Independent Watchmaking – Vincent Calabrese unveils Kronos

Vincent Calabrese unveils Kronos, a creation bridging two arts (watchmaking and painting) and two cultures (Greece and Japan). Designed in cooperation with Japanese painter, Shinji Himeno, its dial features an allegoric micro-painting depicting Kronos, the Greek god of time, and is powered by Calabrese’s signature wandering-jumping hour.

In the late 1950s, at the age of 14, Vincent Calabrese was repairing watches in the streets of Naples. He moved to Switzerland in the early 1960s and eventually started working as an independent watchmaker in 1977. Over the ensuing years, Calabrese has gained great respect in the horological world. We owe him several stunning developments: the Corum Golden Bridge, his flying tourbillon, not to mention his work for Blancpain. Beyond that, his role in the renaissance of mechanical watchmaking was critical, as a co-founder (with Svend Andersen) of AHCI. The Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (Horological Academy of Independent Creators) has been instrumental in helping a new generation of independent watchmakers to develop their projects (as fervent supporters of independent watchmaking, we, here at Monochrome, are very grateful for that).

The Vincent Calabrese Kronos limited edition is a poetic and artistic mechanical representation of the passage of time, repeated in a never-ending circle. Using the few square centimetres of available space on its dial, Calabrese and Himeno have combined a horological complication with an allegoric representation of time. Taking center stage is a painting of Kronos with his attributes; an hour glass and a scythe. The Greek god is the personification of time itself (‘kronos’ is the root for ‘chronology’ and other modern words)… Time devours our ephemeral lives and we shall live life to the full!

The movement powering the Kronos features Vincent Calabrese’s signature wandering-jumping hour. The hour indicator jumps every 60 minutes when the indicator reaches 12 o’clock, then slowly rotates around the dial to mark the minutes. This clever mechanism is built on a reliable workhorse, the ETA2892A2, visible through the sapphire case back. The movement finish is traditional with perlage and blued screws. A nice touch, the oscillating weight is personalized with the names of Calabrese (NHC, Nouvelle Horlogerie Calabrese), Shinji Himeno and the individual limited edition number of each watch.

Those familiar with the works of Vincent Calabrese will recognise the 40mm round steel case, with stepped and screwed lugs, transparent back with six screws and sapphire crystals. The Kronos limited edition is available on either a leather strap or steel bracelet. For more information, visit www.vincent-calabrese.com/kronos-watch.

Technical specifications Vincent Calabrese Kronos

• Case: 40 mm – stainless steel – sapphire crystal on the front and on the back. Water resistant to 30m
• Movement: Wandering hours by Vincent Calabrese based on ETA2892A2 –  automatic winding – 42h power reserve – 28’800 vibrations/h
• Bracelet: alligator leather strap or steel bracelet
• Price: 8’800 CHF
• Limited edition of 100 pieces