Chronoswiss presents the Open Gear ReSec Black Ice Limited Edition

A stealthy 44mm all-black model inspired by glittering black sand, frozen lakes and heavy metal – the new Chronoswiss Open Gear ReSec Black Ice is a limited-edition regulator watch with a twist.

Inspired by heavy metal and frozen lakes, the new Chronoswiss Open Gear ReSec Black Ice is a kaleidoscope of texture, materials and minerals. Not just a monochrome regulator watch, however, the brand demonstrates that the shades of black, particularly where the Black Ice model is concerned, are limitless. The hybrid dial joins a new line-up of recently unveiled timepieces by Chronoswiss for Watches & Wonders 2021 that include the Paraiba version with a mesmerizing colour-shifting dial in tones of blue-violet, jungle green, deep purple and turquoise. The new Chronoswiss Open Gear ReSec Black Ice, also limited to 50 pieces, is an all-black profile crafted from DLC-coated stainless steel.

Fifty shades of black…

Heavy pressure stamping procedures, galvanic baths and structure-cutting laser beams are just some of the processes involved in manufacturing a surface like that of the Black Ice’s dial. In some lighting, it has a pearly lustre despite looking the blackest of blacks in others. To achieve this finish, the solid metal, once pressure stamped and cut must be immersed in a galvanic bath. It is the sheer breadth of different finishes, coatings and structures applied to the dial’s surface that creates so many different shades of black.

Parading the shimmering black dial of the new Chronoswiss Open Gear watch is a set of icicle-shaped minute hands that Chronoswiss calls the “Trigano” shape. Along with the hour and second hands, it is grey lacquered and filled with Super-LumiNova to assist with legibility in the dark. Five-minute pillars serve as highly readable indexes around the edge of the dial and appear as if they are floating atop of the display. These have also been coated in Super-LumiNova – a strontium aluminate-base material for enabling effortless tracking of the passing minutes and hours of the night. Echoing the glistening blue hue of a glacier cave, the luminous material in a white shade with a touch of blue is in-keeping with the watch’s ice theme, even in the dead of night.

Traditionally, Chronoswiss Open Gear regulators rely on their dials as a module plate that holds elements like the wheels, jewels, bridges and screws into place. The 42-part construction features two levels. The upper dial features skeletonised train wheel bridges and an hour display crafted into a funnel-like design. The three wheels that drive the hour hand are also put on show. The off-centre hour display is located 12 o’clock, while the retrograde second function is positioned at 6 o’clock – balanced of course, by the central minute hand, propelled around the dial via the Cal.301 movement.

The Black Ice case

A DLC-coating technique is not only applied to the case of the new Open Gear ReSec watch but also the polished screws of the bridges. The bridge that holds the 30-second retrograde function is galvanised in black and sandblasted as is the rotor on the movement. These elements are made visible through a sapphire crystal exhibition feature. The crystal glass is treated two times with anti-reflective properties for a glare-free view into the dial or the movement at any given time of the day or night.

The solid 17-piece construction of the watch’s stainless steel case is satin-finished with a sand-blasted bezel to give it a matte appearance. Partial knurling and curving to the case donates significant character to the overall design and, together with the onion-shaped crown at 3 o’clock, the case lives up to its 100-meter water-resistant expectation shared with other models from the Open Gear watch collection.

Also, worth noting is that for the first time ever a Chronoswiss watch is executed on a hand-stitched neoprene band with a leather underside. The curved lugs attach to a case that has also been integrated with the brand’s patented Autobloc system, making it near-on impossible for the screws to ever work themselves loose.

A re-worked movement

The automatic winding Cal.301 with stop seconds is originally modified from the ETA 2892-2, which offers a 42-hour power reserve and oscillates at a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour. It boasts Cotes de Geneve decoration, a polished pallet lever and bridges, screws and plates executed with perlage decoration, along with an escape wheel. Its skeletonised and galvanic black rotor is put on show through the watch’s sapphire glass lens and the movement is also integrated with Incabloc technology to protect it from shock and impact.

Technical Specifications of the new Limited Edition Chronoswiss Open Gear ReSec Black Ice watch

• Dial: 42-piece construction – upper level with screwed on skeletonised train wheel bridges – black galvanised - funnel-like hour display – retrograde seconds display – block-shaped indexes coated in Super-LumiNova – luminous icicle-shaped hands with grey lacquer
• Case: Diameter: 44mm – height: 13.35mm – 17-piece construction – black DLC-coated stainless steel – 100-meter water resistance – twice treated anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front and back – satin-finished – sand-blasted bezel – knurling and curved finishes – the onion-shaped crown – strap holders patented with Autobloc technology
• Movement – Automatic self-winding with stop seconds – Cal.301 – 28,800 v.h.p – 42-hour power reserve – 33 jewels – polished pallet lever - skeletonized and galvanic black rotor, escape wheel. Cotes de Geneve and perlage decoration
• Strap: Neoprene with leather base, hand-sewn stitching – black DLC-coated steel fastening
• Price: (enter)
• Availability: Limited to 50 pieces worldwide

For more information on the new Limited Edition Chronoswiss Open Gear ReSec Black Ice watch or to secure yourself one of the 50 pieces available worldwide, you can email us at help@jurawatches.co.uk or call our sales team on 01335 453453