To celebrate it, the house has unveiled the "21-42" model, a masterful edition, technical and true to the collection's DNA.
When talking about Eberhard & Co., motorsport is never far away. It's hard to separate the history of the Swiss manufacture from that of beautiful cars, roaring engines, and screeching tires on tracks. This passion for mechanics is evident in a collection of timepieces dedicated to the legendary driver Tazio Nuvolari, or in nods to the dashboards of competitive cars of the era in certain designs. One model perfectly embodies the automotive vein of the house and its passion for chronography: the Chrono 4. This iconic piece by Eberhard & Co., celebrated for its four aligned counters, is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. The occasion for the brand to unveil new variations with the "Chrono 4 21-42".
The story of the "Chrono 4" begins in 1999 with an idea as simple as it is radical. Tired of the classic bicompax or tricompax layouts, Palmiro Monti, then President of the brand, dreamed of a chronograph that would display its four counters in a linear fashion, a more logical, intuitive, and above all unprecedented arrangement in the watchmaking industry. A dream that imposed serious mechanical constraints. To horizontally align minutes, hours, 24 hours, and small seconds on the dial, everything had to be rethought, both in terms of technique, mechanics, and aesthetics. Two years of research and development were necessary for Palmiro Monti and his teams to invent a complex device that was the subject of a technical patent and a registered model. Baselworld 2001 saw the birth of the "Chrono 4", the first Eberhard & Co. model of the new millennium, and the first and only in the history of watchmaking to have four counters aligned at the center of the dial.
Unprecedented aesthetics, fluid reading, mastered complexity: the success was immediate. Many versions have emerged since, in 40, 42, 43, or 46 mm diameters, in steel, gold, or titanium, all powered by the house's automatic movement. The timepiece is available in a "Géant" version with a bold size (46 mm), in "Temerario" with its barrel shape, in limited editions for Jackie Chan or the motorcycle rider and world champion Loris Capirossi. In two decades, the "Chrono 4" has established itself as a true signature of Eberhard & Co.
To celebrate the twenty years of its flagship model, the house has unveiled a new variation named "Chrono 4 21-42". Its name directly references its year of birth, 2021, and its case diameter, 42 mm, a deliberately modest dimension after the assumed excesses of the "Géant" version. This return to a more classic size is accompanied by in-depth work on details, finishes, and aesthetic balance. Two versions are available on a steel case, the first with a steel bezel and the second, more sporty, with a ceramic bezel equipped with a tachymetric scale. The screwed back is adorned with a relief medallion proudly displaying the inscription "21-42" in a beautifully sandblasted finish. On the dial side, the offer is generous.
Always protected by a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment, each dial adheres to the visual grammar established by the collection: "Clous de Paris" pattern, counters with azurage finish, luminescent indexes, and date window at 12 o'clock. The colors play skillfully on contrasts: total black look, silver or bluish gray, black dial and white sub-counters and conversely for a more traditional "panda" and "reverse panda" style. The hands, in the shape of skeletonized daggers, have a luminous tip, and the whole of course retains this unique visual signature of four perfectly aligned counters, like those of a racing car fixed by its driver. At the heart of the watch, the EB 251 movement on an ETA base remains loyal, with its 53 jewels and its patented chronograph system. The bracelets, too, will satisfy all contemporary preferences and adapt to all styles. All models are available on a steel bracelet, black rubber, or alligator leather.
More than a tribute, this "Chrono 4 21-42" is proof that the concept imagined in 2001 remains modern and reinvents itself with style. Twenty years later, the line of this watch made to last has not aged a day and continues to assert its strong identity in a watchmaking landscape of often very standardized chronographs.
