In the Flesh: Habring2 COS Chronograph

When most people think of Austria, they probably think of the Alps, sausages, and (obviously) Arnold Schwarzenegger. For me, I can’t think of Austria without thinking of Habring2. Let’s face it; two of Austria’s Alpine neighbors, Germany and Switzerland, sit at the top of the watchmaking throne of Europe. However, Richard and Maria Habring are doing their best to make a case for their home country. We’ve talked about Habring2 in the past, specifically with their new in-house movement, but this time around, we’re going hands-on with the Crown Operation System (COS) Chronograph.

One of my favorite aspects of Habring2’s setup is that if you purchase a new watch from them, you can get it pretty much however you’d like. During my meeting with Richard at Baselworld, I instantly fell in love with the COS and wanted the chance to spend more time with one. Richard nearly treated me like one of his customers and asked exactly what I wanted to review. This was my chance, so I opted for no running seconds, no date, manual wind, and a center minutes counter. The end result was a completely inconspicuous chronograph, kept as thin as possible with the subtraction of the date and automatic winding rotor. I’ve reviewed a bunch of watches since getting into the media side of watches, but this was the first that felt like my own unique piece.

If you’ve never heard of a crown-operated chronograph, that’s quite all right, because no one else makes one. At first glance, this particular example looks like a basic time-only watch, but a quick turn of the crown reveals otherwise. A crown that turns to precise points to activate, stop, and reset the center-mounted chronograph second and minute hands is one of the most unique takes on the chronograph I’ve seen.

First things first, let’s talk about the unique function. To operate the chronograph, the crown must be in the position closest to the case – the typical winding position for a non-screw-down crown. From there, the crown is twisted counter-clockwise to start the chronograph. Reaching the start position is only the distance of a few ridges of the crown (maybe 45°), and it doesn’t take too much effort. To stop the chronograph, return the crown clockwise to the original position. Finally, resetting the hands requires a more difficult clockwise turn that – once completed – has recoil to return the crown to the first position. Starting and stopping is much smoother than one would expect from the standard, tough pushers of an ETA 7750 movement. The reset action is definitely tougher comparatively, but the overall function of the COS is fantastic and obviously well machined. One of the most interesting benefits of the COS is the smooth start of the hand — there’s absolutely no jolt or jump. The action of the second hand is that of a finely finished column wheel chronograph; remember, we’re dealing with an ETA 7750 here.

The heavily modified ETA 7750. Note the switching mechanism on the crown side of the movement.

Moving onto the rest of the watch, it’s very much what you’d expect from Habring2. The dial is in the same style of what we’ve seen for many years, which is a simple, “vintage-esque” design, and the case is somewhat generic looking. I almost wish both the dial and case had more detailed finishing, but on the other hand, that might put the watch financially out of reach for most. Because the watch is so unique and awesome, I can put the dial and case aside. However, a different hand selection would be a nice touch. I was thinking leaf, Breguet, spade, or maybe alpha hands as options.

As mentioned, Richard uses the ETA 7750 as a base, which is the standard for his watches (for now, until the caliber A11 goes into wider use). After removing the automatic winding system, Richard adds his center minutes module, as well as his patented COS. The exhibition caseback reveals the extensive modifications, and although not “pretty” by conventional standards, it’s amazing to see the transformation from base 7750 to this. Some folks like to have closed casebacks for movements that aren’t pretty to look at, but I’d be disappointed if I didn’t have the chance to watch the chronograph mechanism at work.

For a large-ish watch, wearability of the COS is quite nice. The majority of Habring2 watches come in a 42mm case, which is what we have here. In a perfect world, the diameter would be 38mm, but it’s not a perfect world, and the 42mm case works. Since we’re starting with an ETA 7750, thickness is around 13.5mm with the domed sapphire – not super slim, but not overly thick either. If you’re used to the sizing of modern watches, the COS Chronograph will easily fit into your rotation.

Overall, I think Habring2 did a fantastic job with the COS Chronograph. The precision of the crown operation is excellent, and I found myself twisting it back and forth all day. I would like to add a Habring2 to the stable at some point, but between the Jumping Seconds, Foudroyant, and COS, I’m not sure what I’d pick. Luckily, with prices around the $6500 to $7000 mark for a configuration like the one I chose, maybe I can eventually get a couple of them.

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