What We Know
U.K.-based Christopher Ward has been a business and product success story in recent years, and a disruptive player that’s challenged the position of traditional legacy Swiss brands by making approachable-priced, Swiss-made watches, aiming to compete with the top names on both specifications and design. It’s been ticking off categories in which it offers value alternatives to established realms, including the integrated bracelet sport watch with The Twelve and, perhaps most notably, the Bel Canto, a chiming watch with a price point that opened the category to a whole new audience.
So it should come as no surprise that Christopher Ward was working on a ‘flyer’ GMT movement with a local jumping hour hand, in the tradition of the Rolex GMT Master II. Today, it’s launching the ‘C63 True GMT’, a travel watch that expands and upgrades its GMT lineup beyond the ‘caller’ GMT function found on its existing GMTs, such as the recently launched limited edition C60 Clipper GMT in Collaboration with Pan Am.
It should be noted that using the term ‘True’ to describe this new watch is a choice that not all will agree with. Caller or ‘office’ GMTs with an independent 24-hour hand that can be manipulated to mark and track a second time zone are ‘real’ GMTs as well. It just depends on what you want to use the function for.
There is no doubt that a flyer movement with a local jumping hour hand that can be used to change time zones and the date without stopping or disrupting the minutes, seconds, and GMT hands can be the best option for travelers shifting time zones by air. But a caller-style GMT is sometimes the best option for someone who is simply looking to track another time zone and be mindful of what time it is where far-off family, friends, or colleagues are based.
While a flyer movement is best known for its use in the Rolex GMT Master II and Explorer II, it’s also available on some Swatch Group watches, including Longines and Mido. Tudor’s Kenissi movement manufacturer also produces a flyer GMT movement that’s used in Tudor and some other marques, such as Norqain. So while it’s becoming more common and accessible, there are still far more watches with caller GMT movements than with local-jumping-hour-hand flyer GMTs, due in part to the flyer GMT movement’s more challenging design and construction.
Developing the C63 True GMT and the CW-002 has been a real bear for Christopher Ward. The U.K.-based independent, known for its commitment to keeping prices limited to 3x its production costs, first revealed plans for a flyer GMT back in 2023 and suggested it was close to reality. Several years and a lot of effort, headaches, and pain later, it’s finally here.
The company says the CW-002 adds 16 newly designed components and seven modified parts from its existing CW-001 movement (formerly known as the SH21) to achieve the flyer GMT function and COSC-certified accuracy of -4 to +6 seconds per day, as well as a hefty five-day power reserve. Not adding significant bulk to the movement wasn’t easy, according to company executives, including Chief Executive Officer Mike France. “This watch has been a labour of pain, not a labour of love,” France says.
Housed in a 40.5 mm steel case, the new C63 offers a unique take on the GMT through its dial layout and construction. The grained-textured dial features two subdials, an applied small seconds at 6 o’clock, and an applied power reserve indicator at 9. Meanwhile, at 3 o’clock, beside the date window, a cutout reveals a slice of the movement, including the GMT bridge, with linear brushing and hand-polished elements, as well as a brushed GMT wheel. With a fixed bezel, it offers a refreshing, unusual layout for a travel watch.
It comes in two dial options. A white and silver dial featuring an orange GMT hand and a black dial with a light blue GMT hand. It’s available on a steel bracelet with the brand’s push-button micro-adjustment feature, or on a rubber strap in orange or light blue with a deployant buckle.
With the new in-house GMT movement, lofty power reserve of five days, and the distinct dial work, the new C63 with a flyer GMT is priced quite a bit higher than the caller version, currently listed at $1,460 on Christopher Ward’s U.S. website. The new C63 ‘True GMT’ costs $3,995 on a rubber strap with a deployant buckle and $4,135 on the steel bracelet and is available now.
What We Think
A flyer GMT movement, COSC-certified precision, and a large power reserve, prominently displayed on the dial, help make this new C63 ‘True GMT’ stand out in an increasingly crowded space. But a lot has changed since 2023, and now we have movement makers like Miyota producing 9075 flyer GMT movements that are starting to show up in plenty of micro-brand offerings, not to mention brands controlled by Citizen of Japan.
A real flyer GMT movement isn’t the differentiator it once was in a more crowded market, and a turning bezel would have increased time zone tracking functionality for some. Still, Christopher Ward has produced a handsome watch here that’s sure to satisfy those who have been asking the brand to up its Swiss-made GMT movement game, and the dial layout and accuracy specs could certainly make the difference for those looking for a unique and original flyer GMT.
The Basics
Brand: Christopher Ward
Model: C63 True GMT
Diameter: 40.5mm
Thickness: 14.15mm
Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Dial Color: Silver-White/Black
Indexes: Applied
Lume: Hands and indexes filled with Super-LumiNova Grade X1 BL C1
Water Resistance: 10 ATM/100m
Strap/Bracelet: Integrated rubber strap in orange or blue with deployant buckle, steel bracelet with push button micro adjustment 22mm width
The Movement
Caliber: CW-002
Functions: Date, Power Reserve, and Traveller GMT
Power Reserve: 120hrs/5 Days
Winding: Self-winding
Frequency: 28,800 v/ph (4Hz)
Chronometer Certified: COSC -4/+6 seconds per day
Pricing & Availability
Price: £2,895/$3,995/€3,775 on rubber strap with deployant buckle, £2,995/$4,135/€3,905 on bracelet
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No
For more, click here.
