The Chronoswiss Delphis Firestarter Is A Red-Hot Release
It all sounds very impressive, but what does a Titanium Core Nano Shell case mean? According to Chronoswiss, it’s an “unprecedented symbiosis of Grade 5 titanium and high-tech composite, permanently merged at a molecular level.” The red high-tech material makes up this 42.6 × 14.5mm watch case, which Chronoswiss then pairs with an equally fiery dial with many delicate details. Yes, the Chronoswiss Delphis Firestarter is a red-hot release.
You can’t say that the Delphis Firestarter is a surprise. After all, Chronoswiss, the brand from Lucerne, already gave us the 44mm Open Gear ReSec Electric Blue. But no matter how blue a watch is, the impact is much greater in red. Sure, the new red creation might be smaller than the bluer-than-blue Open Gear ReSec. Nevertheless, the red hue has a massive presence.
The red-hot Chronoswiss Delphis Firestarter
The case shape of the Chronoswiss Delphis debuted under Gerd R. Lang, the brand’s founder. I bet he never envisioned it in red metal, though. Well, the current owners, the Ebstein family, did. The Delphis Firestarter is a limited edition of 50 pieces and a world first thanks to its Titanium Core Nano Shell case. The color is not a coating but an integrated part of the material. This results from an advanced bonding process in which the titanium core permanently merges with a 0.4mm ultra-lightweight yet resilient composite shell. The color of that composite is — you guessed it — red. Interestingly, the case is carved out of a solid block of the colored composite.
Are there any advantages to using this material, you ask? Well, if you scratch it, the scratch is red and not a nasty, hard-to-ignore contrasting metallic color, no matter how deep the damage is. The other advantage is that your red watch will draw eyes from long distances away.
Fire-red enamel
The red case is very contemporary in every way. So is the color of the dial, but the way it’s made is not. The watch’s dial is decorated with hand guilloché and five layers of vibrantly colored Grand Feu enamel on an 18K white gold base. Chronoswiss creates these dials at the brand’s atelier in Lucerne, by the way. That deserves mentioning because the striking half-moon-shaped upper dial is not only tough to produce but also equally delicate and dramatic. The rotating red and white warning sign at 6 o’clock is set within black decor, and it does not just go unnoticed. It also brings a touch of humor or lightness to the watch.
Like all the other eight Delphis references in the current Chronoswiss collection, the Firestarter shows jumping hours at 12 o’clock, while a retrograde minute hand helps you get to the train on time. That large open-worked hand sweeping across the upper half of the dial makes it easily recognizable as a Delphis. Caliber C.6004 with a healthy 55-hour power reserve makes the hours jump, the minutes sweep, and the running indicator turn.
The price of the Chronoswiss Delphis Firestarter is €41,800. What do you think of this fiery red creation, and did you expect me to refer to The Prodigy’s massive hit song “Firestarter” sooner?
