The Twelve is Christopher Ward's homage to the work of Gérald Genta, the designer of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (1972) and the Patek Philippe Nautilus (1976). Genta invented the luxury steel sports watch: a case that flows into its bracelet, finished like a precious object, with the screws on show. Christopher Ward calls him horology's greatest designer and links its own article on him from The Twelve's product page.
The Twelve keeps the idea and changes the details: a 12-sided bezel, a dial of small pyramids, and the screws moved to the caseback. It comes in 3 sizes, 36, 38 and 40 mm, at the same price of about €1,500. The thin, hand-wound Twelve 660 is its dress version, see Christopher Ward The Twelve 660.
22 Oct 2026 I pre-ordered the 40 mm in Nordic Blue on the steel bracelet. Delivery is planned for 30th November 2026.
Overview
- What it is: a steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet. Automatic, 3 hands and a date at 6.
- The 40 mm: the original size, launched in April 2023, and the one with the widest bracelet, 25 mm at the case.
- What stands out: the 3D pyramid dial, a bezel finished 3 ways, and a bracelet with a micro-adjust clasp. Since autumn 2026 it runs on Sellita's new SW200-2 Power+, with 65 hours of power reserve.
- Price: €1,555 on the steel bracelet, the same in all 3 sizes, as shown to a visitor in Germany on 22nd October 2026. Free delivery and 60 days of free returns.
- Value: 100 m, a screw-down crown, a display back and 65 h for about €1,500.
My pre-order
22 Oct 2026
- Watch: The Twelve, 40 mm, Nordic Blue, steel bracelet, reference C12-40ADA1-S00B3-B0.
- Price: €1,555, plus €15 for Christopher Ward to size the bracelet to my wrist before it ships. €1,570 in total, with free delivery.
- Delivery: pre-order, planned for 30th November 2026. The Power+ version is new stock, so the 40 and the 38 are both on pre-order.
- Safety net: 60 days of free returns. With no showroom near Munich, the return window is my try-on.
The Genta inspiration
The Royal Oak and the Nautilus
In 1970 Audemars Piguet was losing ground to quartz. Its managing director, Georges Golay, called Genta one afternoon: the Italian market wanted an "unprecedented steel watch", and he needed designs by the next morning. Genta remembered the divers he had watched on Lake Geneva as a boy, their helmets held on by 8 screws. He drew an octagonal bezel with the screws visible on top.
The Royal Oak launched at the Basel fair in 1972 at 3,750 Swiss francs, a shock price for a steel watch. It took about 3 years to sell. In 1976 Genta followed with the Nautilus for Patek Philippe, shaped like a ship's porthole. Together they made steel acceptable as a luxury material.
Christopher Ward's design director, Adrian Buchmann, a fan of both, puts it this way: Genta "showed high-end watches didn't need to be made of precious metal - that the value comes from the quality, finishing and movement". That is the pitch of The Twelve.
What The Twelve takes, and what it changes
Christopher Ward says The Twelve "references a style that came to prominence in the 1970s with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus". Gear Patrol's review title says it more bluntly: "Get the Genta look for less".
| Genta's idea | In The Twelve |
|---|---|
| A bracelet that flows into the case | Single links, tapering from 25 to 17 mm on the 40 mm |
| An 8-sided bezel | A 12-sided bezel, sandblasted, polished and brushed |
| 8 screws on the bezel | 6 exposed screws on the caseback surround, "a tip of the hat" |
| A textured dial | 3D pyramids that echo the "plus" shapes of the twin-flags logo |
| Steel, finished like gold | 3 finishes on the bezel alone, faceted hands and indices |
The designer is Will Brackfield. The brand says The Twelve took 6 years, with a pause until the team knew it could reach the finish it wanted.
Specifications
The 40 mm in Nordic Blue on the steel bracelet:
| Reference | C12-40ADA1-S00B3-B0 |
| Case | Stainless steel, 12-sided, sandblasted, polished and linear-brushed |
| Diameter | 40 mm |
| Thickness | 9.95 mm |
| Lug to lug | 44.5 mm |
| Weight | 65 g for the case, 160 g on the bracelet |
| Crystal | Sapphire, anti-reflective, plus a screw-down sapphire display back |
| Water resistance | 10 ATM (100 m), screw-down crown |
| Movement | Sellita SW200-2 Power+, automatic, Swiss made |
| Movement data | 26 jewels, 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 65 h typical, 60 h minimum |
| Accuracy | -5/+12 seconds a day |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date at 6 |
| Dial | 3D stamped pyramid pattern, applied indices with polished facets |
| Lume | Super-LumiNova X1 BL C1 on the hands and indices |
| Bracelet | Steel, single links, 25 tapering to 17 mm, screw links |
| Clasp | Butterfly clasp with micro-adjust, 1.5 mm per side, 3 mm in total |
| Warranty | 60 months on the movement, 60 days of free returns |
Dials and straps
All 3 sizes come in Nordic Blue, Glacier Blue (a pale ice blue) and White. Each is available on the steel bracelet or on The Twelve rubber strap in black, white or light blue. The bracelet and the rubber share a quick-release system. Engraving costs €40 and a bracelet resize to your wrist size €15.
The 3 sizes
All 3 sizes share the height, the movement, the water resistance, the dials and the price. They differ in the lug to lug, the bracelet width, the weight and the date.
| 36 mm | 38 mm | 40 mm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 9.95 mm | 9.95 mm | 9.95 mm |
| Lug to lug | 40.8 mm | 43.3 mm | 44.5 mm |
| Bracelet taper | 22 to 17 mm | 23.3 to 17 mm | 25 to 17 mm |
| Case weight | 56 g | 60 g | 65 g |
| On the bracelet | 151 g | 157 g | 160 g |
| Date | No | Yes, at 6 | Yes, at 6 |
| Hands and indices | Slimmer | Standard | Standard |
| Caseback | Sleeker, simpler surround | 6 exposed screws | 6 exposed screws |
| Price (DE) | €1,555 | €1,555 | €1,555 |
| Stock, 22 Oct | White in stock | Nordic Blue pre-order | Pre-order, end November |
- 36 mm: the cleanest dial, with slimmer hands and no date. Christopher Ward pitches it as a classic men's size that also suits smaller wrists.
- 38 mm: the middle size, with the date. Its 43.3 mm lug to lug is the same as the 660's.
- 40 mm: the original Twelve from 2023. The widest bracelet, 25 mm at the case, gives it the most presence.
The 36 was out for me because it has no date. Between the 38 and the 40, the difference is 1.2 mm of lug to lug, 3 g on the bracelet and 1.7 mm of bracelet width at the case. I first leaned to the 38, then ordered the 40.
Background
The Twelve, then 2 more sizes
Christopher Ward launched The Twelve in April 2023, in 40 mm, as its first integrated-bracelet watch since the C20 Lido of 2008.
A 36 mm followed, with slimmer hands, no date and a new caseback. Customers kept asking for the size in between, and the 38 mm arrived on 20th February 2025.
The family now goes further than the steel Twelve: a titanium Twelve 40 at €2,195, the skeleton Twelve X and the C12 Loco, both above €5,000. The brand note covers them, see Christopher Ward.
The 2026 movement upgrade
In February 2026 Sellita announced the SW200-2 Power+: same size, same 4 Hz, but 65 hours of power reserve instead of 38. Christopher Ward put it first into the C63 Sealander in April 2026, then into The Twelve and the Trident Reef. Gear Patrol reported the new Twelve on 28th September 2026, starting at US$1,350, about US$140 more than before.
The changes for The Twelve, in all 3 sizes:
- 65 hours of power reserve: it survives a weekend off the wrist. The old 38 hours was the main criticism of reviewers, Time+Tide included.
- Better accuracy: -5/+12 seconds a day.
- A new skeletonised rotor, sandblasted with raised Christopher Ward text.
The Twelve against the Twelve 660
The 660 only comes in 38 mm, so the table compares it with the 38 mm Twelve, the same diameter. Both are on the steel bracelet, with Christopher Ward's prices for Germany on 22nd October 2026.
| The Twelve (38 mm) | The Twelve 660 | |
|---|---|---|
| Reference, blue | C12-38ADA1-S00B3-B0, Nordic Blue | C12-38H2H1-S00B0-B0, blue |
| Price, bracelet | €1,555 | €1,925 |
| Stock, 22 Oct 2026 | Pre-order | In stock |
| Sizes | 36, 38 and 40 mm | 38 mm only |
| Diameter | 38 mm | 38 mm |
| Thickness | 9.95 mm | 6.6 mm |
| Lug to lug | 43.3 mm | 43.3 mm |
| Weight, case | 60 g | 38 g |
| Weight, on bracelet | 157 g | 85 g |
| Case finish | Sandblasted, polished, brushed: 3 finishes on bezel | Brushed tops, polished facets, flat bezel top |
| Crystal | Flat sapphire, anti-reflective | Box sapphire, anti-reflective |
| Caseback | Screw-down sapphire display back, 6 exposed screws | Sapphire display back |
| Crown | Embossed, screw-down | Embossed, push-in |
| Water resistance | 100 m (10 ATM) | 30 m (3 ATM) |
| Movement | Sellita SW200-2 Power+, automatic | Sellita SW210-1 b, hand-wound, modified by CW |
| Movement finish | Colimaçoné, skeletonised sandblasted rotor | Colimaçoné, sunray wheels, custom train bridge |
| Jewels, frequency | 26 jewels, 4 Hz | 18 jewels, 4 Hz |
| Power reserve | 65 h typical, 60 h minimum | 42 to 45 h |
| Accuracy | -5/+12 seconds a day | ±15 seconds a day |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date at 6 | Hours and minutes |
| Dial | 3D stamped pyramid pattern | Fine grained surface |
| Hands and indices | Applied, top-brushed, diamond-polished facets | Applied, top-brushed, diamond-polished facets |
| Lume | Super-LumiNova X1 BL C1 | None listed |
| Dial colours | Nordic Blue, Glacier Blue, White | Blue, green, white, all-black DLC |
| Bracelet | Single links, 23.3 tapering to 17 mm, screw links | Slimmer 2.9 mm links, 23.3 mm at case, screw links |
| Clasp | Butterfly, micro-adjust of 3 mm | Thin 4.2 mm clasp, hidden pushers, no micro-adjust |
| Rubber strap | Black, white or light blue | Black, €1,725 |
| Quick release | Yes, The Twelve system | Yes, The Twelve system |
| Guarantee, returns | 5 years on the movement, 60 days | 5 years on the movement, 60 days |
The 40 mm I ordered widens the gap: 44.5 against 43.3 mm lug to lug, 160 against 85 g on the bracelet, and 25 against 23.3 mm of bracelet at the case.
What the Twelve adds:
- Function: a seconds hand, a date, automatic winding and lume.
- Toughness: 70 m more water resistance and a screw-down crown.
- Comfort on the bracelet: a micro-adjust clasp for warm days.
- Endurance: about 20 hours more power reserve.
- Price: €370 less.
What the 660 adds:
- The profile: 3.35 mm thinner and 72 g lighter. It slips under a cuff.
- A quieter dial: the grained surface reads as a dress watch, the pyramids as a sports watch.
- The box sapphire and a decorated hand-wound movement with a custom bridge.
The Nomos Club Sport neomatik is the step up from both: 37 mm, 8.3 mm, an in-house automatic and 200 m, at about €2,800, see Nomos Club Sport neomatik.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- The Genta look at a fraction of the price: the integrated case and bracelet, the finishing and the screws on show, for €1,555.
- A size for every wrist: 3 sizes at the same price, from 40.8 to 44.5 mm lug to lug. Even the 40 stays under 45 mm.
- The dial: 1 reviewer called Nordic Blue the prettiest of the colours. The pyramid texture keeps it alive in any light, and the date wheel matches the dial.
- The bracelet: tapered from 25 to 17 mm on the 40, with screw links and a micro-adjust clasp. Time+Tide called the bracelet "simply superb".
- Everyday toughness: 100 m, a screw-down crown and 65 hours of power reserve.
- Finishing above the price: 3 finishes on the bezel, faceted indices, a decorated rotor.
Cons:
- An homage is an homage: some will always see a Royal Oak lookalike. Christopher Ward's own magazine ads played on the question.
- Sellita inside: a good movement, but the same base as in watches at half the price.
- 9.95 mm and 160 g on the 40: fine for a sports watch, but it won't slip under a cuff like the 660.
- The textured dial is busier than the 660's flat grained dial. It is a sports watch dial, not a dress dial.
- The price keeps moving: about US$140 more after the Power+ upgrade.
- Pre-order: no stock in Germany for the 40 and the 38 in Nordic Blue on 22nd October 2026. Delivery for my 40 is planned for 30th November 2026.
Who it's for
People who want one integrated-bracelet watch for everything: office, weekend, travel and a swim.
- 36 mm: small wrists, or anyone who wants the cleanest, date-free dial.
- 38 mm: small to medium wrists, and anyone who wants the date in a compact case.
- 40 mm: medium to large wrists, and anyone who wants the original proportions and the widest bracelet.
Nordic Blue works with grey, navy, white and denim. It is brighter and more playful than the 660's deep navy. On the rubber strap it turns into a summer watch.
Buying considerations
- Where: only directly from Christopher Ward, with free delivery and 60 days of free returns.
- Size: compare the lug to lug with a watch you own. That number, not the diameter, decides how an integrated bracelet watch sits.
- Bracelet: take the bracelet. It is the point of the watch, and the micro-adjust clasp gives 3 mm of play for warm days. Order the €15 resize with your exact wrist size.
- See it first: there is no showroom in Germany or France. The nearest is in Mayfair, London (2 Mill Street, W1S 2AT), with others in Maidenhead and Liverpool. The full options are in the 660 note, see Christopher Ward The Twelve 660. From Munich, the practical route is to order it and use the 60-day return window as a try-on at home.
- Alternatives: the 660 for a real dress watch, or the Nomos Club Sport neomatik for an in-house movement.
Verdict
21 Oct 2026 my #1 watch on the radar was the 38 mm in Nordic Blue.
The Twelve in Nordic Blue is the closest thing to my perfect watch that I have found. It takes the design I love in the blue 660 (the 12-sided case, the bracelet, the blue dial) and adds back what the 660 leaves out: a seconds hand, a date, automatic winding and 100 m. With the Power+ movement, the last real weakness, the 38-hour power reserve, is gone.
What I give up against the 660 is the 6.6 mm profile and the quieter flat dial. I am not sure the thinnest watch is what I want, so that trade works for me.
22 Oct 2026 I pre-ordered the 40 mm in Nordic Blue, for delivery at the end of November 2026.
Next to my Sinn 856 UTC (see Sinn 856 S UTC), it will be the polished one: same size class, but integrated, blue and dressier. The 60 days of free returns are my try-on. If the 40 wears too big, the 38 is the fallback.
Further Reading
- Christopher Ward The Twelve review: get the Genta look for less, Gear Patrol
- Christopher Ward enters the integrated bracelet game with the handsome Twelve, Time+Tide, the original 40 mm in 2023
- Christopher Ward releases The Twelve 38, Time+Tide, 20 Feb 2025
- Small is big: take a tour of The Twelve (36), Christopher Ward's Loupe magazine
- Sellita introduces the SW200-2 with 65 hour power reserve, Worn & Wound