Christopher Ward has slowly, but surely, been upping their game in the affordable fine watchmaking segment. A brand once known for their British inspired conservative designs, and a rather plain logo font is now delving into integrated bracelet sports watches, and just today has launched a version with a fully skeletonized dial. It’s Christopher Ward’s The Twelve X.
Announced on the brand’s 20th anniversary year, this new Christopher Ward Twelve X is a variant of their already existing Twelve model that launched back in 2023. Although this is a new variant of an already existing model it’s bringing along some very significant design changes. Instead of the Sellita SW300-1 automatic movement used in the previous generations, Christopher Ward has added in their renowned in-house made SH21—now in its 10th year of production—to power The Twelve X.
Not only is this a new movement for the Twelve, but the dial has been highly skeletonized to show off parts of this movement that have never been viewable before whether from a display caseback or from the front. Part of Christopher Ward’s goal with this watch was to remove as much metal from the front of the watch to display as much of their mechanical movement as possible. The new design was successful enough to even show off the twin-barrel design in action as they wind and unwind—so what you see here is a culmination of engineering and art.
This Christopher Ward The Twelve X has another trick up its sleeve, and that’s the use of two grades of Titanium. Christopher Ward has opted for wise placement of each grade, with the majority of the case being constructed of grade 2, and the bezel using the denser and more scratch-resistant grade 5 titanium. The watch is also featuring three different types of finishing on the case, and if you look closely you’ll notice the surface has polished, brushed, and sandblasted sections.
You may be wondering how Christopher Ward has been able to accomplish such a sophisticated watch at its relatively affordable price point. They’ve been transparent about their use of machine manufacturing, which has come a long way in recent years and now rivals even some of the best hand assembled and finished watches. Their use of machine manufacturing is allowing Christopher Ward to bring new high horology watches to the masses, in the same way we see many boutique brands doing these days—but lest we forget that the crown also uses machine finishing for their watches as well.
Christopher Ward The Twelve X Specifications
| Case Size | 41mm (diameter) x 12.3mm (thickness) x 46.3mm (lug-to-lug) |
| Water Resistance | 100m |
| Movement | Calibre SH21 Automatic COSC |
| Case Material | Titanium Grade 2 & Grade 5 |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Bracelet | Titanium Bracelet or Rubber Strap |
| Strap Width | 25mm |
| Price | $4,495 – $4,865 |
The rest of the watch remains entirely the same as the original model, with the use of a butterfly clasp on the bracelet, and box crystals on both the front and back of the watch. This is a truly unique watch that it going to appeal to the more extroverted crowd due to the busy layout but one cannot ignore the fascinating advancements of our modern day watchmaking techniques and how Christopher Ward has leveraged them for this high-profile release.
Matthew Catellier has been working in the watch industry as a journalist and accessories designer for over a decade. He is the founder of the WatchReviewBlog.com and actively contributes to Forbes and other publications. Matt is an expert in mechanical watches with a penchant for Rolex, and he enjoys developing innovative watch accessories for enthusiasts under his brand WATCHPOD®