractive inward undercut on the side. That cutaway reveals a newly faceted lower half of the midcase, with 12 sides echoing both the bezel and the caseback. 3.95mm of the thickness is made up of the front and back box sapphire crystals, which allow for a dramatic presentation of the dial and movement.
On the wrist, the watch wears exactly how you think it might: the bulkiness is evident, but you really don’t care because you’re lost starting at the dial and the whirling balance wheel. I didn’t have any real issues on my 7-inch wrist, and the dimensions and wearability would never make me pass on a watch like this. The watch sports 30 meters of water resistance, which isn’t shocking given the movement and dial, but does seem incongruous with the sportiness of the case and the integrated rubber strap (and the fact that the thinner Twelve X was rated to 100 meters). Give me at least 50, yeah? The quick release rubber straps are color-matched to the dials, and are quite comfortable with a folding clasp. The watch is also offered on a steel bracelet with a butterfly clasp. One note is that because of the dramatic angle of the lugs, the quick release tabs can be hard to get to when swapping straps, but getting a strap on is no problem.
When I first saw the dial I was immediately reminded of the Girard Perregaux Free Bridge (Perhaps we could call this watch the Chris Bridges?). However, that comparison does neither watch justice. The CW12 Loco is much more a CW than a GP, and despite also having a balance at 6 o’clock, it’s really doing its own thing. The Loco comes in four dial colors: orange, black, white, and blue. I’m partial to the orange and white, but your preference may vary. The layout is broadly similar to the Bel Canto: the time display is offset at 12 o’clock, and the mechanics are on display at 6 o’clock. The dial is built with layers upon layers. The time display features a brushed ring around a sapphire ring with applied hour markers, all hovering over the recessed portion of matte finished orange with an aperture ring revealing the gear beneath. The hands match the indices both in style and finishing, with polished bevels and brushed tops. Everything there is lumed, providing decent low-light readability. While the time display isn’t full-sized, it’s larger than the Bel Canto’s and I found it a bit more legible, though I do wonder if the white dial may suffer for lack of contrast.
The dial portions flanking the time are vertically brushed, but drop down to a matte finished portion in the bottom half where the open balance wheel and escapement are on display. The angular bridges do a lovely job echoing the look of the hands and indices, which ties everything together. Close inspection reveals that while the finishing here may not be at the level of other brands delivering this type of horological spectacle, it is acceptable and even elevated for the price point. The free-sprung balance is in constant motion, whipping back and forth to keep you constantly captivated. It also serves a second, perhaps unintentional purpose: because there’s no seconds hand, you can easily tell if your watch is still running.
There’s much nomenclature change about at Christopher Ward. It hasn’t beens stated explicitly, but I expect that “The Twelve” will formally shift to the C12 (a designation it already uses in its spec sheets), which everyone will appreciate, as using definite articles in watch names is both pretentious and editorially cumbersome. That’s not all, though, because the brand is now renaming its in-house movements. With the SH21 rebadged as the CW-001, the C12 Loco is fitted with the all-new, in-house handwound CW-003 — the brand’s second in-house movement. Chris Ward is clear that the CW-003 is based on the CW-001 (formerly the SH21), but the transformation is so substantial that to even mention the base movement seems absurd. The only thing that’s visually evident that links the two is the existence of two barrels, but even then, the CW-003 delivers 144 hours of power, a full day more than the CW-001.
The odd thing about C12 Loco is that because the balance is on the front and there’s no rotor, the movement side is stagnant. I’m so used to flipping a watch over and seeing something in motion. Thankfully, there was still plenty to admire. There’s a good bit of detail to the finishing, the polishing of which was done by hand by APJ Sàrl, who also worked on the Bel Canto and the Twelve X. The contrasting black bridge and main plate allow the steel bridges and barrels to stand out, and I quite like the texturing on the tops of the bridges, and on the recessed segments of the black bridge around the gear. The architecture reminds me a bit of the Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force, though on that watch the triple bridges are on the dial. The movement operates at 28,800 vph and is regulated to 0/+7 seconds per day, but what’s most impressive is that you’re getting this level of movement design — a non-clone, in-house movement with dial-side mechanics and front-and-back aesthetic appeal — for under $5,000. Usually that’s confined to brands like Breguet and MB&F, but as I wrote earlier this year, haute horology is being democratized.
You have to understand how big of a release the Bel Canto was: a chiming watch with dial-side mechanics at under $5,000. In 2022, when it was released, it was unheard of — and it still is. Saying the C12 Loco is as big is like saying a band is “the next Beatles.” There can’t be a next Beatles, and for Christopher Ward, I don’t think there can be anything as big as the Bel Canto was. It was the beginning of something. The C12 Loco builds upon it, and does so brilliantly. At launch, Christopher Ward is trying to avoid the delays it experienced with the Bel Canto: it will have a good number of Locos available for immediate delivery, with several hundred being produced each month thereafter. That means you should be able to get one pretty quickly if you want. The Christopher Ward C12 Loco is priced at $4,595 USD on rubber and $4,825 USD on bracelet. For a behind the scenes look at the two year development of the C12 Loco, you can check out the new documentary Freewheelin’ on Christopher Ward’s YouTube page. For more information about the watch, please visit the Christopher Ward website.
