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One of very few Anglo-Swiss independent watch brands, Christopher Ward was launched in 2004 to occupy a different position within the world of luxury watches, which is largely ruled by the Swiss. The Swiss have a well-deserved heritage within the luxury watch industry, and it is there that tradition and watchmaking quality have long resided. But Christopher Ward’ s founders, Mike France and Peter Ellis, had a different vision: a watch brand that was accessible, inclusive and democratic.
“ One of the things they quickly realized about the watch industry was that some large markups were being applied, and that did not seem right,” begins Sarah Baumann, COO.“ Christopher Ward was launched with the mission of making high-quality, well-designed luxury watches available to as many people as possible. At the core of that is a transparent pricing model where we only ever charge three times what the watches cost to make. Today, our range spans from around £ 600 up to £ 5000, with the same pricing transparency running throughout. What catapulted us to success is the quality of our product, designs and engineering, made possible through our supply chain and our partnerships with global suppliers. The Anglo-Swiss element is equally important to us, as we combine English design, flair and a certain lightness of touch with the high precision, quality and trust of Swiss-made engineering.”
Guided by that legacy, balancing top quality with affordability sits at the heart of Christopher Ward’ s approach to research and development. Working within a price parameter is not always straightforward, but for the team, that constraint drives creative thinking. The company employs various approaches from 60