Christopher Ward have been getting in touch with their humorous side this summer with the all-inclusive Pool Diver, hip and graffitied Twelve Xander, and now the Twelve Pic’n’Mix. While the pick ‘n’ mix concept of self-service sweet dispensers originated in America, it quickly crossed the Atlantic to become a staple of British high streets thanks to the likes of Woolworths and UK cinemas. The Christopher Ward Twelve Pic’n’Mix captures that sense of cultural nostalgia through a new dial texture and candy-sweet colours.
I’ve been hands-on with two of six watches in the collection, the red and purple editions. Taking the watches out of the box, the first thing that you notice is the dials. They feature a new stamped texture that took Christopher Ward over two months to develop and perfect. It’s a sharp, crystalline texture that required creating a custom tool to achieve. Under even close inspection it really does look like the sugary surface of a fizzy cola bottle. Although with these being the red and purple editions they’re more like a sour cherry or summer fruits sweet, which is reflected in their official names of Cherry Pop and Berry Burst.
The dials also feature a vertical gradient, starting lighter at the top and getting darker towards the bottom. The gradient on the red version is particularly pronounced as it goes from pink to red, while the purple edition is a touch more subtle – staying within purple shades. The four remaining colours that I don’t have here are Apple Sour green, Kola Krystals brown, Orange Fizz orange, and Blue Sherbet blue.
After the dials, the next thing you notice is the size and material of the case. At 36mm x 8.95mm in titanium, the Twelve Pic’n’Mix is actually a revival of an older Twelve reference that has been absent from the collection for about a year: the Twelve 36 Ti that was originally introduced in 2024. Given these compact proportions and the super lightweight feeling on the wrist, the watch does feel like it leans towards the feminine despite the bold angles and facets of the Twelve design. At the same time, it’s thematically appropriate for the watch, presenting it as a little sweet treat.
Titanium watches often draw the criticism that they feel like toys and to a large extent the Pic’n’Mix leans into that. It’s small, it’s cheerful, you can put it on and forget that you’re wearing it until you catch the sparkle of the dial from the corner of your eye and feel that sugar-rush all over again. The rubber straps are also colour matched to the dials for even greater injection of colour.
However, while the watch leans into its playful side, it’s still a serious timepiece when it comes to the mechanism housed inside. It’s powered by the Sellita movement SW300-1 b automatic with COSC chronometer certification. Despite its small frame it packs a 56-hour power reserve and an accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day. Those are some solid specs for a sports watch this small.
Turning the watches over reveals a custom Pic’n’Mix caseback with a logo that’s as colourful as you’d expect on top of an exhibition window revealing details of the watch’s movement below. You can see the automatic rotor with its CW dual flag motif finishing.
The Christopher Ward Twelve Pic’n’Mix is priced at £1,695, which is what you would expect to pay for a titanium chronometer with a highly detailed, texture dial. Although it does mean that for most collectors, you’ll be picking just the one watch rather than a mixture – the full six-piece set costing £10,170. Although given high street inflation, an actual pick ‘n’ mix probably costs about that much these days too.
Price and Specs:
More details at Christopher Ward.
