generation of owners of the Chronoswiss brand, founded in 1983 by Gerd-Rüdiger Lang and his wife from whom they acquired it two years ago (see next page). So much so indeed that they have decided to open up their workshops to the public and to install glass panels instead of the traditional partitions between offices and corridors of their brand-new worldwide headquarters at the heart of Luzern. The Unionsgebäude, an historical building on the famous Löwenstrasse leading to the lake, is a building symbolic of the city and which has been the scene of many different activities for over a century. It even houses Luzern’s largest ballroom. “Chronoswiss is the Luzern brand” emphasizes Oliver Ebstein. A passionate watchmaking enthusiast since his teenage years and a devotee of the brand since he began collecting watches, he has chosen to open up a learning area to the public as of this summer. The aim is not only to reveal the expertise cultivated by Chronoswiss in the field of enameling (and notably the plique-à-jour technique), skeleton-working and guilloché, but also to explain the guiding principles of the watch industry. Artisans in the workshops, digital screens and 3D displays thereby offer visitors a journey into the watchmaking universe. Under his leadership, Chronoswiss takes pains to reintegrate outsourced divisions, and above all to resuscitate historical, even partially forgotten, crafts. Last year for the 30th anniversary of Chronoswiss, the family owned brand launched the first in-house handcrafted watch edition featuring rare crafts. The Artist’s Collection comprises three models, each of which is outfitted with a movement decorated with skeletonization and guilloché. The dials are first lavishly decorated with guilloché and then lent a fascinating depth and three-dimensionality thanks to transparent enamel.
In 2014 Chronoswiss is presenting an extensive collection of models featuring traditional crafts created in their in-house studio: the Sirius Artist line. Pure white (opaque) enamel dials are being reintroduced for the first time in 2014, similar to those previously seen on the 1990s Orea model. The difference is that they are now produced in Chronoswiss’s own in-house dial factory. The models are also not printed with pristine snow white, they are appliquéd and the tiny holes used for fixing must be drilled extremely carefully. New colors and patterns bring even more variety. Such as a model with a surprising two-tone dial : White on the inside and brilliant royal blue on the outside – one can still admire the beautiful guilloché details on the sterling silver dial through the transparent enamel, however. What is special about this is: The blue ring is not fired separately and subsequently inserted, the dial was fired as a whole. This process of simultaneously firing different colored areas on one dial requires extraordinary fingertip sensitivity. A medium size is also new, as the Sirius Artist is being launched in a 34 mm case alongside the Sirius Automatic – matching artistic craftsmanship.
As always Chronoswiss watches distinguish themselves with high recognition value and distinctive design including the oignon-style crown and the unmistakable case with its screw-down, fluted bezel as well as screw-mounted strap lugs.
Chronoswiss created a new standard by fitting a transparent case back
Every success story has its roots. In the case of Chronoswiss in 1983, these lie with founder and master watchmaker Gerd-Rüdiger Lang, who created an entire generation of watch enthusiasts with his craftsmanship and, above all, his “fascination for mechanics.” After he himself had come into contact with watchmaking more or less accidentally, Gerd-Rüdiger Lang quickly got excited over the complex coherencies of the insides of a watch. Opening a repair workshop for chronographs, the master watchmaker ventured down the path toward creating his own business, thus becoming one of the few to defy the march of the quartz revolution. Little by little, the passionate collector of historical chronographs developed into the creative watch designer Gerd-Rüdiger Lang. His horological role models remained chronographs from the turn of the century, which he viewed as technically perfect masterpieces. With his brilliant idea of fitting a transparent case back on the case in order to make the filigreed beauty inside the watch visible to the observer, he created a new standard that was seized and continued by many other watch brands. Moreover, his Régulateur model has become a signature model of the line and has remained a bestseller for decades. At the time of its introduction in1988, it was the very first wristwatch fitted with a regulator dial (a special way of displaying the time using an off-center hour and minute display) and also sparked a good deal of imitation among other brands. Since the founding of “one of the oldest of the new watch brands” in 1983, much has happened. Chronoswiss is now owned by the entrepreneur family Ebstein from Lucerne (see previous page) which plans to continue guiding the brand just as its founder would have, by enabling it to remain an independent family business that manufactures only mechanical watches in the best Swiss tradition with passion, know-how, and attention to detail.
Now, for the first time ever, a skeletonized version of the Timemaster Chronograph made its debut within the Chronoswiss collection at Baselworld 2014, allowing an unencumbered view into the ticking heart of the watch – a fascinating chance to see inside the filigreed, decorated movement. This striking timepiece comes in a stainless steel case with a DLC-coated bezel, lending it not only dynamic visual appeal, but also robust character. DLC (“diamond-like carbon”) is extremely hard and thus protects from scratching. The bezel also features a five-minute scale boasting Super-LumiNova inlays. In addition to the chronograph function, the date is displayed on a subdial positioned at 3 o’clock. Light and shade: the Timemaster Chronograph Skeleton is available in two dial variations: mysterious black or extravagantly elegant galvanic matte silver, each unique in its own right. The white Super-LumiNova is clearly visible on the black version, allowing for excellent night reading due to the high contrast levels. The matte silver is beautifully complemented by luminous coating on the hands, dial and bezel, creating stunning turquoise blue accents.
Sirius Chronograph Skeleton
Case : 23-part case in 18k red gold or stainless steel, smooth, polished, screwed and fluted bezel with sapphire crystal, sapphire crystal case back, water-resistant to 30m Diameter : 42mm Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (Chronoswiss Caliber C.741 S, 46h power reserve), individually numbered, skeletonized movement Functions : hours, minutes, seconds, analogue date, chrono-center second, 30mn and 12h counters Dial : skeletonized and beveled metal dial with printed Arabic numerals, minute-circle with ¼-second subdivisions, individually numbered, polished or blued “Breguet Losange” steel hands Strap : Louisiana crocodile leather with screwed strap bars with patented system Autobloc
Sirius Retrograde Day
Case : Solid 29-part in red gold (also available in steel), smooth and polished, screw-down polished bezel with full thread und anti-reflective coating on one side of sapphire crystal, screw-down polished case back with full thread and anti-reflective coating on one side of sapphire crystal, onion-style crown (solid in material of case), screw-in lugs with patented Autobloc System, water-resistant to 30m Size : 40mm Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (C286 caliber, 42h power reserve), skeletonized rotor with côtes de Genève, ball bearings ; polished pallet lever, escape wheel and screws, plates and bridges with perlage Functions : sweep hours, minutes and seconds, date window at 12 o´clock, retrograde display of day Dial : metal dial, gold-plated applied markers Gold-plated hands, hand-finished, feuille shape Strap : Louisiana crocodile leather with Pin buckle or folding clasp
Sirius Artist
Case : Solid 28-part in red gold (also available in white gold), smooth and polished, screw-down polished bezel with full thread und anti-reflective coating on one side of sapphire crystal, screw-down polished case back with full thread and anti-reflective coating on one side of sapphire crystal, onion-style crown (solid in material of case), screw-in lugs with patented Autobloc System, water-resistant to 30m Size : 40mm Movement : hand-wound mechanical movement (C642 caliber, 48h power reserve), parts skeletonized by hand and decorated with guilloché details, screws temperature blued and polished Functions : hours, minutes, small seconds Dial : solid sterling silver, guilloché and fire enameled by hand, polished, decorated with Breguet thread, gold-plated, “Breguet Losange” steel hands Strap : Louisiana crocodile leather
Sirius Small Seconds
Case : Solid 29-part in red gold (also available in steel), smooth and polished, screw-down polished bezel with full thread und anti-reflective coating on one side of sapphire crystal, onion-style crown (solid in material of case), screw-in lugs with patented Autobloc System, water-resistant to 30m Size : 40mm Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (C281 caliber, 42h power reserve), skeletonized rotor with côtes de Genève, ball bearings, polished pallet lever, escape wheel and screws, plates and bridges with perlage Functions : sweep hours and minutes, small seconds Dial : metal, gold-plated applied markers, gold plated hands, hand finished Strap : Louisiana crocodile leather with pin buckle or folding clasp
Timemaster Chronograph Skeleton
Case : polished solid 52-part in steel, polished bezel with five-minute scale in Super-LumiNova and anti-reflective sapphire crystal, screw-down case back with full thread and embossing, onion-style crown, screw-in lugs with patented Autobloc System, water-resistant to 100m Size : 44mm Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (C741S caliber, 46h power reserve), skeletonized rotor with côtes de Genève, ball bearings, polished pallet lever, escape wheel and screws, plates and bridges with perlage Functions : sweep hours and minutes, analog date at 3 o’clock, sweep chronograph seconds, 30mn counter, 12h counter Dial : metal either galvanic matte black or silver, details in Super-LumiNova Strap : rubber with folding clasp
Timemaster Chronograph Day Date
Case : polished solid 52-part in steel, screw-down case back with full thread and embossing, onion-style crown, screw-in lugs with patented Autobloc System, water-resistant to 100m Size : 44mm Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (C771 caliber, 42h power reserve), skeletonized rotor with côtes de Genève, ball bearings, polished pallet lever, escape wheel and screws, plates and bridges with perlage Functions : sweep hours and minutes, small seconds, chronograph, day and date Dial : metal in galvanic black, metal hands coated with Super-LumiNova Strap : Louisiana crocodile leather with pin buckle or folding clasp Strap : rubber with folding clasp
Sirius Chronograph Moon Phase CH 7541 L R
Case : massive 38-part case in red gold (or steel), push-pieces and onion-shaped crown, abraded, polished, screwed and fluted bezel with sapphire crystal, fully threaded screw-in back with pane of antireflective sapphire crystal, screwed strap bars with patented system Autobloc, water-resistant to 30m Diameter : 42mm Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (Caliber C.755, 46h power reserve), skeletonized rotor, individually numbered Functions : hours, minutes, small seconds, date, moon’s phases, chronograph Dial : massive, guilloché-decorated, 925 Sterling silver dial, blued, gold-plated or white lacquered “Breguet Losange” hands Strap : crocodile leather with pin buckle
Régulateur
Case : 19-part case in 18k red gold or stainless steel, smoothed and polished, screwed and fluted bezel with sapphire crystal, sapphire crystal case back, water-resistant to 30m Diameter : 40mm Movement: self-winding mechanical movement (Chronoswiss Manufacture Caliber C.122, 40h power reserve), skeletonized oscillating weight with Côtes de Genève finish, bridges with sunburst effect and perlage Functions : hours, minutes, seconds, regulator Dial : solid guilloché-patterned sterling silver (925) with blued pear-shaped steel hands Strap : Louisiana crocodile leather with pin buckle
