Chronoswiss ReSec Vertical Blue Manufacture Watch Review
The Chronoswiss ReSec Vertical Blue Manufacture was unveiled at Watches & Wonders 2024. A wonderful demonstration of the brand’s hand-guilloché expertise and fitted with a new Manufacture movement, this latest product of Lucerne makes a compelling case for selection.
Chronoswiss watch
Chronoswiss, the Lucerne-based watch brand, founded in 1983, has always adopted a unique approach to crafting watches. While some brands dwell in the past and others embrace modernity, Chronoswiss chooses to celebrate traditions while simultaneously portraying time in an array of vibrant colours. This approach was much in evidence recently at Watches & Wonders 2024 when the Swiss marque released a new eye-popping creation, the Chronoswiss ReSec Vertical Blue Manufacture.
Chronoswiss ReSec Vertical Blue Manufacture dial
In common with several Chronoswiss references, the ReSec Vertical Blue Manufacture is a regulator, indicating the minutes with a dominant central hand and the hours on an off-centre dial below noon. Not content with seducing the onlooker with this unusual arrangement, Chronoswiss has adopted a full Mrs Robinson come-hither strategy with the three-dimensional raised hour track, revealing tantalising glimpses of wheels and an arcing seconds hand at the base of the dial. And when I say seconds hand, I don’t mean the vanilla type you see everywhere. No, this second hand flits from right to left and back, coquettishly flirting with the onlooker’s affections. It’s a very naughty dial indeed.
The dial’s epidermis is endowed with vertical Côtes de Genève, a traditional form of decoration usually found adorning a high-end movement. In this instance, the brand has imparted the motif to the dial using a rose engine lathe. Sometimes termed ‘hand-guilloché’, this traditional technique is a speciality of the House. Back in 2020, I visited the brand’s atelier and made reference to the brand’s approach to hand-guilloché in my review of the Chronoswiss Flying Regulator Open Gear CH-8753-YEBK. As you will be able to ascertain from this feature, the making of such a dial is protracted and requires much expertise on the part of the artisan.
With this latest timepiece, Chronoswiss has suffused the dial and flange with a CVD coating, executed in a becoming shade of blue. The flange is punctuated with cylindrical blocks of Super-LumiNova, augmenting readability in dim light. Quite simply, this model is blessed with a beautiful face; something that is evident day or night.
Grade 5 titanium case
Besides its sultry smile, the Chronoswiss ReSec Vertical Blue Manufacture has a lightweight torso, formed of Grade 5 titanium. This form of titanium is becoming increasingly popular within the watch industry. Not to be confused with its cheaper Grade 2 sibling, Grade 5 is stronger and can be polished to a high sheen. This premium alloy is non-magnetic, not liable to corrosion and is also hypoallergenic.
Measuring 42 mm in diameter and consistent with other Chronoswiss models, this latest reference features an onion-shaped crown. The case is dressed in a tasteful blend of polished and satin finished surfaces. To the rear of the case, a pane of sapphire crystal grants sight of the Chronoswiss Manufacture Caliber C. 6005.
Chronoswiss Manufacture Caliber C. 6005
This automatic movement has been made in collaboration with La Joux Perret. Consistent with the brand’s love for contemporary design, it has a grey complexion courtesy of ruthenium-plating. The bridges are adorned with Côtes de Genève rayonnantes, the screws are highly polished and the transmission and ratchet wheels are embellished with a sunburst motif. The felloe of the openworked oscillating weight runs in a channel encircling the bridges. Termed a ‘trottoir’, this channel helps to mitigate the thickness of the movement. Assuming the mainspring is fully tensioned, the movement will run autonomously for 55 hours.
Chronoswiss ReSec Vertical Blue Manufacture – closing remarks
Peruse the brand’s website or literature and you may well notice its succinct strapline ‘Modern Mechanical’, two words which ably summarise its products and overall ethos. By embracing traditional hand-guilloché, reimagining it with the use of vibrant colours and expressing dial motifs in new ways, Chronoswiss has conceived another horological temptress capable of separating a horophile from his/her money. Factor in a Grade 5 titanium case and a Manufacture movement and you have a very enticing prospect indeed.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Chronoswiss ReSec Vertical Blue Manufacture
- Reference: CH-6923T.1-BL
- Case: Grade 5 titanium, diameter 42 mm, height 14.2 mm, water resistance 10 ATM (100 metres) sapphire crystals to the front and back
- Functions: hours shown on an off-centre dial, central minutes, retrograde seconds
- Movement: Chronoswiss Manufacture caliber C.6005, automatic movement, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), contains 31 jewels, power reserve of approximately 55 hours
- Strap: rubber strap and folding clasp
- Price: €14,800 (RRP as of 1.5.2024)
- Limited Edition: 100 pieces