It’s been quite some time since we’ve featured Chronoswiss on these pages, and to date, we have not had a hands-on review. So, buckle in as we bring them back to the front page, and give you some insight on their Pacific Chronograph.
Chronoswiss, as a brand, has been around for some time, tracing their roots back to the 1960s with the efforts of founder Gerd-Rüdiger Lang. Since then, they have established their niche providing a luxury timepiece that hews to the designs and ethos of a earlier time period (in other words, retro).
With our particular review sample, the Pacific Chrono (ref. CH 7585 B si) has a more modernized feel to me, mostly due to it’s use of color. At first blush, it’s a very simple color scheme, mostly silver and black, and then of course the polished case. Howevere, there’s plenty of green included (stitching, pusher stems, hands), as well as the “dark chrome” ring that surrounds the sapphire crystal.
It’s that dark chrome ring that really sold me on this particular design. While the case itself measures in at 43mm, that dark ring makes the watch feel (or at least look) like a smaller watch, because your eye is registering the dial more than anything. The dial itself is intelligently and cleanly laid out. At first, the small-seconds dial seems out of place, with the lack of color, but it actually blends it in, and helps keep the watch feeling balanced.
Driving all of the functions for the watch is an in-house movement, the C.771. In the limited time I had with the watch, the movement performed just as you’d expect, with full accuracy and no issues with the automatic winding, or use of the chronograph functions.
In the end, this watch is an interesting mix of things – one one hand, it’s a sporty watch (given that it’s a chrono measuring in at 14mm thick), but it’s also a more refined and dressy piece, given the feel of the build and use of polished surfaces. It’s also a watch that can pass without attracting attention, but will garner looks if someone more than just glances at it.
Frankly, it’s an intriguing watch, and a nice introduction to the Chronoswiss lineup. As I mentioned, that lineup is definitely comprised of luxury models, and the Pacific Chrono is no exception. Our review sample, with it’s DLC bezel, comes in at $6,330; head in to your local retailer to check one out in person.
