Atelier de Chronométrie has built its reputation on watches that feel less manufactured than composed, with vintage architecture treated as a starting point rather than a limitation.
The AdC16 Chronograph brings that philosophy to the brand’s first chronograph-only model, moving beyond its earlier split-seconds work while keeping the workshop’s unmistakably traditional hand.
It’s small, highly personal and technically serious, which is exactly where this Barcelona independent tends to be most compelling.
At a glance
- Atelier de Chronométrie has introduced the AdC16 Chronograph, its first watch dedicated solely to the classic chronograph complication.
- The watch uses the calibre S440, a heavily reworked Valjoux 23-based hand-wound movement with a jumping minute counter and 52-hour power reserve.
- The AdC16 shown is a unique commissioned piece, with future custom examples priced around EUR 140,000 to EUR 150,000 depending on options.
A 36mm case with old-world restraint
The AdC16 sits in a 36mm Calatrava-style case, a size that immediately places it closer to mid-century chronograph proportions than to modern sports-watch convention.
The commissioned example combines a stainless steel middle case with 18k yellow gold for the bezel, crown, pushers and concave caseback.
That two-tone construction could easily become decorative for its own sake, but here it’s kept sharp through a flat brushed bezel, polished surfaces and compact pump pushers.
Sapphire crystals are fitted front and back, with the rear crystal serving a practical purpose given the amount of movement work on display.
The gilt dial keeps the drama controlled
The dial follows a 1940s-inflected layout, using a black galvanic gilt finish with applied Arabic numerals and round gold indexes.
Gold hands strengthen the warmth of the case, while the engine-turned subsidiary registers add just enough texture without crowding the face.
The shown watch includes the client’s initials, a reminder that Atelier de Chronométrie treats these pieces as individual commissions rather than catalogue references.
That matters because the AdC16 isn’t being presented as a fixed formula.
Case metals, dial details, bracelet execution and movement finishing can all be adapted within the framework of the calibre and the brand’s traditional language.
The S440 calibre is the real centrepiece
Inside is the calibre S440, Atelier de Chronométrie’s reinterpretation of the Valjoux 23, one of the defining hand-wound chronograph movements of the 20th century.
The work goes far beyond sympathetic restoration.
Multiple components have been redesigned and made in-house, including many of the bridges, with forms inspired by late 19th- and early 20th-century watchmaking.
The movement retains a column-wheel and horizontal clutch architecture, but gains an instantaneous jumping chronograph minute counter, a new balance wheel with masselottes and an upgraded escapement.
Those changes help bring the power reserve to 52 hours, a useful improvement for a manually wound chronograph operating at 18,000 vibrations per hour.
The finishing is characteristically elaborate.
On this example, the bridges and mainplate are palladium-plated and frosted, with black-polished steel components, hand-applied anglage, polished countersinks and straight graining.
The oversized jewels used for the chronograph mechanism give the calibre an extra visual signature when viewed through the caseback.
Bespoke chronograph craft at a serious price
The AdC16 is delivered here on a hand-made two-tone beads-of-rice bracelet in stainless steel and 18k yellow gold, with a black leather strap also included.
As with much of Atelier de Chronométrie’s output, availability depends on commissioning and production capacity rather than a conventional release schedule.
The price range sits between EUR 140,000 and EUR 150,000 depending on custom choices, which places the AdC16 firmly in rarefied independent-watchmaking territory.
For collectors drawn to vintage chronographs but unwilling to accept the compromises of fragile old cases, tired dials or untouched movements, that proposition will make immediate sense.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Atelier de Chronométrie |
|---|---|
| Model | AdC16 Chronograph |
| Case size | 36mm |
| Case material | Stainless steel middle case with 18k yellow gold bezel, caseback, crown and pushers |
| Crystal | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Black galvanic gilt dial with applied Arabic numerals and round indexes |
| Hands | 18k yellow gold |
| Movement | Calibre S440, hand-wound, reworked Valjoux 23 base |
| Chronograph architecture | Column wheel and horizontal clutch |
| Frequency | 18,000 vibrations per hour |
| Jewels | 20 jewels |
| Power reserve | 52 hours |
| Complication | Chronograph with instantaneous jumping minute counter |
| Bracelet and strap | Hand-made two-tone beads-of-rice bracelet in stainless steel and 18k yellow gold, plus black leather strap with stainless steel buckle |
| Availability | Unique commissioned piece, with further custom pieces possible |
| Price | Approximately EUR 140,000 to EUR 150,000 depending on options |
The AdC16 won’t be the accessible face of independent chronograph making, and it isn’t trying to be.
Its appeal lies in the tension between scholarship and personal expression, where a revered vintage calibre becomes the foundation for a watch made slowly, expensively and with unmistakable intent.
