schwarz etienne roswell 08 04

Schwarz Etienne’s New Roswell 08 Date Hits The Mark

At 2018’s Geneva Wonder Week, the young, fully integrated, independent manufacture Schwarz Etienne unveiled its latest addition to the Roswell collection. The timepiece embodies the house’s philosophy: watchmaking passion, quirky notes, simple highlight of complications.

By Benjamin Teisseire
Contributor

Born in 2015, the collection welcomes a new model Roswell 08 which features an innovative date mechanism in the characteristic offbeat tone of the house.
 

A strong personal identity

The 45mm stainless case is immediately recognizable with its round shape, sharp edges reminding of a flying saucer (hence its name) and plunging polished lugs with inwards sharp angles. The aim of the La Chaux-de-Fonds house is to downplay high horology. The movement and the complication do not hide anymore and reveal themselves dial side. The bright color tones bring a playful note which contrasts with the horological seriousness displayed in the movement and its finishing. This is Schwarz Etienne’s quintessential difference.
 

The star is the movement

The automatically wound ISE 100.11 caliber, an evolution of the Irreversible ISE 100.00 caliber, sets the regulator and the micro-rotor dial-side to reveal their intricacies. The innovative date mechanism joins them proudly on that side. In polished stainless steel, it stands out on the dark finish of the platina. For an easy and rapid correction of the date, it is activated by a pushbutton smartly hidden in the lower part of the integrated crown-protector which flanks the knurled crown.
 

The column wheel, jumpers, springs, and hand finished levers of this useful and sleek complication create an attractive animation. It complements the ones from the balance wheel beating at two o’clock, below the colorful crescent opening of the date, the tone-on-tone micro-rotor blending in the movement and the small seconds dome revolving discreetly at 11o’clock. The latter brightly colored, bright orange or pistachio green, sheds a refreshing light on the whole structure – off-beat original Schwarz Etienne spirit at its best. The finish oozes high horology with an elegant matt tobacco brown color. The result is a feast which boasts 86 hours of power reserve for the longer enjoyment of watchmaking lovers.
 

The cherry on the cake, is that all of this made in-house from the dial to the case, down to the hairspring and balance wheel adorned with its henceforth recognizable SE logo.
 

Original and chic

The very chic brown tobacco color is enhanced by the stitches and lining of the grained calfskin strap that reflect the same tone as the date disk and seconds dome. Schwarz Etienne’s style asserts itself in the details. Readability is optimized by luminescent hours and minutes Alpha hands that elegantly stand out on the dark background. In the end, the look is more modern and paradoxically makes the timepiece more classic. Its originality with a classy touch creates a real dress watch at ease in any situation.
 

With this Roswell Date 08, Schwarz Etienne proves once more that high independent watchmaking can be serious yet audacious. Their growing community of aficionados will be thrilled with this new step in their development. A brand to follow for all collectors looking for differentiation.
 

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