Hands-on: Sjöö Sandström Chronolink gets a facelift with new dials

Text: Albin Johansson
Photo: Aleksandar Mladenovic

The Swedish manufacturer Sjöö Sandström is launching the possibility for watch collectors to update the iconic model Chronolink. Instead of presenting a completely new watch they choose to write the next page of the model's with a well-judged selection of dials in different colours that owners of the watches can order. 

In total it is a matter of four new dials in very pleasant colours. Eqotime has in collaboration with Sjöö Sandström paid a visit to their premises on Södermalm in Stockholm for a closer look at the new dials as they were fitted in customers' watches.

Chronolink

The Chronolink Worldtimer UTC was launched in 1997, only a few years after Sjöö Sandström was founded. The model quickly became popular because of the innovative design and time display. The watch has both a traditional mechanical movement for classic time display as well as a digital display filled with complications such as other time zones, which was something completely new on the Swedish watch market with a combination like this. Sjöö Sandström still today call it a watch where traditional watchmaking meets modern technology.

A curiosity in this context is also that the Swedish company Bofors made the first digital modules, which are engraved with Bofors. Early Chronolink watches that still have the engraving are particularly sought after among collectors and we at Eqotime know that there are dedicated collectors of the Chronolink in Sweden.

The watch itself is a sober 40mm watch in steel delivered on a bracelet or leather (as in the image above). The model has changed a little over the years but has always had a mechanical hand-wound movement as well as a digital module for time display. It has previously also been made with different dials, some of which were limited and others in longer production. There is a historical connection of variation with different dials to the Chronolink in particular, which Sjöö Sandström has chosen to look after with this year's novelties.

New dials

Sjöö Sandström has thus chosen to present four new dials that are sold in packages of two. The first package has the name ”Vibrant” and contains a green and an orange dial, both with a super pleasant sunburst finish. The second package carries the name ”Elegance” and has slightly more classic colours in the form of blue (also sunburst) as well as a white-silvery dial that is called ”Ivory” where both have contrasting sub-seconds which we at Eqotime think looks really good.

The dial's design is the same in layout with a mix of batons and Arabic numerals for the hours. We also recognise the sub-dial for the seconds display placed centred in the lower part of the dial.

The price lands at 6 900 kronor and that thus includes two dials and two changes.

So the idea is quite simply that you who own a Chronolink (or are thinking of buying one) should easily be able to update the look with the new dials. These packages can be bought from Sjöö Sandström or of course from authorised retailers around Sweden.

When you buy a package it includes two dial changes which Sjöö Sandström carries out. Eqotime spontaneously thinks that it is then also an excellent opportunity to check whether the watch needs a service, a battery change or similar.

A visit to Sjöö Sandström

We took the opportunity to visit Sjöö Sandström on Ringvägen in Stockholm where they have both a showroom, offices and of course a larger watchmaking workshop. The watchmakers on site had their hands full with everything from assembling new watches to reperations and of course the new dials.

It is noticeable that the new concept has been well received by collectors and Chronolink owners as we got to see several watches from different years that had new dials fitted.

Read more about the novelties at Sjöö Sandström