Highly regarded for its artisanal movement finish, Atelier de Chronométrie relied entirely on vintage movements that were rebuilt and then decorated by hand. Now the brand finally has a movement to call its own with the M284. Vintage inspired like its timepieces, the M284 is a hand-wind calibre that makes its debut inside the AdC22 wristwatch.

Initial thoughts

AdC started out with watches that were equipped with refinished vintage movements that were beautifully decorated but not quite original enough to be special. The new proprietary movement – which has both fine finishing and tasteful design – elevates the brand to another level entirely.

The classical layout, frequency, and short power reserve of just 38 hours seem to imply that the movement might be derived from a vintage ebauche, or at least built according to the architecture of a vintage movement. However, AdC states that the movement is a new construction done with the help of a specialist. Regardless of its origins, the M284 is a calibre executed well both in terms of design and decoration, as would be expected given AdC’s past work.

Having examined several of prior AdC watches in detail, I imagine the M284 is finished extremely well and certainly on part with equivalent offerings from contemporary independent watchmakers. But AdC has the advantage of Mr Martinez’s aesthetic sensibility, which is perhaps even rarer than good movement decoration today.

The design is clearly vintage inspired, but with subtle tweaks to the details to give it a subtly original aesthetic. Importantly, the watch feels authentic because of the brand’s origins: AdC was founded by Spaniard Santiago Martinez Rabasa, a vintage watch dealer who speciality is the very sort of mid-20th century wristwatches that inspired the brand.

Mr Martinez’s eye for detail is evident in the details of the watch, ranging from the properly proportioned dial to the styling of the case. The result is a handsome watch that evokes vintage watches but is recognisable as a modern watch rather than a one-for-one remake.

Priced at €60,000 in steel, the AdC22 is more expensive than the brand’s earlier watches that were powered by Omega ebauches, but reasonably priced compared to comparable watches by other niche makers.

Vintage styling inside and out

The M284 is modelled on movements made in the 1940s in the Vallee de Joux by esteemed ebauche makers for marques like Audemars Piguet. Like many calibres of that era, the M284 has a large barrel bridge and elegant finger bridges for the going train. And of course the balance wheel is screwed and runs at just 18,000 beats per hour, exactly as a vintage movement would.

According to AdC, the M284 is a brand-new movement developed from scratch with the assistance of a specialist constructor. Some details reveal its modern nature, including the bridges in Arcap, a copper-nickel alloy that that takes well to finishing and machining. Another is the sharp, outward point in between the jewels for the centre and third wheels, a flourish that appeals to today’s finishing fad.

The M284 will be found in most of the brand’s watches from now on, but it is being launched in the AdC22. As the name implies, it is the brand’s 22nd wristwatch and continues with the 1930s and 1940s styling that the brand favours.

Each AdC wristwatch is made to order, so both the dial and case can be customised according to the client’s preferences. But the AdC22 is very much typical of the brand’s house style. The “Calatrava-style” case is 37.5 mm in diameter and fitted with a two-tone dial in rose with a silvered hour track. The leaf-shaped hands are steel as are the spherical hour markers.

Key facts and price

Diameter: 37.5 mm
Height: 9 mm
Material: Steel or 18k gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water-resistance: Unavailable

Movement: M284
Functions: Hours, minutes, and seconds
Winding: Hand-wind
Frequency: 18,000 beats per hour (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 38 hours

Strap: Leather with pin buckle

Limited edition: Made to order
Availability: Direct from Atelier de Chronométrie
Estimate: Starting from €60,000 with a steel case and metal dial (excluding taxes)

For more, visit Atelierdechronometrie.com.

Founded to give new life to vintage chronometer movements and resurrect old-school designs, Atelier de Chronométrie (AdC) has completed only a few watches to date, but has quickly become known for wristwatches that are elegantly refined inside and out.

In its inaugural outing at Only Watch, the watchmaker put together the AdC21, a time-only watch that is simple but executed with lavish detail, and dressed in a nostalgic, “pink on pink” livery.

Like AdC’s other creations, the AdC21 is powered by a movement that started life as a vintage ébauche before being upgraded with parts fabricated by hand in-house. And the movement has been finished to level far beyond what the vintage calibre ever was.

Initial thoughts

AdC watches are intrinsically appealing to enthusiasts who favour old-school dress watches, which often have discreet, refined details that are uncommon in contemporary watches. One of the brand’s cofounders is a vintage watch dealer whose eye and experience explain the house style. At the same time, AdC elevates the design with the artisanal quality of the case and movement, most of which are made in house.

The AdC21 is arguably the best time-only watch the brand has created to date. Entirely classical yet novel, the dial has a two-tone finish matched with an unusual interpretation of the “scientific” dial. And the case is also more elaborately constructed than those found on AdC’s earlier works.

Beyond the design and craft, the shades of pink that define the watch are coherent. The tone-on-tone palette, often known as “pink on pink” in vintage watch circles, evokes a well-preserved vintage watch.

And of course the movement is beyond reproach. It’s essentially a heavily revamped vintage Omega cal. 283, a star chronometer-trial movement of the mid-20th century. Drastically reworked, the movement also shows off exquisite finishing, including several sharp, inward angles along the bevelling of the bridges.

Hand made

AdC produces just a handful of watches a year, dedicating a good amount of time to crafting and finishing parts the old-fashioned way.

The hour and minute hands, for example, have a three-dimensional, rounded profile – a telltale sign of being hand made. The hands are made one by one, first by cutting out the blank from a sheet of gold, then filing the blank by hand, followed by careful polishing to give it a lustrous sheen.

The case is also fabricated manually. Its defining feature are the stepped lugs that evoke a certain style of vintage Patek Philippe cases.

The lugs are individually soldered onto the convex case middle, a construction that guarantees a sharp, precise border between the two parts.

The separate lugs and case

Soldering the lugs onto the case

The careful execution continues with the movement. Because the vintage cal. 283 has a subsidiary seconds in its stock form, AdC had to install additional gears under a bridge to migrate the seconds hand from six o’clock to the centre. Designed and made from scratch by AdC, the indirect-seconds bridges has an elaborate profile and decorative flourishes like the acute angles in the bevelling around the centre jewel.

But the cal. 283 is also found in other AdC watches, so the calibre within the Only Watch example has been slightly tweaked to distinguish it. The difference is subtle in a manner that only enthusiasts would appreciate: the bridge for the pallet lever forms a circle, instead of being a C-shaped as in the standard movement.

Key facts and price

Diameter: 37 mm
Height: Unavailable
Material: 18k pink gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water-resistance: Unavailable

Movement: Cal. 21 (Omega cal. 283 ébauche)
Functions: Hours, minutes, and seconds
Winding: Hand-wind
Frequency: 18,000 beats per hour (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 43 hours

Strap: Brown and black leather

Limited edition: Piece unique
Availability: To be sold at Only Watch on November 6, 2021
Estimate: 35,000-55,000 Swiss francs

For more, visit Onlywatch.com.

Barcelona-based Atelier de Chronométrie made a name for itself with its beautifully crafted watches that capture the grace of 1940s timepieces. But all of its work so far has centred on time-only watches, all powered by heavily decorated vintage Omega movements. But now the AdC #8 Split-Seconds Chronograph takes things to a whole new level.

Retaining the elegant feel of the brand’s earlier creations, the AdC #8 is powered by a reworked movement that started out as a Venus 185 but completely reworked by Atelier de Chronométrie, with a substantial number of parts made from scratch. Commissioned by an American collector, the AdC #8 is largely hand made, with everything hand finished to a superlative, artisanal standard, which is why it took took two years to complete.

Initial thoughts

I first found out about this watch late last year, and it sounded promising given Atelier de Chronométrie’s track record in design and movement finishing. Though I am going by photos, the finished product definitely lives up to expectations, and then some. Everything about it is just done extremely well, and while it costs a lot of money, the AdC #8 is compellingly and reasonably priced as such things go.

Having closely examined Atelier de Chronométrie’s earlier watches, the AdC #8 will undoubtedly have the same feel – visually similar to a vintage watch but much more solid in the hand thanks to a more robust, modern case.

A little under 40 mm in diameter, the AdC #8 has the proportions of a vintage watch, though it is slightly larger than vintage chronographs with the same movement – those were usually 38 mm or so and slightly thinner – but manages to capture the same look, especially with the teardrop lugs and oblong chronograph pushers.

The same holds for the dial, which is likewise modelled on vintage chronographs and features a glossy, black “gilt” finish with Breguet numerals and leaf-shaped hands.

But as with Atelier de Chronométrie’s time-only watches, the execution of the dial is done to such a high, artisanal standard that places it in the modern day. Certain elements on the dial reflect its elaborate, hand-made nature, most obviously the solid-gold, applied numerals and the heavy, solid-gold hands that have a domed profile.

In vintage watches the Venus 185 is almost always plainly finished, as was the norm then for watches designed for professionals, presumably auto racers or pilots. Atelier de Chronométrie, on the other hand, has elevated the aesthetics and finish of the movement.

Atelier de Chronométrie already does exemplary decoration for its time-only movements, and this is basically more elaborate finishing on a greater number of components, right down to the black polished pallet lever cock. And many of the most crucial components were made from scratch, resulting in a look that is dramatically different from the stock Venus 185.

And then all of the parts, new and old, are decorated by hand to a degree comparable to the most prominent names in independent watchmaking, like Voutilainen for instance. But because Atelier de Chronométrie works with old-fashioned methods on a very small scale, making two or three watches a year, the result is slightly more artisanal than most of the competition.

Depending on your perspective, the origins of the movement might be a plus or a minus. The Venus 185 a well-regarded calibre from the mid 20th century golden age of Swiss watchmaking, but it also doesn’t have the novelty or originality of a new construction.

I like the movement, especially when seen in relation to the price, which is about US$95,000. That’s about half the retail price of a high-end, split-seconds chronograph with an in-house movement that’s finished to a similar (but probably slightly lower) standard, making the AdC #8 a value buy in relative terms.

Vintage style

Atelier de Chronométrie is a four-person outfit, made up of vintage watch dealer Santi Martinez, his wife Montse Gimeno, as well as watchmakers  Moebius Rassmann and Eduard Mercade, hence its ability to successfully combine high-end watchmaking and vintage-inspired design and techniques – with a great deal of attention to detail.

Take the case for instance. Made the old-fashioned way, and enhanced with soldered, generously-sized teardrop lugs, the 39.8 mm case is vintage style, but smartly designed to camouflage the 15 mm height. It combines a narrow case band combined with a high, concave bezel and domed back. Another smart detail is the flat split-seconds pusher in the crown that avoids the bulbous look of many co-axial split-seconds buttons.

And it is made of 18k grey gold, essentially white gold with a high palladium content, giving it a naturally grey colour. In contrast, the typical white gold used for watches has a faint yellow hue, which is why it is usually plated in rhodium, giving it a bright, silvery colour similar to platinum.

The dial is equally vintage in style, but again upgraded with modern, luxe elements. It’s rendered in a glossy black finish with metallic, slightly-shiny “gilt” markings, just as on a vintage watch. Even the serif typography used for the numerals – notice the “open” sixes – is properly vintage in style.

But the numerals are applied, a feature relatively uncommon on vintage-watch dials, while the hands are hefty and made of 18k grey gold like the case. They are filed and polished by hand, resulting in a lustrous, rounded surface possible only with hand-made hands.

The movement is based on the Venus 185, a movement that was produced from the 1940s to the late 1960s. It was a top-of-the-line movement often found in functional watches, most famously in the Breitling Duograph, but also used by lesser known brands like Telda and Certina. Such vintage watches had essentially no movement decoration; the parts were finished but not decoratively. Even the comparable Valjoux 55 in the Rolex ref. 4113 – probably the most valuable vintage split-seconds wristwatch ever – had no decoration to speak of.

Atelier de Chronométrie has gone to the other extreme, giving the Venus 185 a makeover that puts it amongst the very best modern movements. In fact, the finishing is more elaborate than other modern-day watches with the same movement, which were made by Parmigiani, Ulysse Nardin, and Panerai amongst others.

Some 50 components of the movement – out of 280 total – were produced by Atelier de Chronométrie by hand and without a CNC machine. The newly-fabricated parts improve upon the original components in shape, function, and material, and include the free-sprung balance wheel, balance cock, and split-seconds wheel bridge. More unusual is the split-seconds wheel in the centre of the movement that is made of titanium, with spoke shaped like the Atelier de Chronométrie logo.

The result is a distinctive look that continues the style found in the brand’s earlier watches. The balance cock, for instance, has sharply-angled outline with a black-polished steel cap on top. And the balance wheel is a proprietary design with aggressively shaped spoke and six rose-gold regulating masses.

But Atelier de Chronométrie has gone even further here than with its time-only movements. The pallet lever cock is black polished, as are the bridges for the split-seconds wheel and clutch.

The black-polished pallet lever cock, just under the balance wheel with its rose-gold weights

Delicately-shaped and black-polished

The rattrapante bridge with the titanium split-seconds wheel shaped like the AdC logo and a gold chaton for the jewel bearing

The elegantly-shaped split-seconds mechanism

The AdC #8 is a one-off creation, but Atelier de Chronométrie can do similar work starting from €85,000, or about US$95,000, for a split-seconds chronograph in a gold case – an eminently fair ask for the quality of work.

Key Facts and Price

Atelier de Chronométrie AdC #8

Diameter: 39.8 mm
Height: 15 mm
Material: 18k grey gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: Venus 185 base
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and split-seconds chronograph
Winding: Hand-wind
Frequency: 18,000 beats per hour (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 36 hours

Strap: Leather with grey gold buckle

Limited edition: Unique piece
Availability: Direct from Atelier de Chronométrie
Price: Starting from €85,000 for split-seconds chronograph, and from €70,000 for a two-register chronograph

For more, visit Atelierdechronometrie.com.

Made in Spain and powered by rebuilt vintage Omega movements, Atelier de Chronométrie’s watches recall Swiss watches of the 1930s and 1940s. Having launched variants in steel, and even one with a revolving cloisonné enamel dial, Atelier de Chronométrie (AdC) has just unveiled a pair of watches created for Shellman, a respected watch retailer in Tokyo.

Founded by vintage watch dealer Santi Martinez, his wife Montse Gimeno, as well as watchmaker Moebius Rassmann, AdC specialises in timepieces that look and feel vintage, save for the movements inside that are artfully designed and wonderfully finished. Its tasteful watches are a perfect fit for Shellman, the small but influential outfit located in the posh Ginza district of Tokyo.

Established in 1971 by Yoshi Isogai, Shellman is highly regarded for its top quality vintage watches and was one of the first retailers of Philippe Dufour anywhere in the world. Alongside Dufour, Shellman is also the retailer of independent labels like Beat Haldimann, Svend Andersen, and now, Atelier de Chronométrie.

The Atelier de Chronométrie #6 is a 35mm watch in 18k grey gold, with a two-tone sector dial and blued steel leaf hands.  The case design is inspired by 1930s gentleman’s wristwatches, explaining the single-stepped bezel with a flat front and the narrow case band.

Inside is a movement that started life as a 1950s Omega cal. 266, but entirely revamped by AdC. Twenty-six components of the movement are hand-made from scratch, while every component is decorated by hand to a high degree. The parts made by AdC include the bridges and cocks, which are made of ARCAP, a hard alloy made up of nickel, copper and zinc, as well as the free-sprung balance wheel that has two adjustable masses made of 18k gold.

Admittedly the #6 wristwatch is fairly similar to earlier AdC watches, which is where the Atelier de Chronométrie #7 stands out. Though it has design elements found in other AdC timepieces, the #7 is the first time they have been combined in this manner.

The #7 is in old school 18k yellow gold, and slightly larger at 37mm in diameter. The dial is black “gilt” with applied Breguet numerals matched with solid yellow gold hands.

The movement is identical to that in the #6, but because several components are hand-made and also finished by hand, the aesthetic is intentionally varied. The shape of the barrel bridge, for instance, is different, as is the finishing on the crown and barrel ratchet wheels.

Note the gold chaton for the jewel within the black-polished steel cap on the escape wheel cock

Key facts AdC #6

Diameter: 35mm
Material: 18k grey gold
Water resistance: 30m

Movement: Hand-wound and based on Omega cal. 266
Frequency: 18,000 beats per hour
Power reserve: 38 hours

Strap: Calfskin with hand-made 18k grey gold buckle

Key facts AdC #7

Diameter:37.5mm
Material: 18k yellow gold
Water resistance: 30m

Movement: Hand-wound and based on Omega cal. 266
Frequency: 18,000 beats per hour
Power reserve: 38 hours

Strap: Calfskin with hand-made 18k yellow gold buckle

Price and availability

The AdC #6 and #7 are available only at Shellman in Tokyo, but similar models are available direct from Atelier de Chronometrie, starting at €38,000 in stainless steel.

Barcelona-based independent watchmaker Atelier de Chronométrie (AdC) sticks to a simple but compelling formula: pre-war style wristwatches powered by drastically refined 1950s Omega movements. Coming almost exactly a year after the introduction of the AdC #4 with a cloisonné dial, the new AdC #88 is exactly that, in a slim, stainless steel case – a first for the brand.

The steel case is 37mm in diameter, slightly larger than AdC’s earlier watches. It has a wide, flat bezel, and slightly thicker lugs, giving it a marginally more sporty look that’s reminiscent of the Patek Philippe ref. 570 in steel, a rare and valuable oversized Calatrava of the 1940s. Besides the style, another point of attraction is the price, which is about a fifth less than the AdC watches with a gold case.

To match the case style, the dial is also inspired by the 1940s and available in glossy black or matte silver. It’s a “sector” dial, with the face divided into quadrants by a crosshair, matched with an engine-turned, oversized subsidiary seconds with appropriately retro typography.

As found on all of AdCs watches, the hands are mirror-polished and rounded, with a thickness and gleam that is possible only with hand-made hands.

And the case back reveals the movement, which originally started its life as an Omega cal. 266 in the 1950s. It’s part of the calibre 30 family of movements, robust, chronometer-grade calibres that included the well-known cal. 30T2 RG.

But AdC has heavily improved the original movement – 44 components are hand-made from scratch without automated tools – and dressed it up in an elaborate finish, including frosted bridges with sharply defined and polished bevels.

More notably, the movement has been further refined compared to earlier versions of AdC’s cal. 266. Amongst the notable details include the lowered, black polished steel cock for the escape wheel, along with a newly developed free-sprung balance wheel fitted with six 18k rose gold timing weights.

Price and availability

The AdC #88 is priced at €38,000 before taxes, equivalent to US$43,200. It’s available direct from Atelier de Chronométrie.

Having presented a trio of vintage-inspired chronometers powered by rebuilt vintage Omega movements, Barcelona-based Atelier de Chronométrie is now onto its fourth timepiece. While the earlier models featured retro-style sector and gilt dials, the AdC #4 is endowed with a striking cloisonné enamel dial that is also made in the Spanish city.

Tangentially reminiscent of the cloisonné “observatory dial” on the vintage Omega Constellation de Luxe, the enamelled center of the AdC #4 is actually a day and night indicator integrated onto the baseplate, which completes a full rotation every five hours and 20 minutes. It can, however, be tweaked for a more conventional 12 or 24 hour rotation.

Hand-made in Barcelona by an independent enamel artisan, the dial is composed of 18k and 24k gold wires bent to form the outline of the moon and earth, then soldered into the dial base.

The cells formed by the wire are then filled with mica, opaque, opalescent and transparent enamel powder and fired in a small oven after each layer of application. Made up of 35 different hues, the vibrant disc is framed by a double track chapter ring, coupled with white gold leaf-shaped hands which are also made by hand.

The AdC #4 is once again powered by a heavily hand-modified Omega cal. 266 with a total of 42 components entirely crafted by watchmaker Moebius Rassmann, and done without the use of CNC milling machines. The in-house components include the free-sprung balance wheel, as well as the winding click, which is made of a single piece of carbon steel, then filed and black polished.

It’s extensively decorated by hand, with black polishing on the ratchet and crown wheels, as well as frosting and anglage on the bridges.

In keeping with the vintage Omega theme, the watch is fashioned in a 37.5mm white gold case with a concave bezel.

Price and Availability

The AdC #4 is priced at €55,000 before taxes, compared to about €40,000 for the models with standard dials. It is available directly from Atelier de Chronometrie.

A two man operation comprised of vintage watch dealer Santiago Martinez Rabasa and watchmaker Moebius Rassmann, Atelier de Chronométrie makes only two or three watches a year. Having made its debut last year with the AdC #1 wristwatch, the Barcelona-based brand has elaborated on its original premise of rebuilding and enhancing the 1960s Omega calibre 30 movement, now offering variations with an indirect centre seconds or redesigned movement bridges.

While the first Atelier de Chronométrie timepiece was time-only with a subsidiary seconds at six because of the Omega calibre 266 inside, the Atelier de Chronométrie AdC #2 is equipped with a movement based on the Omega calibre 283, essentially the same calibre with an indirect seconds. Best known for being used in the “Broad Arrow” ref. 2777 made for the Royal Air Force in the 1950s, the original calibre 283 was a robust, no-nonsense movement built to keep good time, with the centre seconds for easy time measurement.

Atelier de Chronométrie’s version of the movement is dressed to the nines, retaining the basic architecture of the vintage movement but with most of its substantive parts made fresh from scratch. A total of 35 components are produced by Atelier de Chronométrie, including all the bridges, which are now German silver instead of brass. That includes the bridge for the seconds train, which is long, elegantly shaped and carrying two jewels, replacing the short, functional original that only had a single ruby.

Other components produced by Atelier de Chronométrie include the free-sprung balance wheel with four weights for regulation as well as the winding click.

And all parts that are original to the 50-year old calibre 283 have been finished by hand to an appreciably high standard, with black polishing on the barrel and ratchet wheels, and blued steel screws.

In keeping with its house style, the case and dial channels mid 20th century watchmaking in both design and substance. The dial is a glossy black lacquer with raised, granular print in gold, just as on vintage watches with “gilt” dials. The applied numerals and hands are made of pink gold to match the case; the hands are cut and rounded by hand, giving them a substantial but elegant form.

The pink gold case is steel, with soldered lugs and a flat crown, giving it a look and feel typical of the watches that it emulates. Atelier de Chronométrie offers a significant degree of customisation, so the case, dial and even movement can be tweaked to suit the client’s tastes. The AdC #2 is priced at €41,000 in the guise shown above, which is a hefty sum for a time-only wristwatch but a consequence of the tremendous amount of work.

The Atelier de Chronométrie AdC #3 goes even farther back in time, with a style reminiscent of 1930s wristwatches. The dial is three-tone with a striking Art Deco style. Each portion of the dial has a different surface finish, with circular brushing on the tracks for the hour that contrast with the frosted finish on the central portion and narrow bands in-between.

The leaf-shaped hands are also hand-made, with a shape and thickness that cannot be produced by a stamping machine.

Mechanically this is identical to the AdC #1, with the movement inside being built on the Omega calibre 266, but with differently shaped bridges. The escape and seconds wheel now have their own cocks, giving the movement a more appealing and airy appearance, while also providing more components to show off the hand-finishing.

Though the AdC #2 is the same smallish 37.5mm in diameter as the first model, it feels larger thanks to its longer lugs.

The AdC #2 costs €39,000 as pictured in 18k pink gold.

Atelier de Chronométrie’s first wristwatch, now known as the AdC #1, was modelled on Omega chronometer watches of the mid 20th century, even being equipped with a completely revamped Omega calibre 266.

Now the Spanish watchmaker has introduced AdC #2 and #3, both similarly inspired by vintage watches of the same era but distinctly different in style. The only constant remains the movements inside, all based on Omega’s calibre 30 family of movements, which includes the famous 30T2 RG.

Pictured above, the AdC #2 is distinguished by a centre seconds, accomplished the indirect way with an additional bridge for the seconds on top of the movement. Originally an Omega calibre 283 – which is essentially the calibre 266 with a centre seconds – the movement has 35 of its components newly made from scratch, including the Germans silver bridges and adjustable mass, stainless steel balance wheel. All parts that are original are completely refinished to a high standard, for instance applying black polish to the barrel ratchet wheels.

True to the aesthetic of the era, the AdC #2 has a glossy black dial with raised “gilt” printing as well as solid 18k gold applied hour numerals.

The AdC #3 has a 40mm case, which is available in steel or various colours of gold.

In contrast, the AdC #3 is an Art Deco twist on the inaugural AdC #1. Like the original, the movement inside is again the Omega calibre 266, but with a slightly different layout. Instead of a single bridge for the escape and seconds wheels, the AdC #3 has separate cocks for each.

Art Deco in style, the dial is finished with several colours and surface treatments, while the hour and minute hands are solid 18k gold.

While the case size is identical to the AdC #1 at 37.5mm in diameter, the proportions are different, with longer lugs and a concave bezel. Like Atelier de Chronométrie’s other watches the case is available in other sizes, between 35mm and 38.5mm.

Price and availability 

The AdC #2 is priced at €41,000 while the AdC #3 costs €39,000. Prices exclude taxes. They are available direct from Atelier de Chronométrie.

Introduced in 1939, the Omega calibre 30 is one of the most highly regarded watch movements of the mid-20th century, a golden age for wrist chronometers. In production for 24 years, with over a dozen variants descended from the original – most notably the famous chronometer calibre 30T2 RG – the calibre 30 family of movements is one of the finest calibres from Omega’s heyday, pre-quartz crisis, when it was the largest movement maker in Switzerland.

The calibre 30 won numerous prizes in the chronometer trials at Neuchatel, Geneva and Kew observatories, a feat made possible by marrying excellent engineering, industrial production (more than a quarter million movements were made), and careful hand regulation. Precise, accurate and robust, the calibre 30 movements were not extravagantly decorated. All of the calibre 30 variants had the pink gold plating characteristic of Omega movements until the 1990s.

Spanish revival

Atelier de Chronométrie is a Barcelona-based watch brand that aims to revive vintage calibre 30 movements – specifically the calibre 266 – with newly shaped bridges and a high level of hand-finishing. Founded by vintage watch dealer Santiago Martinez Rabasa, who conceived the classical styling of the watches, the movements are rebuilt and finished by watchmaker Moebius Rassmann.

Building a modern watch on a champion vintage movement is not a new idea – Kari Voutilainen used the Peseux 260 in the Observatoire wristwatch that launched his career – but it is a good one. Such movements combine both a grand story and top quality, old-fashioned mechanics.

On the outside, the Atelier de Chronométrie Chronometer could pass for a mid-20th century wristwatch, which is its express goal. Each Chronometer is made to client’s specifications, so while the basic size is 35mm – exactly like a 1950s Omega – the case can be as large as 38.5mm. That’s the limit for the movement, beyond which the sub-seconds would look out of place on the dial. Even the shape of the case is carefully styled after a vintage Omega, with the recognisable narrow case band that flares towards the end of the lugs. Even the precious metal hallmarks on the lugs are reminiscent of vintage watches.

Various dial colours and styles are offered, including a glossy black dial with metallic print that mimics the “gilt” dials of old. More outstanding are the beautifully made blued steel hands that are large, rounded and distinctly three-dimensional. The black polished axis of the hands, the bit that sits on the cannon pinion, is outstanding.

While the movement is based on an Omega calibre 266, essentially the movement parts are identical to the Omega, there are some upgrades, including a free-sprung balance that replaces the regulator index on the calibre 266.

Thirty-two components of the movement are made in-house by Atelier de Chronométrie the old-fashioned way, with lathes and jigs, and not CNC milling machines. Also made from scratch are the German silver bridges and balance cock, which are usually shaped with lots of sharp angles so as to show off the edge finish of chamfering and mirror-polishing.

Other notable details include the black polished ratchet and barrel wheels, and the black polished steel cap on the balance cock. Like the rest of the watch, the finishing is also customisable. Bridges, for instance, can be finished with Cotes de Geneve instead of frosting.

There is slight unevenness in some aspects of the finishing that reveal it is hand executed, like on the bevelling of the spokes of the gears or the flatness of the ratchet wheel. Hand finishing that is flawless enough to be conceivably done by machine is the ideal, something that Philippe Dufour and Kari Voutilainen come close to.

The Atelier de Chronométrie Chronometer costs significantly less than either of those two, but not so little as to be trivial. Selling these in significant numbers would dictate either upping the standard and price, or decreasing both.

Pricing

The Atelier de Chronométrie Chronometer starts at €36,000, equivalent to some US$40,000, for an 18k gold or steel case (the brand’s founder says steel and gold cases cost the same to produce on a small scale). Options like a two-colour 18k gold case or a matching gold bracelet will add to the cost. Atelier de Chronométrie can be reached via its website.

Founded by Barcelona-based vintage watch dealer Santiago Martinez Rabasa, Atelier de Chronométrie aims to create classic chronometers using rejuvenated vintage movements. To complete and decorate the movements, Mr Martinez recruited watchmaker Moebius Rassmann. Their first product is the Atelier de Chronométrie wristwatch, equipped with an Omega calibre 266 from the 1950s that is tested and certified by the Besançon observatory in France.

Part of the family of highly regarded 30mm movements, one that includes the famous calibre 30T2, the calibre 266 is a hand-wound movement that was production until the early 1960s. A prime example of the robust and reliable movements Omega made during its prime before the Quartz Crisis, the calibre 266 has been completely reworked, with 32 components made from scratch, including the German silver bridges and balance cock, making it almost unrecognisable as the calibre 266. Other changes include installing a free-sprung balance, replacing the regulator index on the original.

All the components for the watch are made with old fashioned methods, that is to say without automated milling machines. Likewise, the movement decoration is all done by hand, including the frosted surfaces, prominent anglage and black polished steel parts. Each element of the finishing is customisable, for instance spiral graining instead of black polishing on the ratchet wheel.

Similarly, several options are also available for the case: white, rose or yellow gold, or a combination of two colours of gold, and also stainless steel. The case can be either 35mm to 38.5mm.

Three dials are now offered – silvered two-tone, copper two-tone and a glossy black – with the design inspired by vintage chronometers featuring a prominent minute track and a large sub-seconds. A cloisonné enamel dial will soon join the line-up.

The Atelier de Chronométrie wristwatch is customisable, with the price depending on the specifications, however it starts at about €36,000 with an 18k single-colour gold or steel case, equivalent to US$38,600. According to brand founder Mr Martinez, both steel and gold cases cost the same to make, because of the hardness of steel.

Update December 3, 2015: Price of steel model added.