House of Chronoswiss: The Grand Opening

Yesterday, in the Swiss-German city of Luzern, the Chronoswiss brand inaugurated its new headquarters and production site, the House of Chronoswiss.

Present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony were (left to right) radio host, tv presenter and long-time Chronoswiss collector Thomas Gottschalk, the mayor of Luzern Stefan Roth, and of course Chronoswiss shareholders and chairmen of the board and Eva and Oliver Ebstein.

Under the ownership and leadership of Oliver and Eva Maria Ebstein (you can watch my interview with her from Baselworld here), Chronoswiss is writing a new chapter in the legacy started by Gerd-Rüdiger Lang over three decades ago. By building the House of Chronoswiss, the brand has not only reaffirmed its position as a name that’s here to stay, but has also become the only sizeable watch manufacturer in the Swiss-German city of Luzern.

The idea behind the House of Chronoswiss was to build a “transparent production” facility, where visitors can come in and experience the world of Chronoswiss. More than anything it’s an immersive experience, where both watch-lovers as well as the general public can learn more about the intricacies that go into making traditional Swiss watches.

With its interactive displays and screens showing the watchmakers’ benches in close-up, the House of Chronoswiss doesn’t even really need tour guides.

Through a glass display one can witness the watchmakers assembling the production watches.

The next room is the enameller’s work-bench, where one can learn about the process of producing enamel dials using porcelain powder, as well as the firing and re-firing process. It’s pretty rare for an independent, relatively small brand to possess its own dial manufacturing facility.

In the next room is Chronoswiss’ “master of dials”, who uses a refurbished rose engine as well as a straight engine to make guilloché engraved dials. Such machines haven’t been in production for quite some time, so finding one in good condition and refurbishing it to working condition is always quite the challenge.

The same person is also responsible for the skeletonization and special decoration of movement components, as well as producing more intricate cloisonné enamel dials.

Within the House of Chronoswiss is the brand’s own boutique, where visitors can not only purchase a new timepiece, but also take a look back to Chronoswiss’ roots with many of the older models on display.