Christopher Ward’s C63 Sealander Reaches New Heights as Britain’s First True GMT

There was an 11-year gap between Christopher Ward’s first-ever in-house movement, the CW-001 in 2014, and its follow-up, the CW-003 that debuted in the open-heart C12 Loco last year. But we noticed a conspicuous absence of a speculative “CW-002.” Would it ever come and what would it be? CW must’ve be planning something soon.

Well, our ruminations were accurate. And now, inside of a revised C63 Sealander, the watchmaker has debuted what they’re calling Britain’s first-ever true GMT movement, the CW-002. For arguably the best affordable luxury watchmaker in the game, this is a big leap forward.

The Movement Is the Story

If you follow CW closely, you’ll know the brand has been teasing this project in its own Loupe magazine since 2023. Technical Director Frank Stelzer spent three years developing the CW-002 on the architecture of the CW-001, the twin-barrel, five-day COSC-certified movement that put Christopher Ward on the horological map over a decade ago. The engineering challenge wasn’t building a true GMT but doing so without adding any height to the existing movement. The solution was a new hand-finished plate that supports the GMT wheel and absorbs 23 total new or reworked components entirely within the existing spatial envelope.

The result is a true “travelers-style” GMT in every meaningful sense. The local hour hand jumps independently without disturbing the running seconds, GMT hand, or date, and when you cross time zones, the date corrects itself automatically.

The Sealander Gets Its Crown Jewel

The C63 Sealander launched in 2021 as a go-anywhere sports watch, built on CW’s Light-Catcher case architecture and initially powered by a Sellita SW330 caller GMT. It was solid, but limited. It grew into a family of models (36mm versions, the Extreme GMT, and SH21-equipped specials) but the office-style GMT mechanism always kept it from being a serious traveler’s tool. The True GMT changes its purpose entirely, effectively crowning the Sealander’s five-year evolution and elevating it to the brand’s first Atelier-tier offering.

The 40.5mm steel case houses box-domed sapphire crystals front and back, a screw-down crown, and 100m of water resistance. At 14.15mm thick, it’s decently sized, but CW has a proven ability to minimize perceived thickness through case geometry and finishing. The dial comes in black with turquoise accents or silver with orange, with a deliberately layered layout: small seconds at 6, power reserve at 9, and an aperture at 3 exposing the hand-finished GMT bridge and circular-brushed GMT wheel beneath which doubles as a quiet flex on the movement’s significance. It’s given Super-LumiNova X1 BL C1 on the hands and hour markers.

Lastly, it’s available on either a color-matched FKM rubber strap (turquoise for the black dial or orange for the silver) or a stainless steel Bader bracelet.

Setting Itself Apart

The dial is busy and can be polarizing. Between the layered textures, the subdials, the exposed bridge, the date, and the 24-hour scale, there’s a lot competing for attention. However, True GMT calibers from in-house programs are rare at any price. To have one at $3,995, let alone with five days of power reserve and COSC certification, is a serious value statement for the category.

Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

The C63 Sealander True GMT is available for pre-order now, with delivery expected mid-May. It’s priced at $3,995 on the rubber strap and $4,135 on the Bader bracelet.

Recap

Christopher Ward C63 Sealander True GMT Calibre CW-002 Movement

Christopher Ward just dropped Britain’s first true GMT movement, the CW-002, inside a revamped C63 Sealander — three years in the making and built on the bones of their original in-house calibre. It’s a legitimate horological milestone for the brand, available now for pre-order starting at $3,995.

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