All is well at Chronoswiss. Despite having undergone a change of ownership when the company was acquired by the Swiss family Ebstein, the new models presented this year represent continuation and the passion for watchmaking instilled by the founding father of the business is still very much in evidence. Today we focus on one of the new additions to the portfolio, the Chronoswiss Sirius Retrograde Day.
When it comes to watch genres, simplicity is the key at Chronoswiss, theirs collection is by no means a fussy one, comprising of two main distinctions, the sporty Timemaster and the more classical Sirius. Within each grouping there are a wealth of mechanical treasures to be discovered, each created with a nod back to traditional craftsmanship, while maintaining an ethos of innovation.
Chronoswiss Sirius Retrograde Day – Signature Features of Gerd-R Lang
In 1981, a time when customers were being lost to quartz, Gerd-R Lang founded his watchmaking workshop in Munich. Despite the economic risks, he resolutely continued to develop and innovate mechanical watch movements, improving and innovating along the way. Although this is an industry which obsesses over mechanical minutiae, it is also unashamedly fickle – and when you have a new watchmaking marque to promote, distinctive aesthetic features must also be created. The signature design touches which evolved as Gerd-R Lang developed his business are reassuringly, still in place and the new Sirius models retain the outsize “onion” crown and the coin-edge bezel, both synonymous with Chronoswiss.
Chronoswiss Sirius Retrograde Day – Elegant Design
On an otherwise quiet dial, the slightly recessed retrograde display for the days of the week takes prominence, offering its wearer an eye-pleasing way to count off the days until the weekend is over in an instant and the elegant little pointer hand once again resets back to Monday – and the beginning of yet another working week. Were it not for the double date aperture below the 12 o’clock, this would be a “bottom-heavy” dial, but its inclusion provides equipoise and a secondary focal point. The short and slender hour markers, leaf-shaped hour and minute hands and an eye-lash slim elongated seconds hand all conform to the elegance of this piece and a trim polished bezel adds the perfect frame.
Chronoswiss Sirius Retrograde Day – New Rich Dial Editions
The 40mm case which is crafted from red gold is a complex construction and considered attention to detail has been given to the finishing, including the coin-edge bezel. The fluted crown is generous but not overbearing and the substantial screwed lugs are sombre but noble in appearance. Two new dial editions have been released, terracotta or dark grey, both of which, when paired with red gold cases, bring with them a new richness to this collection. Inside is the automatic Chronoswiss Calibre C.286, which features immaculate finishing including a skeletonised rotor with côtes de Genève and perlage on the bridges. A Louisiana crocodile leather strap, equipped with a pin buckle or folding clasp, completes the timepiece.
