The appetiser was enticing, but deceptive. On its website, ahead of the official announcement, Chronoswiss offered a preview of its new creation, the Pulse GMT, through a single enigmatic component. An openworked circle, finely guillochéd. Almost certainly the rotor of the future collection, as suggested by its large central opening, designed to allow it to rotate. Except that the component in question was in fact... the dial, not the rotor. A clever move from Chronoswiss, the independent workshop that has a taste for the unexpected and the unconventional.
Simply double
The Pulse GMT now unveiled is simple, yet double. Simple because it is, technically, a watch displaying two time zones on its dial — hence its name. On the left, a 24-hour zone. On the right, local time on 12 hours. Minutes and seconds are central.
But double, because the reference is already available in two variations. The first is a silver guillochéd version. It is indeed the shade that is referred to here, not the material: the 41mm case is titanium, the dial brass, the rotor tungsten.
The second variation takes a more artisanal approach. The dial is in grey gold, "hand-guilloché" then enamelled with multiple layers of blue, adorned with star-shaped paillons, cut and positioned by hand, before being covered with a final layer of translucent enamel.
A tribute to traditional watchmaking finishing
Both pieces join the Pulse Collection which, until now, comprised a single reference, a regulator in the purest Chronoswiss spirit, and also the first product to feature an integrated steel bracelet. The Lucerne workshop's style remains very much present, with its interplay of circles - the brand working almost exclusively with curves and arcs, and never straight lines, save for the occasional lug or cartouche. Other distinctive features of the Pulse collection include a fluted bezel and, above all, a far more restrained use of colour. The Pulse regulator exists only in salmon or blue dial variants, deliberately classic choices.
The new Pulse GMT follows the same path: a silver version and a gold version with a blue guilloché dial. No chromatic extravagance. One senses that the brand is exploring more accessible territory, complementing the very understated Small Second, allowing new customers to enter through sobriety and simplicity before, perhaps, venturing towards more assertive models such as the Gravity, Resec or Space Timer.
Doing as much, with less
The exercise of the new Pulse GMT is all the more demanding for it: how does one convey the Chronoswiss spirit without the full chromatic palette, an exuberant complication, or an open dial? The answer is manifold. First, through guillochage, the true aesthetic signature of the brand, covering the dial of each Pulse GMT variation extensively.
The second element is the three-dimensional character of the dial, another essential trait of the Chronoswiss personality. The brand constantly plays with volumes, openings and depth. The Pulse GMT is no exception. Both time displays (local and home time) are expressed on domed surfaces. The hands are faceted and curved. The indices are applied. And notably, the case middle is in fact doubly fluted: on the bezel side, but also on the caseback side, a far rarer execution.
The Pulse GMT may therefore serve two purposes. The first, explicit one: to offer a more understated and controlled entry point for customers new to the Chronoswiss universe. But also a subtler one: to appeal to more traditional collectors with a piece of apparently classical construction that is, in reality, executed in a uniquely singular way. A neat double move.
