Inside Christopher Ward's First In-House True GMT | Interview with CEO Mike France

In this interview, I sit down with Mike France, CEO and co-founder of Christopher Ward, to talk about one of their most ambitious releases to date: the C63 Sealander True GMT. At the heart of the watch is the brand-new Calibre CW-002 — a COSC-certified, in-house movement that brings a true “Traveller GMT” complication to Christopher Ward for the first time. WatchChris's Excellent Hands-On Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voWDMcKpl9g Unlike a standard caller GMT, a True GMT allows you to jump the local hour hand independently, making it far more practical for real-world travel. It’s one of the most desirable complications in modern watchmaking — and usually reserved for far more expensive pieces. But getting here wasn’t simple. With no off-the-shelf Swiss True GMT movements available, Christopher Ward had to build their own. Technical Director Frank Stelzer led the development, integrating a GMT mechanism into an existing calibre without increasing thickness — a challenge that required 23 component changes and a complete rethink of the movement architecture. In this conversation, we cover: • Why Christopher Ward decided to go in-house for a True GMT • The engineering challenges behind Calibre CW-002 • What makes a “True GMT” different (and why it matters) • How this fits into the future of the brand • Whether this changes how collectors view Christopher Ward Visible through the caseback, the movement features a rhodium finish, Côtes de Genève decoration, twi