Chronoswiss

Gerd Rudiger Lang started Chronoswiss in 1982.Mr. Lang (Herr Lang) had a long career in watchmaking prior to venturing out as an independent entrepreneur. In 1961, Mr. Lang began his employment with Heuer Watch and Chronograph factory. Mr. Lang worked as a watchmaker for Heuer, engaged in many prestigious projects, including working closely with Steve McQueen during the filming of “LeMans”.  Heuer was a small company, specializing in timing devices. The advent of quartz technology quickly dominated the scene of the 1970’s, making it increasingly difficult for traditional watch companies to survive. By the early 1980’s, Heuer was sold to TAG of the Netherlands. Mr. Lang then set off on his own, armed with a cache of fine vintage calibre, to start his own independent watchmaking enterprise.

I categorize Mr. Lang  as the “Original Independent”, except he did not have the fellowship of an organization like the AHCI while he developed his own brand. He named his first watches “Chronoswiss”, combining his fascination and expertise of Chronographs along with the origin of the components for his watches, hence, Chronoswiss. Mr. Lang’s first watches with Chronoswiss appeared in 1982 and he trademarked the name in 1984. Mr. Lang took pride in his mechanical accomplishments and introduced the modern watch market to a lovely new feature, the display back.  Happily, Chronoswiss has prided itself since with display back’s on their watches. Next, the first wristwatch Regulator, in 1987. A watch, way ahead of it’s time!

FLASH FORWARD: Eva & Oliver Ebstein acquired Chronoswiss from Mr.G.R.Lang in 2012. They’ve taken command of the brand and have idealized the values of the brand to be aligned with their passion and what they believe the client holds dear. The Ebstein’s have a true love of horology.Oliver Ebstein is passionate about the traditional Swiss art of watchmaking, which Chronoswiss further evolves in Lucerne with the courage to be avant-garde. After taking over the company from its founder Gerd-Rüdiger Lang in early 2012, Mr.Ebstein soon recognized the DNA of the Chronoswiss brand in the Regulator model. Thus, he decided to dedicate a whole regulator-themed collection to the iconic timepiece, at the same time making the models more modern, unique and daring. These efforts resulted in the “Flying Regulator” line, featuring sophisticated dial constructions on several levels, and the “Open Gear” showcasing the regulator mechanism as a key element of design.

Chronoswiss progressive watchmaking pushes the boundaries. The creative inventions and in-house capacity allow for the manufacture to offer surprising handcrafted modern mechanical horology. Chronoswiss see this as a modern adaptation of horological heritage aimed at watch lovers with a unique vision of what life can be.

At Chronoswiss, a watch is not only a sum of its parts, it is a work of art. You know a Chronoswiss watch when you see it thanks to its strong design features: a fluted bezel, prominent onion crown, three-dimensional display, modern materials, atelier-made guilloché and enamel dials. The designs are made by nonconformists for nonconformists who want to stand out in an increasingly mass-produced world.

For more: http://www.chronoswiss.com