Hands-On The Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator Open Gear ReSec

At the turn of the millenium, watch writers dedicated plenty of ink to Chronoswiss during the heyday of print horology journalism. It had been adopted by collectors as a true "watch guy's watch" and lauded for a sincerity in the company’s core mission to keep mechanical watchmaking alive during a time when the quartz crisis made it unclear what the future of the industry held. The brand was founded in 1983 by Gerd-Rüdiger Lang, who was known for his unwavering commitment and passion for mechanical timekeeping. His watches backed that up – they had a pure focus on experiencing the mechanical nature of a fine timepiece. Lang was an early adopter of the skeletonized dial and open caseback, and that allowed collectors to appreciate every exacting detail of his work. He also brought the regulator back into the spotlight with the Regulator Manufacture in 1988. Prior to the introduction of this watch, the regulator-style display was mostly found in wall clocks and pocket watches that, even in 1988, would be considered antiques.

The Flying Grand Regulator Open Gear ReSec, released in 2019, is a watch that sticks closely to the philosophy the company was founded on. ("ReSec" refers to the retrograde seconds display). While the aesthetic and the inclusion of the regulator is very Chronoswiss, what's different now is the man at the helm of the operation. In 2012 Oliver and Eva Ebstein bought the brand, carrying the vision of Gerd-R. Lang forward while making necessary adjustments to make the products attractive in the modern landscape. 

On the wrist, the Flying Grand Regulator Open Gear ReSec takes some time to fully understand. The principle complication, the regulator, is from the 18th century; the general design language hit its stride in the '90s, but the colorway feels like it's from the future. The character of the watch can be likened to the mood and tone of a Jules Verne novel, where an old idea or technology is mashed up with a radically new aesthetic. The watch has a retrofuture character to it, and in a modern collecting culture where social-media driven groupthink can dictate trends, it certainly stands out as original. Not only does it tell time in an unconventional fashion, it's unconventional in that it draws from a number of different eras of both aesthetic design and caliber design. It's a difficult watch to peg down, and for that it becomes all the more interesting. 

The example I became acquainted with was the black and green execution, with the deep blackness of the dial muting the guilloche pattern which is very prominent on the other variants of the watch(all-blue PVD, black PVD with red accents, steel case with blue accents, and red gold with a silver dial). Part of the fun is figuring out how to best decipher a Regulator watch, and then of course watching the retrograde seconds display fly back much quicker than the blink of an eye as it concludes its 30-second sweep. For a time-only watch, it's one that's easy to stare at long after checking the time. I found the regulator layout slightly difficult to get used to, but then again, Chronoswiss has never been about the tool-watch driven idea of functionality and purpose. It's always been meant to evoke fascination with the mechanical world. 

While Chronoswiss was among the early adopters of display backs, the modified-in-house caliber  C.301 in the Flying Grand Regulator the train wheels bridges were hollowed out and it allows the hour hand gearing to be clearly seen, putting a lot of emphasis on the dial side of the watch as opposed to the caseback. The strap is a bit thick and stiff, so there's something nice about not having to take it off in order to appreciate the C.301, albeit only a fraction of it. The C.301 features a PVD rotor and a power reserve of 40 hours. 

The watch is tall, and you can certainly feel it on the wrist. But I think this is the kind of watch that you wear when you want to get into and actually feel the watch you're wearing. You put it on because you want to know that you're wearing something that's a bit of a statement. It doesn't fade into the background, it doesn't quite fit under a cuff, and it doesn't go unnoticed. 

And that's where it shines. The dimensionality of the towers of lume used for the indices juxtaposed against the roman numeral markers of the hour dial. The black guilloche dial punctuated by bright green accents that absolutely pop. The blink-and-you'll-miss-it action of the retrograde seconds. The large jewel peeking out along with the drivetrain behind the hour ring. The Flying Grand Regulator Open Gear ReSec is all about contrasting details. What it does best is keep the original vision of inspiring fascination with mechanical timepieces alive. It's a watch that keeps the original vision of Gerd-Rüdiger Lang very much alive-- it inspires fascination with mechanical timekeeping. That's an important mission no matter what era it is. 

The Chronoswiss Flying Grand Regulator Open Gear ReSec is limited to 50 pieces. Case, stainless steel with black DLC; 44mm x 13.35mm. Water resistance, 10 bar/100 meters. Screw down bezel, curved sapphire crystal with double AR coating. Movement, caliber C.301, automatic, running at 4Hz/28,800 vph with retrograde seconds and regulator type display. Dial, 42-part construction on two levels: bottom level hand-guillochéd, upper level featuring screwed-on skeletonized train wheel bridges and funnel-like construction for hour display, as well as a retrograde seconds display. Super-LumiNova on hands and dial. Strap, horback crocodile leather with folding clasp. Price, CHF 9,900. Learn more about the watch here.