CW made another watch I’m not going to buy. Mumble-grumble-bumble-‘snot fair! They should have…

WOAH! Time out. Let’s rewind this.

The C12 Loco. It’s beautiful. It’s extraordinary. It’s adventurous…and all at a price point where these things are not supposed to happen in watches coming out of Switzerland.

But it’s not my type. Neither was the Bel Canto. Nor the Twelve X. I don’t hate them. They’re just not for me. When I knew what the Loco was I knew that my money was safe.

When I was new to the brand and to the watch scene, I made the fatal error of assuming that CW “should be” designing everything with me in mind. Therefore I was disappointed when they made something I didn’t want to buy. [“They should…” - the Forum’s (and CWE’s) favourite modal verb. Because we all know better. I digress.]

I’ve been lucky that my role here on the forum has enabled me to have some really good dialogues with Mike France, Peter Ellis, (Chris Ward in earlier years), Adrian Buchmann, Will Brackfield and others. Listening to them in meetings (and in a less structured way over a pint or a meal afterwards) has improved my perspective over the years. They talk about key factors affecting decisions that I could never have imagined existed. They talk about the audiences they have in mind when they design and market products, and it isn’t always me. But occasionally it is, and that can be quite thrilling. In recent years I’ve decided against the majority of new products, tried a few and moved them on, and found a few genuine keepers:

• C9 SH21 Small Second Chronometer. Hand wound, Roman numerals, “marine chronometer” - if ever a watch had my name on it!

• C63 Sealander GMT 39 - black dial. Perfect travel watch, it swims as well!

• The Twelve Ti (40 mm chronometer) with that fantastic Mediterranean blue dial.

Nothing since the Twelve Ti has had me reaching for the cards but, if history is any judge, they will sooner or later make something that jumps out at me in the same way. It may not be the next release, or the next but one, but I’m sure something will come along eventually that “blows my socks off”. And in any case, I can’t afford them all and I don’t have room for them all.

Which brings me back to the Loco. I’ve read that: the screws “should” line up (even though one of the world’s premier watchmakers says it’s not an issue); the time-telling dial is too small and “should” be more prominent; the bridge “should” be less obtrusive; there “should” be a power reserve; the back side of the movement “should” be more decorative; there “should” be more than 3ATM WR; the watch “should” be an automatic…

If any or all of the above applies, then it’s probably not the watch for you. Accept that, leave “should” in the cupboard, walk away and smell the flowers. It’s an expression I use when myself and others are taking things too seriously that, in the great scheme, are maybe not that important. “It’s a great watch. Just not for me.” How easy was that? I used to be terrible at it, but I’m learning to do it better as I get older.

Apologies for the long ranty post. And I should say in mitigation that the vast majority of what I’ve seen and heard has been very positive indeed.

Great post, Steve. Your reaction to recent releases parallels mine: impressive, but not for me. Your choice of CW keepers also aligns with me. I’d gladly add a C63 Sealander GMT (probably in 36mm though) and Twelve (ss or Ti) to my collection. The only thing holding me back is spending priorities.

As for your “should have” point, I don’t disagree with you there. There’s a difference in bad design versus personal preference, and as you stated, something may not be designed with me in mind. That doesn’t make it bad though.

I chose to take a more generous approach to the “should have” comments. It’s a forum for CW enthusiasts, and being enthusiastic, many want to share (vent maybe?) their thoughts. Where else are they going to do it? Surely, we seek out this forum because friends and family just don’t understand our enthusiasm, right?

In the grand scheme of things, and now more than ever, I think your “stop and smell the flowers” approach needs to be foremost in my mind across the board, not just with CW releases.

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Sat Apr 26, 2025 2:44 pm I chose to take a more generous approach to the “should have” comments. It’s a forum for CW enthusiasts, and being enthusiastic, many want to share (vent maybe?) their thoughts. Where else are they going to do it? Surely, we seek out this forum because friends and family just don’t understand our enthusiasm, right?

Of course that’s right, Drew. Discussion is the lifeblood of the forum. We’re doing it right now. I made the post hoping that it might provoke some discussion. Thank you for your reply.

I did not like the twelve, but pre-ordered the Loco. Contrary to you, when I saw it I knew that my money wasn't safe at all

@TRust
Welcome. Do please visit the Member Introduction section and tell us about yourself.

That's a good thread, Steve, with many salient points. I'll add another if I may! Isn't it lovely when your head gets turned when you least expected it? Isn't it delightful when you take a departure from your typical menu selection to find, say, that vegan food can be delightful and appetising. You might be in a cafe and hear a track played as background music that you just have to 'Shazam". Guess what, it opens up a new avenue for you to explore. Life is about being open to experience. Surely to limit your parameters is to constrain your possibilities. Indeed...wake up and smell the flowers.

Des

I see what you mean, Steve.

I think I’ve said I hate the BC, but probably over the top. I dislike the legibility factor more than anything. I much prefer the Loco, but at current price points I think I’m done with CW for the foreseeable future.

I’ve moved onto other micro brands which offer great quality at more affordable prices. And I have a liking for dive watches anyway, which is ironic as I cannot swim.

My recent acquisitions have been from Golby and Monro. They’re probably at the stage that CW were 9 or 10 years ago.

Moderator posting what others should do in a reaction to posters saying what CW should do on a forum where people should be encouraged to share their view. How ironic.

^^^ People ARE encouraged to share their views. You’ve shared yours. No problem with that. Thank you.

iain wrote: ↑Sat Apr 26, 2025 5:25 pm …I note you don’t mention the technical aspects, just business decisions and I don’t know whether this was mentioned to you or not.

This is my bugaboo with people’s comments. I don’t get annoyed at people expressing what they don’t like and would have preferred to see. I do get annoyed when people weigh in about stuff that is clearly on the business/manufacturing/supply chain side. Unless you’re coming at it from a position of specific expertise in these matters, I don’t want to hear your opinion. None of us are privy to the business side of things with CW, so how can any of us comment on that in any meaningful way? I’ve seen that on this forum occasionally (and on other social media platforms A LOT!), and man does it annoy me. I’ve also seen people weighing in on things like this when it’s fully within their wheel house, and they’ve shared their credentials in the process to give context to their comments. I love that and welcome that. Please share your expertise with me.

That’s the thing about the internet, it’s empowered a lot of “armchair experts” to weigh in on things they have no real business weighing in about.

I’ll get off my soapbox now…

EDITED TO ADD: My prose is trending more towards rant then well considered, thoughtful statement. My apologies for that.

Steve, thank you for that post. As CW have got more adventurous and cleverer and moved up market they are aiming at different buyers from when the C60 Mk2 was such a big thing. I can only watch in wonder.

Firstly, thanks to everyone for some really well thought out responses. I’m pleased it has turned into such a good discussion. I’d like to develop and amplify a couple of my original points.

The easy one first. The thoughts and opinions expressed in the top post are my own. I wasn’t seeking to represent the Admin Team as a whole. We’ve always had the leeway to express our own opinions, so I apologise for not making that crystal clear. I was writing as a forum member first and foremost.

I wasn’t trying to imply that the suggestions I referred to were negative. As above, every forum member has a right to hold an opinion and to express it. However…

I’ve now watched the Freewheelin’ film three times, and what leaps out at me is the sheer time and effort that go into even the smallest of decisions. See the bit where Will Brackfield is talking about choosing shades of the same colour. Or the bit around 5 minutes in where Frank and Adrian talk about “ping pong”. Look at the sample designs on this screenshot of Frank’s computer screen:

All those arrangements of subdials for PR and seconds were considered, but rejected in the final version. Adding any of those would have made it a very different watch. In the end simplicity won out.

A similar argument could be made for the inclusion of high WR, or an automatic movement. The arguments for omitting those often seem to centre around saving weight and case thickness (correct me if I’m wrong there) but you could also make a case (excuse the pun) for an aesthetic consideration. A rotor would make that starkly beautiful caseback view into something very different.

So I think that in suggesting “improvements” (which have probably been considered and debated at length before being rejected), one needs to be careful of creating a chimaera and trying to turn the watch into something it was never intended to be. I’ve certainly done the same myself but I’m trying to learn to control that urge, accept what has been achieved, accept that it’s not for me, and walk quietly away. I hope that makes sense.

For one, I love the fact that this watch is hand wound. That movement is really well designed and a piece of art in itself without obscuring it with a rotor.

Just looked at the C9 SH21 Small Second Chronometer.
What a great watch and definitely something I would be interested in. Seems CW have moved away from these
lovely dress pieces. I hope they start bringing them back .