A preview of the Pinion Elapse chronograph

Pinion’s new chronograph, the Elapse is in the final stages of manufacture and presented here are some initial photos of a prototype model for the salmon dialled version.

This model will sit alongside the anthracite and silver watches. Whilst the darker tones of the anthracite will undoubtedly become the most popular seller of the range, its the changing hues of the Salmon model that makes this the most compelling watch of the collection.

Note: Some parts to the prototype are not perfect in finish as they were made to sample before actual manufacturing commenced.

Whilst the salmon dial is classed as a pink colour, its subtle tones and colour changes when reflected in changing light provides paler tones plus providing a vintage character to the watch.

Complementing the dial are galvanic blue hands in a polished finish that range from bright to dark again depending on the amount of light they reflect.

At 42mm, the case follows the same form as the Axis II; however, this is made slightly higher due to the chronograph movement. The total height of the watch is 14.5mm which still makes it very wearable. It has a brushed finished, whilst the crown and pushers are polished.

The watch features a revised double-o-ring crown design that has a raised Pinion motif. Note: We’ve adjusted the design slightly for manufacture.

The case back on this watch is a glass exhibition one where the Valjoux 7750 movement can be seen. For this, the original rotor is decorated in grey featuring the Pinion logo.

Pinion follows a strict design code when approaching new models, use of typography and finishes featured in the Elapse reference earlier models to ensure it still feels part of the Pinion family of watches.

Several challenges were faced when designing this watch. Firstly, non-conventional dial layout that has registers in crucial positions on the dial: 12,6 and 9. Second, was how to ensure the design of the chronograph remained clean yet functional.

The first step for this was to remove the date wheel, positioned at 3H to free up space: this extra piece of information would interfere with the design of the rest of the watch.

Next, the 12H and 6H registers designed to be the same format and size, with engine-turning used to highlight these.

Finally, the running seconds (9H) takes on a slightly different and smaller form, with the Pinion branding aligned on the right to help balance all the elements.

The dial itself is finished with vertical brushings and electroplated with the salmon colour. The brushes force light to be reflected and change the hue of the dial when seen at different angles.

As with the other Pinion watches, the Elapse sized at 42mm can be considered quite large, however, by design appears smaller when worn. (pictured on a 6.5inch wrist).

These shots on the wrist have had no photo re-editing, so give an accurate representation of the colour and tone of the watch when worn.

Pinion Elapse