The new Small Second Jasper and Serpentine editions pair natural stone dials with restrained design and traditional Chronoswiss craftsmanship.
Chronoswiss is evolving its Small Second collection through a more natural and bold personality, with two limited-edition models built around genuine Jasper and Serpentine stone dials. Limited to just 50 pieces each, these new stone-dial editions give the brand’s simpler collection a much stronger visual identity.
Chronoswiss is often associated with regulator displays and more unique and unconventional dial layouts. However, the Small Second collection has always featured a time-only display, with the sub-counter at 9 o’clock displaying the constant seconds. This does not mean that the collection is without its mastery in artisanal dial work. Previous editions in the Small Second collection have featured stunning guilloché work, as well as laser-engraved and nano-printed surfaces, showcasing that even the brand’s simpler timepieces feature complex designs.
These new stone-dial editions are the perfect evolution of the dial artistry found in the Small Second collection. There is also a nice bit of history behind the particular Jasper and Serpentine stones used for the dials. It is stated that the Jasper stone is sourced from Idar-Oberstein in Germany, a region with a long history of gemstone cutting and craftsmanship. This links nicely to Chronoswiss’s own beginnings, with the brand being founded by Gerd-Rüdiger Lang in Munich, Germany, in 1983.
The second stone, Serpentine, has a connection to Chronoswiss’s modern-day heritage. The Serpentine stone is sourced from Zermatt, Switzerland, close to the Matterhorn. As Chronoswiss is now headquartered in Switzerland, this ties in nicely with the brand’s current home. The two dials almost reflect a story of the past and present between the two editions.
Natural Stone Meets Refined Chronoswiss Design
Both of these stone-dial limited editions come in the Small Second collection’s signature 40mm x 11.5mm case, with a lug-to-lug measurement of 50mm. This is arguably one of the slimmest case proportions used by Chronoswiss across its collections, and for a time-only watch, it feels perfectly sized to suit everyday wearability.
Even though the stone dials give these watches a much more expressive personality, out of all the collections in Chronoswiss’s current line-up, these models still feel the most wearable on a daily basis. They strip away some of the unique architectural aesthetics that Chronoswiss is known for in favour of a much simpler design.
Chronoswiss is presenting the case in two different materials. The Serpentine edition combines a stainless steel case with an 18ct red gold knurled bezel, adding a precious-metal contrast to the stunning green stone dial. The Jasper edition, meanwhile, features a full stainless steel construction, which allows the orange and earthy tones to stand out nicely and remain the centre of attention. Out of the two models, however, the two-tone treatment gives the Serpentine a much more natural and luxurious aesthetic.
As I mentioned earlier, the Jasper dial comes from the Idar-Oberstein region of Germany, which gives the stone its beige, brown, yellow and ivory tones. Because every stone has different veining and colour distribution, it gives each dial a personality of its own. The Breguet-style Arabic indices, hands and constant-seconds sub-counter match the steel’s visual aesthetic, which I feel creates a nice contrast against the earthy tones of the dial.
The Serpentine dial, with its stone sourced from the Zermatt region in Switzerland, carries a more vivid green appearance. Chronoswiss states that the stone has “organic structures that have shaped naturally over time”, which means that the veining and tonal variation, much like the Jasper stone, cannot be recreated.
The Serpentine is personally my favourite edition. While the Jasper model features a more restrained aesthetic, with the steel beautifully complementing the earthy tones of the stone, the 18ct red gold elements of the bezel, along with the Arabic indices, hands and constant-seconds counter, enhance the visual appeal of the timepiece even further. The various tones of green contrast beautifully against the 18ct red gold elements, more so than the details on its counterpart.
A Modern 55-Hour Automatic Calibre
Both models are powered by Chronoswiss’s next-generation Calibre C.6000 automatic movement. First introduced in 2023, this movement was developed in collaboration with La Joux-Perret. Operating at a high-beat rate of 4Hz, or 28,800vph, it offers a high level of accuracy, while delivering a 55-hour power reserve, making it perfectly suited as an everyday companion.
Through the sapphire crystal caseback, the Calibre C.6000 can be seen. Unlike the dials, which feature stunning vivid colours, the caseback takes a darker approach, with the movement featuring ruthenium plating, a tungsten rotor and Côtes de Genève finishing radiating from the centre, echoing the brand’s signature ray guilloché.
Initial Thoughts
We have been fortunate to see more and more watches featuring stone dials in modern-day watchmaking, but don’t be fooled into thinking that this is an easy venture. Chronoswiss itself stresses that natural stone dials are extremely demanding to manufacture, as the veins, inclusions and colour variations make the material inherently fragile to handle. Only certain sections of Jasper and Serpentine stone can be selected for use before they are cut into thin slices and shaped into the dial with precision.
While my personal preference is the Serpentine for the aforementioned reasons, both of these stone-dial editions are beautiful in their own right. The natural structure of the stone dials also means that no two dials will ever be the same, so each piece within the 50-piece limited run for each stone will be different from one another, offering a sense of individuality with every watch.
This is the perfect evolution of the Small Second collection, a line that focuses more on artistic creativity and beauty than the sheer mechanical brilliance that Chronoswiss’s other collections are known for. And this is exactly why the Small Second Stone collection works so well, because it takes a relatively restrained Chronoswiss design and lets the material and craftsmanship shine instead.
Chronoswiss Small Second Jasper & Serpentine Limited Editions
Reference & Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | CH-8023.2-STLS (Jasper), CH-8022R.2-STSE (Serpentine) |
| Dimensions | 40mm diameter x 50mm lug-to-lug, x 11.5mm thickness |
| Case | Solid 17-part case, ground and polished, with a polished bezel with a fluted decorative ring on the side and domed. Serpentine edition features an 18ct red gold bezel. |
| Dial | Small Second Serpentine: polished natural Serpentine stone main dial, hand-guilloché small seconds subdial with fine sandblasted galvanic 5N finish. Small Second Jasper: matte natural Jasper stone main dial, handguilloché small seconds subdial with fine sandblasted galvanic black finish. |
| Crystal | Sapphire with anti-reflective coating |
| Caseback | Sapphire with anti-reflective coating. |
| Movement | Chronoswiss manufacture caliber C. 6000, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 55 hours |
| Beat Rate | 4Hz (28,800 VpH) |
| Water Resistance | 30m / 3bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Stone/ calfskin leather brown (Jasper) / calfskin leather green (Serpentine) |