Some watches are designed to tell you the time as quickly as possible. The Alexander Shorokhoff Chrono-Regulator asks you to slow down and look.

At first glance, the Chrono-Regulator can feel slightly disorienting. There are familiar ingredients: a black dial, white hands, chronograph pushers and a round stainless-steel case. But spend a few seconds with it and the usual rules begin to disappear.

The hours have moved away from the centre. The minutes take priority. Running seconds occupy their own space. Then a chronograph is layered into the arrangement. It is complicated, certainly. But that is also where this watch becomes interesting.

So, What Exactly Is a Regulator?

The regulator display comes from a much older chapter of watchmaking. Historically, precision regulator clocks separated the indications for hours, minutes and seconds, allowing the minute hand to take visual priority. Rather than stacking all three hands conventionally from the centre, each indication could be read independently.

On the Chrono-Regulator, Alexander Shorokhoff takes that old idea and pushes it somewhere much more contemporary. The minutes are displayed centrally, while the hours sit in their own subdial at 6 o'clock. Running seconds are also displayed off-centre. Then comes the chronograph. Instead of treating the regulator format as the entire attraction, Alexander Shorokhoff combines it with stopwatch and totalising functions. The result is a dial that initially looks complex but gradually reveals a surprisingly deliberate hierarchy. This isn't minimalism. Nor is it trying to be.

A Dial You Have to Spend Time With

The black enamel dial is arguably where the personality of the Chrono-Regulator really comes through. Against the dark background, the lacquered white hands provide contrast, while red indications distinguish the chronograph functions. Those flashes of colour matter. With so much information competing for space, colour becomes part of the way the watch communicates. Once you understand what each indication is doing, the seemingly unconventional arrangement begins to make sense.

There is also something refreshing about a watch that doesn't reveal everything in five seconds. We are used to discussing legibility as though instant recognition is always the goal. Here, part of the enjoyment comes from learning the dial. You look once. Then you look again. And chances are, you notice something you missed the first time.

Turn It Over

For collectors interested in movements, the back may be even more compelling than the dial. The Chrono-Regulator is powered by the 31679.AS, a manually wound mechanical calibre with 23 jewels and approximately 42 hours of power reserve when the chronograph is not running. More importantly, Alexander Shorokhoff hasn't hidden it.

Through the sapphire caseback, the movement can be viewed without an automatic rotor obscuring much of the architecture. The calibre is fully engraved and finished, with blued screws adding another traditional watchmaking detail. This is where manually wound movements still have a particular charm. Winding the watch becomes part of owning it. There is a small interaction required before wearing it, and once you turn the case over, you can actually see the mechanics you've just brought to life. For someone accustomed to automatic watches, that ritual can feel surprisingly satisfying.

Engraving as Part of the Identity

Movement decoration isn't unusual in mechanical watchmaking.Alexander Shorokhoff, however, makes it a particularly visible part of its design language. Rather than treating the movement simply as machinery hidden behind the dial, the decoration makes the calibre part of the visual experience of the watch. That distinction matters. There are watches where a display caseback feels almost obligatory. Here, it feels necessary. Covering the movement with a solid caseback would remove a significant part of what gives the Chrono-Regulator its personality. It's the sort of watch you'll probably turn over when showing it to another person.

43.5mm: Definitely Not a Small Watch

There is no avoiding the dimensions. The stainless-steel case measures 43.5mm across and 13.65mm thick. Anyone looking for the restrained proportions of a vintage regulator will need to look elsewhere. The Chrono-Regulator has presence, and its elongated chronograph pushers add to that impression. But the size also suits the concept. There is a lot of information on this dial. Compressing everything into a much smaller case would risk losing the space that allows the regulator and chronograph displays to coexist. The 22mm lug width and calfskin strap help keep the overall appearance traditional, balancing some of the more avant-garde elements happening on the dial. Still, this is one we would recommend trying on the wrist rather than judging purely from photographs.

Not a Watch for Everyone — and That's Fine

Perhaps the most appealing thing about the Chrono-Regulator is that it doesn't seem particularly interested in universal approval. The dial is unconventional. The case is substantial. It's manually wound. And its design requires a little explanation. Once a collection already contains a conventional three-hander, a diver, perhaps a GMT and a traditional chronograph, the question often changes from "What do I need?" to "What don't I already have?"

That's where something like the Chrono-Regulator starts making sense. It introduces a different way of displaying time, a less common combination of complications and a movement that gives you something worth examining through the caseback.

The Details

Reference: AS.CR01-4
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 43.5mm
Thickness: 13.65mm
Crystal: Sapphire crystal front and back; anti-reflective coating on the front
Dial: Black enamel
Movement: 31679.AS hand-wound mechanical calibre
Jewels: 23
Power Reserve: Approx. 42 hours; approx. 36 hours with chronograph running
Functions: Central minutes, off-centre hours, off-centre running seconds, chronograph minute counter, stopwatch/totalising function and date
Water Resistance: 5 ATM
Lug Width: 22mm

Final Thoughts

The Alexander Shorokhoff Chrono-Regulator isn't interesting because it has the cleanest dial or the most conventional proportions. It's interesting because it doesn't. The regulator layout changes something as familiar as reading the time. The chronograph adds another layer of mechanical complexity. And when you turn the watch over, the engraved hand-wound movement gives you a reason to keep looking. There are easier watches to understand. There are certainly quieter ones. But for a person who has already experienced the usual suspects and wants something genuinely different on the wrist, the Chrono-Regulator makes a compelling argument for doing things another way. Sometimes the watches that take the longest to understand are the ones that remain interesting the longest.

Credit: Photos by Alexander Shorokhoff