The launch of Christopher Ward’s Twelve was something of a landmark moment for the British brand last year, stepping into the integrated bracelet sports watch market for the first time. A release that was followed up by the svelte 36mm edition. Now though, they’ve upped the ante by creating a skeletonised beast in the form of the new Twelve X edition, their most expensive watch to date, which we’ve had in the office for the past week.
Without beating around the bush, I wasn’t really sold at first when I got hands-on with the X. At 41mm in diameter and 12.3mm thick, this is the largest iteration of the Twelve so far and I’ve grown used to the 36mm or 40mm dimensions.
The sharp angles of the case and Genta-esque facets and shapes used in the design suit a svelte, slimmer design and the extra size of the X is definitely noticeable on the wrist. Fortunately, it’s made from a combination of grade 2 and grade 5 titanium so it remains very lightweight despite the increased size.
We also have to ask ourselves why the Twelve X is bigger and there is a very obvious explanation. It houses the Christopher Ward SH21 calibre, a twin barreled, COSC-certified, 120-hour power created in partnership Synergies Horlogères back in 2014. In order to accommodate this monster of a movement, the case has to be larger and once you understand that, the size really isn’t as much of an issue. I can accept a few millimetres here or there if it means having more than a 100% increase in power reserve and specs compared to the standard edition.
Of course, the other thing that comes with the SH21 is a skeletonised display, granting you visual access to the inner workings of the calibre. Interestingly, Christopher Ward have elected to use high end CNC machines to finish the movements, rather than traditional hand-finishing, in order to create a uniform and precise appearance.
The Twelve X leans heavily into an industrial, almost brutalist aesthetic with the exposed springs of the double barrel as well as features such as the balance and bridges. It’s strongly reminiscent of the C60 Concept from 2021, which is not unexpected as that’s also a skeleton version of the same movement – although as a dive watch that was even chunkier at 42mm.
One of the things I have come to appreciate about the Twelve X following my time with it, is the new bracelet clasp it comes with. It’s a micro-adjustable butterfly clasp, allowing you to adjust it by up to 3mm in an instant, which is a great quality of life improvement for the watch’s wearability. Christopher Ward has said it plans to roll out this new clasp on existing bracelets too, so it should soon become the norm.
As I mentioned in the introduction, the Twelve X is the most expensive Christopher Ward to date, priced at £3,750 on rubber strap and £4,120 on titanium bracelet. At that price CW are really pushing into the world of mid-price luxury watches, moving away from their traditional home in accessible horology.
The Twelve X is competing with the likes of Tudor and Grand Seiko, which is very fierce competition indeed. Although from an aesthetic point of view, the closest comparison would be a watch like the Oris ProPilot X Calibre 115 which is roughly £2,000 higher than the CW.
So, where do I land with the Twelve X? Mechanically it’s as impressive as the SH21 always has been and style-wise it fuses the industrial vibe of a skeletonised dial with a sporty case. So, on the whole it’s a very cohesive, well thought out watch. At this price though, I do wonder if it stands up to the competition. What do you think?
Price and Specs:
More details at Christopher Ward.
