Watches are passive devices. Once you’ve set the time, you can sit back, relax and let it do its thing. This is even true in the world of complications — additional functions in addition to the time — in which calendars, moon phase indicators and GMTs all, essentially, count a continually elapsing event. Save for one: the chronograph.
The Short List
The Smart Spend: Yema Speedgraf
With its classic vintage looks, reverse-panda dial, 39mm size and solid specs, the French brand Yema’s Speedgraf presents an attractive package. Further, it features an interesting movement from Seiko that isn’t all that common outside of watches from the Japanese brand itself. (It even has the column wheel and vertical clutch that enthusiasts tend to value.) On top of it all, little touches like applied indices and a box-style domed sapphire crystal lend it a refined feel.
Price: $1,499
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Just Get This: Omega Speedmaster Professional
The Speedmaster Professional you can buy today is nearly identical to the one worn to the moon in 1969 — it has the same case shape and size, the same dial design, nearly the same movement, even. And that’s fine. The Speedmaster of the ’60s was built to meet NASA’s incredibly tough standards, and its iconic status as the first watch on the moon makes it a must-have for any serious watch collector.
Price: $6,300+
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The Step Up: Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
The Daytona is one of the most beloved and sought-after watches, both on the vintage and new watch markets. The current model is especially a fan favorite, as the addition of a black-on-white panda color scheme, red Daytona text and a black ceramic bezel give it the appearance of a reference from the 1960s. While not cheap — and nearly impossible to buy at retail — it’s a watch that will simply never go out of style.
Price: $13,150+
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Chronograph means “time writer,” but you can think of it as a stopwatch, activated and stopped at the whim of its user. Its name is derived from one of the earliest versions of the mechanism, which was essentially a box filled with clockwork attached to two inky styluses. These recorded on two rotating discs of paper the difference in time between two horses on a race track. The mechanism was soon miniaturized and added to pocket watches. Then wristwatches.
To use a chronograph, you depress one of the pushers on the side of the case, engaging the function to get the second hand moving. Once the event you want to record is complete, you press that same pusher again, take note of the time, then press a second pusher and the mechanism resets to zero. Each press of the pusher is a tactile experience otherwise missing from watches, and the utility of being able to record the length of events on the fly was certainly not lost on the racers, referees, doctors, pilots and astronauts that used them throughout the 20th century.
Today modern, digital-timing systems have basically rendered the mechanical chronograph obsolete, but their associations with sports, auto racing, aviation and other exciting facets of life are in part why we love chronographs. The other part is, of course, the fact that they’re incredibly complex pieces of machinery, in which hundreds of tiny parts must operate in perfect synchrony. As such, they’re generally expensive to acquire. But if you love of watches, the complication is an essential piece to collect.
A Quick Timeline
1816: Louis Moinet creates what is considered the first chronograph, a pocket watch design with one pusher. It was only discovered in 2013 to be the first chronograph ever made.
1821: Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec builds his chronograph mechanism, a box filled with clockwork driving two ink styluses recording elapsed time. It was created at the request of King Louis XVIII, who liked to watch horse racing. Previously considered the first chronograph until the discovery of Louis Moinet’s chronograph.
1844: Adolphe Nicole introduces the reset feature, allowing different times to be taken in succession.
1913: Longines produces the 13.33Z, considered to be the very first wrist-worn chronograph watch.
1923: Gaston Breitling produces the first chronograph with two pushers. Up to this point, the stop, start and reset functions were all handled by one pusher, but very quickly, Breitling’s new configuration becomes the standard.
1969: Zenith, Seiko and a consortium of watchmakers (Heuer/Breitling/Hamilton-Buren/Dubois-Depraz) all race to create the first automatic-winding chronograph. The winner is still contested: Zenith was the first to announce the development, the consortium was the first to bring it to market worldwide, and Seiko was the first to sell its watch to the public, though only in Japan.
Terms to Know
Note: The following terms pertain specifically to chronographs. For more definitions on basic timekeeping terminology, reference our comprehensive guide here.
Clutch: Much like the connection between transmission and engine in a car, this is the coupling that connects the chronograph function to the main timekeeping gear train. There are two orientations for the clutch: horizontal and vertical. The former is more common, simpler and slimmer, while the latter — generally a staple in higher-end chronograph movements — provides a more seamless connection between the chronograph and the main clockwork.
Coulisse lever: On many lower-cost mechanical chronographs (notably the ubiquitous Valjoux 775), the Coulisse lever (also called “cam lever”) is the lever-and-cam system that moves to operate the chronograph function when the pusher is activated. It’s a relatively cheap, albeit robust, solution.
Column wheel: Like the cam lever, the column wheel activates the chronograph but takes on the look of a little turret-like wheel that progresses forward when the pusher is depressed. The action is much smoother than a cam lever, and the part requires more precision to make, thus making it more desirable in the eyes of many collectors.
Flyback: A type of chronograph that can be reset without stopping the chronograph function (which is necessary in a normal chronograph) — this allows the user to take multiple times in quick succession.
Pusher: A button on a chronograph watch that starts, stops and resets the chronograph mechanism. The majority of chronographs have two pushers — one for starting and stopping the mechanism, and another for resetting (though these functions are sometimes combined on watches with one pusher, called monopushers.)
Sub-dial: A smaller dial within the main watch dial. Most chronographs have either two (called a bi-compax layout) or three (a tri-compax layout) of these. Generally, they record the running seconds for the main time function, the minutes for the chronograph function and the hours for the chronograph function.
Tachymeter: A scale around the dial of a watch used to calculate speed. The wearer simply needs to take note of how many seconds elapse to travel a mile and reference the scale to know their speed. Tachymeter scales are often a staple on racing chronographs and can be found either on the outside of the dial or the bezel.
Valjoux 7750: An automatic chronograph movement designed in 1973 by Valjoux (now produced by ETA) that has become a ubiquitous caliber in the industry. If you’re buying a lower-cost chronograph watch that doesn’t have an in-house developed movement, it very likely has some form of the 7750 inside it.
Buying Guide
Unlike with, say, dive watches, there’s not a set criterion that defines an “aviation” chronograph or a “motoring” chronograph. Historically, though, there are a few common design elements that have shown up on watches in the following categories. These are features we kept our eyes on when formulating these lists, and you’ll see more detail for each below.
Aviation
Though pilots were strapping clocks to their wrists as early as 1904, chronograph wristwatches as standard issue for aviators didn’t come into vogue until much later. Archetypal aviation chronographs include the Gallet Flying Officer, commissioned for the U.S. Air Force in 1939 and the Type 20, a specification issued by the French government in 1954. Both of these watches are characterized by legible dials with large, luminous numerals, as well as rotating bezels that can be used to calculate elapsed time. Wristwatches aren’t the necessary cockpit tools they once were, but there are still plenty of examples you can buy that borrow heavily from that winning formula.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a mechanical chronograph at a better price than the Seagull 1963, and you likely won’t find one with the same kind of history behind it. Made by China’s biggest watch manufacturer, the 1963 uses the Seagull ST19, a movement originally developed as a recreation of the Venus 175 movement back the early ’60s for use in a pilot’s chronograph for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.
- Movement: Seagull ST19 hand-winding
- Case diameter: 38mm
- Water resistance: 30m
- Price: $322
- Manufacturer Info: seagull1963.com
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Helmut Sinn’s eponymous watch brand got its start building aviation chronographs and servicing Heuer chronographs for the German Air Force. The Sinn 103 is a direct descendant of that history. Normally, Sinn’s watches are packed with its nutso overengineering, but this timepiece is decidedly simple. It features an old-school acrylic dial, a rotating countdown bezel (chunky enough to be used with gloves) and a plain dial with big, lumed Arabic numerals.
- Movement: Valjoux 7750 automatic
- Case diameter: 41mm
- Water resistance: 200m
- Price: $2,530
- Manufacturer Info: sinn.de
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The Longines Avigation won the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie’s award for “Best Revival” in 2017, though it’s a bit unclear as to what watch was being revived. Apparently, it’s based on a rare Longines brought to the brand by a collector, and there’s quite a resemblance to the Type 20 flight chronograph specification, which was commissioned by the French government in the ’50s. Either way, it has all the hallmarks of a classic aviation watch — notably, super-legible Arabic numerals and the oversized “big eye” sub-dial for the running seconds sub-dial. Inside the watch ticks away a column-wheel automatic chronograph based on an ETA design.
- Movement: Longines 688 automatic (ETA A08.L01 base)
- Case diameter: 41mm
- Water resistance: 30m
- Price: $2,625
- Manufacturer Info: longines.com
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Reminiscent of both IWC’s iconic Mark series pilot’s watches and a series of chronographs the brand made during the ’90s, the IWC Pilot’s Chronograph is a welcome addition to the brand’s aviation lineup. The dial has the unmistakable “Fliger” design of its forebears and a healthy smattering of lume on the hands and numerals. The watch comes powered by an IWC-made 69380 automatic movement featuring a column wheel for smooth chronograph articulation. It’s protected from magnetism by a soft-iron inner cage — a throwback to the classic Mark XI pilot’s watch.
- Movement: IWC in-house 69380 automatic
- Case diameter: 41mm
- Water resistance: 60m
- Price: $5,950
- Manufacturer Info: iwc.com
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Gear Patrol editors chose the Blancpain Air Command among their top ten favorite products of 2019. It’s an aspirational choice, as at around $20,000, this is no casual purchase for the average consumer. However, its combination of history, looks and the high level of design, technical execution and refinement expected of Blancpain make it irresistible and special. Based on a pilot watch from the 1950s, the Air Command is a modern reinterpretation of a midcentury masterpiece executed in the best possible way.
- Movement: Blancpain Caliber F388B automatic
- Case diameter: 42.5mm
- Water resistance: 30m
- Price: $19,800
- Manufacturer Info: blaincpain.com
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Racing
One of the chronograph’s earliest uses was timing horse races, so naturally, the complication evolved when horses made way for horsepower. Early races were mostly timed by stopwatches mounted to car dashboards, but as the complication was shrunk, they were more often seen on wrists, especially in the F1 and endurance racing heyday between the ’50s and ’70s.
While race cars and chronographs share a long history now, there’s no real formula for what constitutes a “racing chronograph.” Ideally, a tachymeter scale on the bezel (used for calculating average speeds) should be present, and stylistically, it should have elements of color to aid in legibility —and if it matches your sponsor’s logo, all the better.
With its classic vintage looks, reverse-panda dial, 39mm size and solid specs, the French brand Yema’s Speedgraf presents an attractive package. Further, it features an interesting movement from Seiko that isn’t all that common outside of watches from the Japanese brand itself. (It even has the column wheel and vertical clutch that enthusiasts tend to value.) On top of it all, little touches like applied indices and a box-style domed sapphire crystal lend it a refined feel.
- Movement: Seiko NE86 automatic
- Case diameter: 39mm
- Water resistance: 100m
- Price: $1,499
- Manufacturer Info: yema.com
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British watchmaker Farer has a tastefully vibrant design sense, and it’s never worked better than on its classically-inspired series of mechanical chronograph watches. Available in three different variations, each takes on its own very deliberately individual character while sharing the same basic specs. The movement inside is a manually wound Swiss caliber that makes for a case less thick than that housing an automatic version. It offers a range solid details and specs for a strong value, as well as the unique personality of an enthusiast-friendly indie brand.
- Movement: Sellita SW510 BH Elaboré
- Case diameter: 41mm
- Water resistance: 100m
- Price: $1,955
- Manufacturer Info: farer.com
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Heuer’s chronographs are some of the most recognizable timepieces in motorsport. And while the Carrera initially designed in 1963 had a cleaner design with a slightly dressier appeal, it was nonetheless a seminal racer’s watch. Now 55 years on, TAG gave the Carrera a much more overtly racing-inspired redesign, with a tachymeter bezel and a high-contrast dial loaded with plenty of colorful accents.
- Movement: Heuer Calibre 16 automatic (Valjoux 7750 base)
- Case diameter: 41mm
- Water resistance: 100m
- Price: $4,450
- Manufacturer Info: tagheuer.com
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The Heritage Chrono is an oldie in the current Tudor lineup, but we love it because it’s such an excellent reinterpretation of the classic but short-lived Tudor “Monte-Carlo” chronograph from the early 1970s, purportedly popular with Porsche racers from the era. Black trapezoids surround the sub-dials and the orange accents are bold throwbacks to an equally bold era in racing.
- Movement: ETA 2892 automatic with Dubois Depraz chronograph module
- Case diameter: 42mm
- Water resistance: 150m
- Price: $4,525
- Manufacturer Info: tudorwatch.com
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Thanks to a cameo on Steve McQueen’s wrist in Le Mans, the Monaco is another Heuer chronograph forever intertwined with motor racing. Launched in 1969, it was a boldly-designed vehicle for the Caliber 11 — one of the first automatic chronographs ever made the modern iteration even revives the unique layout of the original movement.
- Movement: Heuer Caliber 11 automatic
- Case diameter: 39mm
- Water resistance: 100m
- Price: $6,350
- Manufacturer info: tagheuer.com
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Diving
Even though they’re more complex than standard dive watches, diving chronographs should be held to the same demanding standards of utility and robustness. For a watch to comply to ISO standards, it needs to have a ratcheting timing bezel, a dial legible underwater (read: it needs to have gobs of lume) and it has to be pressure tested to 200 meters at the very least. That’s a standard these dive watches easily meet, and then some.
A Doxa dive watch is unmistakable and noticible, not least for tending to be bright orange. There’s also that distinctive bezel and un-shy size. Reprising a model that must have seemed huge when it came out in 1969, the Sub 200 T.Graph maintains the original 43mm width and barrel-shaped case. The beads-of-rice bracelet adds to its throwback charm. Interestingly, it’s powered by a new-old-stock manually wound Valjoux 7734 movement, which makes it feel a little more special and unique.
- Movement: Valjoux 7734
- Case diameter: 43mm
- Water resistance: 200m
- Price: $4,900
- Manufacturer Info: doxawatches.com
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They don’t come much more brawnier than Oris’s Aquis Chronograph, which clocks in at 45.5mm in diameter and features a 500-meter depth rating. The chunky case holds a Sellita SW500 (more or less a Valjoux 7750) and comes adorned with a black-rotating bezel. The beautiful black-to-blue gradient dial is a considered touch that adds some class to this otherwise burly timepiece.
- Movement: Oris 774 automatic (Sellita SW-500 base)
- Case diameter: 45.5mm
- Water resistance: 500m
- Price: $3,700
- Manufacturer Info: oris.ch
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In 1957, Breitling launched its first diver, the Superocean. It was not just one of the first dive watches ever made but also one of the first to sport a chronograph function and the first-known “reverse-panda” color scheme, accoridng to Hodinkee. Breitling’s new Superocean reissue comes loaded with the brand’s in-house, column-wheel chronograph and sports the same high-contrast design.
- Movement: Breitling B01 automatic
- Case diameter: 44mm
- Water resistance: 200m
- Price: $7,800
- Manufacturer Info: breitling.com
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The Speedmaster gets all the love in Omega’s chronograph lineup, but the Seamaster has long been a vehicle for the stopwatch function. Its Planet Ocean may be the most technically impressive, though, boasting a 600-meter depth rating that’s more than you’ll (hopefully) ever need, a helium escape valve and a co-axial movement that’s accurate to chronometer specification.
- Movement: Omega 9900 automatic
- Case diameter: 45.5mm
- Water resistance: 600m
- Price: $8,450
- Manufacturer Info: omegawatches.com
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The most incredible thing about the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback is not its 300-meter water resistance. Nor is it the ceramic case or its impressively long and French name. No, it’s the in-house developed movement, which in addition to having a flyback function, a column-wheel and a vertical clutch, ticks away at a very-quick 36,000 bph, a rarity in watches in general — let alone in chronographs.
- Movement: Blancpain F385 automatic
- Case diameter: 43.6mm
- Water resistance: 300m
- Price: $17,200
- Manufacturer Info: blancpain.com
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Dress
Chronographs — with their bezels, scales and sub-dials — are often regarded as too complex for dress-watch duty by diehards who believe the dress watch should be as clean and simple as possible. But really, there’s no reason a chronograph should be precluded from formal wear. There are plenty of chronographs out there that retain their stopwatch function but shed the tool-driven look in favor of slim, simple and refined design.
An offshoot of the brilliantly simple Junghans Max Bill, the Chronoscope retains the original sleek, pared-down charm imparted on the standard Max Bill by its eponymous creator. The bezel is incredibly thin, while the sub-dials are merely comprised of thin dashes, giving way to a balanced, minimal dial.
- Movement: Junghans J880.2 automatic (Valjoux 7750 base)
- Case diameter: 40mm
- Water resistance: “Splash-resistant”
- Price: $1,500
- Manufacturer Info: junhans.de
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At $2,400, Seiko’s Presage chronograph represents one of the greatest values in watchmaking. For starters, it features an in-house chronograph movement with a column wheel and vertical clutch, something not even seen on watches that cost twice the Seiko’s asking price. The best part, though, is the dial: it’s made from fired enamel, an incredibly difficult-to-master feature that’s otherwise only seen on watches from Switzerland’s most vaunted manufacturers.
- Movement: Seiko 8R48 automatic
- Case diameter: 42mm
- Water resistance: 100m
- Price: $2,400
- Manufacturer Info: seiko.com
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At around four grand, an in-house Swiss chronograph movement looks like a pretty good deal — especially when it’s in as attractive a package as that presented here by Swiss brand Frederique Constant. However, add the complicated flyback function to the chronograph and there’s nothing to even compare it to. With a subtly retro appeal and just a touch of sportiness (particularly in its reverse panda dial version), the Flyback Manufacture offers a ton of value in a watch that makes for a versatile daily wear.
- Movement: Frederique Constant FC-760 automatic
- Case diameter: 42mm
- Water resistance: 50m
- Price: $3,995
- Manufacturer Info: frederiqueconstant.com
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The Portugieser Chronograph has been a hot seller in IWC’s lineup since its introduction in the 1990s. Why? Because its design is so utterly cohesive. It’s just one round, simple dial, two sub-dials stacked vertically and classy propeller-like hands. The newest models include IWC’s in-house 69000 family movements, and this particular reference has a beautiful silver-plated dial with blue applied numerals and hands for strong legibility.
- Movement: IWC in-house 69355 automatic
- Case diameter: 41mm
- Water resistance: 30m
- Price: $7,950
- Manufacturer Info: iwc.com
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While the German superstar A. Lange & Söhne makes a mean chronograph, there’s a lot going on in Datograph Up/Down Lumen watch besides a basic stopwatch complication: it features a flyback function, an “oversized” date display, and a power reserve indicator. For the Lumen version, however, the brand ups the ante with a translucent, tinted dial that gives a hint of the exquisitely-finished, hand-cranked movement beneath. The real show, however, is in the dark, as everything from the hands to the tachymeter scale and subdials are fully lumed for a dazzling and unique effect.
- Movement: A. Lange & Söhne L951.7 hand-winding
- Case diameter: 41mm
- Water resistance: 30m
- Price: $100,500
- Manufacturer Info: alange-soehne.com
Icons
Simply put, these chronographs have become benchmarks. When they debuted in the mid-20th century, they set the mold for what a chronograph should look like and how it should function. Their supremacy made them stalwarts of racing, aviation and even space exploration. Because you shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken, they’re all still being sold today; some have barely even changed since they were brought to the public decades ago. Truly, they’re timeless.
The Speedmaster Professional you can buy today is nearly identical to the one worn to the moon in 1969 — it has the same case shape and size, the same dial design, nearly the same movement, even. And that’s fine. The Speedmaster of the ’60s was built to meet NASA’s incredibly tough standards, and its iconic status as the first watch on the moon makes it a must-have for any serious watch collector.
- Movement: Omega 3861 hand-winding
- Case diameter: 42mm
- Water resistance: 50m
- Price: $6,300
- Manufacturer Info: omegawatches.com
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Perhaps no watch has influenced TAG Heuer’s brand identity and design more than the Carrera. It’s come in a wide range of iterations over the years, but the very first version was introduced in 1964 back when the brand was simply “Heuer.” In 2020, TAG released a pretty faithful remake of it simply called the Carrera Silver Edition with updates like a modern in-house movement and 39mm sizing. While variations of the watch have often taken bold and sporty personalities associated with racing, the original shows the restrained design elements that have always underpinned its iconic status.
- Movement: Heuer 02 automatic
- Case diameter: 42mm
- Water resistance: 100m
- Price: $6,450
- Manufacturer Info: tagheuer.com
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Declaring the winner of the race to build the first automatic chronograph in 1969 is contentious business, so Zenith’s “El Primero” moniker is arguable here. What isn’t arguable, however, is the technical supremacy of the watch. It ticks away at a particularly high 36,000 bph, allowing it to record times within a 10th of a second, unheard of at the time of its launch. This modern iteration is as true to the original as it gets, right down to using the same movement, the same 38mm case design and the same dial with tri-color sub-dials.
- Movement: Zenith El Primero 400
- Case diameter: 38mm
- Water resistance: 100m
- Price: $7,700
- Manufacturer Info: zenith-watches.com
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By 1952, pilots were already familiar with Breitling, its instruments adorning the dashboards of many airplane cockpits and its Chronomat on many of their wrists. That didn’t stop Breilting from working with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) to perfect the aviation watch, building a chronograph with a slide rule specifically for use by pilots. The addition of an extra scale taken from the E6B flight computer made it quicker and easier to do various flight calculations on the fly.
- Movement: Breitling B01 automatic
- Case diameter: 43mm
- Water resistance: 30m
- Price: $9,350
- Manufacturer Info: breitling.com
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The Daytona is one of the most beloved and sought-after watches, both on the vintage and new watch markets. The current model is especially a fan favorite, as the addition of a black-on-white panda color scheme, red Daytona text and a black ceramic bezel give it the appearance of a reference from the 1960s. While not cheap — and nearly impossible to buy at retail — it’s a watch that will simply never go out of style.
- Movement: Rolex 4130 automatic
- Case diameter: 40mm
- Water resistance: 100m
- Price: $13,150+
- Manufacturer Info: rolex.com
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