Only Watch 2015

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Only Watch 2015 - Chronoswiss
Chronoswiss presents a timeless interpretation of the ancient “Ouroboros” theme in a quarter repeater wristwatch.

Dating back to ancient Egypt, mankind has always been fascinated by the Ouroboros, a motif depicting a serpent eating its own tail and a symbol of self-reflexivity and the eternal re-creation process.

As its second contribution for the Only Watch charity, Chronoswiss has created the "Ouroboros" watch, with a high proportion of demanding craftsmanship.
Set in a 40 mm case made of solid white gold, the Ouroboros has been engraved by hand into a solid white gold dial. The three-dimensional serpent offers a beautiful coating of patina.
After the snake has been engraved, the artisan still has to perform one demanding step: the cutting of the Breguet thread. The resuscitation of these historical handcrafts is something that is near and dear to Chronoswiss CEO Oliver Ebstein who founded a special workshop at the brand´s headquarters, in Lucerne, in spring 2013. Here, ticking treasures like the “Ouroboros” are created by artists, partially with the aid of historical tools, such as an antique rose engine built in the year 1924 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

In the very center of the dial, the white gold has been embellished with Côtes de Genève in galvanic anthracite, further adding to the mysterious allure of the timepiece and exactly matching the color of the alligator skin watch band.

The insides of the timepiece, which are visible through the transparent case back, are also fascinating.
The automatic movement Chronoswiss Caliber C.126, offering a 40-hour power reserve and beating at 21.600 A/h, powers a quarter repeater mechanism. A small hammer strikes its gong to ring out the number of hours (“ding”), then two small hammers strike against two meticulously tuned gongs to ring out the number of quarter-hours (“ding-dong”). The sound of the “Ouroboros” is crystal clear and pure. The decoration of the movement includes a skeletonized rhodium-plated rotor with guilloche details and ball bearing, a polished pallet fork, escape wheel and screws, plates with perlage (circular graining), and bridges with Côtes de Genève and sections with perlage.

Chronoswiss

 

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