Cartier kicked off one of 2025’s most unlikely trends when it announced the return of the Tank à Guichets at Watches and Wonders.
Until that point, guichet watches with jumping hour movements were mostly a relic of the Jazz Age, sought out by niche collectors and hardcore horologists only. Seven months later, the proto-digital dials are everywhere, and Chronoswiss just joined the party with its own, much younger revival.
The Chronoswiss Neo Digiteur is an updated version of the original Digiteur MSA (Montre Sans Aiguilles, French for “Watch Without Hands”), introduced in 2005. It displays the time in three separate apertures with jumping hours, trailing minutes and sweeping seconds arranged top to bottom.
The brushed steel case displays a Cartier-esque blend of industrial and Art Deco design, with exposed screws set into a sunken mid-case on the curved lugs. The underside of the 30mm-wide by 48mm-long case exhibits parallel lines, while the top edge is slightly concave and arched.
The original Digiteur MSA was far more luxurious, built from precious metals and featuring softer curves and smoother edges, because it played to a small, selective audience.
Chronoswiss replaced the precious metals with steel to make the Neo Digiteur relatively more affordable — it’s still $15,200 — for its newly expanded audience. However, the luxury credentials remain in the form of two stunning dial plates.
