Chronoswiss Delphis Sapphire Watch Review
The Chronoswiss Delphis Sapphire is inspired by the past, pays tribute to time-served traditions and upholds some of the design codes found on the brand’s watches of the 90s. However, it also looks very modern with its use of vibrant colours and various three-dimensional dial structures. Angus Davies looks at the origin of the brand, this latest creation and laments the passing of the company’s founder Gerd-Rüdiger Lang last year.
Chronoswiss founded in 1983
Gerd-Rüdiger Lang founded Chronoswiss in 1983. At the time, I suspect the launch of his firm may have seemed ill-timed. Huge swathes of the watch industry had dumped traditional mechanical movements in favour of newfangled quartz. However, on reflection, Lang’s timing was perfect. A new breed of horophiles were yearning for something more charismatic than the bland battery-powered upstarts that had ravaged the watch industry.
Gerd-Rüdiger Lang
Lang, a man considered a chronograph specialist, took inspiration from historical regulator clocks. These highly precise instruments were the preserve of watchmaking workshops. Used as a reference for setting other clocks and watches, regulators typically featured a dominant minute hand with hours and seconds shown on subsidiary dials. Herr Lang had the inspired idea of miniaturising the regulator clock and adapting it for the wrist. Over the years, Chronoswiss has become synonymous with the regulator wristwatch. Several other brands have followed suit, sometimes releasing attractive alternatives, but Chronoswiss will forever be linked with this horological genre.
Chronoswiss product portfolio
Some pop groups seem incapable of playing more than one style of music. Likewise, several actors are typecast, seemingly restricted to performing only one role. In the watch world, some brands have a product portfolio limited to one type of watch; however, this is not an accusation that can be levelled at Chronoswiss. On the contrary, this premium marque has always been a highly versatile producer of fine watches. Three-handers, chronographs, rattrapantes and skeleton watches, Lang’s creativity was boundless and the firm’s present-day portfolio remains extensive.
Chronoswiss ‘catalog’
Before I wrote about watches for living, I was a self-confessed ‘watch-geek’; to be honest, I still am. I recall visiting Baselworld over 20 years ago and seeing Herr Lang with his daughter by his side, stood front of house on the Chronoswiss stand. If I close my eyes, I can still see him wearing large spectacles with crimson-coloured frames, stood behind a pile of green hardback books. Somewhat star-struck, I did not dare to speak to him and simply walked away with a Chronoswiss book clasped in my sweaty hand. Flying back to Manchester, I thumbed through the hardback book, aka the ‘catalog’, and marvelled at the watches presented. Nestling in the book, amidst numerous references, was a watch quite unlike anything I had seen before; the Chronoswiss Delphis.
Chronoswiss Delphis Sapphire introduction
To my shame, I had forgotten about the Delphis until recently when I received a press release from the brand, announcing the unveiling of the Chronoswiss Delphis Sapphire. Faithful to the 90s model, the topography of this new dial features a jumping hour below 12 o’clock, an arcing minute track with a retrograde hand sweeping round the upper dial region and a small seconds display positioned at 6 o’clock. It’s a dial configuration that looked perfect back in the day and it still looks perfect today.
However, Chronoswiss has not languished in the past. The classical silver-hued guilloché dial of the past is now suffused with a vibrant coat of sapphire blue PVD. A double-spoke arcing bridge straddles the dial between 3:30 and 8:30, supporting the openworked minute hand. A smaller bridge, executed in the same style, braces the small seconds display, again executed in blue guilloché. The dial plays with depths, presenting constituent elements at different heights, augmenting its visual appeal.
The selfwinding Enicar 165 of the 90s is supplanted by the modern-day ‘Chronoswiss manufacture calibre C.6004 automatic’ movement. Developed in collaboration with movement specialist La Joux Perret, the calibre C.6004 is fitted with a ‘skeletonised tungsten rotor, ruthenium-plated components and Côtes de Genève rayonnantes’. The watch has a stated power-reserve of 55 hours.
Chronoswiss Delphis Sapphire additional comments
There are some points that deserve further comment. The guillochè on this new model is executed by hand, using a traditional rose-engine lathe (see my interview with Maik Panziera of Chronoswiss and my review of the Chronoswiss Flying Regulator Open Gear CH-8753-YEBK). This traditional artisanal technique endows the display with an extraordinary allure that is sadly lacking with dials decorated using stamping or CNC techniques.
Today, Chronoswiss is based in Lucerne and is owned and operated by Oliver Ebstein. It has embraced new ideas, but it has retained some of the design elements synonymous with Herr Lang, such as the onion-shaped crown gracing many of the firm’s models as well as a fluted bezel. Back in the 90s, the Delphis had a case diameter of 38 mm; however, the new Chronoswiss Delphis Sapphire is larger, measuring 42 mm. Personally, I prefer the sizing of this new model.
Closing remarks
The new Chronoswiss Delphis Sapphire is a handsome watch and showcases the brand’s artisanal prowess and extraordinary creativity. The model respects the past while wholeheartedly embracing the here and now. Moreover, this watch demonstrates that under the stewardship of the current owner, Oliver Ebstein, Chronoswiss has a bright future.
Sadly, Gerd-Rüdiger Lang passed away in March 2023. He deserves the respect of all horophiles, not only for establishing Chronoswiss but for playing a role in helping to rejuvenate the watch industry and, in particular, the resurgence of mechanical watchmaking. I wish I had shaken his hand when I had the chance.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Chronoswiss Delphis Sapphire
- Reference: CH-1423.1-BKBL1
- Case: stainless steel, diameter 42 mm, height 14.5 mm, water resistance 10 ATM (100 metres) sapphire crystals to the front and back
- Functions: jumping hours, retrograde minutes, small seconds
- Movement: Chronoswiss Manufacture caliber C.6004, automatic movement, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), contains 37 jewels, power reserve of approximately 55 hours
- Strap: rubber strap with steel folding clasp
- Price: €17,400 (RRP as of 22.2.2024)
- Limited Edition: 50 pieces