The Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco

You’ve seen the combination of a jumping hour with sweeping retrograde minutes and a sub-seconds register before. The Delphis is, after all, one of Chronoswiss’s more recognizable creations. The dial layout is dominant but also open to different designs. At Chronoswiss HQ in Lucerne, the design team drew inspiration from the Art Deco movement that flourished in the 1920s. Meet the Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco, a 150-piece limited edition in a 42mm titanium case. It’s an Art Deco 2.0 watch for the current Roaring Twenties.

When you think of Chronoswiss, you probably envision regulators, oversized crowns, jumping hours, and retrograde minutes in a lively design with plenty of details. The new Delphis Art Deco is an archetypal Chronoswiss watch. It offers all the characteristics mentioned before, with a design inspired by the Roaring Twenties. The Art Deco movement flourished a century ago, and the Delphis Art Deco utilizes the 1920s aesthetics built on geometry, symmetry, and refined contrasts in a contemporary fashion.

The Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco: Is it all about that dial?

The dial of the Delphis Art Deco (CH-1423TM.1-GRGO), which reflects the architectural elegance of the Art Deco era, certainly is an eye-catcher. Its nickel-coated and laser-etched main surface creates a sophisticated three-dimensional texture that plays with light and shadow. The gray shades create a metallic elegance, and the restrained use of color harks back to traditional Art Deco design.

The distinctive Delphis display features the instantly jumping hour at 12 o’clock. In the center, the retrograde minute hand sweeps and snaps back to its initial position after an hour. And at 6 o’clock, the small seconds hand rotates over baby-blue lacquer on a hand-guilloché base. This engraved pattern is manually applied using century-old machines at Chronoswiss’s atelier in Lucerne. Other noteworthy elements are the Art Deco-inspired white typography and the gold-plated minute ring, sub-dial frame, and “Chronoswiss” name plaque, which add a warm contrast to the cool gray dial.

Art Deco 2.0 means ornamental details and a lightweight titanium case

While the Delphis Art Deco looks ornamental, it also feels practical thanks to its lightweight Grade 5 titanium case with a matte gray finish. Additionally, the watch features a black nubuck strap, expressing contemporary practicality and looks over ornamental showboating. But if you want to pair the watch to a custom-made fumé bronze alligator strap, you’re welcome to do so.

The proprietary Chronoswiss C.6004 movement beats inside the 100m-water-resistant 42 × 14.4mm titanium case. This automatic movement was developed with La Joux-Perret and offers a 55-hour power reserve. When you look at it through the case back’s sapphire crystal, there’s plenty of delicate finishing to enjoy.

The Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco has an unknown price for now. But to give you an indication, the related Delphis Venture and Delphis Paraiba were priced at CHF 15,800 when they debuted in 2023. With that in mind, and after seeing the watch and reading its specs, what do you think? Did Chronoswiss manage to create an Art Deco 2.0 watch? Let me know in the comments section.

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Watch specifications