Chronoswiss flexes its watchmaking muscle and launches a pair of unique jump-hour novelties for 2026
Tom Austin- Swiss independent Chronoswiss has unveiled a pair of very different watches, both with classic styling, but with modern, unconventional design.
- The Dephis Art Deco is a 1920s-inspired jump hour with a dial as dynamic as it is dramatic, finished in grade 5 titanium.
- The second watch is the Neo Digiteur Chronos, another jump hour, this time crafted in solid 5N gold and hand-engraved to evoke Greek mythology.
Hot on the heels of a release that came no less than 10 days ago, the busy watchmakers over at Swiss independent brand Chronoswiss have released not one, but two more watches, and they’re both even wilder than the last one. The first is a very special Delphis, Chronoswiss’s take on a single-handed jump hour, aptly named the Art Deco. It draws inspiration from the iconic graphic design and architecture of the roaring 1920s, and blends it with the ultra-modern aesthetic for which Chronoswiss is known.
The second watch is the delightfully unconventional Neo Digiteur Chronos, a rectangular, handless jump-hour design that looks like it’s part modernistic steampunk-inspired special, part ancient Greek artefact. Both watches arrive just in time for the big release season to kick off, so let’s take a deeper look.
Delphis Art Deco
The Delphis line, surprisingly, has been around for some time. First introduced in 1996, it’s gone on to become one of Chronoswiss’s most popular and recognisable complications, arguably doing the whole jump hour thing way before it was cool. For 2026, the Delphis takes a different turn, drawing visual cues from the iconic architecture and graphical Art Deco artwork of the 1920s and translating them into an inspired, unique watch design. The foundations are made up of a 17-piece grade 5 titanium case that measures 42mm in diameter, 14.4mm thick, and features a unique matte finish.
This is paired with some vivid, classical detailing, such as the coin-edged case sides, straight lugs and onion-shaped crown, all of which are finished to an exceptionally high standard. Modern touches such as 100 metres of water resistance and a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating are present, too. Overall, the case is as traditionally styled as it gets, but it’s clearly executed with modern details in mind.
Framed by a thin bezel, the dial occupies a large portion of the front of the watch, and features a variety of textures and colours to keep your eyes busy. The main portion of the dial is nickel-plated with a rough texture and is surrounded by a red-gold-plated ring that contains the minute track, which is read with a single blued retrograde hand. At six, there’s a gorgeous small seconds dial, lacquered in azure baby-blue over a hand-guilloché base.
At the heart of the Delphis is the Manufacture Calibre C.6004, an automatic retrograde minute-jumping hour movement that features a modestly sized hour wheel at 12 and a small seconds. It’s made in partnership with La Joux-Perret and, as such, boasts a 55-hour power reserve while beating at 28,800 Vph, along with technical features such as an Incabloc shock protection system and a Nivarox 2 balance spring to ensure decent levels of accuracy.
Visible through a large exhibition caseback, the movement has naturally been treated to some neat decoration, such as a tungsten skeletonised rotor, polished screws, and Geneva-cut, ruthenium-plated bridges, to name a few. Keeping things simple, the Delphis Art Deco arrives on a black nubuck leather strap, closed with a pin buckle.
Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco pricing and availability
The Chronoswiss Delphis Art Deco is limited to 150 pieces, and is now available from the Chronoswiss Atelier in Lucerne or the Chronoswiss online boutique. Price: CHF 14,500/€15,900/ US$17,500/£15,300
| Brand | Chronoswiss |
| Model | Delphis Art Deco |
| Reference | CH-1423TM.1-GRGO |
| Case Dimensions | 42mm (D) x 14.4mm (T) |
| Case Material | Grade 5 titanium |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Nickel-plated, with gold detailing and blue lacquer laid over hand guilloché finishing |
| Strap | Black nubuck leather, pin buckle |
| Movement | Manufacture Calibre C.6004, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 55 hours |
| Functions | Jumping digital hour display, retrograde minutes, small seconds |
| Availability | Limited to 150 pieces |
| Price | CHF 14,500/€15,900/ US$17,500/£15,300 |
Chronoswiss Neo Digiteur Chronos
And now, for something completely different. If the method of time delivery on the Delphis isn’t quite unconventional enough for you, then I’m sure the Neo Digiteur Chronos will be able to tick the box. Interestingly, though, while it may not look it, the Neo Digiteur isn’t all that different, after all. The Neo Digiteur was first explored by Chronoswiss back in the early 2000s, blending a rectangular design that replaces hands with apertures for something totally different, while retaining a neo-classical vibe that Chronoswiss seems to do very well.
This new Neo Digiteur, however, is a step even further, using that rectangular case as a canvas for intricate decoration, this time in a 65g rectangular slab of solid 5N gold. 48mm long and just 30mm wide, the Neo Digiteur is surprisingly well-proportioned, especially at just 9mm thick. Its relatively small stature is even more impressive when you consider how it’s decorated, which starts off with satin matt brushing, polished edges and fine sandblasting. This is then finished off by two weeks’ worth of painstaking hand engraving.
Using traditional techniques and hand tools, the Greek mythological scene appears. It features the guardian of time, Chronos, holding an hourglass in his hand, and within it the passage of time becomes visible: the upper chamber of the hourglass represents the time still to come, and from here the minutes sweep continuously, flowing downward like grains of sand. Below, the seconds sweep forward, marking time already passed. Encircling the case and continuing onto the strap is a Greek meander pattern, an ancient geometric ornament composed of continuous right-angled lines. While you certainly have to be really interested in Greek mythology to enjoy this to its fullest, it has to be said that the level of detail in the case finishing is quite impressive.
Powering this artisanal showpiece is the Chronoswiss Caliber C.85757, named after the postal code of the brand’s first workshop, founded in 1983. The movement is hand-wound, featuring an in-house-developed Jumping Hour Digiteur module, and is treated to Côte de Genève finishing, with hand guilloché on the wheel bridge and rhodium-plated elements that finish things off beautifully. The power reserve is modest at 48 hours, but I think it’s fair not to expect much on a watch like this, and it beats at just 21,600 Vph, meaning it doesn’t need a large mainspring anyway. Finally, the Neo Digiteur comes finished on a simple black nubuck leather strap, with a 5N gold pin buckle.
Chronoswiss Neo Digiteur Chronos pricing and availability
The Chronoswiss Neo Digiteur Chronos is limited to just 33 pieces and is now available from the Chronoswiss Atelier in Lucerne or the Chronoswiss online boutique. Price: CHF 58,000/€63,000/ US$69,000/£61,000
| Brand | Chronoswiss |
| Model | Neo Digiteur Chronos |
| Reference | CH-1371R.2-GO |
| Case Dimensions | 30mm (D) x 9mm (T) x 48mm LTL) |
| Case Material | 5N gold |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire apertures |
| Dial | 3 apertures, textured white with black printing |
| Strap | Black nubuck leather, 5n gold pin buckle |
| Movement | Chronoswiss Caliber C.85757, manually wound |
| Power Reserve | 48 hours |
| Functions | Jumping digital hour display, sweeping minutes, sweeping seconds |
| Availability | Limited to 33 pieces |
| Price | CHF 58,000/€63,000/ US$69,000/£61,000 |