A Sketchy Boyz Watch Club Editorial Special: A one-to-one interview with Peter France, director, Christopher Ward Bespoke Division

  A little while back, I had the opportunity to sit down with Peter France, director of Christopher Ward’s bespoke division to discuss the role the bespoke efforts play in Christopher Ward’s catalog of offerings and their continued overall growth, the watch industry and our partnership with Christopher Ward. 

Since the interview, Sketchy Boyz Watch Club had a bespoke piece that had been in the works, be delivered.  Part of this process, as you will see in the interview to follow, is the partnership that begins when an organization decides to partner with Christopher Ward.  The result as you may have seen in the many social media posts is a truly unique timepiece. 

Another development since this interview, has been the advent of tariffs. While I would be remiss in not mentioning them, and their ever-evolving effect that the situation has had on business, we are all aware of them, so this is the extent that it will be mentioned.

I hope you enjoy this brief look at how a partnership is born. Peter’s care and attention to detail which is one of the cornerstones to the bespoke division, starts with him and extends through the Christopher Ward family. The result is a watch that not only resonates with the recipient, but in my opinion, has every ability to become a legacy piece.

**CJ (SBWC)**: Joining me today is Peter France from Christopher Ward.  Peter is the business development manager for the bespoke division of Christopher Ward.  It is that and particularly, how that aspect fits into Christopher Ward's continued growth and overall future, the recent collaboration we worked on together, and maybe some general love for watches chit chat.

So, Peter, I figured a good place to start would be about you – when you joined Christopher Ward and a little bit of what your day to day looks like in working as hands-on as you do with your bespoke clients.  Before we got started, I believe you said you joined Christopher Ward about three years ago?

**Peter France: ** Yes, I joined around November 2021. But my background has family ties into Mike, who is my dad’s older brother, so I’m the nephew. At the time, I had my own recruitment company. I used to do a lot of work with the Christopher Ward team. Then this job opportunity came up. So, I looked at this and thought, "Selling watches is similar to selling jobs—you’re matching the right product with the right client."

At first, I worked just two hours a day for several months to gradually integrate myself into the business and I’ve been here nearly three years.

My role is focused on bespoke customers—military, government, emergency services, watch-collecting groups, car clubs, and so on. Our projects range from small 25-piece orders to much larger ones. Our biggest project so far (an organization I cannot name) involved over 400 watches.

**CJ (SBWC): **Impressive. One thing I’ve observed is that for some time, the likes of a CWC seemed to have a stronghold on this market. But now, Christopher Ward seems to be making inroads. Would you say that's accurate?

**Peter France: ** Absolutely. There’s healthy competition, particularly in the UK, with brands like Elliot Brown, Bremont, and Tudor all playing in this space. But it’s not a part of the industry that gets a lot of public attention. If you're in the military or government, you know this kind of work happens, but it's not something brands necessarily shout about.

For the bigger brands this might just be a small side business that does not move the needle in their overall revenue. So, they do not promote it heavily. We don’t necessarily make a lot of noise about it either, but we work with some major organizations.

**CJ (SBWC)**: Can you walk me through the bespoke process for those unfamiliar with it?

**Peter France:** Sure. We receive regular inquiries and typically start with a blank canvas. We typically work from existing models—our most popular being the C60 Trident Pro Range, the C63 Sealander, as well as a few others. Saying that, we can also work with other models like the Twelve or the Bel Canto, for example.

The first step is setting up a call to understand the client’s vision. We ask about key details—dates, names, logos, color schemes, anniversaries. Then, within about seven working days, we put together a design document with multiple options. We give them a range of choices for logo placement, text styles, case-back designs, custom second hands—things that truly make the watch special.

For example, if a particular unit is associated with number 16, we could incorporate that into the date wheel so that every 16th of the month displays something unique. We also offer personalization options—up to 25 characters for free. People put service numbers, kids' names, special messages on the back of their watches. Some parents buy them for their children to hand down at 18. These watches mean something deeply personal. It’s those small details that make the watch truly personal. 

**CJ (SBWC)**: Again, investing the time to listen to the client.

** Peter France: ** Yeah. Once the client selects a final design, we open a two-week pre-order window. We handle all communication with buyers, so the project lead does not have to manage payments or logistics. We create a password-protected webpage for purchases, set up financing options for UK and US customers, and manage everything end-to-end.

Previously, we used a post-payment system, but we had cases where customers backed out, leaving us with watches featuring niche logos. Now, we require pre-orders, which eliminates that issue.

**CJ (SBWC)**: That makes sense. Having recently been involved in that process with the piece we have coming, you and your team really do make it an easy process.  And what about order minimums?

**Peter France: ** Minimum order is 25 watches. The reason is that dial suppliers require a minimum of 50 dials, so we have to split production accordingly. There's no upper limit.

**CJ (SBWC): **Got it. Given your attention to details and customer service, do many customers come back for second collaborations?

**Peter France: **Yes, quite a few. It shows the stickiness of what we do. Many who order a bespoke watch return for another. Sometimes, a project lead moves to another unit and starts a new project. We've seen government organizations and military teams reorder after their initial run. 

For example, some organizations start with one batch of, say, 50 watches, then come back a year later for another round. Instead of numbering watches as "1 of 50," we now use an open-ended numbering system, allowing future expansions. For example, an order might start with numbers 1–50, and later we’ll produce 51–75 if they return.

We have had some military groups do this, particularly US Special Forces. We also always produce a few extra pieces—if an order is for 76 watches, we might make 80 to account for future demand.

**CJ (SBWC)**: What’s the most unique bespoke design you've worked on?

**Peter France: ** One that stands out was a fishing-related project. They wanted a dial covered in schools of fish, with three different species glowing in the dark thanks to custom lume. The fish were arranged in a pattern to simulate movement. That was a really creative project.

We also did a submarine unit watch where the rotor was integrated into the skull-and-crossbones logo, making it look like the jaw was moving when the rotor spun.

**CJ (SBWC)**: That’s incredible. Selfishly would love to see those some day. So we discussed organizations that have come to you with their projects, have you done any fan-driven projects?

**Peter France: ** Yes, we have enthusiast groups that create their own projects—forums, Facebook groups, collectors. We’ve done limited edition watches for these communities. For instance, the "Solaris" was an enthusiast group-driven project, and we’re currently working on a 20th-anniversary piece for our Forum members.

And sometimes the fan/forum pieces make their way into the main product catalog. For examples, we did a guilloche Bel Canto that later inspired a main-range release. A community-designed grey gradient dial led to requests for a purple variant, which we later developed.

Tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Apple all have watch slacks which exist within them—we have worked with these groups to produce a variety of watches. We even had a Netflix-related project at one point, though it did not end up moving forward under the Netflix brand.

**CJ (SBWC)**: Given how much the bespoke segment has grown, where do you see it fitting into Christopher Ward’s future?

**Peter France: ** I think it’s a major growth area. We’ve expanded from a six-figure business to generating over £4 million in revenue within three years. There's still huge untapped potential, especially in the US military market. We’ve only scratched the surface.

There has been a shift towards making bespoke watches more accessible—not just for higher echelons of salary, they need to now be for everyone. We also see a compromise on sizer to cater for both genders when developing design concepts. That affordability piece “watches for everyone” has had a huge impact on the growth of the business, being able to a product at exceptional value for the quality has really set us apart.  

Additionally, we are seeing trends where people are moving away from smartwatches like Apple Watches due to security concerns in military and government roles. That shift back toward mechanical watches is something we are keeping an eye on.

**CJ (SBWC)**: That’s a fascinating perspective. One last question—what’s your personal approach to running the bespoke business?

**Peter France: ** My goal is to make things as simple as possible for the customer. I pride myself on quick responses, clear communication and being extremely flexible to suit the needs of the customer. If I have to wake up early to take a call from Australia, I’ll do it.

My job is to guide them through the process smoothly. And if we can’t do something, I’d rather be upfront about it. Honest communication builds trust.

**CJ (SBWC)**: That’s a great philosophy. Thanks for your time—it’s been a great conversation! And on behalf of the Sketchy Boyz Watch Club, thank you and Christopher Ward for your continued partnership.

**Peter France: ** Likewise! Thank you.