Chronoswiss
Introducing Grail Watch 5: Chronoswiss Opus Blue
Chronoswiss
Introducing Grail Watch 5: Chronoswiss Opus Blue
The world’s first serially produced automatic skeleton chronograph returns with a blue grade 5 titanium case and an arresting luminous signature.
The year before, Günter Blümlein had unveiled his vision for German watchmaking to contend with the Swiss horological juggernauts in the form of the Lange 1 and Pour le Mérite Tourbillon. In 1995, a cult Italian watch brand formerly the tool of the nation’s naval diving unit, Officine Panerai, was just starting to gain mass appeal through its collaboration with actor Sylvester Stallone on the famous “Sly Tech” model worn in his film Daylight. Yet by 1995, Gerd-Rüdiger Lang, a watchmaker turned entrepreneur, was already 12 years into the highly successful trajectory of his brand Chronoswiss.
’90s Horological Symbols
In 1995, Chronoswiss launched a timepiece that for me as a young man became the object of considerable obsession. This was the Opus, the first serially produced skeletonized automatic chronograph replete with date indicator integrated into the subdial at three o’clock. From the moment I first set eyes on this stunning timepiece in a Japanese watch magazine, I loved it.
Reinventing Aesthetic Codes
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, Chronoswiss went through several tough years. Finally in 2012, Gerd Lang looked for a suitable candidate to take over his family business. He found it in one of his clients, avid watch collector Oliver Ebstein. Over the last decade, I observed as Ebstein sought to connect the values of Chronoswiss with a watch industry that was evolving and gaining a new base with millennial and even Gen Z customers.
With that, Ebstein began his stride at Chronoswiss. Suddenly, the Regulator that was created back in 1988 reappeared with a shimmering electric blue case, dial and hand set as a “Blue Steel” version. Then, with the addition of that three-dimensional bridge connecting the minute and hour wheels, replete with purple case and dial came the amusingly named “Purple Haze.” Perhaps the most wildly libidinous of these watches was the recently released “Candy Shop,” where almost every element on the dial receives a different color treatment. Says Ebstein, “We forged a partnership with a family-owned specialist company in La Chaux-de-Fonds.”
Grail Watch 5: Chronoswiss Opus Blue
Over the course of a bucolic Lucerne afternoon, the subject soon turned to a potential collaboration.
If you’ve followed the evolution of Revolution and Grail Watch limited editions, you’ll know that the Luminous Signature of watches is something of a major obsession for me. The first watches focused around this theme were the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo GMT Chronographs — the “White Light” in a titanium case, and the “Nuclear Option” in a black ceramic case. We’ve also launched several accessibly priced watches, including a Bamford GMT Snoopy “Joe Cool” as well as a Jacques Bianchi “Méduse” that featured creative use of Luminova. At the end of last year, Grail Watch launched its collaboration with the incredible Trilobe, unveiling Une Folle Soirée, a watch where all the indications as well as every bevel of the movement’s baseplate were painted with luminous material.
Thinking about it, I realized what I missed was the sense of chromatic energy created by Ebstein’s input in recent years. If you know me, you’ll understand that I have a penchant for blue watches, in particular the blue thermal-treated grade 5 titanium horological finery created by Denis Flageollet of De Bethune. My most recent acquisition has been a blue ceramic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, which I’ve had a very hard time taking off. So Ebstein and I went back to the drawing board and came up with the watch you now see, the Grail Watch Chronoswiss Opus Blue.
He explains, “This is still highly resistant but as it’s a lighter colored coating than DLC, it creates a beautiful translucency where you can see all the finish on the case. It was important to us that the high polish applied to the pushers, bezel and crown contrasted by the vertical brushing applied to the caseband was still visible. The particularity about CVD is that it does react to wear and creates a kind of patina effect. However, as soon as you wash the watch, it returns to new. As such, we’ve paired the watch with a blue textile strap and stainless steel deployant clasp, so you can wear it while playing sports or even in the pool.”
Finally, we had a lot of back and forth on the hands. My initial idea was to use blue steel units for the hours and minutes, and gold ones for the chronograph indications. My rationale was that they would be visible against the luminous background. But Ebstein decided instead to have highly luminous hour and minute hands. Once I saw these fitted to the watch, I was sold. It is incredibly cool to see these ultra bright hands glowing in a contrasting color to the already highly luminous dial. Says Ebstein, “When you explained to me about Luminous Signature and how this was one of the codes of your collaborations, I thought if we are going to do this, let’s go all the way. The result is a watch that in its blue colorway is beautiful to behold in the light, and in the dark it transforms into an altogether different nocturnal animal powered by a high wattage dial and hands.”
Tech Specs
Grail Watch 5: Chronoswiss Opus Blue
Reference: CH-7543T.2S-LU
Movement: Self-winding caliber C.741S; 46-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph and date
Case: 41mm; blue CVD-coated grade 5 titanium; water resistant to 100m
Dial: Skeletonized with luminescent coating
Strap: Marine blue Cordura textile with stainless steel folding clasp; additional marine blue calf leather
Price: CHF 13,300
Availability: Limited and numbered edition of 30 pieces
Grail Watch 5: Chronoswiss Opus Blue is available to the public for purchase on GrailWatch.com on 13 February 2023, 10pm SGT / 9am EST/ 3pm CET. For enquiries, email [email protected].