Latest Review
As Christopher Ward has grown in stature in recent years, it’s their most ambitious watches that have resonated the most with me, personally. Nothing against the Sealanders, Tridents, and the like, but the brand has really become interesting to me with watches like the Bel Canto and the Loco, and even the more artistic, design forward stuff like the C1 Moonphase. The Twelve collection falls into a middle ground, of sorts. The Loco, their most avant-garde watch, is built on the Twelve platform, but at its core it’s a fairly straightforward (though incredibly well made) integrated bracelet sports watch, something the hobby is not exactly in short supply of these days. But they occasionally stretch the bounds of the Twelve, exploring a variety of materials, ultra-thin case designs, and even finishing techniques.
And that brings us to the latest release from the UK based brand, the all new The Twelve Xander, a 150 piece limited edition made in collaboration with The Dial Artist, otherwise known as Chris Alexander. Chris has been expanding his portfolio as of late, after getting his start in the watch world adding custom, graffiti inspired art to off-the-shelf watches. He’s now an in-demand collaborator, having worked with brands like Holthinrichs on completely original dial designs and executions.
What makes this new project somewhat different is that there’s no actual “dial” for The Dial Artist to paint. The Twelve X is fully skeletonized, so Chris has added his artistic stamp to the movement itself. The look, like much of his work, is inspired by street art and graffiti, and it’s meant to have a chaotic, haphazard appearance. Of course, it’s actually the product of a great deal of labor and preparation. Every component, we’re told, goes through a multi-stage process that includes priming, airbrushing, hand painting, and hand finishing, with much of the most dramatic work applied to the movement’s bridges. The backside of the movement also got The Dial Artist Treatment, so his work is visible (and coherent) across the entire piece.
The sheer amount of handwork here is actually kind of astounding. According to Christopher Ward, the project took 50 days to complete across 900 hours. A total of 1,300 movement components were hand painted by Chris in his studio in Perth, Scotland. Adding another layer of complexity to the piece is that unlike a dial, the painted movement components themselves are functional and have to work in harmony with one another. Tolerances are particularly tight with a skeletonized movement like the CW-001 that powers the Twelve X, so factors like thickening paint and how that might impact the operation of the caliber had to be taken into consideration.
The specifications of The Twelve Xander mirror those of the original Twelve X, with a 41mm case in titanium measuring 12.3mm thick and 44.5mm from lug to lug. It’s water resistant to 100 meters, and the movement has a power reserve of 120 hours on a full wind. It will be available on either a matching titanium bracelet or a white rubber strap.
The Twelve Xander’s retail price is $5,995 on the rubber strap and $6,515 on the bracelet. It will be available to purchase beginning July 10th at 3:00 PM BST. Christopher Ward
