Christopher Ward C12 The Loco Open Balance Watch Review

When Christopher Ward unveiled the Bel Canto in 2022 to rave reviews and sell out production run after sell out production run, one of the questions that must have been in the back of the minds of the CW team is “how on Earth do we follow this up?” The Bel Canto in many ways is the ultimate representation of Christopher Ward’s brand identity, taking aspects of horology that were once considered exclusive and making them accessible. In early days that meant Swiss-made movements and with the Bel Canto it meant chiming complications. For their new project, it means an open balance wheel and a new in-house movement for the Christopher Ward C12 The Loco.

I suppose the first question is: what is an open balance? In as simple terms as possible, it’s a method of constructing a watch’s movement so that the balance wheel (the beating heart of a watch that controls the impulse of power through the mechanical system) is moved from the internal structure of the calibre to being isolated on the dial. The most famous example is the MB&F flying balance, which pushes the design even further by suspending the balance above the dial over the top of any subdials and timekeeping displays. Christopher Ward haven’t gone quite that far but for them to even attempt an open balance at an accessible price point is ambitious. Plus, what they have done is a damn sight more impressive than an open-heart aperture where the dial is openworked to show the balance inside the movement from the dial side.

While wearing the Christopher Ward C12 The Loco, it is very, very difficult to look away from the constant movement of the balance on my wrist. Positioned at 6 o’clock on the dial, held in place by dual bridges, it’s the definition of captivating. As a brief aside, the YouTube channel The Slow Mo Guys recently released a video where they filmed a watch’s balance using a macro lens at 1,000 frames per second, which gives me a brand new appreciation of the forces involved in the balance mechanism and a fresh understanding of what I’m actually looking at on the CW’s dial.

The open balance is positioned on the lower section of the stepped dial with the higher portion occupied at 12 o’clock by the hour and minute display, also partially openworked. In terms of style, the hands, hour markers and minute scale are a miniaturised version of The Twelve’s design. That’s because The Loco is technically a variant of The Twelve – they even share a capitalised “The” in their official names. It has the same dodecagon bezel and facetted, steel case with integrated bracelet, though it has been specially adapted for this model. It now measures 41mm in diameter (the largest The Twelve case has ever been) and the lugs have been redesigned to have a steeper angle so that the bracelet or rubber strap contours to the edge of your wrist better.

Of course, another significant difference between The Loco and The Twelve is the finishing of the dial. Instead of the dual flag texture of The Twelve it has vertical brushing on the upper layer, a polished step and then a sand-blasted style graining to the lower layer. It provides a nice amount of contrast to the polishing of the steel elements such as the bridges and exposed screws. Colour-wise, there are four options to choose from. Here, I have the metallic orange variant, which is particularly vibrant and eye-catching. The other versions are classic white, black and electric blue.

Undoing the rubber strap, which is very comfortable and easy to adjust, allows you to see the movement through the exhibition caseback. As I briefly mentioned in the introduction, it’s a new in-house movement called the CW-003. It’s an adapted and upgraded version of their other in-house movement, the SH21, which has been re-branded as the CW-001. It’s manual winding with a power reserve of 144-hours, equivalent to 6-days, that’s a whole day more than the CW-001. It’s also accurate to -0/+7 seconds per day, which is seriously impressive given the mechanical difficulties of producing an open balance.

Aesthetically it looks great through the caseback too with its double barrels positioned cleanly on the vertical axis. There’s also a nice mixture of brushing and polishing across the plate and bridges, which are bevelled. Ironically because the balance has been moved to the dial side, the caseback is positively sedate by comparison. Though that’s not necessarily a bad thing as the wide sapphire crystal really lets you appreciate the detail of the finishing at your leisure.

That crystal has a height of 0.4mm from the rear of the case and the case itself has a thickness of 9.75mm, combined with the 3.55mm domed crystal on the front, that leads to a total thickness of 13.7mm. It’s not a petite watch by any stretch of the imagination but it does feel proportionate, and it is comfortable to wear.

Importantly, unlike the original Bel Canto, the Christopher Ward C12 The Loco is not a limited edition, meaning there won’t be the same level of scalping on the secondary market. Even if the initial production run sells out quickly don’t panic, more will be produced. At a price of £3,795, it’s going to sell incredibly well. On specs alone that’s impressive value, never mind the added details of the open balance.

More details at Christopher Ward.

​Oracle Time 

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