Can a watch be a dress watch if it’s got an in-your-face design element like, say, the balance wheel visibly spinning on the dial? Christopher Ward is betting yes.
The Maidenhead, England-based brand just launched their C1 Loco Classic, a dressed-up take on last year’s C12 Loco. That watch was an angular, brightly colored sports watch built around the brand’s in-house CW-003 movement.
The new version keeps the same core idea. The balance wheel and escapement sit right on the dial side, where you can watch them tick, and a small domed dial above them handles the time.
Everything around that has been softened. The 41mm case is stainless steel, mixing high-polished and brushed surfaces, with a groove running along its sides and into the lugs.
The dial has a grained finish varnished with powdered mother of pearl, and the movement’s baseplate is gold-plated to match. The bridges are slimmer and rounder than the original’s, and Christopher Ward says each gets more than five hours of hand-finishing by a specialist polisher in Switzerland’s Jura region.
Underneath, the hand-wound CW-003 runs on twin barrels for a six-day power reserve, which is darn long for a hand-wound watch. It comes on a suede strap or a steel bracelet.
The Bel Canto playbook, again
If this sounds familiar, it should. Christopher Ward made its name selling affordable Swiss-made watches online, then surprised everyone in 2022 with the C1 Bel Canto, a chiming watch at a fraction of what that complication usually costs.
The brand later followed it with the Bel Canto Classic, a dressier version that leaned into Roman numerals and traditional finishing. The Loco is now getting the same treatment.
It’s a smart move. The original Loco was technically impressive but visually loud, and plenty of collectors liked the movement more than the case it came in. The Classic gives them the same engineering in a package that works with a sports coat.
It’s also already got some plaudits on the way: the Loco Classic is one of six finalists in the Petite Aiguille category at this year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the watch world’s biggest awards night, with winners announced in Geneva in November.
Where to buy it
The C1 Loco Classic is available to pre-order now from Christopher Ward, with deliveries expected in mid-December. It’s priced at $5,995 on a strap and $6,275 on the Consort bracelet.
