Hands Off: Chronoswiss Goes Digital with the Neo Digiteur Chronos and the Delphis Art Deco

Big fan of mechanical watches with digital displays here. I love their unconventional looks. When I’m sleepy, I appreciate being able to tell the time at a glance. More generally speaking, I am also easily amused by jump-hour complications because there is something about waiting patiently for that moment when the number in the aperture window advances that I find soul-soothing.

That said, there have been many jump-hour watches released recently. As a result, for something new to catch one’s attention, it had better bring something new to the table. Well, Chronoswiss has done this with not one but two new timepieces: the Neo Digiteur Chronos and the Delphis Art Deco.

Not only do these watches stand out in the digital field, but they also don’t even look like each other!

Let’s look at how these complications measure up.

Chronoswiss was founded in 1983 by Gerd R. Lang in München, Germany. This was in the midst of the quartz crisis, and Lang was determined to bring traditional, mechanical watchmaking back from the brink.

The brand’s first big hit was the round Regulator – a dress watch with a unique regulator-style display so that the hours, minutes, and seconds hands are non-coaxial, meaning that each hand is fixed to and rotating about a different point, rather than rotating about the same point (such as the center of the dial).
 

Over time, Chronoswiss continued to stay one step ahead of the pack. The first Digiteur – a rectangular watch with guichet-style apertures instead of hands – was introduced in 2005.

And last year, the Maison revived the concept with the Neo Digiteur, which reimagined the aughties original but with a sleek stainless-steel case and an all-new in-house calibre.
 

Now, the concept has been completely transformed visually with the Neo Digiteur Chronos.

Maybe it’s a tribute to the excesses of the 1980s (think high drama, Miami-influenced Versace fashions, and the “Scarface” aesthetic), but this tank has been crafted entirely from solid 5N gold. Furthermore, it has been entirely hand-engraved at the Chronoswiss Atelier in Lucerne. Essentially, it is a sculptural piece for the wrist.
 

The focal point is an image of Chronos, the ancient Greek god of time and the mythological figure from which the brand draws part of its name. On the face, it looks like Chronos is peering out behind three carefully framed apertures revealing the hours, seconds, and minutes.

According to Chronoswiss, the continuously flowing minutes represent the time still to come. Meanwhile, the seconds, which sweep forward, mark time as it passes by. The jumping hour aperture is placed at the tip of Chronos’ scythe, turning over from one hour to the next.
 

The symbolism continues across the case, with an ancient Greek meandros continuing away from the face and continuing onto the strap. This decoration. composed of continuous right-angled lines, symbolizes eternity and the infinite flow of time. The ornate 48mm x 30mm case is paired with a black nubuck strap.

To make these contemplations come alive, the Neo Digiteur Chronos is equipped with a manual-wound Chronoswiss Caliber C.85757 – a proprietary module developed entirely in-house that controls the instantaneous jumping hour while maintaining the smooth sweep of the minute and second discs.
 

This movement operates at 3 Hz with a 48-hour power reserve, and you can admire its hand-guilloché decoration through a rectangular sapphire case back, where bridges and wheels feature hand-guilloché.

The history of mechanical digital time displays can be traced back to pocket watches from the 1830s. But we mostly associate digital wristwatches with the 1920s.
 

For the Delphis Art Deco, the main dial surface has been nickel-coated and laser-structured to create a subtle three-dimensional texture. Floating above this elegant surface is the Chronoswiss’ characteristic Delphis display.

At 12 o’clock, the jumping hour advances instantly at the top of each hour. At the center, the retrograde minute hand sweeps across the curved scale before snapping back to its starting position. Meanwhile, for the small seconds, Chronoswiss has introduced a color the Atelier calls “Art-Deco Blue,” achieved through lacquer on a hand-guilloché base. Lastly, a gold-plated minute ring provides a warm contrast to the cool metallic dial while also lending the composition Art Deco symmetry.
 

The 42mm case of the Delphis Art Deco is crafted from Grade 5 titanium and finished in a matte grey tone. This lightweight material makes it feel more ergonomic and modern. It comes set on a simple black nubuck strap.
 

Powering the Delphis Art Deco is the automatic Chronoswiss Manufacture Caliber C.6004, developed together with La Joux-Perret. The automatic movement offers a 55-hour power reserve and is visible through the sapphire crystal caseback.

Like most things Chronoswiss, the Neo Digiteur Chronos is produced in an extremely limited edition of only 33 pieces worldwide. It is priced at $69,000. Meanwhile, the Delphis Art Deco is limited to 150 pieces and is priced at $17,500.

For more information, check out the Chronoswiss website.