Chronoswiss will be celebrating its 40th anniversary next year, an important milestone for this Lucerne-based watchmaker which creates fine timepieces that combine both traditional elements of haute horlogerie and contemporary designs. One of their latest timepieces, the Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon Underworld, was presented at Dubai Watch Week this week, showcasing the brand’s many talents in the horological arts.
Behind the name
This isn’t a divers’ watch – in case you were wondering – although it is water-resistant to 100 metres. The term “underworld” refers to the inspiration behind its design. The idea was to create a deep dive into the abyss of watchmaking artistry, allowing the eye to discover a whole world on the dial and inviting watch enthusiasts to explore the mystical depths of time itself. This is achieved thanks to an elaborate 42-part dial construction on several levels that includes Côtes de Genève at the bottom of the dial, hand-guilloché with a black galvanic treatment in the middle, and a skeletonized gear train and funnel-like construction for the hour display at the top.
Guilloché in its DNA
Guilloché dials are an integral part of the Chronoswiss DNA as they are a beautiful way to connect the horological past to the present. This traditional craft dates back to the Middle Ages when it was used on wood and ivory. It became popular in watchmaking in the 18th century and is created in exactly the same way today as it was then, using an engine turning machine that is operated entirely by hand. It is an art that almost died out and today only a small number of artisans continue to exercise the craft, one of whom has been working at Chronoswiss for a number of years now and who is currently passing his expertise on to two other craftsmen.
The Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon is fitted with a black hand-guilloché dial that is reminiscent of the darkness of the deep sea with flickers of light as the sun penetrates the waters. It was chosen to set the stage for another Chronoswiss signature element, the flying tourbillon.
The flying tourbillon
For some time now, the tourbillon has become one of the favourite complications created by Chronoswiss. Majestically positioned at 6 o’clock, here it represents the metaphorical underworld passage through which time flows. It is part of the Calibre C.303, a manufacture hand-wound, semi-skeletonized movement with a 60-hour power reserve that indicates off-centre hours at 12 o’clock and central minutes. Parts of the movement are treated with a purple CVD coating and feature a Côtes de Genève pattern on the main plate, and openwork on both the bridges and the barrel.
The timepiece is housed in a 44mm stainless steel case, which is comprised of no less than 17 pieces, and comes with Chronoswiss’s signature onion crown and fluted decoration on the case middle. The timepiece is fitted with an alligator strap that glows with a purple hue at night. This optical surprise is a nod to bioluminescent creatures found at the bottom of the ocean. The strap is also lined with Alcantara for additional comfort.
"With the Open Gear Tourbillon Underworld, we invite the wearer to look beyond the veil," says Oliver Ebstein, CEO of Chronoswiss. "Some of our watchmakers might say it's a portal to the underworld of horology where the spirit of time is enshrined in every detail, from the partly skeletonized dial to the stunningly decorated manufacture movement."
With only 15 timepieces available, the Open Gear Tourbillon Underworld stands as both a celebration of Chronoswiss’s 40 years of watchmaking and an exclusive invitation to explore the underworld and the depths of time.
