Christopher Ward C12 Loco: Profoundly Premium
Since its founding, Christopher Ward has made a name for itself by offering bang-for-your-buck watches. While not an original market approach by itself, their collection could still tickle the watch enthusiast inside you and present a pleasing cost-to-quality ratio. In recent years, Christopher Ward made strides into the higher echelons of watchmaking, most notably with the Bel Canto. Now, with the C12 Loco, they expand their presence in a profoundly premium way.
A clear sign of the confidence of Christopher Ward is that they don't feel the need to sign the C12 Loco on the dial side. Just 'Swiss made' is the only text you see on the dial. This is a similar approach as it has already worked very well for brands like Moser and Christopher Ward; this confidence is also not in vain. The C12 Loco oozes character, and while many other models of the brand never had a shortage of that, this one is different as it is powered by a manufacture movement. That concept alone, also gives a glimpse of the future Christopher Ward is moving towards. Caliber CW-003 is not based on an existing movement but rather shows the prowess of Christopher Ward's own production capabilities as a result of its merger with Synergies Horlogères (SH) in Switzerland. It also doesn't take much to recognize the basic form of Caliber SH21, Christopher Ward's first manufacture caliber in 2014, in the new movement.
The layout of caliber CW-003 is symmetrical, and its look is somewhat reminiscent of Armin Strom's One Week movement, a brand with which Christopher Ward collaborated on the Bel Canto, among others, as their manufacture's are close together. The power reserve of the Christopher Ward caliber also comes quite close to that as it offers an impressive power reserve of 6-days. Interesting is also to note that Christopher Ward is following its own path in terms of accuracy, allowing for a timing tolerance between -0 and +7 seconds, meaning that you might be early but never later when wearing the C12 Loco.
The movement continues to impress on the dial side, as that is where the balance wheel is located. It occupies the lower half of the dial, under a beautifully constructed bridge, matching that of the gear below it. The top half of the dial is raised slightly higher and there we find the hour and minute hand. Its markers are like a halo surrounding it, as they are placed slightly higher, while a cut-out in the dial itself gives a small insight into the gears below. All combined it is a marvelous design of depth, further highlighted by subtle finishes. The blue color is bold and might not be everybody's taste. Christopher Ward realized that probably as well, as it also offers the C12 Loco in black and white. However, a modern-day supercar is also not something I would order in a more muted color, so to me, the bold blue color, as well as the bright orange in which Christopher Ward also offers the C12 Loco, seems most fitting.
The case of the C12 Loco is also not as straightforward as it seems, as the lugs are connected to a rather slim middle segment, or so it seems. Closer examination shows that it is one part with the segment below it, which mimics the shape of the bezel. The screw-down caseback with a sapphire insert complements the theme. Christopher Ward's signed screw-down crown is easy to operate and underscores the watch premium nature.
Christopher Ward offers the C12 Loco with a beautiful bracelet, but if you want a dash more color, you can also opt for the FKM straps. Both have a quick release, which makes swapping them out a breeze, changing the look of your watch at a whim. The C12 Loco's FKM straps come with the superb Bader buckle, which is very comfortable to wear and also gives the straps a bit more structure. Together with the sizing options, this makes the C12 Loco a true wrist hugger, regardless of the wrist size you have. Prices start at $4,595 on the FKM strap and $4,825 on the stainless steel bracelet.
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