Chronoswiss were the first brand to create a regulator movement for a wristwatch back in 1987 and have continued to produce them in a variety of different ways since then.
The Flying Grand Regulator was actually released a few years ago now, but when we had the opportunity to get our hands on one, we just had to write about it.
Chronoswiss, now based in Switzerland, was originally founded in Germany, in 1983 and by it’s own admission, within a few years of inception, the brand had become known and followed by “visionaries, pioneers and nonconformists”.
Massimiliano Grotto, Head of Sales, explains briefly how Chronoswiss has used this to their advantage to create this particular piece:
The idea of having such a striking timepiece in our collection simply embodies the core elements of Chronoswiss today. It is for sure not a timepiece for everyone, but only for those with a strong personality, that understand the handicraft and appreciate the attention to detail.
Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator Yellow/Black
Face & case
Presented in a 44mm stainless steel case, with a gloss black DLC coating to the front and crown; and a satin brushed finish around the sides. Knurling can be seen around the edge of the bezel too, something regularly seen on Chronoswiss pieces.
The dial has been constructed using multiple layers; the base is in a striking yellow, with an intricate guilloche pattern flowing out from the centre. The other layers are all in black, with highlight details mainly in red, but also some in yellow. There is quite a lot going on in the dial – although busy, the composition is organised.
Circling the dial is a galvanic black ring, with red minute markers showing numbers in multiples of 5, with single index markers for the remaining minutes. This disc is attached to 4 foundation blocks which are screwed on, giving the appearance that the disc is floating slightly above the main dial.
Two round sub dials can be seen at the top and bottom. Constructed as deep funnels, sitting on the dial, the hour display is slightly larger at 12 o’clock and the second display is at 6 o’clock. Hours are in yellow with Roman numerals and seconds are indexed in yellow, but indications for multiples of 10 seconds are shown in red on the top side of the second funnel.
The coral red regulator minute hand (which is lacquered and bent by hand) “flies” above all of the different layers.
There is also a third sub dial, which is nestled flat under the edges of the 2 larger funnels in the centre and is used to read minutes from the reverse end of the minute hand, when the minutes on the outer disc are obstructed by the hour sub dial’s funnel. The much smaller secondary minutes hand is connected close to the dial for more accurate reading.
This third sub dial is connected on both sides by a horizontal galvanic black line, which shows Chronoswiss on the left and the individual number of the piece painted by hand on the right.
Looking at the case from the side, the different finishing details can clearly be seen. The onion shaped crown is oversized, as are the lugs, which protrude quite a bit further away from the case than usually would be seen. Another detail you will notice is that the strap pins have screws at each corner to secure them.
Turn the watch over and the screw down case back is in satin black with a knurled edge, similar to the style of the bezel. The frame is relatively narrow, giving a clear view through the sapphire exhibition window. There is a lot of embossed text around the edge, including the brand’s name, model name, number, Swiss made and 30m water resistance.
There is a lot going on from the back too – much of the workings of the movement are visible; the bridges are coated black, with a circular Cotes de Geneve effect and they have been cut back by hand quite considerably to reveal the inner workings.
Colour wise, there is a spattering of steel from cogs and screw heads with different finishes, as well as the contrasting movement metals and purple rubies. There are also rhodium plated areas of the main plate with circular graining visible.
Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator Case Back
Movement
Powered by the manual wound Chronoswiss caliber C. 678, the movement is based on a Unitas, however has been highly modified and skeletonised.
Featuring a hand-crafted Glucydur balance, with stop seconds mechanism, Nivarox 1 balance spring, a swan-neck precision regulator, as well as Incabloc shock protection and 17 jewels, the regulator mechanism has also been developed in house.
Beating at 18.000 A/h (semi-oscillations), owners should expect around 46 hours power reserve.
Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator Side and Crown
Strap
The strap is in bright yellow hornback crocodile leather and is possibly the thickest leather strap I have ever seen. The big raised scales run down the centre of the strap and black stitching provides a good contrast against the case. The lining is black leather, with yellow contrasting stitching and with logos embossed into the leather.
A gloss black folding clasp is used to secure the strap; the Chronoswiss logo protruding out and up from the main body in a small raised circle.
Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator Strap and Buckle
Other stuff
Regulator clocks were first made in England around 1720 and were powered by weighted and geared mechanisms. Generally, clocks back then were only accurate to within about 5 minutes per week, however regulators could be accurate to within 10 seconds per month when properly adjusted.
By the mid-19th century, regulators were being mass-produced with high accuracy in Vienna, Austria. Initially used in observatories, during ocean navigation and for train timekeeping (employees would synchronize their pocket watches to these regulator clocks several times a day, which helped to reduce the number of train collisions), clock and watch repair shops also adopted their use as the standard of accuracy for repairs, synchronisation and manufacture,
In 1987 Chronoswiss was the first to use a large central minute hand, with separate hour and second indications in a wristwatch. This was the Régulateur, the world’s first serially manufactured wristwatch with a regulator-style display separating minutes, seconds and hours – a complete collection was then developed around this idea.
Chronoswiss have been manufacturing watches since 1983 and during this time they have managed to produce a number of other world firsts for watches:
- world’s first mechanical chronograph with moon phase indication and clear crystal case back.
- world’s first automatic chronograph with off-centre display of the hours and minutes (Kairos Chronograph)
- first serially manufactured, automatic, skeletonised chronograph. (Opus)
- patented the world’s first skeletonised, self-winding, split-seconds chronograph. (Pathos)
- world’s first tourbillon with a regulator dial and cantilevered tourbillon cage. (Régulateur à Tourbillon)
- world’s first regulator watch with a retrograde second hand. (Open Gear ReSec)
- world’s first automatic chronograph with a regulator complication. (Chronoscope)
- world’s first skeletonised, hand-engraved tourbillon regulator watch (Régulateur à Tourbillon Squelette)
- first watch brand to create a collection dedicated to cryptocurrency enthusiasts (Flying Regulator Open Gear Blockchain Series)
- world’s first regulator watch with a retrograde second hand (Open Gear ReSec)
And as well as Chronoswiss being a registered Trademark, they also have a number of other accomplishments to shout about:
- first exclusive automatic regulator movement (Chronoswiss Régulateur Automatique)
- patented their split-seconds (Chronograph Rattrapante).
- patented a reversible wristwatch with a unique top-hinged engineering solution. (Cabrio)
- Red Dot Design Award presented for the Flying Regulator Night and Day.
They selfbranded the Chronoswiss Regulator Classic Blue Steel the “bluest watch in existence” –the Open Gear Tourbillon was released earlier this year, which one might argue is even bluer!
Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator on the Wrist
Our verdict
This is a bold watch, by a brand who are not scared to push boundaries, both from a technical and design perspective.
I like bold. I also appreciate a brand which is willing to take chances, especially since this particular colour combination is definitely not going to be the choice of many and reading a regulator dial takes a bit of getting used to,
This yellow Flying Grand Regulator is supposed to be loud and it is supposed to be noticed – it is bright and appears big; the lugs protrude out to the width of my skinny wrists, but something draws me to it – perhaps I am a visionary, pioneer and/or nonconformist(?!)
It does appear large, but the elongated lugs actually have a sharp downwards curve, meaning it sits surprisingly well on the wrist. At 12.48mm from the wrist, it looks as though it should be higher, but sits well and don’t expect cuff wrestling will be required, unless catching on the lugs.
I should probably also mention that the oversized crown is actually great to wind the watch with, as it delivers such great grip and can easily be done on the wrist if required.
The only negative point I could raise, is when trying to get the strap to the correct size for my wrist, the thickness and toughness of the strap, meant it was a bit of a “challenge” when trying to change holes for the buckle fitting!! The good news is that once you have the correct size, deployment on/off is simple using the folding clasp.
At a price of 9,000 GBP, I would consider this a good value purchase – designed and manufactured in house, with much of the work being done by hand, many of the more traditional Swiss brands would be charging double if not considerably more. Everything about it just looks and feels exceptional quality.
There are only 30 pieces being made, so if you do decide to take a walk on the wild side, I doubt you will ever come across anyone else who owns, never mind is wearing the same piece at the same location as you.
For those who prefer more subtle colours, there are another 3 versions of the 6725 Flying Grand Regulators, as well as a couple of versions with fully skeletonised dials (6725S).
I’m actually quite excited to see what new releases bring from Chronoswiss, whether it’s another new technical world first, or another crazy colour combination.
Available to purchase from us while stocks last – BUY NOW
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