Where are Christopher Ward watches made?

They are designed in England and manufactured in Switzerland. Since 2014 the brand has owned its Swiss production partner in Biel, the former Synergies Horlogères, and it has its headquarters in Maidenhead.

Is Christopher Ward still run by Christopher Ward?

No. Co-founder Christopher Ward left in January 2020. The company is led by co-founder Mike France, who became managing director in 2019 and is now CEO.

Does Christopher Ward make in-house movements?

Partly. Most models use Sellita movements, but the brand developed Calibre SH21 in 2014, later calibres up to CW-003, and the FS01 chiming module used in the C1 Bel Canto.

Can you buy Christopher Ward in stores?

Mostly online, directly from the brand. It also runs its own showrooms, listed in 2026 as London, Maidenhead, Liverpool, New York, Frisco in Texas and Falls Church in Virginia.

Royaume-Uni · Fondation 2004

Christopher Ward

The first British brand to win a GPHG prize, with a chiming watch, in 2023.

Texte éditorial en anglais.

Christopher Ward is a British direct-to-consumer watch brand based in Maidenhead that designs in England and makes its watches in Switzerland through its Biel subsidiary. Founded in 2004, it is known for C60 Trident divers, The Twelve and the C1 Bel Canto chiming watch. Most models cost between about €900 and €4,500.

Histoire

The idea came on a boat trip on the River Thames in May 2004. Mike France and Peter Ellis, who had recently sold the toy retailer Early Learning Centre, proposed a watch business to their friend Chris Ward, who had worked in clothing imports. Their plan was an online-only brand selling Swiss-made watches directly to customers, cutting out retail margins. The company launched on 2 June 2005 from a converted chicken shed in Berkshire with the C5 Malvern Automatic and C3 Malvern Chronograph.

In 2008 the brand began working with Synergies Horlogères, a Biel manufacturer led by Jörg Bader, and watchmaker Johannes Jahnke joined to develop movements. On 2 July 2014 the two companies merged to form Christopher Ward London Holdings, and the brand presented Calibre SH21, conceived by Jahnke, with twin barrels, a five-day power reserve and COSC certification. It first appeared in the C9 Harrison 5-Day Automatic and was described as the first commercially viable mechanical movement from a British brand in over 50 years.

In 2019 the Business Growth Fund invested £6.25 million, and Mike France took over as managing director. Chris Ward left the company in January 2020 and later launched a separate brand, TRIBUS, with his sons; it filed for insolvency in 2022. Christopher Ward itself kept growing: for the year to March 2020 it reported £10 million in revenue and about 20,000 watches. In 2021 it launched The Twelve, an integrated-bracelet sports watch with a twelve-sided bezel.

The C1 Bel Canto arrived on 1 November 2022: a titanium sonnerie au passage that strikes a gong every hour, using the in-house FS01 module on a Sellita base. The 300-piece first run sold out within hours, and in 2023 it won the Petite Aiguille at the GPHG, the first prize for a British brand. The C12 Loco introduced Calibre CW-003 in 2023. Turnover reached £30.5 million in the year to March 2024, and a Frisco, Texas showroom opened that September.

Fondateurs

Mike France: Co-founder and CEO; Co-founder of the brand in 2004 after selling Early Learning Centre with Peter Ellis. He became managing director in 2019 and leads the company as CEO.
Peter Ellis: Co-founder; Former co-owner of Early Learning Centre who, with Mike France, proposed the watch business to Chris Ward on a Thames boat trip in 2004.
Christopher Ward: Co-founder; The co-founder whose name the brand carries. He previously worked in clothing imports and left the company in January 2020.

Dates clés

2004
Idea on the Thames
Mike France, Peter Ellis and Chris Ward agree to start an online watch brand during a boat trip in May 2004.
2005
Launch from a chicken shed
Sales begin on 2 June 2005 from a converted chicken shed in Berkshire with the C5 Malvern Automatic and C3 Malvern Chronograph.
2008
Swiss partnership in Biel
Christopher Ward starts working with Synergies Horlogères in Biel; Johannes Jahnke joins to develop movements.
2014
Merger and Calibre SH21
The merger with Synergies Horlogères is announced on 2 July, alongside the five-day, COSC-certified Calibre SH21.
2019
£6.25 million investment
The Business Growth Fund invests £6.25 million and Mike France becomes managing director.
2020
Chris Ward departs
Co-founder Christopher Ward leaves the company in January 2020.
2021
The Twelve launched
An integrated-bracelet sports watch with a twelve-sided bezel, later offered in several sizes and in titanium.
2022
C1 Bel Canto
An hourly-striking titanium watch using the in-house FS01 module; the first 300 pieces sell out within hours.
2023
First British GPHG prize
The C1 Bel Canto wins the Petite Aiguille category at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.

Trois choses que savent les collectionneurs

More forum mentions than Rolex

By December 2005, six months after launch, Christopher Ward was receiving more mentions than Rolex on TimeZone, then a leading online watch forum.

A chime built on a jump hour

The Bel Canto's FS01 module, named after technical director Frank Stelzer, builds on the JJ01 jump-hour module with more than 60 new parts. Tuning the tone and volume took over three years.

Titanium chosen for sound

The C1 Bel Canto's 41 mm case is grade 5 titanium, selected because it amplifies the sound of the hammer striking the gong that runs around the dial.

Modèles emblématiques

C5 Malvern Automatic2005
One of the two launch watches sold online from the Berkshire chicken shed in June 2005.
C9 Harrison 5-Day Automatic2014
First watch with Calibre SH21: twin barrels, 120-hour power reserve, COSC certification.
The Twelve2021
Integrated-bracelet sports watch with a dodecagonal bezel, in steel and titanium with Sellita movements.
C1 Bel Canto2022
Sonnerie au passage in a titanium case; winner of the 2023 GPHG Petite Aiguille.
C12 Loco2023
Showcase for the in-house Calibre CW-003.

Questions

Where are Christopher Ward watches made?: They are designed in England and manufactured in Switzerland. Since 2014 the brand has owned its Swiss production partner in Biel, the former Synergies Horlogères, and it has its headquarters in Maidenhead.
Is Christopher Ward still run by Christopher Ward?: No. Co-founder Christopher Ward left in January 2020. The company is led by co-founder Mike France, who became managing director in 2019 and is now CEO.
Does Christopher Ward make in-house movements?: Partly. Most models use Sellita movements, but the brand developed Calibre SH21 in 2014, later calibres up to CW-003, and the FS01 chiming module used in the C1 Bel Canto.
Can you buy Christopher Ward in stores?: Mostly online, directly from the brand. It also runs its own showrooms, listed in 2026 as London, Maidenhead, Liverpool, New York, Frisco in Texas and Falls Church in Virginia.

Histoire

Fondateurs

Dates clés

Idea on the Thames

Launch from a chicken shed

Swiss partnership in Biel

Merger and Calibre SH21

£6.25 million investment

Chris Ward departs

The Twelve launched

C1 Bel Canto

First British GPHG prize