Via his development firm Chronode, Jean-François Mojon is Cyrus’ go-to watchmaker. Mojon likes to think out of the box, and his idea of what a chronograph should look like has given us DICE, standing for Double Independent Chronograph Evolution. The initial aim is quite straightforward: measuring two periods of time independently. Given this challenge, most watchmaking aficionados would instantly think in terms of an existing complication, the split-seconds function.
That’s not quite what’s been asked for, though: while a split-seconds complication can measure two events of different durations, both must start at the same time. The Cyrus double chronograph does more than that: it measures two durations irrespective of when either starts or finishes; the two time periods are entirely independent of each other.
Two in one
In theory, two chronographs would be required to perform this feat. DICE gives you that — but in a single case. Ultimately, the result is far simpler than most of the complications generally used in watchmaking.
DICE’s aesthetics are indeed designed to emphasise just how simple it is: blue hands running along a blue scale, triggered by a blue pusher, mirrored on the other side of the case by the same layout in red. It’s child’s play!
The use of a monopusher only serves to highlight the approach. It’s a smart move, too: it makes the case look much less cluttered and chronograph operations are easier, with a single pusher covering start, stop, and reset functions. And just to make sure the hands don’t overlap from the outset (which of course they would if their starting point was at noon in both cases), one of the DICE chronographs starts at 12 o’clock, the other at 6 o’clock. Here too, the idea appears to be simplicity itself; the genius was coming up with it in the first place.
A highly technical movement
As one can imagine, squeezing two monopusher chronographs into a single case and movement is however anything but child’s play. The piece is powered by a new calibre, the CYR718, packed with no fewer than 443 components. The two chronographs are mounted on two independent base-plates while nonetheless sharing a single 218-component module, so theoretically they could be added to any other base movement. To make room for his complication, Jean-François Mojon devised a concentric minutes mechanism for the watch itself. This is more compact and mounted coaxially to the hand shafts.
In a traditional single chronograph, activating the rockers generates an impact and disperses quite a large amount of energy, especially during resetting, when the hammer comes into contact with the heart-shaped cam. For the DICE design, Jean-François Mojon thus took care to keep both chronograph mechanisms isolated to prevent any unwelcome interference. Each of the chronographs has its own column wheel; despite sharing the same barrel and escapement, each operates without influencing the other. Another noteworthy detail is that the movement has been reversed so that it can be viewed from the dial side.
Cyrus Klepcys DICE
CASE: cushion-type case, titanium, water resistant to 100 metres
DIMENSIONS: 42 x 42mm
MOVEMENT: mechanical, automatic winding CYR718 calibre, 443 components, 51 jewels, frequency: 4Hz; 55-hour power reserve
FUNCTIONS: central hours and minutes hands, small seconds hand at 9 o’clock, double chronograph independent 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, one red and one blue hand, two central hands for chronograph seconds, red hand with reset to 12 o’clock and blue hand with reset to 6 o’clock
DIAL: openworked, sapphire crystal hour chapter and counters, two visible column wheels, luminous openworked hands
STRAP: Grey Cordura with titanium folding clasp and additional rubber strap
LAUNCH YEAR: 2021
This year GMT Magazine and WorldTempus have embarked on the ambitious project of summarising the chronograph since the year 2000 in The Millennium Watch Book - Chronographs, a big, beautifully laid out coffee table book. This article is an extract. The Millennium Watch Book - Chronographs is available in both French and English here.
