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Round-UpPresenting The Ten Most-Coveted Chronoswiss Timepieces

Chronoswiss are synonymous with quality mechanical watchmaking, having introduced the Regulator on a wristwatch back in 1987. Here’s a lowdown on ten of their best non-coaxial timepieces that highlight horological tradition while also taking time into the future

Geetanjali Jhala October 26, 2023

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Despite their relatively short 40-year existence, Chronoswiss have made a deep impression in the world of mechanical watchmaking. From bringing the Regulator onto a wristwatch, to promoting traditional horological crafts, Chronoswiss, founded by Gerd Rüdiger Lang, have been defenders of mechanical watchmaking through the ‘quartz crisis’ of the 1980s. With distinctive fluted bezels, straight lugs, and exaggerated onion-shaped crowns, their watches are a definite nod to tradition. On the other hand, the beautifully skeletonised artwork on their watch dials confirm the brand’s commitment to taking mechanical watchmaking into the future.

Chronoswiss Flying Regulator — With distinctive fluted bezels, straight lugs, and exaggerated onion-shaped crowns, Chronoswiss watches are a nod to tradition. On the other hand, the beautifully skeletonised artwork on their watch dials confirm the brand’s commitment to taking mechanical watchmaking into the future

Chronoswiss And The Mechanical Renaissance

Gerd Rüdiger Lang worked at Heuer (now TAG Heuer) in Switzerland, directly under Jack Heuer, grandson of the brand’s founder. When Heuer filed for bankruptcy due to the quartz crisis, Lang chose to start his own watchmaking brand, having acquired old mechanical watch parts from them. In 1983, Lang set up Chronoswiss in Munich. He believed that mechanical watches would outlast the quartz crisis, and for this, he is credited with playing a major part in the ‘mechanical renaissance’. In 1987, at Baselworld, Chronoswiss presented the Régulateur, a manually-wound watch which displayed off-centre sub-dials for hours and seconds, a concept only seen in pre-atomic clocks before then. Today, the brand are known for their Regulator watches, having created the world’s first serially produced automatic chronograph with a regulator-style off-centred dial in 1995, and the first skeletonised tourbillon regulator in 2000. The financial crisis led to Chronoswiss being sold in 2009, and in 2012, they were acquired by Swiss entrepreneus Oliver and Eva Ebstein, who decided Lucerne would make a better address for the brand. Current owner and CEO of Chronoswiss, Oliver Ebstein has sought to take all that was good about the watches into the future. Today, Chronoswiss are known for their stunning hand-guilloche dials, skeletonised mechanical artwork, modern interpretations of the Regulator, and exhibition casebacks. Here’s a lowdown on 10 of their best timepieces.

Chronoswiss Delphis

With a digital jumping hour window, analogue retrograde minutes on the top half of the dial, and small seconds sub-dial at six, the three-dimensional effect of the hand-guilloche watch face of the Delphis is displayed in its beautifully-enamelled glory. The 17-piece case of the Delphis measuring 42mm is water-resistant to 100m. A sapphire crystal window on the caseback displays the brand’s C.6004 automatic calibre. The colour-changing effect of the Delphis Paraiba offers a beautiful contrast against the blackened lower half, while the galvanic black half-moon of the Delphis Venture offsets the guilloche small seconds sub-dial.

Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator Skeleton

The 44mm, black DLC-coated, 21-part steel case of the Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator Skeleton houses the manual-winding Chronoswiss C.677S calibre. Limited to 30 pieces for each version of the timepiece, these skeletonised Regulator dials feature ‘Poire Stuart’ hands in bright orange for the Flying Regulator Skeleton, red gold-plated for the Cowboy, or lacquered blue for the Night Prowler. The hour track on the sub-dial at 12 on the first is coloured in a contrasting azure, the Cowboy features rose gold-plated accents, and the Night Prowler boasts a minute track in blue. The art is in the underlying open-worked dial.

The Flying Grand Regulator Skeleton Cowboy features red gold-plated hands on a skeletonised dial
The 44mm, black DLC-coated, 21-part steel case of the Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator Skeleton is a limited edition of 30 pieces
Visible through the caseback is the manual-winding Chronoswiss C.677S calibre
The skeletonised dial of the Flying Grand Regulator Skeleton Night Prowler features Poire Stuart’ hands in a lacquered blue
The Flying Grand Regulator Skeleton Night Prowler boasts a minute track in blue
The C.677S movement visible through the caseback resembles art in motion

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Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator SHOP THE COLLECTION

Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator Night And Day

The Flying Grand Regulator Night And Day’s 41mm steel case features the brand’s enlarged onion crown and straight lugs, with a 100m water resistance. With a blue galvanised base, the dial features a day/night display at nine o’clock, a three-day date window at three, a funnel-like construction for hours and small-seconds sub-dials, and a central minutes hand. The leaf-shaped hands feature a Super-LumiNova inlay. Crisp Arabic numerals on the dial and sub-dials offer easy legibility. Inside is the brand’s C.296 calibre, with a 42-hour power reserve.

With a blue galvanised base, the dial of the Flying Grand Regulator Night And Day features a day/night display at nine o’clock, a three-day date window at three, a funnel-like construction for hours and small-seconds sub-dials, and a central minutes hand

Chronoswiss Flying Regulator Open Gear

The three-dimensional dial of the Flying Regulator Open Gear features a guilloche base in colour and funnel-like hours and seconds sub-dials suspended above, courtesy of screwed-on, skeletonised train wheel bridges. The Freeze model has a straight guilloche dial in an icy blue, while the flowing pattern on the Hypnotic mesmerises with its changing colours. The detailing on these watches is fascinating, with the rotor thermally blued for the Freeze, and similarly treated to appear violet for the Hypnotic. The watches are powered by the automatic C.299 calibre, with a power reserve of up to 42 hours.

Chronoswiss Sirius Opus Chronograph

Released in 1995, the Sirius Opus Chronograph was the first ever serially-produced skeletonised automatic chronograph. Newer iterations feature cases made from steel or titanium measuring 41mm. An oversized onion-shaped crown at three and vintage-style pushers at two and four o’clock balance the case nicely. The delicate artwork of the mechanical movement shines through on the skeletonised dial, even as Breguet-style central timekeeping hands enhance the timepiece’s ornamental aesthetic. Framed outlines for the small seconds, date and chronograph counters make the watch easy to read. The Opus Chronograph is powered by the C.741-S automatic skeletonised movement.

Chronoswiss Sirius SHOP THE COLLECTION

Chronoswiss Space Timer Moonwalk

With a 63-part construction, the three-dimensional Regulator-style non-coaxial dial of the Chronoswiss Space Timer Moonwalk features a hand-guilloche black dial with a galvanic meteor coating at its base. Screwed onto the dial are skeletonised blued bridges, and above this, at 12 o’clock, is a translucent hours sub-dial made from polished and sandblasted ITR2 (or Innovative Technical Revolutionary Resin). At six is the date indicator on a sub-dial with a titanium moon phase display illuminated with Super-LumiNova.

Special Mention: Space Timer Solaris

Featuring a three-dimensional nano-printed dial in orange, interspersed with beautiful golden flecks, the Space Timer Solaris features a thermally-coloured titanium moon-phase indicator at six.

Chronoswiss Space Timer

Chronoswiss Space Timer Jupiter

The 44mm steel case of the Space Timer Jupiter features a three-dimensional lasered nanoprint dial with a golden-copper finish. The hours and date sub-dials are made from transparent ITR2, and the moon phase indicator at six is thermally-coloured and coated with Super-LumiNova. Skeletonised and lacquered, the central minutes hand has a Super-LumiNova inlay, as do the markers on the outer periphery of the main dial, as well as the sub-dials. The Space Timer Jupiter Gold features an 18-karat red gold case that blends beautifully with the lasered effect of the dial.

The 44mm steel case of the Space Timer Jupiter features a three-dimensional lasered nanoprint dial with a golden-copper finish
Visible through the display window on the caseback is the automatic C.308 calibre
The Space Timer Jupiter Gold features an 18-karat red-gold case that blends beautifully with the lasered effect of the dial
The hours and date sub-dials are made from transparent ITR2 and the moon phase indicator at six is thermally-coloured and coated with Super-LumiNova
Skeletonised and lacquered, the central minutes hand has a Super-LumiNova inlay, as do the markers on the periphery of the main dial and sub-dials

Chronoswiss Space Timer

Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Regulator

Blue CVD (chemical vapour deposition) treatment coats the 41mm case of the Open Gear Flying Regulator Blue Spark, featuring the brand’s signature knurled bezel, oversized onion crown, and straight lugs. The polished and satin-finished electric blue case houses a wave-patterned guilloche dial in black, with blued accents for the funnel-shaped sub-dials housing the off-centred hours and seconds. Tipped with a contrasting red are the central minutes hand and the curved seconds hand at the six o’clock subdial.

Special Mention: Open Gear Flying Regulator Purple Panther

A guilloched and purple CVD-treated dial stands out against a black DLC-coated steel case. White accents on black enhance the contrasts on the dial of the Purple Panther.

The polished and satin-finished electric blue case houses a wave-patterned guilloche dial in black, with blued accents
Blue CVD treatment coats the 41mm case of the Open Gear Flying Regulator, featuring the brand’s signature knurled bezel and oversized onion crown
The treatment on the folding clasp of the Open Gear Flying Regulator matches that on the case
A guilloched and purple CVD-treated dial stands out against a black DLC-coated steel case of the Open Gear Flying Regulator Purple Panther
On turning the watch over, the rotor can be seen in purple to match the theme of the watch

Chronoswiss Open Gear

Chronoswiss Open Gear ReSec Aurora

Short for Retrograde Seconds, the Chronoswiss Open Gear ReSec features more than one fantastic complication on the dial. There’s a central minutes hand, a non-coaxial hours sub-dial at 12 o’clock, and a 30-second retrograde display on a 120-degree arc at six o’clock. Inspired by the Aurora Borealis (or Northern Lights), the beautiful hand-guilloche dial of the Open Gear ReSec Aurora is coated with a colour-changing CVD (chemical vapour deposition) treatment. This allows the dial to look turquoise and green at certain angles, and blue and violet at others. The CVD-treated rotor, visible through the exhibition caseback, is also coloured in a beautiful shade of turquoise.

Chronoswiss Open Gear ReSec Blue On Black

Black DLC coating covers the 44mm steel case of the Open Gear ReSec Blue On Black, making it an ideal frame for the deep blue, CVD-treated, hand-guilloche dial, which displays the central minutes and sub-dials for the off-centred hours at 12 and retrograde seconds at six o’clock. The watch was produced in collaboration with American Blues singer and Grammy nominee Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Special Mention: Open Gear ReSec Hurricane

An all-black DLC-treated steel case frames a black guilloche dial with retrograde seconds. White minute markers and hands are coated with Super-LumiNova, the contrasts giving the timepiece a chaotic—yet serenely beautiful—in the eye-of-the-storm aesthetic.

A black DLC coating covers the 44mm steel case of the Open Gear ReSec Blue On Black, making it an ideal frame for the deep blue, CVD-treated, hand-guilloche dial, which displays the central minutes and sub-dials for the off-centred hours at 12 and retrograde seconds at six o’clock

All of these watches are limited editions, and while most are limited to 50 pieces, some are even more exclusive 30-piece editions. Still, while these are only 10 of their most noteworthy timepieces, Chronoswiss have a lot more to offer in terms of case materials, dial colours and strap options. The exclusivity offered by the brand is incomparable, when considering the firm hold they have on watchmaking and its traditional techniques, including the use of a century-old hand-held rose lathe engine for their guilloche dials, and the innate desire to take tradition into the future.