How the Twelve Xander painted its way across Chicago

Windup, wound up and Christopher Ward’s new Fulton Market showroom

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July 17, 2026 1:01pm EDT

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The Windy City just got  a bit more CW…

Chicago is Christopher Ward’s sort of city. Like our ancestral home of Liverpool, historically it’s a working class waterside city famous for music, sport and people who talk a lot.

It’s also home to the newest Christopher Ward showroom, located in the cool Fulton Market district. Last week, the CW team travelled far and wide - from New York, Dallas, and as far as London - for the launch of the new Twelve Xander, before a weekend dedicated to the joy of watches and connecting with enthusiasts from all over at Windup Watch Fair.

“The launch of the Xander in Chicago was really special,” says chief operating officer Sarah Baumann. Our new showroom in Fulton Market opened its doors about 6 weeks ago so it felt right to celebrate the launch of such a beautiful and unique timepiece in our new Chicago home. It’s a watch suited to the city and the sun and it was fantastic to be able to share it with everyone at Windup."

"The fact that Chris Alexander, aka The Dial Artist, could be there in person with us to talk about how he’d conceived the idea with us and brought the Xander to life, made it extra special."

No one could quite believe the levels of patience (and passion) required to hand-paint 1,200 components - taking a mere 900 hours - to create 150 unique watches. Not so surprisingly, The Twelve Xander - a limited edition of 150 pieces - sold out in 24 hours.

For those who are very sorry to have missed out, you can join the waitlist here and read more about how Chris created it.

The Chicago Windup Watch Fair is one of the key dates in the American watch calendar. And this year, the new venue provided a perfect place for the thousands of watch enthusiasts who travelled far and wide.

“We had the best time” says Michael Pearson, SVP North America. “We met with old friends and familiar faces who came to visit and show us their Christopher Wards as well as meeting hundreds of people who had come to try on a Christopher Ward for the first time and see the quality and design up close."

Dial Artist, Chris Alexander, was with us all weekend at the show, talking to people about his work, and creating a special piece of artwork - a bespoke, customised Christopher Ward clock, that will hang in our new Chicago showroom, alongside another amazing piece of artwork Chris created for us of the twin flags.

And given our Chicago showroom was only two blocks away from Windup, Greg and Jane, our new showroom team, welcomed a flow of visitors wanting to see our new space and try on watches in a slightly more relaxed environment.

"The community spirit in the US watch scene is special, and everyone is so engaged and friendly. We saw some fantastic watches too - some OG Christopher Wards which everyone was happy for me to photograph and I’ll be sharing on socials soon." says Gianluca Volpe, CW’s content manager.

Chicago: we've fallen for you

The Chicago showroom has already welcomed hundreds of watch enthusiasts to the in-person Christopher Ward experience. And with its location above the coolest coffee shop in the city - yes of course we’ve tried the ramen latte - it makes the perfect hub for exploring the West Loop.

“One of the things that sticks out about our showrooms, whether you’re in New York or Dallas, Virginia, or London, is the welcome from the Christopher Ward team." says Sarah Baumann.

"Chicago is no different - Greg and Jane welcome you in and walk you through the collection in a completely relaxed way so you can find the watch for you. The gorgeous showroom and amazing neighbourhood combine to make this a really special watch-buying experience."

For Mike Pearson, it all comes down to people.

“Whether it’s hosting a party in the showroom or welcoming people to our Windup stall or into an appointment, we simply love talking watches - answering questions, helping people along their watch journey whether it’s their first or 500th watch. The community is everything to us and I think after last weekend in Chicago, that community just grew bigger and knows they are always welcome in our showroom here and across the US and UK."

DISCOVER YOUR X FACTOR

The Twelve Xander – the collaboration between CW and The Dial Artist, Chris Alexander – may have sold out. But there’s good news, the original Twelve X is still available. Powered by our five-day Calibre CW-001 movement – with every element visible through the dial and caseback. Crafted in Grade 2 titanium for lightness and strength. Machine-finished by Swiss artisans.

Discover Twelve X

SHOW(ROOM) BUSINESS

Christopher Ward showrooms deliver the ultimate in-person watch-buying experience. But they’re also hubs for watch-lovers, watch clubs and live events. From Mayfair to Liverpool, Dallas to Chiacgo – there’s usually something interesting going on.