New Christopher Ward GMT uses a long-awaited feature to make it tick

If you're a fan of the best watches on the market, you'll know that GMT complications have become massively popular in recent years. It's not hard to see why, either – whether you're a frequent flyer, work for an international business, or simply like to know the time around the world at a glance, this complication makes sense.

Once you get into the world of GMTs, the conversation gets even more granular. Many seek out the so-called 'true' GMT – a name which grinds my gears for its condescending nature, but that's a story for another day – which allows the free adjustment of the hour hand, desired by travellers landing in a new location and looking to quickly set the local time.

Now, Christopher Ward has unveiled a 'true' GMT watch – and they certainly haven't done things by halves. The model comes as part of the new Atelier collection, which houses some of the brand's more adventurous efforts in the low-budget, high-horology space.

That features a brand new in-house movement, called the calibre CW-002. That's an important reference for fans of the brand, filling the gap between the CW-001 – a renamed SH21 movement – and the CW-003 found in the Christopher Ward C12 Loco.

That's a COSC-certified movement, which operates with a 4Hz beat rate and offer a stellar 120 hours of power reserve. No, that's not a typo – expect a full five days of use from this thing.

All of that sits within a 40.5mm case crafted from stainless steel. It does sit 14.15mm tall, which is chunkier than you'd expect for this case diameter. Still, I had a brief chance to try an early prototype last summer, and it certainly didn't feel gargantuan.

The model is offered in two different finish options, with a silver or black dial available. Both feature a power reserve indicator at the nine o'clock position, a small seconds register at six o'clock and an open-worked aperture next to a date window at the three o'clock position.

Given that so much is happening on that dial, it's quite remarkable that it still feels relatively clean and easy to read. You'll also find different accent colours on each – orange for the silver dial and teal and red for the black.

Those accents are married in the rubber strap option, with a colour matched orange or teal option for the two models. Of course, if you'd prefer to go with a stainless steel bracelet, that's also offered, with the three-link Bader bracelet in use here.

Pricing for the various options and currencies can be found in the table below:

Personally, I think this is a really attractive prospect. As with the aforementioned C12 Loco and the Christopher Ward Bel Canto before it, this watch is trying to push the envelope and I will always applaud the brand for that. I hope this can form more insight for them, and that we continue to see excellent, innovative new watches in the future.