British watchmaker Christopher Ward continues to surprise. A brand built largely on $1,000-ish homage watches just released a new model that questions what’s possible in the lower end of the price spectrum. The new C12 Loco, part of the “Twelve” family of integrated bracelet sports watches, centers around an in-house movement and a whopping six-day power reserve. Most importantly, the watch showcases its escapement on the dial, which mimics the look of a tourbillon. Available in four launch colorways at just under $5K, it’s an impressive feat of horology without many direct competitors.
Christopher Ward’s C12 Loco is more compelling evidence that the brand isn’t happy just pumping out your ho-hum sport watch fare. The brand constantly pushes what it can pack into a relatively affordable piece. A watch with a dial-side escapement from a watchmaker like Breguet, Greubel Forsey, or MB&F will run you tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. In years past, the brand has put out fully skeletonized dials ($4,725) and even brought the feel of the very grand minute repeater down to earth ($3,795). Pricing for the new C12 Loco is $4,595 on a rubber strap or $4,825 on the integrated bracelet.
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All this is done with Christopher Ward’s own machinery. The brand’s new hand-wound CW-003 movement has several distinctive features that are sure to pique collectors’ interest: The escapement, as mentioned above, is visible from the watch’s front, where it sits below an offset time display that dominates the upper half of the dial. Its free-sprung balance oscillating at 28,800 vph is adjusted via tiny screws rather than regulating pins, allowing for a fixed hairspring length and increased accuracy. Held in place with two large bridges, the look is striking—and, again, extremely rare at this price point.