SPOTLIGHT: Chronoswiss’ Oliver Ebstein on going back to the future

In horological terms, Chronoswiss is a relative newbie. Founded in 1983, what it lacks in centuries of heritage, it has always more than made up for in innovation and boundary pushing. From a series of industry firsts in the 1980s, to its current publicly accessible headquarters in Lucerne, Chronoswiss has been peddling twice as fast as most other watchmakers for over 40 years. The company’s owner, Oliver Ebstein, who bought the company from founder Gerd-Rüdiger Lang in 2012, spoke to Watch Insider’s Daniel Malins about honouring the brand’s roots and DNA, how it’s coping in a market that looks very different today, and what growth and prosperity look like in the future.

Oliver Ebstein was a lover of Chronoswiss before he took over the brand almost 15 years ago. This gives Ebstein a rounded view of what the company stands for, what its fanbase looks like, and where it makes sense to go in a slightly different direction.

“When you are a collector first, you understand the emotional side of watchmaking,” says Ebstein. “You see the story, the craftsmanship, the obsession behind it.

“When my wife and I took over Chronoswiss, we didn’t see a company. We saw a brand I had admired for years,” he continues. “You don’t just manage it. You protect it and push it forward for the next generation of collectors.” 

When he talks about protecting the brand, Ebstein is referring to some of the significant strides that Chronoswiss has taken in a relatively short period of time, as it looked to punch above its weight, particularly in the early years.

For instance, in 1987, it produced its iconic Régulateur, which was the world’s first serially produced wristwatch to feature a regulator-style dial. A year later it introduced the first mechanical chronograph with a moonphase indicator and a transparent sapphire caseback. Or how about in 1995 when it created the Opus — the industry’s first serially produced automatic skeletonized chronograph. These are extraordinary accomplishments for a brand that was barely a decade old at the time.

But at what point does the strength of its watchmaking acumen also become a limitation? It’s one thing to respect and acknowledge what’s gone before, but Ebstein doesn’t strike me as the type of business owner that’s satisfied with resting on laurels.

“Chronoswiss has some very strong design codes,” he says. “For example, the onion crown, the coin-edge bezel, the regulator heritage. These are not limitations, they are anchors. Our challenge is to reinterpret these elements again and again in ways that feel modern. When people see a Chronoswiss from across the room, they should recognise it instantly.

“Gerd-Rüdiger Lang had tremendous courage,” Ebstein acknowledges, while realising that his duty is to maximise the potential of the brand in today’s market. “Where we added our own chapter is in craftsmanship and design expression. With the Atelier Lucerne we brought artisan crafts such as hand guilloché, enamelling directly into the heart of the brand. And at the same time we pushed the design language much further into bold, modern territory.”

One such bold step is the (Neo) Digiteur, which is inspired by the digital mechanical watches of the 1920s and 30s, which were deliberately unconventional. It certainly ticks the box of modernity, but how difficult is it to avoid straying into gimmicky? 

“That balance comes from authenticity,” says Ebstein. “Our goal is never to shock people. Our goal is to surprise them with mechanical ideas that are unusual but still deeply connected to horology and Chronoswiss.”

In a nutshell, Ebstein says that he’d describe current Chronoswiss’ watches as “expressive,” which is a nebulous phrase that can be open to interpretation. More specifically, he says that “They have strong architecture, visible craftsmanship and are never shy. But, at the same time, they remain unmistakably Chronoswiss, carrying all the legacy of over 40 years of independent watchmaking. It’s this balance between tradition and modern expression that defines the brand today. I hope and believe that our growing community sees that.”

Two years after purchasing the brand, Ebstein relocated its headquarters from Munich in Germany to Lucerne in Switzerland. It was a big move, and indicative of a mindset that wants to compete with, and outperform, the very best in the business.

The ‘Atelier Chronoswiss’ is more than just an office. Based in a refurbished former hotel, it is open to the public. It houses a boutique and an atelier where visitors can watch artisans perform traditional guilloché (engine-turning) and enamelling by hand. 

The calculation is that, for a brand that only produces around 1,500 watches a year, this connection with collectors and enthusiasts is absolutely vital. Chronoswiss’ customers are discerning, after all. 

Given the success that Chronoswiss has enjoyed in recent years, I put it to Ebstein that he might be tempted to ramp up the scale of production to satisfy the excess demand.

“Honestly, we feel very little pressure to increase volume,” he tells me. “Chronoswiss is not trying to become an industrial brand. Our watches rely on intricate handcrafts and take time. These things cannot and should not be scaled infinitely.”

In other words, it’s very difficult to embrace mass production without compromising on quality. “For us, exclusivity is not a marketing trick. It is simply the natural consequence of how our watches are made. That being said, we are very thankful for the growth the brand has experienced in the last years.”

In 2026, things look bright for Chronoswiss, but it’s only sensible to be wary of what’s around the corner, whether that’s through geo-political events or market shocks. How does Ebstein plan on future-proofing the brand and ensuring it will continue to thrive in the coming years?

“[Models like] the Pulse certainly brought a new dimension to Chronoswiss,” he says. “It introduced a more architectural and everyday wearable design language. The core idea, however, remains the same: bold mechanical watchmaking combined with traditional crafts. 

“You will see us continue to explore that intersection between modern design and classical craftsmanship. That is what we call Modern Mechanical.”

With a past to be proud of, fantastic sales momentum today, and a bold vision for the future, I asked Ebstein what he would like his legacy to be when the time comes for him to pass down the baton as the custodian of Chronoswiss.

“I would like people to say that we preserved the soul of Chronoswiss while giving it a new chapter. The brand started in a garage in the biggest [quartz] crisis the Swiss watch industry ever faced, believing in mechanical watchmaking when very few others did. 

“If we can continue that spirit of independence, courage and craftsmanship, then I think we have done our job.”