COVER STORY

NKEMKA UCHE

Chronoswiss Skeltec

A new Era in Skeletonising

Chronoswiss Skeltec

Case back: Screw-down case back with satin finish and sapphire crystal, Band width: 22 mm, Number of parts: 51, Diameter:45 mm, Height:15,15 mm, Finish: Sand blasted matt finish, Bezel: Polished and knurled, with curved, double coated anti-reflective sapphire crystal, Material: Stainless steel with DLC coating; bezel, crown, screws and back ring in 18 -karat red gold, Frequency:4 Hz (28,800 A/h), Number of jewels: 21, Power reserve: Approx. 48 hours, Movement: Manufacture caliber C.304, hand wound, Buckle: Pin buckle bicolor, Strap material: Calf skin and textile, Dial material: Skeletonized, galvanic black, matt finish, Displays: Central hours and minutes, Design of hands: Skeletonized, red-gold plated, Super-LumiNova inlays, Water resistance: 5 bar, Special features: Skeletonized manufacture movement, open balance wheel, skeletonized spring barrel

Chronoswiss was established in 1983 in the heyday of quartz timepieces by the renowned horologist skilled in the manufacture of watch movements, Gerd-Rüdiger Lang. Fascinated by timekeeping mechanisms, Gerd-Rüdiger was a co-author of “Chronograph wristwatches: To Stop Time”. Consequently, Chronoswiss pioneered many world firsts by adapting horological heritage to the wrist of watch lovers and quickly gained popularity with collectors during the revival of mechanical watchmaking in the early 1990’s.

In 2012, Oliver and Eva Ebstein bought Chronoswiss from GerdRüdiger Lang and relocated the atelier and headquarters to Lucerne, Switzerland. Under new ownership, Chronoswiss continues to push the boundaries in progressive 21st century watchmaking. The brand consistently combines traditional artisanal values with modern materials and innovative design.

Earlier in September, Chronoswiss released a modernized skeletonized watch called SkelTec featuring the beautifully exposed in-house caliber C.304. All the movement’s superfluous elements are removed to achieve an extremely transparent timepiece with contrasting materials. SkelTec comes in two versions; a stainless steel version with Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coated parts, and a DLC coated stainless steel version that’s accented with 18-karat red gold. Both versions feature sculptured cases with free-flowing curves representing the fluidity of time. The production of SkelTec’s radically progressive case design required new non-traditional techniques that were challenging to perfect, truly a new era for skeletonizing. Head of design at Chronoswiss, Maik Panziera, explains that “in other industries, such free-flowing forms can be easily implemented with injection molding. However, since you cannot achieve a high-quality result with stainless steel in the watch sector, the difficulty lay in implementing this organic design on a five-axis CNC machine.”

SkelTec visually represents Chronoswiss’s ability to invent innovative timepieces that combine modern design with over thirty years of skeletonizing mastery. There are no excess parts on this watch. Furthermore, the use of negative space and contrasting materials transform the dial into a captivating work of art void of distraction. SkelTec is a fresh take on contemporary skeletonizing yet it successfully preserves traditional Chronoswiss design cues like the knurled bezel and onion shaped ring.

SkelTec is available at Zakaa Luxury, a subsidiary of Hole 19 group, Chronoswiss official brand partner in West Africa.