The Seriously Technical Cyrus Klepcys DICE Racing Chronograph

The chronograph has since long been regarded as one of the most complex yet fascinating creations in the world of mechanical watchmaking. There’s a profound level of complexity involved when wanting to track elapsed time of any given event, whether it’s a horse race, the boiling of an egg, or just how long it took you to perform any other specific task. But what if you want to do more than just that? What if you want to independently time two events for instance? That just adds a whole new level to chronograph watchmaking, and exactly what the new Cyrus Klepcys DICE Racing will allow you to do!

Independent watchmaking brand Cyrus has been around for more than a decade and has been focused on bold, contemporary and often very complex watches. The brand isn’t shy of thinking outside the box, which often leads to fascinating technical creations such as the Klepcys GMT Retrograde or the wild Klepcys Vertical Skeleton Tourbillon (also available in a sapphire case). With its signature cushion-shaped cases, Cyrus also delivers a very complicated chronograph which allows you to independently measure two events as they unfold before your eyes; the Klepcys DICE. That four-letter abbreviation stands for Double Independent Chronograph Evolution, which immediately implies the watch’s intentions. The latest edition to emerge is this Klepcys DICE Racing, which is presented in two variations along the same racy theme.

As said, the case is cushion-shaped and measures a pretty sizeable 42mm in width and length (minus the lugs) and 16.4mm in height. Constructed of titanium, which can be either polished and brushed or coated with black DLC, it remains a lightweight watch though. The matte black bezel on top is machined from forged carbon fibre. The construction of the case is perfectly symmetrical, with a crown with an integrated pusher on either side (more on that later). Both the front and back of the watch are fitted with a sapphire crystal, and the water resistance is reassuring, at 100 meters.

Normally we would now spend some words on the dial, but the reality with the Klepcys DICE Racing is there is none. Or not in the traditional sense anyway. The display, for lack of a better word, is almost entirely done using sapphire crystal discs and plates to reveal as much of the mechanical splendour underneath. On the outer perimeter, we find a sloped black flange with a timing scale in white, with red and blue digits. The central hour and minute hands are partially skeletonized and are paired with a sapphire disc with white hour indices, signed with the Cyrus logo on top. The left subdial indicates the small seconds and is fitted with a triple-bladed indicator, with one arm showing a stripe of Super-LumiNova. Opposite that is the double-chronograph 30-minute counter, with both a red and blue hand. These tie in with the central chronograph seconds hands, also done in red and blue. See where this is going?

The ingenious in-house made Calibre CYR718 that powers the Klepcys DICE Racing is the creation of industry veteran Jean-François Mojon (Chronode), who we know of his work for MB&F, Trilobe and Czapek. The automatic movement developed for the Klepcys DICE was the very first calibre that could independently time two events. It is fitted with a double monopusher column-wheel (one in red, one in blue) chronograph system, displayed through either the red or blue indications. Now things on the dial should begin making perfect sense, even the fact the red and blue scales are upside down from one another. All the red indications are started, stopped and reset with the right crown, and the blue ones with the left crown.

The entire movement is cleverly constructed using 443 components, most of which are on display from both the front and backside of the watch. It runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and offers a power reserve of 60 hours when fully wound thanks to the openworked central rotor. The finishing of the movement is very contemporary, with a black PVD-coated mainplate serving as the backdrop for the mechanicals visible on the dial side. Most other components are finished with an anthracite-grey NAC finish and are either polished, brushed or satin-finished with small touches of colour here and there. The back side also reveals the raised/recessed detailing on the bridges, and the inscription of Cyrus’ motto on the rotor; The Conquest of Innovation.

The Cyrus Klepcys DICE Racing comes on a vibrant red Cordura fabric strap with a black lining and a double-folding clasp signed with the Cyrus logo. Additionally, you get a black rubber strap to go with it and tone down the look a bit. Limited to just 15 pieces for each of the two models, it retails for EUR 38,900.

For more information, please visit Cyrus-Watches.ch.