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Chronoswiss Creates Their First In-House Manufacture Caliber

Luxury Watches: 2009 Brought quite a few advancements to the technological world as we know it, changing the way we drive a car and how we read a book; all the way down to how time is told. Baselworld brought us many of these advancements, and as the technology gets better, craftsmanship gets finer, and the pieces themselves become more exclusive.

The new Sauterelle stands as a landmark in major-hitter Chronoswiss’s history as their first ever timepiece with an in-house manufacture caliber, bringing the brand one step closer to becoming a true manufacture. The new caliber has been placed in two models, each with a distinct personality and focus. With a classic three-hand edition and an unusual edition with a regulator-style dial, the timepiece connoisseur is forced to choose between them.

In the time-telling community, watchmakers tend to fall into two categories: mechanical and quartz. A true purist wouldn’t be caught wearing a quartz movement, but only the real thing: a watch ticking solely from the power of an entirely mechanical system.

Both editions of the Sauterelle makes a different impact, but with a lot of the same main elements. The dials are both crisp and clean, bordered by elegant seconds indices, encased in the brushed and polished 44mm case.

Apart from their appearance of seemingly effortless performance, the watch contains a purely mechanical movement powerful enough to allow the elongated second hand to march forward only every full second. Traditional seconds hands move forward at the pace of one-fifth of a second, but the sophistication of the movement in the Sauterelle allows for the controlled movement of central jump seconds. Through the careful work of the additional small gear train, five semi-oscillations of the balance in tandem with a small spring are counted before the second hand can make its precise jump forward to the next index. This action takes place every second.

Sauterelle 71’s dial has Roman numeral-marked hours at 8 o’clock and numbered minutes at 4 o’clock, taking its inspiration from the “Régulateur”, which introduced the regulator-type dial to the timepiece industry as well as the typical Chronoswiss case with its screwed strap lugs and onion-shaped crown. Sauterelle 70 boasts the highly polished, iconic case but with three, blued hands and bold blue hour indexes on the dial, which comes in either black or white, unlike the 71 that is available only in white.

In addition to moving into the world of individual watch manufactures, Chronoswiss has been busy with the opening of their first boutique in the United States. Opened just last month on November 9th, the new location on West Broadway in New York’s trendy SoHo area adds to the highly exclusive retail network of Chronoswiss North America.

Both the Sauterelle timepieces and the new Boutique in New York represent Chronoswiss’s dedication to the tradition of exceptional watch making and true, precision craftsmanship. As the end of 2009 quickly approaches, all minds are on Baselworld 2010 and what innovations will be brought to the industry next.

For JustLuxeKate Prihoda



JL Staff

The JustLuxe Team strives to bring our members and readers the very best in luxury news and conversations. We love to hear your opinions and suggestions, but most of all, we love to interact with you. ...(Read More)

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