Earlier this year, at the T3 Awards, watch brand Christopher Ward took home the coveted Brand of the Year award. That was a mark of their success, in a year where the brand celebrated 20 years in existence.
They chose to mark it in another way, though. Launching the Christoper Ward The Twelve X – featuring a skeletonised version of the SH21 movement which itself is ten years old this year – the brand marked the occasion with their most expensive model yet.
I've had the privilege of testing the model out, to see if it's any good. Let's dive in and take a closer look.
Let's kick off with a quick run-through of the specs. As mentioned, the centrepiece of this watch is that stunning skeletonised SH21 movement. For the uninitiated, the SH21 is Christopher Ward's first in-house movement. That's significant, too – it's the first commercially viable mechanical movement from a British watch company in 50 years.
Here, the movement is tastefully stripped away, offering a remarkable look at the inner workings. It's an awe-inspiring sight – particularly with the dual barrels around 12- and 8 o'clock sitting proudly.
You'll pull a massive amount of performance from the movement, too. It uses a 4Hz beat rate, ensuring a smooth operation. Despite that, you'll still find a whopping 120 hours – yes, five days – of power reserve on offer, as well as COSC chronometer certification for top tier accuracy.
All of that sits inside a 41mm case, crafted from titanium for lightness. That's slightly larger than the standard Christopher Ward The Twelve model, and is further ballooned by a 12.3mm thickness. Still, with a lug-to-lug width of just 46.3mm, it actually wears really comfortably.
The bracelet is the same gorgeous design that we loved on other models in the range. However, this time, it's crafted from titanium for added lightness.
We also see the inclusion of a neat bracelet extension on the butterfly clasp. That is a rarity for this kind of bracelet, and makes for a neat addition here.
What is the Christopher Ward The Twelve X like to wear?
In use, this model is an absolute dream. I'll admit, I was concerned about the specs before it arrived on my desk. That larger case diameter had the potential to cause problems, particularly paired with an integrated bracelet.
Those concerns were misplaced, though. In practice, the wearing experience was a dream. It's devilishly comfortable, and even the extreme lightweight nature of the watch wasn't off-putting.
If I had to come up with one gripe, the on-the-fly bracelet adjustment was a little haphazard on my unit. It did work, but it seemed a little... crunchy in operation. I should caveat this by saying that I was using a prototype model, though, so that could well change by the time the final models arrive.
Is the Christopher Ward The Twelve X worth the money?
This is likely to be one of the most commonly asked questions about this model. It's not hard to see why, either – with a retail price of £4,120, it's more expensive even than the Christopher Ward Bel Canto.
With that being said, I do think this is a worthy pickup. Skeletonised watches aren't cheap, but this is one of the more affordable models you'll find. You'll pick up sixteen of these before you reach the list price of a similar Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, for example.
On top of that, though, you're buying a piece of history. This watch is made to signify two important milestones for the brand. That's a special thing to be a part of, and should be enough to sway those who find themselves on the fence.
