Christopher Ward have found a new sense of purpose since fully sorting their identity in recent years, with an expansive portfolio of collections that cover about every genre with a sizable market in tow. Among the most important releases for the brand in this period has been the Twelve, a watch that picked up on one of the hottest trends in the industry, an integrated bracelet design, and ran with it. The Twelve collection currently boasts a healthy selection of sizes and designs, each showing off a different wrinkle of the watch’s personality. Earlier this year, Christopher Ward released the most peculiar Twelve to date, the 660, featuring a 38mm case size and a svelte 6.60mm thickness thanks to a hand wound movement. It’s a watch that broke new territory for the collection, and while impressive on paper, does it back it up on the wrist? Well, it’s complicated.
The Allure of the Integrated Bracelet
I want to take a step back and examine the context of this watch as an integrated bracelet design, a trend that has swept the industry since the explosion of interest fueled by auction results and a new found cultural relevancy. As fickle as that last one may be, we’ve seen no shortage of integrated bracelet designs released over the past five years, and you might say we’ve reached and perhaps passed the apex of the trend at this stage. That’s not to say good examples fall flat, a good watch is a good watch, afterall, but we are seeing a shift in how brands approach these watches, and how consumers react to them.
When these watches began to arrive, this was a style that was generally associated with the higher end of the market. The bracelets are intricate, requiring bespoke pieces to manufacture, and are often difficult to finish to a high degree. Watches like the Royal Oak and Nautilus have long been standard bearers of the genre, and continue to set a high bar for the style, though instead of enjoying somewhat niche appeal, these watches are nearly household names these days.
Many brands with a history of such designs went rushing to the archives searching for a way to bring them back, while other brands, such as Girard-Perregaux, adjusted messaging to remind enthusiasts that they’ve always made a pretty good one, too. Along with seeing watches like the Ingenieur and Alpine Eagle release, we also saw newer, younger brands, or brands with no history of such watches look to make their mark in the genre, as well. From the Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto and A. Lange & Sohne Odysseus to the Tissot PRX, a style that was once seen as a bit odd and enjoyed by a select few with weird taste was now all the rage.
Somewhere along the line, the details of what made for a properly good integrated design have been muddled. The question shifted from ‘should we make one?’ to ‘can we make one?’ This is dangerous territory for any brand if you ask me, and there’s a reason this architecture was scarcely seen for a stretch of time: it’s hard to do it well. That said, production methods have come a long way in the past decade, and many more brands are now able to bring unique creative visions to life, including integrated bracelets. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing.
As impressive as some of these concepts are, merely having an integrated bracelet architecture does not a good watch make. Not only are the visual proportions trickier to nail, as the case and bracelet must now be considered as a single unit, but the ergonomic qualities are shifted in a way normally taken for granted. From any extra space on the wrist now being occupied by case, to the taper and articulation of the bracelet links. It’s more like jewelry in some aspects, and getting all of these details to sing is much easier said than done. A design that works well visually might wear terribly, and a questionable design might click on the wrist.
These integrated bracelet watches have all kind of been lumped into a ‘luxury sport’ watch category over time, but as usual, and as we’ll see with this Christopher Ward, there’s plenty of grey area there. But what makes a good one? At the end of the day, a watch that wears as good as it looks, and one that is ideally expressing some kind of original character in the process. The Sport Auto and the Odysseus are excellent contemporary examples of this. Unfortunately, both are well out of reach of the most enthusiasts.
That leaves us with the likes of the Tissot PRX, the Citizen Tsuyosa, the Maurice Lacroix Aikon, the Frederique Constant Highlife, the Brew Metric, and the Christopher Ward Twelve to fill the demand on the more accessible end of the scale. Let me be clear right off the bat, none of these watches mimic the wear experience of a watch like the 15202 or 5711, or even the Ingenieur and Laureato for that matter. But that’s not really the point. Each of them offer their own unique experience and each takes important steps to better translate the integrated bracelet in a manner that is accessible to more people, which is a good thing at the end of the day.
Christopher Ward has proven themselves to be quite adept at finding popular themes and styles, and translating them in their own way for a different audience. The Bel Canto and the C12 Loco are good examples of that. The Twelve is as well, but in a different way. This is a watch that caught some flack right out of the gates for not doing enough to separate itself from the Czapek Antarctique in the eyes of some enthusiasts, but it’s gone on to carve out its own space in healthy ways, in my estimation. The 660 takes that a step further, getting in on the ultra-thin angle we see from the likes of Piaget and Vacheron Constanatin. Just how well does that hold up? Let’s take a look.
The Twelve 660
The Twelve 660 takes its name from a few literal facts about the design: it has a 12 sided bezel, and the watch measures 6.60mm in thickness. Those numbers say a great deal about the watch, especially that second one. Watches in this realm are just not that thin, like ever. True to its word, the case clocks in just under the 7mm mark by my calipers, and measures 38m in diameter. The bracelet tapers from 23mm at the case, to just 16mm at the clasp, and the case itself features the male end connecting it to the bracelet. It’s an impressive set of numbers from Christopher Ward to be sure.
It’s important to begin with the physical footprint with this watch, as it informs every element of the design, and hence, wearing experience. I’d like to pause to acknowledge that I genuinely think that Christoher Ward does great casework, and I’d point to the light catching case as an example. It wears well, has an interesting profile, and feels entirely original to the brand. It’s Christopher Ward at their best. A 6.6mm thick case doesn’t offer the same opportunities, obviously, and there is also nowhere to hide any rough details. It’s all right there, and with the 660, I think the case comes together just fine. It’s well finished, and perfectly inoffensive on the wrist.
Where it struggles is at the bracelet integration, and into the bracelet itself. There are sharp edges and bends that don’t quite feel natural, and as a result it’s not the most graceful thing in use throughout the course of the day. It catches hair, gets stuck in awkward positions, and serves as a reminder of just how difficult it is to get a bracelet like this right, a feat that may in fact not be entirely possible at this price point. This is also the crux of what makes or breaks an integrated bracelet watch.
I’d also point out that a taper of 7mm on the bracelet is on the extreme end, and as much as I love a good taper in a bracelet, this feels ever so slightly off from a visual perspective. The ratio of the bracelet width to the case width exaggerates the size of the case ever so slightly, and it’s made worse by the area where the chamfer of the case and of the bracelet meet not creating a flush line due to the angle of the links. There is some tension at this meeting point as a result of some of the design decisions made. Notably that male end link being a part of the case.
In looking at the PRX, and indeed many other modern integrated bracelet designs, we often find that the case itself features a recess to accept the first link or half link of the bracelet. This allows the case itself to control that first transition to the wrist, and the articulation of the bracelet to begin a bit earlier. The case of the 660 is small enough that it’s not a matter of too much lug to lug length being an issue, it’s really just the meeting point between the case and the first link, which could have been controlled for in using an architecture similar to the PRX.
Easily the most impressive element of the bracelet is the clasp, which is seamlessly integrated without adding any thickness or fuss. It’s a butterfly clasp that collapses cleanly inline with the rest of the bracelet, and is opened by squeezing both sides. It’s easy to use, and you’d swear it wasn’t even there when you’re wearing the watch.
Moving to the dial, we find a rather serene landscape of a flat matte surface, and furniture with a mix of polished and brushed surfaces. The hour markers stretch deep into the dial, and get a brushed center flanked by polished edges that fall away. It’s a similar story with the hands, and there is no seconds hand here. Additionally, there is no date present, either. There is a minute index at the perimeter of the dial, but I think it could almost do without it. There’s an underlying formality to this design, especially as rendered here in DLC black.
If integrated bracelet designs are default sport watches, I’d say this one skirts the line. This does not feel like a sport watch by any stretch, and that’s kind of what makes it so unique. It also lands in this ‘neither here nor there’ territory that could throw some people off. This is a watch that could be dressed up just as easily as it could be dressed down, and I think it would work pretty well on either end of the wardrobe. If you like the existing Twelve for its sporty pretension, you won’t find that here, which is also a function of the ultra thin case to some extent.
That thin case houses a hand wound Sellita SW210 movement that is visible through a smoked exhibition caseback. The movement measures 3.35mm in thickness, meaning Christopher Ward have done an impressive job of designing a case, dial and crystal within the remaining 3.25mm. Again, a 6.6mm thick case is really something you don’t see in this realm, and Christopher Ward deserves a lot of credit for bringing this to life at all.
Setting aside any comparisons or expectations about what this watch is supposed to be, you’re left with a simple, attractive watch that’s relatively easy to get along with on the wrist. There’s not loads of personality here, but there is a no-fuss approach presented in a way you’ve probably never seen before. There are other dial and case finish options, and even strap options if the black on black look isn’t your thing.
Conclusion
I am, admittedly, being nitpicky with some of the finer details, and when this watch is taken at its price point of $2,050, it is perfectly impressive. But these are the details that make me step back and ask what they are trying to do with this watch. Does it exist to simply show that a 6.6mm thick integrated bracelet watch can be made for about $2k? If so, job done, and hats off to Christopher Ward on the achievement. Is that ultra-thin case enough to separate it from the field in an increasingly crowded space? I’m honestly not sure.
Christopher Ward clearly has a lot of interesting ideas and they aren’t shy about bringing them to life at what feels like an alarming pace. I find many of their ideas legitimately interesting, and my hope is that they are getting the time and attention they deserve in order to do them justice. The Twelve 660 is an exceptional idea, and while I think that the execution would have benefited from a little more time in the oven, the fact that it exists at all says a lot about what Christopher Ward is capable of as a brand. That fact has me excited about their future. Christopher Ward