A brilliant study in subtle contrasts of surface and colour. The steel link bracelet of this elegant SWATCH Irony Chrono Retrograde features a highly polished central column framed by brushed steel borders and end-pieces. The silver polished steel case has an unmarked polished steel bezel that frames a polished metal flange with a black minute ring on the upper half and a finely-graded decimal ring on the lower half. The white dial with its lightly embossed sunrise design at the centre is dominated by its retrograde counters and petite seconde subdial: the 5-minute arc at 2 o’clock, 60-minute arc at 10 o’clock feature structured surfaces, the petite seconde at hour six also has a structured subdial. Applied silver indices mark hours 1, 2, 10, 11 and 12 and flank the retrograde 30-second counter with its black Arabic numerals and indices on the lower half of the dial; a back-on-white date window opens at hour 4. Striking cobalt-blue subdial hands and squelette hour and minute hands and the steel central seconds hand serve to mark chrono-stopped times and the time of day.