Three Limited Editions of the Zelos Chroma 2

Zelos Watches first launched the Chroma near the end of 2014 via a very successful Kickstarter campaign. The watch had a lugless design with a stacked-style case that we gave the hands-on treatment to Feb. 2015. Since the review, Zelos updated the watch to the Chroma 2, adding lume to the hands and dial indices for better low light legibility, and an aesthetic change to the rotor of the movement. Now, Zelos has announced three new case materials for the Chroma, to be released in limited editions.

The Chroma 2 Limited Editions share base specs:

Case Width: 42mm (w/o crown)
Case Thickness: 11mm
Lug Width: 22mm, hidden lugs
Crystal: Sapphire front and back
Water Resistance: 50M
Movement: Miyota 821A
Warranty: 1 Year

Whereas the original Chroma and Chroma 2 had standard 316L stainless steel cases the new limited editions use three different materials. The first one up is the popular case material of bronze. The Chroma 2 Bronze case is constructed from CuSn8 Bronze. The main attraction is how the bronze ages and discolors as it is worn, giving each piece it’s own unique look. The crown for the Chroma 2 Bronze is black PVD signed with the Zelos logo. The dial, as with previous versions, is kept simple with just the Zelos logo at 12. The minute markers have been tinted to match the bronze color as have the minute and hour hands. The inner ring of the dial is black to match the dial color.

For their second case material Zelos chose to go lightweight with carbon fiber. The case of the Chroma 2 Carbon Fiber weighs about half what a traditional 316L stainless steel case would weigh. The carbon fiber case is machined via CNC out of a solid block of carbon fiber, no molds are used. The machining and variance in the carbon fiber layers will give each watch its own unique pattern. As with the Bronze, the Carbon Fiber also has a signed, black PVD crown. The inner ring this time is gold which matches the trim on the hour and minute hands and the minute track around the dial.

The final material Zelos chose for the Chroma 2 limited edition case is Damascus steel. Damascus steel is well known in the knife community, popular for its hardness and decorative patterns. The patterns are a result of having 2 different metals joined together in layers. The Chroma 2 case is CNC machined from a solid rod of the damascus steel which is then polished and finally treated with hydrochloric acid to bring out the pattern in the metal. The dial and inner ring are both black with silver outlined hands to match the case. Due to the challenges of working with the Damascus steel only 25 pieces of the Chroma 2 Damascus will be available.

All three of the new Chroma 2 limited edition models are available for pre-order now. Pre-order prices for the Bronze and the Carbon Fiber are $299 USD each with the pricing rising to $349 once the watches are stocked and shipping. For the Damascus model the pre-order price is $499 USD and if all the units are not sold in pre-order the price will pop up to $649. You can get more info or pre-order from the Zelos Chroma product page on the Zelos website.