Introducing Grail Watch 5: Chronoswiss Opus Blue

But even while adding color and a sense of pop art energy to his watches, Ebstein is always careful to preserve the value of the brand. He explains, “On the Pink Panther, we wanted to added a visible train to show how the hour and minute wheel on the regulator are connected. So we created this flying bridge that places the wheels of this train above the dial. You can see that the intermediate wheel and the hour wheel are both fitted on oversized rubies, [not only] to ensure their smooth running and long-term reliability, but also because it looks beautiful. But the masterpiece here is the guilloché à main dial. At our headquarters in Lucerne, we have two craftsmen that specialize in creating these stunning dials by hand. When it came time to color them, I wanted to ensure the stunning patterns were fully visible, so instead of plating them or using PVD, I decided to use CVD, which has a kind of translucent effect so you can see every detail with total sharpness.”

With that, Ebstein began his stride at Chronoswiss. Suddenly, the Regulator that was created back in 1988 reappeared with a shimmering electric blue case, dial and hand set as a “Blue Steel” version. Then, with the addition of that three-dimensional bridge connecting the minute and hour wheels, replete with purple case and dial came the amusingly named “Purple Haze.” Perhaps the most wildly libidinous of these watches was the recently released “Candy Shop,” where almost every element on the dial receives a different color treatment. Says Ebstein, “We forged a partnership with a family-owned specialist company in La Chaux-de-Fonds.”