Chronoswiss Brings Red Gold Warmth to the Opus Dakar Sundown

Chronoswiss has a particular talent for making mechanical architecture feel theatrical without losing its old-school watchmaking cues.

The new Opus Dakar Sundown leans into that character, taking the brand’s long-running skeletonised automatic chronograph and giving it a warmer, more precious-metal execution.

It follows the titanium Opus Dakar, but this version changes the mood with stainless steel, 18k red gold and a brown openworked dial inspired by desert light at dusk.

At a glance

The Opus chronograph enters warmer territory

The Opus remains one of the defining watches in the modern Chronoswiss catalogue.

Introduced in 1995, it became known as the first serially produced skeletonised automatic chronograph, a watch that turned the chronograph mechanism into the visual centre of the design rather than hiding it beneath a conventional dial.

The Dakar Sundown keeps that identity intact while shifting the material language away from the sportier feel of titanium.

Its 23-piece case is made primarily from satin-brushed and polished stainless steel, while the knurled bezel, oversized onion crown, chronograph pushers and caseback ring are crafted in 18k red gold.

That combination gives the watch a more formal and richer presence, though the recognisable Chronoswiss profile remains unchanged.

The case measures 41mm across and 14.8mm thick, with straight lugs secured by the brand’s patented Autobloc system.

A curved sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating sits over the dial, while a sapphire back opens the view to the movement.

Water resistance is rated to 30 metres, keeping this firmly in the dress-leaning mechanical chronograph category rather than anything pretending to be a sports watch.

A dusk-toned skeleton dial with classic chronograph order

The Dakar Sundown’s dial is built around a brown CVD-coated structure, intended to evoke the muted tones of desert sand as the light drops.

It’s a suitably atmospheric choice for a watch that already relies heavily on depth, shadow and exposed mechanics.

Despite the openworked construction, the layout is traditional and easy to understand.

The 30-minute chronograph counter sits at 12 o’clock, the 12-hour totaliser is placed at 6 o’clock, running seconds are at 9 o’clock and a pointer date appears at 3 o’clock.

Rhodium-plated Breguet-style Losange hands add a colder metallic contrast against the warm dial architecture and red gold case details.

A peripheral precision minutes and seconds track helps frame the display, giving the skeletonised watch a stronger sense of order.

The C.741S movement stays on display

Inside is the Chronoswiss calibre C.741S, an automatic chronograph built on an ETA Valjoux 7750 base and extensively reworked for the Opus format.

The movement is skeletonised, exposing its bridges, base plate and chronograph works through both sides of the watch.

Chronoswiss gives the calibre galvanic black bridges with perlage, polished components and a skeletonised gold-plated rotor finished with Côtes de Genève.

It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers a power reserve of approximately 46 hours.

The technical package also includes 25 jewels, a Glucydur balance, Nivarox I hairspring, Incabloc shock protection and fine adjustment via an excenter cam.

Details & Specifications

The Opus Dakar Sundown is unlikely to be the quietest watch in a collection, but that has never been the point of the Opus.

Its appeal lies in the collision of classic chronograph engineering, unmistakable Chronoswiss case architecture and a newly warmer, more luxurious palette that suits the collection’s mechanical showmanship well.