Dr. N.
The chronograph has always been associated with speed, with efficiency, with the need to keep up with time. Initially an instrument used to measure the speed of locomotion of vehicles, or the production rhythms in industrial plants, the chronograph is today above all a luxury object, an elegant and fascinating complication inserted in a mechanical watch. In this article we will look at the most efficient, most refined chronographs that have made history or that simply turn out to be the most desirable.
1.Rolex Daytona
The Rolex Daytona, launched for the first time in 1963, has always been the sports chronograph par excellence: it is no coincidence that it takes its name from a famous American racing circuit. Its association with the well-known actor Paul Newman, and its waterproofness, guaranteed since 1967 by the screw chronograph pushers, make it a versatile and all-round watch. In the year 1988, the Rolex Daytona is equipped with a self-winding movement, made by Zenith, which will be produced until 2000. From the turn of the millennium, the Rolex Daytona is instead made with a Rolex manufacture movement. The latest evolution of this watch took place in 2016, with the introduction of the Cerachrom bezel, which guarantees superior wear resistance.
2. Omega Speedmasters
No other chronograph can boast the primacy of the Omega Speedmaster: it is in fact the watch that equipped the famous Apollo lunar missions in the 38s. An important legacy for the Omega brand, which carries on the tradition of the Moonwatch with various versions. It is the only one, among those presented here, to be available with a manual, rather than automatic, movement; this allows, in the versions equipped with a glass back, to admire the movement without being hidden by a winding rotor, a feature appreciated by many purists. There are also automatic versions, featuring a smaller 42mm instead of XNUMXmm case. A curiosity: although many watches are certified by NASA as suitable for space flight, the Speedmaster is still the only one to have received the certification of suitability for extravehicular operations from the American space agency. These are the activities in which the clock is directly exposed to the absolute vacuum of space. A confirmation of the excellent build quality of this chronograph.
3. Zenith The First
The first automatic chronograph in the world cannot be missing from this list. At the end of the 1988s, numerous watchmaking companies competed to produce the first mechanical watch with a chronograph and automatic winding function. Zenith manages to prevail in the race, but the enormous effort, combined with the competition from cheap quartz watches, puts her on the ropes. Zenith was forced to stop production, which fortunately was resumed in the late 2000s. According to many, the Zenith El Primero still remains the best self-winding chronograph movement. Not surprisingly, Rolex chose it for its Daytona in the XNUMX-XNUMX period, before developing its own automatic chronograph movement.
4. Tag Heuer Monaco
A few months after the introduction of the Zenith El Primero, Heuer launches the Monaco, a self-winding chronograph that became famous thanks to Steve McQueen, who wore it in the movie "Le Mans", in 1971. The unconventional aesthetic is a choice made by Heuer, aimed at highlighting the disruptive novelty of a self-winding chronograph. The positioning of the winding crown at 9 o'clock also responds to a precise choice. In fact, it goes to underline that this chronograph does not need to be wound manually.
The company, following the acquisition in 1985 by the TAG group, changed its name to Tag Heuer, and still maintains in production numerous models inspired by the first Monaco. Among these, there are equipped with a crown on the right or left, with mechanical or quartz movements, with dials with a classic style or inspired by the world of racing.
5. IWC Portugieser Chronograph
This particular model is quite recent, having been introduced in the XNUMXs. However, it has its roots in the well-known Portuguese of the IWC. The latter is a watch born in the XNUMXs to satisfy the demand, by some Portuguese watch dealers, for a watch as precise as those embarked on ships, but to be worn on the wrist. The only way to achieve such precision at the time was to use a movement intended for pocket watches, and to insert it into the case of a wristwatch. For this purpose, a very large and rounded case is required, which as a side effect leads to a large, highly readable dial. The addition of the chronograph function therefore does not affect the ease of reading the watch, thanks to the large space available on the dial for inserting this complication.
Contact Dr. N at dr.n@chronosect.com
