ReviewSimply Stunning: Introducing The Heritage Chronometer Celebration timepieces By Carl F. Bucherer

Earlier this year, Carl F. Bucherer promised ‘innovative mastery and excellent craftsmanship’, as part of their outlook for 2023 and beyond. With the release of their Heritage Chronometer Celebration quartet of watches, 135-year-old watchmakers Carl F. Bucherer deliver on their promise by renewing a beautiful and timeless dress watch from the 1960s, making it relevant to the now. In contemporary rose gold and stainless steel cases with matching mesh bracelets, the simple and clean dials of the Heritage Chronometer Celebration timepieces stand out for their elegance in tones of silver, brown and black.

A Heritage Chronometer Celebration Of A 135-Year-Old Heritage

Independent and family-owned watch manufacturers Carl F. Bucherer have 135 years of inspiration to rely on, and while they continue to innovate with watchmaking technology and colour, there’s already so much in the brand’s heritage that relates to trends of today. Such as, elegant and classic dress watches that will never go out of style. Integrating the past and the future is a feat that few brands can achieve, and even fewer can do well. Fancy complications and colours aside, what really matters is telling time in a beautiful way, and this is where Carl F. Bucherer’s experience with watchmaking comes into play.

A Heritage Chronometer Celebration Of A Vintage Success

With the Heritage Chronometer Celebration collection, the brand revisit a deliberately simple yet functional 1960s design. Sized at a comfortable 39mm, the round cases of the watches are either in 18-karat rose gold, or stainless steel. With a thickness of 8.45mm, the watch sits comfortably under a cuff. The rose gold is a deliberate departure from the solid, chunky yellow gold that was popular the 60s, and lends the timepiece unmatched grandeur. A matching rose gold Milanese bracelet enhances the fluid elegance of the watch, while also considerably improving its ergonomics.

The rose gold is a deliberate departure from the solid, chunky yellow gold that was popular the 60s, and lends the timepiece an unmatched grandeur. A matching rose gold Milanese bracelet enhances the fluid elegance of the watch, while also considerably improving its ergonomics

The rose gold variant is available with a galvanised silver or a beautiful brown lacquered gradient dial, while the stainless steel version comes with dials in black or silver. Squared off indexes and hands have bevelled edges that give them dimension, and a red arrow-tipped seconds hand adds contrast to the otherwise dual-toned aesthetic. The rose gold watches are decorated with matching indexes and hands filled with black lacquer and Super-LumiNova, while the stainless steel timepieces feature rhodium-plated indexes and hands, filled with black lacquer and Super-LumiNova. At three o’clock is the date aperture with black numerals on white.

Perhaps more important than the watch’s formal aesthetic is the fact that it is a COSC-certified chronometer. Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, or COSC, is an independent body that tests the accuracy and precision of Swiss-made watches. The term ‘chronometer’ is awarded to watches that have passed the COSC’s high testing and quality standards. These particular chronometers are powered by the brand’s automatic calibre CFB 1965.1, with date and time functions, and a power reserve of 42 hours. The well-earned label is displayed proudly on the dials of the Heritage Chronometer Celebration timepieces.

A Heritage Chronometer Celebration Of A Pioneering Watchmaker

The pride in owning a COSC-certified chronometer compares only with that of owning a piece of history from a brand with a 135-year-old history. To augment this pride, the rose gold or stainless steel casebacks feature an embossed Bucherer family crest from the 1960s. With a swan, which is a symbol of Lucerne, the hometown of the brand’s eponymous founder Carl F. Bucherer, a beech tree, the Bucherer family crest, and ‘1888’, for the year the manufacture was founded. This crest, though, is likely a secret between the brand and the wearer, making the watch that much more special when worn.

The special casebacks feature an embossed Bucherer family crest from the 1960s. The rose gold variants are limited to 88 pieces each for the silver and brown dials

The caseback features a swan, which is a symbol of founder Carl F. Bucherer's hometown Lucerne, a beech tree, the Bucherer family crest, and 1888, for the year the manufacture was founded

Like most special things, the Heritage Chronometer Celebration watches are only available in limited editions of 88 pieces for each of the rose gold watches and 188 pieces for the steel variants. However, with the brand’s promise of more excellent watches that celebrate Carl F. Bucherer’s heritage with a futuristic outlook, there’s still a lot to look forward to.