BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
Chronoswiss is one of the few brands that immediately come to mind when thinking of Regulator Style watches. And while the brand offers a range of classically styled Regulator watches, what makes them special in my opinion is products such as the new Open Gear Tourbillon, that showcase their modern take on the genre. This new offering pays is fully dressed in blue and celebrates the 20th anniversary of the world’s first serially produced Tourbillon launched by Chronoswiss in the year 2000.
Just a passing glance is all it takes to see that it is the case and the dial that makes this watch stand out. Crafted from stainless-steel, the case measures a relatively large 44mm with a thickness of around 13.35mm. The case exhibits a very familiar Chronoswiss design DNA with the knurled bezel and the chunky downward angled lugs with screws. However, it is the electric blue CBD coating on the case that gives it a striking identity, something that I have never witnessed before on any other watch. The case offers 100 meters of water-resistance, making this a versatile timepiece.
Like the case, the dial on this watch makes a strong visual statement with the entirely blue color scheme. The dial exhibits a layered architecture and comprises 42 parts. Sitting at the top is the funnel-shaped hour display, skeletonized wheel bridges, and the cylindrical Superluminova indexes along with the minute track. A level below is the intricate guilloche layer that has been hand-engraved by expert artisans at Chronoswiss. And finally, at the lowermost level, you have a Côtes de Genève pattern along with a large circular opening that proudly displays the Tourbillon mechanism. Reading time is made possible using well-proportioned triangular hands that have also been filled with luminous paint for enhanced low light readability.
Flipping the watch over reveals the backside of the manufacture calibre C.303. A manually wound movement the C303 comprises 23 jewels, operates at 4 Hz, and offers a power reserve of around 60 hours. The movement like the case has been CVD coated and shows off the main plate with Côtes de Genève, skeletonized bridges with a circular satin finish, balance wheel galvanic anthracite, skeletonized spring barrel, polished screws.
The new Chronoswiss Open Gear Tourbillon comes attached to a blue crocodile strap with white contrast stitching. The production run is limited to just 15 pieces, and the watch would retail for EUR 39,000.
