A Classic Rejuvenated, Chronoswiss Releases the Lunar Chronograph Aurora

Chronoswiss was founded in 1983 by German watchmaker Gerd Rüdiger Lang and was sold in early 2012 to Swiss entrepreneurs Oliver and Eva Ebstein, who transferred operations to Lucerne, Switzerland. Known for reviving the regulator layout, Lang’s neoclassical design language, characterised by oversized onion crowns, knurled bezels, guilloché dials and Breguet-inspired features, was modernised by Ebstein with a contemporary colour palette. The latest Lunar Chronograph is a refreshed version of an early Lang chronograph with moon phases, date, and a mineral crystal caseback, introduced in the mid-1980s during the quartz crisis, which later evolved into the Lunar Chronograph in 1999. While the design of the Lunar Chronograph Aurora remains true to its heritage, it now features a chameleon-like green dial and modern colour accents.

We’ve recently covered another famous Chronoswiss chronograph, the Opus Chronograph, which, in 1995, was the first serially produced automatic skeletonised chronograph. The steel Lunar Chronograph shares a similar case to the Opus, measuring 41mm in diameter and 15mm thick. It features an oversized screw-down onion crown, knurled bezels, curved sapphire crystals with anti-reflective coating, and 100m water-resistance. Decorated mainly with polished finishes, the sides of the case and the screwed lugs reveal a brushed finish.

Currently available with classic closed silver or blue dials, housed in steel or gold cases, the new edition honours its heritage while embracing current trends for colourful dials. It features a fully CVD-coated deep green dial that shifts between green and blue tones with the light. The traditional triple-register layout – a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, running seconds at 9 o’clock, and 30-minute elapsed times at noon – is complemented by a moon phase complication in the sub-dial at 3 o’clock and the date displayed on the periphery, indicated by a pointer hand with a purple crescent-shaped tip.

Decorated with a circular-brushed finish, the three outer tracks host the date, followed by the precision minutes/seconds track for the central chronograph seconds hand and the chapter ring for the Breguet-style Arabic hour numerals. Adding a sophisticated decorative flourish, the central area of the dial features two different guilloché patterns: a chequered motif inside the sub-dials and a concentric one in the centre. All the inscriptions and markings on the dial are white. A markedly traditional dial with Breguet-style open-tipped hands, Chronoswiss has injected modernity into the composition with the purple pointer date hand and the bright white lacquered hands.

Revealed on the reverse is the calibre C.755, an automatic chronograph movement based on the Valjoux 7750 with a proprietary moon phase and date module, a 4Hz frequency and a 46-hour power reserve. The openworked rotor, like the dial, is also coated in a green CVD while the bridges and plates are decorated with Côtes de Genève and perlage.

The Lunar Chronograph Aurora is paired with a dark grey Nubuck leather strap. This new version, like other editions, retails for EUR 10,800. Please consult chronoswiss.com for more information.