Wrist Game or Crying Shame: Chronoswiss Timemaster

Welcome to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the weekly online reality show that lets you decide whether a watch stays on the island or takes the slow boat home. We even allow “keimschleuder” to vote! This week, we focus on a beacon of glowing light during these dark times with the Chronoswiss Timemaster. But first…

Last week, I showed you a two tone Rolex Daytona 116523 with a slate grey dial. And while it’s not my jelly, it seems to be your jam. The salt and pepper Daytona just barely pulled itself over the chin up bar. As a result, it mustered a 53% Wrist Game victory. What the Chronoswiss Timemaster eschews on gold, it makes up with a glow of another kind. Let’s take a look.

The Chronoswiss Timemaster

Chronoswiss was founded back in 1983. 1983 just happened to be the last time that my beloved Baltimore Orioles won a World Series. A young Cal Ripken Jr. along with Eddie Murray’s sideburns brought home the banner! Back on point… Gerd Lang, of Heuer fame, founded Chronoswiss in Lucerne. The company offered watches that were quite different than the typical highly finished dress watches of the time. A Chronoswiss was larger and brought in seldom-seen coin-edge detailing on the bezel and mid-case. All at once, they were unique while referencing 1940’s military aviation watches. Prices weren’t low, but they were far less than competing pieces from larger, more established Swiss brands.

RJ and I spoke about Chronoswiss on a recent podcast. RJ professed his love for the brand and his own personal Regulateur (not the Warren G kind) model complete with a signed certificate from Lang. I, on the other hand, recalled seeing these watches at the local Mayor’s in Boca Raton in showcases near brands such as Rolex and Omega. Somewhere within the cobwebs of my mind, I unearthed memories of a time-only example. The model came with an elaborate case, a crazy crown, and a long strap. I think an old Austin Healey was pictured with it. Well, Encyclopedia “Broer”tannica informed me that the watch in mind was the Chronoswiss Timemaster.

For Pilots and Drivers

I recall my Dad taking a long look at the Chronoswiss Timemaster. The case finishing was superb and the nicely decorated caliber 672 (hand wound Unitas 6497-1) really shined under those bright store lights. The onion crown was nearly as large as its sob-inducing namesake. That made it really stand out at the time. As a vintage car driver and fan, I think my Dad really liked the long leather auxiliary strap meant to wrap around either a bomber jacket or leather car coat. Granted, this was Florida and leather jackets are about as useful as snow skis. He didn’t end up buying the Timemaster, but the watch was at least memorable enough to leave an impression.

Two Dials On Offer

In time-only form, the Chronomaster Timemaster was available with one of two dials. We looked at the more traditional black dial with stainless case. More interesting, perhaps, was a model with a fully lumed dial and contrasting black numerals and markings. If you travel back to the early 90s, you’ll find other examples of these fully luminous faces. The TAG Heuer F1 was a seriously popular specimen and the Citizen Promaster NY0040 also comes to mind. The look isn’t for everyone, but I think it provides a nice alternative. Functionally, a watch like this acts like a lantern in a coal mine. With the Timemaster, a rotating bezel with lumed arrow ups the usage factor. One could actually envisage using such a watch while piloting a plane or roadster during the night.

Nice Used Prices Make for an Interesting Option

The Chronoswiss Timemaster, like a lot of pieces from the brand, sadly suffers from rather low secondary market prices. Granted, we’re potential buyers in this article, so that might not be such a bad thing. The 43mm Timemaster we’ve found for you today comes via Chrono24 and the UK-based seller has provided the pics. You can see that this bright light comes with all its kit. That means a riveted croc strap, the long leather strap, a nifty aluminum case, the papers, and some bits and bobs for the strap change. Honestly, it looks nearly new to me and was purchased in 2012. The price seems attractive at €1,968.  I could be wrong, but that feels like half of what I remember them costing back in the 90s. Needless to say, if you like this watch, you can rest easy that the original buyer took the depreciation hit.

Now it’s time to vote on the Chronoswiss Timemaster. This is a neat watch and, as mentioned, shines brightly — especially when the lights are low. It also qualifies as yet another watch you won’t see every day (but you’ll see it when you see it), but has a certain level of WIS-street cred. So, let’s get to it and vote…thanks for participating!