Chronoswiss Recalls Its Rich History Through Two Stone-Dial Small Second Novelties

Chronoswiss unveils two new stone-dial configurations for its Small Second collection — the Small Second Jasper and Serpentine. These two watches mark the first use of natural stone dials in the brand’s Modern Mechanical era. Each limited edition of 50 pieces retains the same 40 × 50 × 11.5mm case introduced in 2025. Along with those dimensions, the 17-part case features the signature fluted bezel and onion crown. One of these novelties features a natural polished serpentine stone for the main dial, while the other contains a matte natural jasper stone. Both include a hand-guilloché sub-seconds register and a fine, sandblasted galvanic black finish within the hollowed-out lugs. Watches like these are “simple” on paper, but you can bet that taking a closer look would reveal many beautiful details. Let us go ahead and do that.

Allow me to use some Gen Z lingo to contextualize and humanize Chronoswiss’s work in the past two years: “they’ve been cooking.” The brand was founded in Munich in 1983 by Gerd-Rüdiger Lang during the aftermath of the Quartz Crisis. Mr. Lang became known for championing mechanical watchmaking when much of the industry had embraced quartz. However, since 2012, the company has been based in Lucerne, Switzerland, under the direction of Oliver Ebstein. This location change is very important to this release; just bear with me. Following its Modern Mechanical philosophy, today’s Chronoswiss is all about contemporary design. And the brand’s visual identity is unmatched. A time-only collection like the Small Second shouldn’t, technically, have all this personality. With Chronoswiss, and especially now with the stone dials, it has all of that and more. Allow me to expand.

Germany and Switzerland told through stone

This is much more than a stone-dial take on a base collection. Chronoswiss is actually paying homage to its German and Swiss roots. In my previous paragraph, I told you how the brand was initially founded in Munich and later moved to Lucerne. These new pieces are, in fact, a million-year-old geological tribute to the four decades of Chronoswiss’s independent watchmaking legacy. So, the idea here was to use materials shaped not by human hands but, rather, by time. The symbolism is pretty niche. One version features jasper, a national stone from Germany, honoring Chronoswiss’s birthplace and the vision of its founder. The other model features a Swiss serpentine stone as a tribute to the country where the maison is thriving today. Together, they symbolize the past and the present — the roots and the fruits.

Natural stone dials have been enjoying a “resurgence” in recent years. Today, Chronoswiss is giving us quite the story to go along with its stone executions. The substance and context are deeply rooted (pun intended). I say that because the geological story behind these dials began long before the brand. The serpentine stone originates from the region surrounding Zermatt and the Matterhorn, and it was once part of an ancient ocean floor. Its name comes from the Latin word serpens, meaning “serpent,” which makes sense when you appreciate its snakeskin texture. On the other hand, the jasper stone, often referred to as the “painted stone of the earth,” is celebrated for its mesmerizing diversity of colors and patterns. This stone is historically associated with Idar-Oberstein, Europe’s traditional gemstone-cutting capital.

A homogeneous Small Second package

The story of the Small Second Jasper and Serpentine is beautiful, and the watches, as objects of incredible design, are too. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to most of you, fellow watch nerds, if I said that each Chronoswiss piece displays mind-blowing details. That’s because you’d remember the Neo Digiteur Chronos, Pulse GMT Enamel Sky Gold, or something like the Opus Chronograph Dakar Sundown. By that logic, I want you to imagine the same excellence projected on these unique stone-dial watches. That’s because, as a universal natural law, no two stone dials are ever the same. Patterns reveal themselves differently, and textures, colors, and shades can’t be replicated exactly, hence the “natural” in “natural stone.”

The Small Second Jasper displays warm beige, brown, and ivory tones. They form a captivating, desert-like landscape, evoking images of ancient rock layers and the beauty of the passing time necessary for geological depth to form and become the art we appreciate. And to have it all housed in a 40mm stainless steel case is grounding in a way. It serves as a blank canvas for the stone to project its personality. The Sepentine sister offers a vivid green dial with great natural depth and character. The stone’s structure reveals itself with different lighting conditions and orientations. To accentuate the rich texture of the dial, Chronoswiss pairs it with an elegant two-tone case in stainless steel and 18K red gold. This emphasizes the contrast between historical natural elements and contemporary craftsmanship.

The Modern Mechanical philosophy at play

The Small Second collection is the perfect canvas for Chronoswiss’s identity, aka Modern Mechanical. We can appreciate that in its 40 × 50mm 17-part case, with its 11.5mm profile facilitating the inclusion of all the rich details. Those would be the polished and fluted bezel, the streamlined onion crown, the fine sandblasted galvanic black finish inside the carved-out lugs, and a curved sapphire crystal, creating a 100% Chronoswiss package. However, beyond aesthetics, beneath the dial beats the Chronoswiss Manufacture C.6000. Developed with La Joux-Perret, this automatic caliber has a 55-hour power reserve and excellent finishing visible through the case back’s sapphire display, including a skeletonized tungsten rotor and Geneva-striped bridges. The C.6000 controls the small-seconds sub-dial at 9, which features traditional, hand-applied guilloché. Everything works in favor of the main character — the stone dial.

Thoughts and takeaways

Now, let’s get real and in touch with the reality of what we’re looking at here. Chronoswiss did an absolutely amazing job with these two releases, starting mainly with the stone choices. Tiger’s eye is cool, jade is nice, onyx is elegant, and lapis lazuli is pretty, but serpentine and jasper are another level of niche. The aesthetics and natural beauty speak for themselves, but in this case, it’s all taken on a deeper character thanks to the references to the brand’s German and Swiss roots. I find the two pieces complete, as I described them earlier, because the collection offers the room necessary for such textures and forms to take the spotlight.

I always say that I have a weakness for over-engineered/over-designed time-only watches. And I feel like the entire Small Second collection is the perfect canvas for such efforts. At €12,700 / US$13,900 / £12,200 / CHF 11,500 for the Small Second Jasper and €18,500 / US$21,300 / £17,900 / CHF 16,900 for the Small Second Serpentine, we find ourselves in front of a multi-part case allowing different finishes and complex geometry that would be impossible with a conventional monobloc case. And let’s not forget the signature fluted bezel, which has become one of Chronoswiss’s strongest design signatures despite serving no functional purpose, as well as the onion crown, a little Easter egg recalling antique pocket watches and early pilot’s watches. Yes, there is something for everyone here.

What do you think about the new Small Second stone-dial novelties from Chronoswiss? Do you think the brand succeeded at picking the right stones to pay tribute to its roots? Or would you go for something less “niche” and more mainstream, like jade or lapis lazuli? Dear friends, let’s chat!