Up Close with the Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon Paraiba Watch
Friday - 22 July 2022
Chronoswiss releases the new Open Gear Flying Tourbillon Paraiba watch, limited to 15 pieces worldwide and inspired by the deep mesmerising tones of the rare Paraiba tourmaline gemstone.
Cast your minds back to last year when Chronoswiss released the Open Gear ReSec Paraiba watch. It measured a 44mm diameter and comprised a 17-piece stainless steel case that sat at a height on the wrist of 13.35mm. It created a bold presence on the wrist with its polished bezel, onion crown, and signature knurled side edges. The 100-meter water-resistant case featured a scratch-resistant and anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front and back. Most striking, however, was its 42-part multi-level dial parading a shimmering guilloche pattern applied by hand and a CVD coated finish that evoked petrol blue, turquoise, and jungle green colours. Former goldsmith Maik Panziera even said it reminded him of the rare Paraiba tourmaline from north-eastern Brazil. Borrowing some of these blue tones is the new Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon Paraiba watch, designed in line with other models from the Flying Tourbillon range of Open Gear watches from Chronoswiss.
The new Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon Paraiba watch for 2022 has been released alongside two other similar models. One projecting burnt orange tones that echo the colours of a rich sunset, the other named the Meteorit model, executed in vivid blue and stealthy meteorite grey-inspired tones. The Paraiba iteration, however, is the model we’ll be looking at in more detail today. It follows the form and function of other Flying Tourbillon watches created by Chronoswiss. Generally speaking, the Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon watch includes a funnel-shaped structure for the hour display and a completely in-house developed hand guilloche base to which the skeletonised train wheel bridges are positioned above in a complex 42-part dial construction across three levels. The minute ring is raised around the off-centre hour sub-dial at 12 o’clock, a 6 o’clock rounded window that exposes the flying tourbillon structure, and a central minute hand.
The new Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon Paraiba watch
The new Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon Paraiba watch has a clean, modern and highly mechanical look. Underscoring its abstract features are its piercing blue hues that call to mind the rare Paraiba tourmaline gemstone. The dial is made up of 42 individual pieces spread out between three levels – a bottom Cotes de Geneve surface, followed by a middle section – a hand-crafted and hand-applied guilloche dial along with a hand-engraved “Atelier Lucerne” stamped on the reverse of the dial. The upper level involves screwed-on skeletonised train wheel bridges. Upon this top surface is a funnel-shaped hour display located at 12 o’clock. This feature remains faithful to Chronoswiss’ classic regulator style display and is balanced by an open-heart structure revealing the flying tourbillon in all its glory. Thermally blued and polished hands are “Trigono”-shaped and have been treated with Super-LumiNova material on the inlays and tips to assist with timekeeping during the night or amidst dark conditions. A set of cylindrical-shaped hour markers are also treated with Super-LumiNova and the minute track surrounding these features is raised to create a three-dimensional effect. All of these elements on the dial are protected by a scratch-resistant and anti-reflective pane of sapphire crystal glass - the same material used for the back of the case.
The new Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon Paraiba watch is crafted from stainless steel and measures a diameter of 44mm. Its height measures a depth of 13.35mm and the case is also integrated with 100-meter water resistance. Equipped with a screw-down onion-shaped crown and a screw-down caseback, the sapphire glass lens fitted to the rear of the watch affords a clear view of the in-house Chronoswiss Calibre C.303 in full working order. It provides a 60-hour power reserve and beats at a rhythm of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Comprising 23 jewels, it also boasts an exclusive blue CVD coated finish with a Cotes de Geneve-decorated mainplate, circular satin finishes, skeletonised bridges, a skeletonised spring barrel, polished screws, and a galvanic anthracite balance wheel.
The Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon, with its dial elements that create the illusion of free-floating hands and indexes, is completed on a Cordura textile strap and an additional black alligator leather strap, securing with a stainless steel deployment clasp. For more information on the Paraiba version of the new Open Gear Flying Tourbillon watch, you can check out the full spec list here online at Jura Watches, or call and speak to a member of our sales team on 01335 453453
