Posted on July 23, 2021

Cyrus Keeps You On Time with the Klepcys Alarm

A fascinating and helpful complication rarely found on a wristwatch is the alarm function. Watches that have them can act as alarm clocks or simply provide reminders of tasks and appointments.

Cyrus, a high-end niche brand with its own independent manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland, has chosen this chiming complication as the protagonist of its Klepcys Alarm. The model is the latest “exercise in style” from a maison known for making timepieces with original, avant-garde architectures and movements.

The Cyrus Klepcys Alarm is a superlatively made watch with an unusual interpretation of the alarm function that incorporates the typical chime of the minute repeater. The creator, Jean-François Mojon, is one of today’s most talented master watchmakers and technical manager of Chronode, the in-house manufacture of the Cyrus Watches Group.

The common element of this exclusive watch, with a modern, bold style that immediately identifies it with the Cyrus brand, is its iconic multi-layer, cushion-shaped case with two crowns, extremely comfortable on the wrist thanks to its ergonomic construction. It comes in two case versions, generously dimensioned at 46mm (crowns excluded): steel only and steel combined with titanium in a black-DLC finish used for the bezel, the back, and the two crowns.

Aesthetic Attributes

Two crowns have now become a distinctive feature of Cyrus. Usually, both are functional in all the models of the various collections. The Klepcys Alarm is an exception to the rule, as only the crown placed at 3 o’clock is operational, while the one at 9 o’clock is purely aesthetic.

The bezel frames a large, round, three-dimensional dial with the typical decoration of engraved triangular motifs. In blue for the steel case version and black for the steel/titanium DLC variant, it is rich in indicators and has many details that make it truly unique.

The hour, minute, and second hands are slightly off-center to the left and show the time on an upper arch, with a decoration that recalls vinyl records, and diamond-cut applied Arabic numerals, filled with Super-LumiNova, mixed with indices. Between 10 and 12 o’clock is a display with a rotating blue/black disc and customized screws bearing the Cyrus logo that provides the day/night indication.

The Klepcys Alarm also has a secondary dial, between 3 and 6 o’clock, for setting the alarm function. It’s surrounded by two concentric rings, one white with even Arabic numerals on a 24-hour scale and an outer black one indicating the minutes on a scale of 15. There’s also a central two-tone blue/black part subdivided by a red line to distinguish the daytime numbers from the nighttime ones.

Between 5 and 9 o’clock, the space on the dial is dominated by a large symmetrical opening that makes it possible to see a section of the movement and attracts attention to the alarm hammer. Its design recalls the shape of a bell, exhibits a brushed surface with beveled, polished corners, and is embellished with the Cyrus logo. It strikes various chimes producing harmonious, easily heard notes for a maximum of 16 seconds.

How It Works

Setting the alarm is simple and intuitive. Just pull out the crown in the first position to rotate the pointers in either direction, select the chosen hour on the 24-hour scale, and then set the minutes at intervals of five. To know if the alarm is active, just check if the small hand with a luminescent triangular tip at 7 o’clock is positioned to On or Off, shown in blue and red. Simply pressing on the crown at 3 o’clock turns this feature on or off.

The beating heart of the Klepcys Alarm is its in-house manufactured hand-wound caliber CYR1280, which ensures a power reserve of 72 hours. Through the back, made of anti-reflective sapphire crystal, the admirably elegant architecture of the movement can be seen. It prominently displays the two parallel barrels with the ratchet-wheel embellished with black lacquer and the helix, Cyrus’s symbol. The exclusive winding system, conceived by Jean-François Mojon in collaboration with his team, allows the barrel placed close to the balance wheel to power the main time and the second to provide the energy to the subdial that activates the alarm.

In keeping with the tradition of watchmaking art, no detail is overlooked. The movement bridges are finely finished and decorated with an engraved, curved sunray pattern, brushed and polished, on which the jewels and the mirror-polished screws stand out.

The watch is produced in a limited series of 38 pieces for each version – all steel and steel/titanium black DLC. A black caoutchouc rubber strap completes the look for both versions. It’s customized with a central groove bearing the Cyrus symbol, which is closed with a folding clasp that has a mechanism for simple, quick size setting.