A couple of weeks ago, we announced the launch of the Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 collection, a range of 36mm integrated sports watches which followed on from the British watchmaker’s well-received 40mm variations.
It was quite clear with the 36mm release that a certain demographic was appeased; myself and many of the other female members of the Watch Gecko magazine became quickly interested in these compactly-sized and colourful sports watches. Kindly enough, Christopher Ward sent us one of these very models to play with. It was the Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White watch, and of course, I rushed to get hands-on with it.
Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White - Credit WatchGecko
A Quick Overview of the Christopher Ward The Twelve Collection
Before I jump straight into my in-depth review of the CW The Twelve 36 Alta White watch, let’s first take a step back and consider exactly what we were expecting from this release. First, we should probably start with the release of the larger 40mm Twelve which arrived in April of this year.
It was clear from the get-go that Christopher Ward was focusing on the hallmarks of the increasingly popular integrated sports watch but applying more design complexity to them than what is typically seen from other, similarly priced competitors. The tonneau-shaped case was presented with multiple, complex hand-finishings and the dials were uniquely textured with a purposeful, light-catcher pattern. There was no doubt the CW The Twelve had made a lasting impression and proved to be very popular very quickly.
Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White - Credit WatchGecko
While the industry was taking notice of their new sports watch, Christopher Ward was already confidently working behind the scenes on another rendition of The Twelve, this time one with a smaller 36mm case. CW designer William Brackfield explained the idea behind the launch in the press release, stating “with men’s watches getting smaller and ladies’ watches getting bigger, the Twelve (36) is where they meet in the middle.”
Pretty much all of the same design features of the original 40mm models have made their way into the Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 collection. There’s the same barrel-shaped case, integrated straps, textured dials and Sellita automatic winding movement. The case is currently only available in stainless steel (the 40mm model has a couple of special titanium options) and the dial is presented in new colours of Frosted Lichen, Glacier Blue, Nordic Blue and Alta White. It is the very latter that we get to have a closer look at today.
An In-depth Look at the Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White
Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White - Credit WatchGecko
If there’s one word I’d use to encapsulate my initial impression of the Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White watch, it’s “light play”. Bear with me. Having picked it up, twirled it around in the light and then strapped it to my wrist, the one thing that caught my attention more than anything was the way the light bounced across the different finishes of the case, bezel and dial. The watch instantly felt more expensive than it was, and I have no doubt this is what CW intended.
Christopher Ward is already well recognised for their case construction, so it’s no surprise that the same amount of effort has been applied to The Twelve 36. As always, the British watchmaker insists that their cases are entirely hand-finished and looking at the complexity of the architecture here, it doesn’t look like they’d be able to pass the responsibility over to a robot even if they wanted to. The 36mm wide and 9.95mm tall stainless steel case is brushed along the chamfered edges with polished rims that wonderfully follow the flow of the integrated lugs. Most obviously, the dodecagon bezel offers a trio of brushed, sand-blasted and high-polished surfaces which when angled towards the light delivers a mesmerising show of reflections.
Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White - Credit WatchGecko
The same attention to detail has clearly been applied to the dial too. The Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 watch is currently offered in four dial colours, but it was the Alta White display we had chance to play with. This is the first The Twelve dial of its kind, offering a crisp silver-white textured backdrop with rose gold markers and hands. It’s a beautiful combination of colours and the addition of rose gold nicely warms up and feminises the monochromatic display.
Like before, the dial of the Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White watch is extremely complex. The watchmaker has rather ingeniously taken a component of their logo, the plus sign part to be exact, and applied its three-dimensional form onto the surface of the dial. The motif is repeated across the entire dial for a fascinating overall finish that once again plays around with any light that hits it.
Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White - Credit WatchGecko
The rose gold hardware joins in with its own brushed finishes and the hour markers and hour and minute hands offer legibility in the dark with slim Superluminova inserts. Last but certainly not least for the dial, you’ll notice the date window, which appeared at 6 o’clock on the 40mm models, is no longer there. As someone who prefers a clean, date-less display, this gets two thumbs up from me.
Finally, we need to acknowledge the movement. The Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White watch, like all its brothers and sisters in the collection, is powered by the Sellita SW200-1 automatic winding movement. It’s a tried-and-tested workhorse movement with 26 jewels, a 4Hz frequency and a power reserve of 38 hours. Once again, CW have refused to neglect adding their own finishing to the movement, brushing some of the components and adding the same checkerboard-inspired pattern on the dial to the oscillating rotor.
My Conclusion
Christopher Ward The Twelve 36 Alta White - Credit WatchGecko
My first impression of the CW The Twelve 36 Alta White watch was “wow, this is a watch that I could easily wear every day”. It’s such a perfect size for me, both in height and diameter. I barely noticed it was on my wrist when it was hiding under my sleeve, but as soon as the sleeves were rolled up, boy did you take notice. The light-catching bezel and dial is a real talking point and helps it transition easily into a dress watch for those fancier occasions.
It’s also very well-priced considering we’ve got a Swiss automatic movement and a whole bunch of beautiful hand-finishing. The CW The Twelve 36 Alta White watch retails at £1,050 with a gently tapering, integrated steel bracelet and £850 on a black rubber strap. Of the two straps, the metal bracelet is the obvious winner.
Would I consider purchasing the CW The Twelve Alta White for myself? Yes, I would. It’s a stunning watch and I feel a touch of gratefulness towards CW for thinking of those of us with smaller wrists – not enough brands do it in my opinion. It has really broad appeal, and that applies to both gender and occasion. The only thing I ask of CW is that we can get some more dial colours in the future, and as someone with a love of pastel hues, I’m manifesting lilacs, pastel pinks and maybe even a pale yellow. I also think a black dial would look very cool.
Are you listening CW?
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Christopher Ward
- Model: The Twelve 36 Alta White
- Price: £850 (rubber), £1,050 (bracelet)
- Material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Sellita SW200-1 automatic winding
- Complications: Hours, minutes and seconds
- Dial: Silvery-white with rose gold markers and hands
- Size: 36mm wide, 9.95mm tall
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: This could easily be an everyday watch for me, but with its light catching finishes, it’s definitely a timepiece I would reach for when I wanted something a little dressy, but still cool-looking.
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Fellow female watch wearers who like me, are desperate for more compact-sized integrated sports watches.
- Best characteristics of the watch: The complexity of the case and dial. The attention to detail is immaculate and the light-play on the bezel and dial is super impressive at this price point.
- The worst characteristics of the watch: There’s really nothing I hate about it. I would just love to see some more dial colours come out in the future.
