Hands-On With The Svelte And Soft Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco, An Enchanting 150-Piece Limited Edition
This watch made me lose my loupe during Watches and Wonders this year. It also made me lose my mind. After the product presentation at the Chronoswiss booth during the last edition of Watches and Wonders, I was so impressed by this watch that I left my loupe on the table and stumbled out to the next appointment. Losing a loupe during a watch salon is inconvenient but not disastrous, as you’re in an environment where these things are around in abundance. Still, the fact that I lost a vital piece of kit because I was so enchanted by the Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco was noteworthy. I also wanted to see the watch again, so I requested one for a hands-on review. I had to spend some more time with the watch that made me lose my loupe and find out if it would put a spell on me again.
The third time’s the charm. When I first saw the Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco (CH-1423TM.1-GRGO) in the press release, I was impressed. The second time I saw it, in the metal, I was enchanted. And the third time? Yes, it impressed me once more. This self-proclaimed fan of Chronoswiss and happy owner of a large luminescent Timemaster was wowed again. Let me tell you why.
Hands-on with the svelte and soft Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco
With its jumping hour, sweeping retrograde minutes, and a sub-seconds register, the Delphis is one of Chronoswiss’s most recognizable contemporary creations. This watch combines details that link to the time when Gerd-Rüdiger Lang, who founded the brand in 1983, was still captaining Chronoswiss. The oversized onion crown and fluted bezel on the front and the matching fluted ring on the back of the case are historic elements. The presence of various decorative techniques, such as guilloché, is a sign of the brand under the direction of the Swiss Ebstein family.
In 2012, the family acquired Chronoswiss, and Oliver Ebstein is the current CEO. Under his leadership, Chronoswiss began developing exclusive movements and infused its original designs with contemporary, sometimes flamboyant and exuberant twists. Current Chronoswiss creations stand out for their use of color, texture, and depth. While this looks modern, the techniques used to create the watches are rooted in old-school craftsmanship.
Laser etching combined with manual guilloché
The jump-hour function, accompanied by a sweeping retrograde minute hand and a sub-seconds register, is both dominant and flexible in its decoration. And Chronoswiss proved with the Delphis Art Deco that it can be subtle and soft. The dial design is inspired by the Art Deco movement that flourished in the 1920s. The dial reflects the architectural elegance of the Art Deco era through soft colors and sweeping lines. Its nickel-coated and laser-etched main surface presents a sophisticated three-dimensional texture that plays with light and shadow. The gray shades and the gold-plated minute track create a metallic elegance and hark back to traditional Art Deco design, as does the restrained use of color.
Two stylized bridges run across the dial, separating it into two domed, grainy gray sections. The domed dial creates a subtle effect with light, giving the entire display a discrete sense of depth. The most vibrant aspect of the watch is the hand-guilloché sub-seconds register with a blue lacquer finish and its gold-plated frame. The sub-dial color pairs nicely with the large and small blue PVD-coated aluminum “Viking” hands for minutes and seconds. The plethora of details is executed subtly and rather understatedly, making this version of the modern Delphis highly legible. The dial in the 42mm case offers a generous jumping-hour aperture and ample space for the minutes and seconds scales.
Not Art Deco 2.0 but, rather, Neo-Deco
It’s easy to say that the new titanium Delphis is an Art Deco 2.0 watch, but maybe that’s the wrong term. The modern-day evolution of Art Deco is often referred to as Modern Maximalism, but Neo-Deco and Luxe Modernism are alternate names. I prefer the term “Neo-Deco” because of the sound it makes when you say it out loud, plus, it keeps the word “Deco.” Neo-Deco preserves Art Deco’s defining qualities, such as lavish elegance, striking geometric forms, and rich metallic detailing, while reinterpreting them for the 21st century. It does so by integrating modern technology and refined contemporary design.
Titanium is, of course, the technological factor here, while the refined modern design is the laser-etched surface of the gray main dial. Also modern is the fact that the case is water resistant to 100 meters.
The pairing of a very decorative dial with a traditional case design is nothing new. The choice for titanium as a case material is rather unusual and original, though. The fully matte 17-part Grade 5 titanium case straddles the past and the present. And it wears wonderfully. The 42 × 49 × 14.4mm case fits my wrist perfectly. I feel comfortable with my 44mm Timemaster, so I feel super comfy with a quite similar-shaped case measuring a few millimeters less. It’s too big to be called a dress watch. But I do think this is a watch you wear when you dress to impress. The Delphis Art Deco is a stimulant not to put on your old jeans and gray sweater again but, instead, a nice shirt, slacks, and maybe a pair of loafers.
Final thoughts on the Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco
The beauty of the front continues on the back. Powering the Delphis is the proprietary caliber C.6004. This is a 4Hz automatic movement with a 55-hour power reserve, developed in collaboration with La Joux-Perret. With its 33mm diameter, the movement fits the case very well, and its gray tone matches the watch’s overall design. The sapphire-equipped case back reveals refined decorative finishing and an oscillating weight inspired by the dial-side bridge design. It’s a very nice movement to look at, but it powers the things you can’t see in action enough — the instantaneously jumping hour and retrograde minutes hand.
I must confess that when I was not wearing the watch, I often played with the crown to see the digital hour change in the blink of an eye while also trying to catch a glimpse of the retrograde minutes hand sweeping across the scale before snapping back to its origin. It’s quite the spectacle.
The third time’s the charm indeed when it comes to the Delphis Art Deco. I was sad to part with it. The watch is a great and original expression of modern watchmaking, inspired by tradition. With the Delphis Art Deco, Chronoswiss managed to create a subtle, technically interesting, and original timepiece. This is a watch that will surely do much more than entice me.
The Neo-Deco Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco costs €15,900 / US$17,500/ £15,300 / CHF 14,500. Tell me what you think. Did Chronoswiss create a veritable Neo-Deco watch? Let me know in the comments section.
