"If you stand still, you get run over – especially in the middle of the road" – Christopher Ward CEO and COO talk innovation and the C12 Loco

There are few figures in the watch world quite as likable as Mike France. The CEO of Christopher Ward has an authoritative air about him, but equally never lets you go too long without seeing his softer side.

He's like a great boss or mentor – always ready with a gently-spoken pearl of wisdom to turn mundane conversation into something much more interesting. That, as you can imagine, makes him a fantastic subject to interview.

Ahead of the launch of the new Christopher Ward C12 Loco, I saw down with France and the brand's new COO, Sarah Baumann, to talk about the watch, the journey and the culture required to turn a small town in England into the epicentre of a watchmaking revolution.

The launch comes at a significant time for the brand. Perhaps best known for producing more affordable watches – usually those under £1000 – it recently broke the mould with its Bel Canto.

A relatively affordable take on the Sonnerie au Passage complication, the piece marked the brand's first entrance into the world of haute horologie. While other significant models like The Twelve X and the Lumière have come since, neither felt like the next step on that journey.

The C12 Loco certainly does, though. "To have a movement built specifically for one watch – it's never been done by us before, but it's rarely done in all of watchmaking," says France, adding, "You do not set off – unless you're completely Loco – to build a movement for a single watch."

It's a real statement of intent from the brand. Not only is this using a new in-house movement – the CW-003 – it's using a movement which really can't be used for any other watch. It's a perfect display of opulence which sets a benchmark for not just what Christopher Ward can do, but where it can go.

Innovation is a real cornerstone of the brand's mantra. Whether that's in shaking up the way the entire industry works, or in adding new complications at previously unheard of price points, the brand is constantly on the move.

On the subject, Mike said, "If you stand still, you get run over, don't you? Especially in the middle of a road." A moment of stunned silence fell over the table, before he continued, "We're in the middle of the road, so it's best we don't stand still.

"We're lucky to have high achievers and [they] don't tend to stand still. I'd much rather be in a business that tries to innovate rather than rest on its laurels – it's just more interesting!"

That's a theme which seems to be present throughout the people at the company. On the media day, I had the pleasure of talking to everyone from executives to designers, and there was a real sense that every person was comfortable to push every other person there.

Don't be fooled into thinking it's all plain sailing though. "You've got to be prepared to fail a little bit," France tells me, "If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying hard enough."

It's a refreshing take, and one which seems to foster the innovative spirit which the brand has thrived on. Other people involved mentioned a feeling of trust which exists within the company – they're trusted to be bold and occasionally fail in the pursuit of greatness.

But enough of the small talk. We're here to discuss one thing and one thing only – the Christopher Ward C12 Loco. And I had just one question for the team – where does this sit in relation to the Bel Canto?

"I think it sits above the Bel Canto, but it's part of a continuation," France says, "Horologically, not everyone will realise what a huge leap this is from the Bel Canto. This is Bel Canto on steroids."

It's a great point, too. The CW-003 movement in the watch is a real masterpiece. Many will look to the beautiful design of the mainsprings or the symmetry of the dial even with the open balance wheel, but for me the real magic is everything else.

When you look at the movement, there's a small crescent shape on one side, which hides every other piece of the movement. That's frankly absurd – it actually reminded me of the work done by Bulgari when making its Piccolissimo movements for women's watches.

France rounded things out nicely, saying, "I think it's the most beautiful, the most sophisticated, the most balanced – forgive the pun – watch we've ever created."

It's no secret that the two watches share some familiar ground, though. When the Bel Canto was launched, it caught the eye of a much wider scope of watch enthusiasts, entering collections alongside pieces tens or even hundreds of times more costly.

While everyone was adamant that such pieces are never formed with those types of collectors in mind, the brand's Chief Operating Officer, Sarah Baumann, perhaps put it best. She said, "We're driven by great, pure watchmaking and we're getting more and more ambitious. It makes us very happy that those collectors are seeing the quality, the ingenuity and the value in something like the Bel Canto and, hopefully, the Loco."

Last, but by no means least, I wanted to get into what the future looks like for the brand. With such an astronomic ascent over the last few years, it's hard to guess just where they might be in another five.

The pair were united in their answer, though – the goal for them was to have Christopher Ward be something of a household name. Baumann said, "I'd love to not have to explain what the brand is," while France added that he wanted for non-watch enthusiasts to opt for the brand when making their much less regular purchases.

Only time will tell if the brand succeeds in these aims. But with watches like the Loco in its back pocket, I'd wager that the odds sit in its favour.