[VIDEO] Christopher Ward Changes the Game, Again – C12 Loco Review with Video

Is it too dramatic to say that just about three years ago, in November of 2022, Christopher Ward changed the watch industry as we knew it? Perhaps. But what fun is a watch review without some hyperbole? And frankly, it’s not a far-off statement either. I’m talking, of course, about the launch of the C1 Bel Canto. Not only did that watch set Christopher Ward on a new trajectory as a brand, but it also proved what smaller independent brands were capable of. Since then, we’ve seen a surge of ingenuity in the industry.

But I’m burying the lede. It’s 2025, and Christopher Ward has done it again with the launch of the C12 Loco: a full-fledged vision of independent watchmaking that, perhaps most impressively, maintains the brand’s value-focused ethos. But to fully appreciate the C12 Loco, we must rewind to 2014. That’s when Christopher Ward did the unthinkable and received little to no attention for it: they launched an in-house movement called the SH21.

Back then, “in-house” was a term that got thrown around a lot. It was always a big deal when a brand announced an “in-house” movement. But, it was the territory of the very large or the very high-end, and the idea that smaller, more accessible independents could produce an in-house caliber was almost absurd. When a brand announced an in-house movement, everyone took notice, and sometimes brands were called out for using the term too loosely (including other British brands…).

So, when the SH21 debuted, it was almost surreal: not just because of the claim but because the movement itself wasn’t a run-of-the-mill 2824 clone. Designed in collaboration with Johannes Jahnke, a renowned movement designer now at Sellita, the SH21 was a Swiss-made automatic chronometer featuring a five-day power reserve. That’s not typical first-movement territory for an independent brand, let alone a direct-to-consumer online-only brand specializing in sub-thousand-dollar watches at the time. It broke the rules as we knew them.

Yet, media and collectors alike largely overlooked it. Perhaps it was too early. Perhaps they hadn’t yet established the credibility needed to garner industry attention. But over the years, Christopher Ward matured. They resolved branding challenges, refined their watches with Light Catcher cases, collaborated with the M.O.D., developed a specialty in sapphire dials, and, most importantly, honed a design language that was more their own.

So, when the Bel Canto launched, it was like SH21 2.0. A small independent brand doing something genuinely innovative and unexpected, but this time, they had the gravitas to break through. Industry-wide recognition followed; high-end collectors gave it the nod, it won a GPHG, and it sold a lot of watches. They followed it up with the Twelve X, celebrating the SH21’s tenth anniversary and reminding the world of their noteworthy in-house caliber. And now, the most impressive launch to date: the C12 Loco.