A Week on the Wrist with the Christopher Ward The Twelve 660 – sports chic meets classy dress for the ultimate office watch

To say Christopher Ward has been on a hot streak of late feels like something of an understatement. The brand – designed and headquartered in Britain, but with watchmaking undertaken in Switzerland – has gone from strength to strength, with a range of high profile releases which bring luxury watchmaking chops to more affordable price points.

Its latest release is no different. I've been a fan of the Christopher Ward The Twelve since it first launched, with it's integrated bracelet styling and a design which nods to it's influence without ripping it off altogether. And this new model has clearly been on a diet, as it shaves a third from the case height of the original model.

Sitting just 6.6mm tall, this watch positively screams luxury. Don't think all of that reduction means a lack of features, either – you'll still find a lot to love on this piece.

Christopher Ward The Twelve 660: key specs

Let's kick off with some of the key specs. The headline, of course, is that case height – just 6.6mm is really unimaginable until you get one in the hand.

That's married to a 38mm case, crafted from stainless steel. There's no screw-down crown here, with a simple push-pull option utilised instead. That does limit the water resistance, though, with just 30m on offer.

Inside, you'll find a Sellita SW210-1b – or, at least, the bones of one. The calibre is substantially reworked in-house at Christopher Ward, to fit perfectly into this watch.

That's a manually wound calibre, too – there's no automatic rotor here, in a bid to keep things as slight as possible. Still, you'll get a 4Hz beat rate and +/-15 seconds per day in the accuracy stakes.

Four colours will be offered – blue, white and green on the stainless steel models, with an all-black option also offered with a matching black PVD case. A choice of bracelets and rubber straps are also on offer.

What is the Christopher Ward The Twelve 660 like on the wrist?

Of course, the first impression you'll have when you strap on The Twelve 660 is how slim it is. In fact, for most people, I'd wager that this will be the slimmest watch they've seen – I've only really experienced it with vintage dress watches and world record attempts.

It practically ceases to exist when you roll your wrist around, offering one of the most comfortable, unassuming wearing experiences you'll ever see. As someone who wears the normal, full-fat version of The Twelve most days, the difference is stark.

Still, there's more substance here than meets the eye. The movement is absolutely stunning to see – it's a real testament to the watchmaking chops of Christopher Ward that the design can be so thoroughly reworked for this model.

The dial itself is a much simpler affair, too. The flat design is much less intricate than the usual models, which lends a welcome sense of simplicity to the design. We also lose the seconds hand, though that was a functional choice – a two-hand stack is shorter than a three-hand one.

The new bracelet design is another masterstroke. During development, the brand realised that the clasp of the bracelet would actually be thicker than the head of the watch itself, which led them back to the drawing board.

The result is a simple reworking of the butterfly clasp, but it's also one of the sleekest examples of such a design I've ever seen. I'd love to see it employed on other models, actually – the brand should be really proud of this development.

All in all, I think this is the closest the brand has ever come to a real luxury watch. Models like the C12 Loco and the Bel Canto are magnificent pieces of engineering, and bring haute horology to the masses, but this is more like a Vacheron Constantin for a bargain price.

Is the Christopher Ward The Twelve 660 worth the money?

Okay, let's talk cash. With so many different variants on offer, we've laid it out in the table below:

That's remarkable value for a watch of this ilk. It's easy to become complacent after the run of brilliant watches we've seen from Christopher Ward, but it's worth saying again – you're looking at a spec sheet that would cost 20 times this price from other brands.

Yes, you'll have to give up your waterborne adventures, and yes, you do lose the seconds hand, but you make all of that up in the wearing experience and the profile. It's another masterstroke from the brand, and just about the most perfect office watch you can buy today.