The titanium tidal wave has crashed upon the coasts of Britain, and Farer has brought its lightweight goodness back to its facilities outside London to be used on two new chronograph iterations. The brand has just announced two new versions of its Chrono-Sport chronographs, now rendered in grade 2 titanium. While the white-and-red Bernina remains relatively unchanged, Farer took the opportunity to revamp the Carnegie model for its titanium makeover. The big message here is that Farer is expanding its titanium game, but that’s not the only reason these watches are appealing.
The Chrono-Sport Titanium Carnegie gets a whole new look that sets it apart from its steel predecessor. What was previously a blue and green watch with some pops of color in the hands is now a much different design. A sky blue ceramic tachymeter bezel pairs with a chocolaty sunburst main dial and silver subdials. The silver seconds ring has markings to match the bezel, while the subdial markings and hands coordinate with the main dial. The hour and minute hands are polished with a stronger silhouette than the previous Chrono-Sport. The hands and applied markers all have Super-LumiNova. Whether intentional or not, it smacks of an inverted Rolex Daytona.
The new titanium Bernina, on the other hand, remains practically unchanged from its white-and-red motif. The only change is an updated red handset that shares the obeliskine form of the Carnegie model. Unlike the Carnegie, it omits sunken subdials for a flat, more racing-inspired appearance. It has a creamy white main dial, with contrasting white circles for the subdials. I particularly like the 12-hour totalizer at 6 o’clock, which isn’t set apart by a different color. Instead of applied markers, the Bernina has arcs of lume along the periphery of the dial. The dial features an added telemeter scale, as well, further differentiating it from the Carnegie. Pops of blue give the dial some added oomph.
Farer has chosen grade 2 titanium for its first foray into the material. Grade 2 titanium doesn’t offer the full benefits of the alloyed grade 5, but it is easier to finish, which is likely why the brand chose it (check out our primer on the titanium used in watches). The 41mm case is finished exactly as the previous steel Chrono-Sports, with a brushed mid-case, polished bezel, and polished pull-out crown and matching pushers. As ever, the crown features a brass cap with the Farer logo. One of the other components of note is the ceramic bezel insert. While white ceramic with red printing is a fairly straightforward process, color ceramic can be challenging. Brand owner Pual Sweetenham told me that getting the sky blue just right on the Carnegie was an exhausting process of repeated fine-tuning. The case has a domed sapphire crystal and is a manageable 13.5mm-thick and 44mm lug-to-lug, with a 100m water resistance.
The Chrono-Sport Titanium watches are powered by the hand-wound Swiss Sellita SW510Mb. This movement featured on the previous iterations of the Chrono-Sport (the Farer Chrono-Classic has an automatic chronograph movement), and given its reliability and widespread use, there’s no reason for Farer to have changed it. It has a cam-operated chronograph mechanism and runs at 28,800 vph with a solid power reserve of 63 hours.
What are you getting here? Two lighter Chrono-Sport watches, one of which has a more broadly appealing colorway. Plus, the watches get a handset that better suits their design. This is the brands second titanium lineup, after the Aqua Compressor diver collection, and it’s just as compelling. The Farer Chrono-Sport Titanium watches are priced at $1,995 USD and available directly from Farer. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
