Hands-On: Byrne Star 38mm Watch

Since launching just a few years ago in 2022, Swiss independent brand Byrne has been rolling out a new caliber each year, with 2025 marking the introduction of its third Gyro Dial movement. Unveiled earlier this year during Geneva Watch Week 2025, the Byrne Star 38mm is characterized by a noticeably more compact and traditional case profile than what we have previously seen among the brand’s creations. However, it is easily the most complex timepiece Byrne has put forward thus far, featuring both a 12-hour world timer and an industry-first “Time Flow” gyro-complication.

The inspiration behind the Byrne Star comes from a vintage Vacheron Constantin pocket watch that founder John Byrne restored more than 20 years ago when he was working as a watchmaker and restorer within the industry. Originally purchased in India, the gold pocket watch is believed to have belonged to a Pope, and it is adorned with a detailed map of Italy that is rendered in blue champlevé enamel. After John Byrne restored the pocket watch for his client (which included recreating the lost enamel sections), the watch was later acquired by Vacheron Constantin’s museum, and to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the historic Pope-owned pocket watch, the modern Byrne brand has created a thoroughly contemporary homage to its design.

Crafted from grade 5 titanium, the case of the Byrne Star measures 38mm in diameter by 11.4mm thick, and rather than appearing in a streamlined cushion shape like all of the brand’s previous models, the sides of the case taper inwards to form a more traditional round profile, with lugs extending outward from a circular center section. With that in mind, the Byrne Star 38mm still features many of the same futuristic design cues that can be observed on signature models like the brand’s Gyro Dial Golf Edition, and its streamlined exterior is finished with high-polished surfaces contrasted by large sandblasted grooves that are deeply recessed into either side of the middle case and lugs.

A domed sapphire crystal (with anti-reflective treatment) furnishes the dial side of the Byrne Star’s case, while the reverse side of the watch receives a screw-down display caseback, and water resistance for the model comes in at 50 meters to offer adequate protection against most forms of daily contact. Located on the side of the case at 3 o’clock is a sandblasted gear-shaped winding crown that allows users to adjust the central time-telling hands and Time Flow gyro-complication, and setting the world timer display is achieved by pressing a small push-piece that sits flush with the side of the case near the 8 o’clock position.

The Byrne Star 38mm is both smaller in diameter and thinner than other models within the Swiss brand’s lineup, although its streamlined case profile also contributes to a noticeably more compact presence on the wrist than its rounded cushion-case siblings. As someone with wrists that measure about 6.5 to 6.75 inches in circumference, I personally find the Byrne Star to be the most comfortable and ergonomic model the brand has released yet, and the streamlined profile of its case offers a more approachable overall package that still incorporates the defining elements of Byrne’s signature aesthetic.

Similar to Byrne’s previous Gyro Dial models, the Byrne Star features a pair of centrally-mounted hands that display the time, along with a quartet of mechanical blocks located at its cardinal points, which autonomously change to display one of four different sides. With that in mind, this is more-or-less where the similarities end, and the rest of the Byrne Star’s display represents a significant departure from what exists among its Gyro Dial siblings. Sitting under the gold-finished skeletonized handset in the center of the dial is a rotating disc adorned with 12 city names that functions as the display for a 12-hour world timer complication, and the names for “Brisbane” and “Midway” are rendered in gold letters to help guide the reading sequence for the world timer disc.

Serving as a backdrop for the Byrne Star’s central rotating disc and revolving Gyro Dial blocks are four dark gray rhodium-colored plates with a radial sunburst-finish. Each of the plates is attached by two visible screws that serve has the hour markers at the locations between the cardinal points; however, the Byrne Star’s dial is entirely devoid of minute markings or even a running seconds hand, which means that setting the watch to a specific time requires a bit of approximation. Similarly, using the world timer requires you to reference the city names against the hour markers located along the periphery of the display, and while it is rather easy to read once you wrap your mind around the layout, the Byrne Star is undeniably a bit less intuitive than a traditional world timer watch with a dedicated hour ring directly next to its city names.

On all of Byrne’s previous Gyro Dial watches, the quartet of mechanical blocks located at their cardinal points simply serve as a visual novelty that alternates between four different styles of hour markers each day. However, on the Byrne Star, the underlying technology of the Gyro Dial mechanism has been reworked into a new world-first “Time Flow” complication. The four blocks display 16 different city names, and they autonomously change every six hours to track the different key parts of the day in their respective locations. Additionally, rather than indicating the specific time in the cities that are listed on the revolving blocks, Byrne’s Time Flow” gyro-complication simply displays the approximate period of the day to create a more subtle and esoteric take on a world timer watch.

On the Byrne Star, each of the four sides on its quartet of rotating blocks is finished in a distinct color to represent a different part of the day. Sky blue signifies morning, turquoise indicates noon, dark blue represents dusk, and a golden starry sky-themed finish symbolizes night. From a purely functional perspective, Byrne’s “Time Flow” gyro-complication is far less practical than a traditional world timer that provides the exact time of day for each in the different cities listed on its dial. However, Byrne’s rather unusual approach creates a far more dynamic and poetic way to keep tabs on different locations around the globe, and it also marks the first time that the brand’s Gyro Dial concept has been incorporated into the functionality of a watch.

Visible through the sapphire display window in the caseback of the Byrne Star 38mm is the brand’s Caliber 5558 manual-wind movement, which marks the third design in Byrne’s growing catalog. Running at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of 66 hours, the 35-jewel Cal. 5558 offers an appearance that is incredibly similar to the Cal. 5557 movement used to power the Byrne Gyro Dial MECA, and it features skeletonized bridges that are neatly finished with sandblasted surfaces and high-polished bevels. Along with incorporating both a 12-hour world timer and Byrne’s new “Time Flow” gyro-compilation, the 274-component Caliber 5558 also includes a highly efficient winding mechanism, where just four turns of the crown will provide a full day’s power reserve.

Fitted to the lugs of the Byrne Star 38mm is a two-piece strap crafted from navy blue alligator leather, and it features a “double alligator” design, where both its top surface and interior lining are made from different types of alligator hide. The upper layer of the strap is constructed from “Grandes Ecailles” (large-scale) Louisiana alligator leather with matching blue hand-stitched saddle seams, while the inner lining is made from smooth small-scale alligator hide to provide superior comfort on the wrist. Additionally, buyers of the Byrne Star have the option of upgrading to a deployant-style clasp, although the standard configuration for the model completes its strap with a chunky tang-style buckle that is made from grade 5 titanium and signed with Byrne’s logo.

Despite being the most complex model that the brand has put forward thus far, the Byrne Star 38mm will be joining the catalog as a core-collection offering, and it will have an official retail price of 32,500 CHF (approximately $38,500 USD, at the time of writing), which naturally represents a premium above what the brand charges for its various other Gyro Dial watches with titanium cases. All things considered, the Byrne Star hardly is hardly the epitome of utilitarian practicality, although it offers a truly unique take on the concept of a world timer, and just like all of the independent Swiss brand’s creations, it provides a unique and captivating experience that isn’t quite like anything else within the industry. For more information, please visit the Byrne watches website.