Hands-On Review of the Christopher Ward The Twelve Titanium
It seems that every brand, no matter the price-point is releasing their own take on the steel (or titanium) sport watch. Integrated bracelets and a unique dial are the name of the game in this category, but not everyone gets it right. The Christopher Ward The Twelve, however, does get it right. And while, yes, there are hints of the Royal Oak, Nautilus and even the Czapek Antartique in the design, I found the watch refreshing, and one of the best luxury sport watches available under $2,000.
I have to admit that, prior to this review, I did not have a lot of experience with Christopher Ward. At least in the metal. Yes, I have photos, read reviews of their pieces, and generally understood the high regard the industry has for the brand. But no, I didn’t spend much time with any of their pieces. So when I was offered the chance to review one of their newer models, The Twelve, I jumped at the opportunity. And for the better part of a month I have enjoyed wearing the titanium version. Indeed, I see it as a versatile everyday wear.
When first looking at the watch, there are clearly some influences on the design language. But, again, its really hard to create something completely original these days. The case is a dodecagon, which just means its 12-sided. So yes, it’s 12-sided instead of 8-sided like the Royal Oak, but you can clearly see some inspiration. However, the bezel is much smaller, and the sloped and polished edges of the bezel are unique. And from the dial design, to the crown-guard and bracelet, I see a lot of similarities to the Czapek Antartique. But, if you’re in the market for a Czapek, you probably are not also buying a Christopher Ward. I mean, the Czapek is around $26,000.
All that aside, the Twelve is just a really well put together watch. There are no rough edges, and the finishing is just really high-end. I would put the finishing, including the champfered edges, polishing and brushing, up there with watches well above its price-point.
Getting into the details, the watch is 40mm in diameter, by 44.5mm lug-to-lug and 8.95mm thick. This makes the watch extremely wearable, even for those with smaller wrists. My wrist is 6.75 inches and I felt that the fit was great. This is probably due to the fact that with the integrated bracelet, there really aren’t any lugs. To top it off, at under 8mm thick, the watch is very slim, making the Twelve and easy slip under the cuff.
The Twelve is made from Grade 2 Titanium. While grade 2 titanium is pure (as opposed to grade 5 which also includes small amounts of aluminum and vanadium), it is also not quite as strong as Grade 5 titanium. Would I have liked to see grade 5 titanium here? Yes. But you mostly only see grade 5 titanium in more expensive watches. That being said, the watch is incredibly light, weighing just 93g including the bracelet. You almost don’t even feel it on the wrist.
The watch is able to be so slim because it runs on a Sellita SW-300 automatic movement. Though not in-house, the movement is a workhorse and is just 3.6mm thick (while an SW200 or an ETA 2824 are 4.6mm thick). The movement is COSC certified, has 25 jewels, a 56-hour power reserve and vibrates at 28,800 p/hr (4Hz). As with all of Sellita’s movements, its a great movement, and what I would expect to power a watch of this caliber.
Besides the dial, which I will discuss later, the bracelet is one of my favorite parts of the Twelve. It’s a single link bracelet that tapers significantly the single links are Y-shaped, giving the bracelet a unique design. The outer edges are champfered and polished, adding just a bit of luxury.
On the wrist, the bracelet is incredibly comfortable, allowing the watch to really contour to your wrist. This is also due to the lack of lugs, but I found the way the Twelve fits to be on par with the IWC Ingenieur I reviewed last year. While there is no micro-adjustment (as is the case with most sport watches, unfortunately), the links closest to the clasp are smaller (perhaps 3/4 links) and allow you to really get that perfect fit on the wrist. The bracelet also has a quick release mechanism for the case, which I appreciate. However, because of the way the bracelet attaches to the case, you can’t just attach any strap. You will need something from Christopher Ward or custom. So perhaps its not as useful as it seems.
That just leaves us with the dial, which I think is stunning. The version I received has an “Aurora Green” dial. It has a nice gradient that fades to black around the edges. The indexes are applied and triangular. They are quite large and white against the green dial. The hand-set matches the hour markers with a similar triangular design, creating a very cohesive aesthetic.
In what I would call an ode to the Royal Oak, the dial has a very intricate pyramid pattern, as the brand calls it. Reminiscent of Audemars Piguet’s Grand Tapisserie dial, it creates a lot of texture and adds quite a bit of visual interest. With the bold green dial some may think it’s too much, but I enjoyed it. And, Christopher Ward offers the Twelve in many other, sometimes toned-down, dial colors. So there’s something for everyone.
So who is the Christopher Ward Twelve for? Well, for someone who wants an extremely well-made sport watch that doesn’t want to pay $10,000 or $20,000. While I do own a Royal Oak, I have been considering adding another sport watch to my collection, and am definitely tempted to make it a Christopher Ward. The watch is just incredibly well put-together and feels luxurious in your hand (and on your wrist).
If titanium is not for you, Christopher Ward also makes The Twelve in stainless steel. The stainless steel model, however, runs on a Sellita SW200-1 movement and 9.95mm thick (1mm thicker than the titanium version). While not a dealbreaker, I hope Christopher Ward slims down the steel version and upgrades the movement. If I were to choose between the two, I would pay the extra $700 and pick-up the titanium model.
You can pick up the Christopher Ward The Twelve Titanium for $1,895 USD.
