The Opulent Chronoswiss Neo Digiteur Chronos

Last year, Chronoswiss released a surprising re-edition of the brand’s highly idiosyncratic Digiteur MSA (montre sans aiguilles, or “watch without hands”), first created in 2005 by Chronoswiss founder Gerd-Rüdiger Lang. Upholding the brand’s affinity for unconventional time displays and riding the wave of a renewed appreciation for jumping hours, the 2025 Neo Digiteur preserved the spirit of its ancestor, updated the case to reflect contemporary tastes, and fitted it with a new hand-wound movement. For 2026, Chronoswiss drops all pretence of moderation and unveils the Neo Digiteur Chronos, a solid gold, hand-engraved watch featuring the ancient Greek god of time.

Lang’s original Digiteur was a radical proposal that flaunted a mechanical movement while displaying time digitally in a regulator layout. His rectangular, hand-wound, jumping hour watch used a historic Fleurier-based movement and apertures instead of hands. Fond of the mechanical digital wristwatches of the 1920s and 1930s, Lang’s Digiteur was a defiant statement at the time (in an industry decimated by cheap quartz movements) and would go on to become a collector’s prize. Twenty years later, Chronoswiss revived the watch in stainless steel, respecting the original layout of jumping hours at noon, digital minutes in a central aperture and running seconds in a horizontal aperture at 6 o’clock.

The Neo Digiteur Chronos, closer in spirit to a sculptural work of horological art, features a lavishly hand-engraved cover depicting the face of the god Chronos, surrounded by classical Greek geometric meander and wave-scroll patterns. Apart from his symbolic representation as the embodiment of time and eternity, the scythe on the right side of the dial is an unmistakable reminder of the relentless passing of time. Engraved by hand in the brand’s Lucerne atelier, no two models will ever be the same.

The Art Deco-inspired case, measuring 48mm in length, 30mm in width and 9mm in height, retains the same arcing rectangular shape as the steel edition but is now crafted in solid 5N gold (weight 65g). The hand-engraved gold cover reveals a variety of different finishes and is framed by a brightly polished bezel. The elegant, curved profile of the case, with recessed flanks, hosts a miniaturised, reshaped version of the signature Chronoswiss onion crown. Viewed laterally, you can appreciate the sandblasted recessed areas, the polished crown and screws and the brushed profile.

Time is read through three apertures: jumping hours at 12 o’clock, dragging digital minutes at the centre, and sweeping seconds at 6 o’clock. An elongated octagonal sapphire crystal on the caseback reveals the calibre C.85757, a hand-wound movement operating at 21,600vph with 48 hours of autonomy. Based on a Peseux architecture, the movement features a proprietary in-house Digiteur module to manage the energy spikes of the jumping hour system while keeping the minute and second discs smooth. Elaborately decorated finishes, such as the hand-guilloché on the gold-plated wheel bridge, are a visual treat.

The watch is paired with a black nubuck leather strap featuring a meander pattern on the interior and a red gold pin buckle. The Neo Digiteur Chronos is a limited edition of 33 pieces and retails for EUR 63,000. For more information, please consult chronoswiss.com.