BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Christopher Ward is well-renowned for bringing high-quality watches to market at surprisingly affordable prices. I was very impressed by their C12 Loco I got hands-on with at British Watchmakers’ Day 2026. Christopher Ward shows a lot of creativity while working within the boundaries of “more affordable horology”, which is relative, of course. Still, it should be noted that you can get quite a bit for your money from them. Take the C1 Bel Canto, which in 2022 introduced the striking mechanism to new buyers at around $3,500. Their newest watch, the C63 True GMT, aims to add to that “know where your money is going” experience.
The name explains quite a lot of what’s going on with this new piece. The C63 features the new calibre CW-002, which Christopher Ward says is not only the brand’s first “True” GMT calibre but the first “True” GMT calibre from a British watch brand. In the world of GMT watches, the brand is saying it has made its first “flyer” GMT watch.
If you’ve ever experienced a “flyer” GMT, or you’ve read my in-depth review of the Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLNR, then you’ll know that this GMT type allows the wearer to adjust the hour hand independently when changing time zones, while the 24-hour (GMT) hand remains fixed as the reference, aka the “home time”. This is how Rolex intended the GMT function to work when it introduced it to the world with the GMT-Master in 1955, and it allows quick, easy adjustments as the hour hand clicks in one-hour increments, and the movement stays running and keeping time, making it incredibly easy to use a “flyer” GMT.
More affordable brands, including Christopher Ward, Seiko and the like, usually use a “caller” (office) GMT. In these movements, the 24-hour hand is the one that’s adjusted, meaning you stop the movement and lose track of the current time in order to set the GMT hand. This is quite convenient if you want to use the 24-hour hand to quickly check the time in another timezone and don’t mind fiddling with the crown to reset the time, but it’s a bit less convenient than a “flyer” GMT. A “caller” GMT is also less expensive and easier to manufacture, which is why more affordable GMT watches tend to be the “caller” variety. It should be noted that the word “true” is sometimes used for “flyer” GMT watches because it is true to how the GMT function was originally intended, but it is a term generally used by enthusiasts rather than by watch brands themselves, until now.
Christopher Ward’s new C63 has a 316L stainless steel case measuring 40.5mm x 14.15mm with 100m of water resistance. The surfaces are mostly brushed, though there is some polishing as well to give it a bit of shine and reinforce the feeling that this is a luxury product. There is a choice of straps, including an orange and a light blue rubber strap with a deployant buckle. The other option is a stainless steel bracelet with micro adjustment.
For now, there are two dial colours: black with light blue details, and silver with orange details. Christopher Ward has applied a grained finish to most of the dial surface for a clean, elegant and high-end look. The hands are wide and long for legibility (with lume, of course), the date window is placed subtly, and it all looks very cohesive. Honestly, an independent brand selling watches for 10 or 20 times the price could have come up with the look of these dials, and I’d be just as impressed.
Their self-winding in-house CW-002 (based on the CW-001, previously known as the SH21) has a 5-day (120hr) power reserve and is COSC chronometer-certified.
Christopher Ward says that making the C63 True GMT was a considerable headache for them, which is reflected in the fact that the plans for a “flyer” GMT watch were first shown in 2023. They also say they added 23 new components to the Calibre CW-001, 16 of which are brand new, to make the GMT function a reality. Despite that effort, at £2,895/$3,995/€3,775 for a watch on a rubber strap or £2,995/$4,135/€3,905 for the bracelet, it’s definitely one to shortlist if you’re shopping around for a GMT watch.
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