Christopher Ward Turns the Skeletonized Twelve X into a Hand-Painted Work of Art
A Christopher Ward x The Dial Artist collaboration
Christopher Ward has teamed up with British artist Chris Alexander, known as "The Dial Artist," to create one of its most unconventional releases to date. Limited to 150 pieces, the new Twelve Xander is based on the brand's flagship skeletonized Twelve X and combines contemporary street art with high-end mechanical watchmaking. Rather than decorating only the dial, Alexander hand-painted eight visible components of the in-house Calibre CW-001, turning the movement itself into the focal point. Since no two painted components are identical, every watch is a one-of-a-kind creation.
The Twelve Xander
Christopher Ward
The colorful artwork is applied directly to the skeletonized movement, with vibrant splashes of paint extending across bridges and other visible components while leaving the technical architecture fully exposed. Achieving the seemingly spontaneous graffiti-inspired effect required a painstaking multi-stage process of priming, airbrushing, hand painting, and finishing. Over the course of 50 days, Alexander completed more than 1,300 individual movement components, which were then assembled at Christopher Ward's atelier in Biel, Switzerland.
The Twelve Xander
Christopher Ward
The COSC-certified Calibre CW-001 remains mechanically unchanged beneath its artistic finish. Visible from both the dial and case back, the manually wound movement features a twin-barrel architecture delivering a 120-hour power reserve while operating at a frequency of 4 Hz.
The watch is housed in the familiar 41mm integrated case of the Twelve X, crafted from Grade 2 and Grade 5 titanium, measuring 12.3mm in height and offering water resistance to 100 meters. The watch is available on either an integrated titanium bracelet or a white rubber strap.
The Twelve Xander
Christopher Ward
To learn more, visit Christopher Ward, here.
