Christopher Ward’s Gone Completely Loco: Introducing The C12 Loco & Wrangling the CW Supply Chain

Photo provided by Christopher Ward

Welp, I’m Throwing in the Towel: The Christopher Ward C12 Loco Has Me Stumped (Again)

I give up. Truly. I cannot for the life of me predict where Christopher Ward is climbing next on the horological ladder. Every time I think I’ve got it pegged, the brand proves me wrong—spectacularly wrong. At this point, my predictions are about as reliable as a free-sprung balance with no hairspring: technically intriguing, but going absolutely nowhere.

A few months back, I tried charming Mike Pearson, Christopher Ward’s Brand Director, into letting something slip at an event. I leaned in, looking for a morsel of future plans. He leaned closer, smirked, and whispered: “Free-sprung balance.” Then he went right back to preaching the gospel of CW to a room full of salivating watch nerds.

Even with that not-so-subtle hint, I wasn’t prepared for what they dropped: The C12 Loco, featuring the brand’s second in-house movement, the CW-003 (their first being the SH21 found in the Twelve X).

Photo provided by Christopher Ward: This is the free-sprung balance wheel in The Loco. The four small weights (collets) at the edge of the wheel are rotated to regulate the watch.

Now, if you’re wondering what a free-sprung balance is or why people like me can’t shut up about it, let me break it down—keeping in mind that I’m both mathematically and mechanically stunted.

In most mechanical watches, the balance assembly includes a regulator—a tiny, movable lever used to fine-tune the watch’s timing by adjusting the effective length of the hairspring. Think of it as tweaking the pitch on a record player by physically moving the needle. Effective, but kind of crude.

Photo by Chris Antzoulis: James Brittain-McVey caressing The Loco at Christopher Ward HQ

A free-sprung balance, on the other hand, is regulated in a different way entirely. Instead, the hairspring is fixed at both ends—one to a collet on the balance itself and one to the balance cock (somewhere, Kathleen McGivney is giggling). This setup allows for more consistent breathing of the hairspring, translating to better positional stability and improved timekeeping. In this case, we’re talking 0 to +7 seconds a day. Regulation happens via tiny weights (collets) on the balance wheel that shift its center of gravity. The result? Higher precision. Oh, and more horological cred.

But the tech alone isn’t what floored me. It’s the presentation. The designers at Christopher Ward didn’t just tuck the CW-003 behind a sapphire caseback and call it a day. Like the Bel Canto before it, The Loco puts the movement front and center—as a piece of art. The free-sprung balance is mounted on the dial side, splitting the face into two halves: one for telling time, the other to remind you that you’re staring at some serious mechanical flex.

When Andrew from CW told me it was called “The Loco,” I smiled and said, “Because it looks like a Choo Choo!” Somehow, people still take me seriously.

It’s a manually wound movement, which might scare off the set-it-and-forget-it crowd. But hold your panic—The Loco has twin barrels on the back that deliver a whopping 144-hour power reserve. That’s six days. Wind it on Monday, and you’re good 'til the weekend. ***

Photo by Chris Antzoulis: Dat booty, tho!

The Loco comes with your choice of bracelet or rubber strap. I’ve worn both and I’m telling you: get the bracelet, then add the strap. Options are everything. At launch, it’s available in black, white, metallic orange, and a dynamic electric blue that I personally adore.

If the case looks vaguely familiar, that’s because it’s a redesign of the Twelve. It’s a touch larger, but with steeper downturned lugs that hug the wrist like a long-lost friend. On paper, it’s 41mm in diameter and 13.7mm thick, but thanks to smart case architecture, it wears thinner—9.75mm if you exclude the crystals, with a 47.5mm lug-to-lug that’ll fit most wrists like a glove.

***I consulted with Rebecca Struthers, Watchmaker, Historian, & Co-Founding Director of Struthers Watchmakers, to ensure accuracy on the mechanical intricacies and technical differences between a free-sprung balance and a more common lever-regulated balance.

With Great Innovation Comes Great…Mastery Over the Supply Chain

When Christopher Ward released the Bel Canto in 2022, it sent shockwaves through the industry—not just for the design, but for what it meant: High-end complexity at an approachable price. Since then, expectations have soared. And unlike some brands that crumble under pressure, Christopher Ward has leaned into it.

Photo provided by Christopher Ward: Assembly of the Bel Canto at the CW facility in Switzerland

Enter Paul, CW’s Supply Chain Director, who joined officially in April 2024. But his relationship with CEO and Co-Founder Mike France and Co-Founder Peter Ellis goes back decades, to their time at The Early Learning Centre (yes, the toy company). I was able to sit down with Paul to discuss what it takes for an independent brand booming in popularity to keep up with you horological junkies and your trigger-happy “buy-it-now” fingers. 

Photo provided by Christopher Ward: Paul Wright in front of Christopher Ward’s Swiss atelier

To give you a metaphor that works on both sides of the Atlantic: If CW were The Beatles, Paul is Ringo. Not the frontman, not the face, but without him, the whole thing falls apart. And while my favorite Beatles song is “Blackbird” (which, ironically, doesn’t have drums), you get the idea—no rhythm, no show. No Paul, no Loco.

The watch industry’s supply chain is a behemoth—sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, assembly, retail, service. Paul keeps it all humming. He works closely with the New Product Development team to ensure what they design is actually what ends up on your wrist.

The Bel Canto was a runaway hit, but it stretched CW’s systems to the limit. “The release of the Bel Canto transformed the business,” Paul told me. “Christopher Ward evolved from making great watches like the Bel Canto in limited editions to the point where the brand had to start dedicating itself to complex watchmaking on a larger ongoing scale.”

Photo provided by Christopher Ward: Assembly of the Bel Canto at the CW facility in Switzerland

Now, with the CW-003, the game’s changed again. The new movement has 115 components sourced from over 30 suppliers. The open balance and dual-barrel design brought fresh engineering challenges. “We had to find true specialists,” Paul explained. “The open, free-sprung balance wheel and hairspring presented significant challenges. We also had to create numerous variations of the bridges to manage the torque generated by the two mainspring barrels.”

Photo provided by Christopher Ward: The C12 Loco on the bracelet

But the CW-003 proves something vital: The Bel Canto wasn’t a fluke. CW didn’t get lucky. They’ve leveled up—and they’re staying there.

When I spoke with Paul on April 8, he told me pilot production was underway. These are the trial runs before full-scale production kicks off, helping the team work out the kinks. Paul’s been flying between England and Switzerland to oversee it personally. “We take what we learn from the pilot to streamline everything for launch,” he said. “So we’re prepared for the burst of customer enthusiasm, ensuring we can fulfill our promises.”

Paul made it clear to me how important those promises are to the brand and him personally. He spoke of an ethos set by Mike France, to aim for the stars and land on the moon. “He gives us ambition, and for me I’ve learned we can achieve the impossible. Can we get 80 samples for launch instead of the usual 10 or 12? My instinct is to say ‘absolutely no way,’ but then we sit down, discover the barriers, and create a plan. There’s risk, but there’s a pathway. We joke that we can achieve the impossible but can’t perform miracles. After some time, we find ourselves on the cusp of accomplishing something impossible. On a personal level, I find a lot of fulfillment here.” 

Photo by Chris Antzoulis of The C12 Loco

Looking Ahead

Over the years, I’ve spoken with many indie brands—often run by one person or a small team dreaming big. Christopher Ward was that once. Now? They’re a case study in how to scale without losing your soul.

“When we’re faced with a challenge, we always think, ‘What would the customer want, and how do we solve this for them?’ Even when we’re addressing intricate engineering and technical problems or ramping up production, it always comes back to what the customer wants. That is like a mantra for me.” - Paul Wright

The C12 Loco is their biggest release since the Bel Canto, and it might just be their boldest leap yet. It proves they can not only dream but deliver—over and over again.

And if history is anything to go by, just when I think I’ve figured out what they’ll do next… they’ll go and surprise me again.

Photo by Chris Antzoulis: The C12 Loco

Transparency:

I wrote this article in collaboration with Christopher Ward. The Christopher Ward communications team reviewed a draft of the article to identify any inaccuracies, but all opinions about the brand and its watches are my own. The brand loaned me the blue C12 Loco for about three weeks before I returned it.

REMEMBER, nerds…., to keep the comments clean. Please don’t make me pull out ole Antoine-Louis here.