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Chronograph Watches · Page 168

Up Close: Bell & Ross BR05 GMT SJX Watches
Sep 13, 2021

Up Close: Bell & Ross BR05 GMT

Unveiled two years ago, the BR05 was Bell & Ross’ take on the integrated-bracelet sports watch – probably the hottest genre of watches now. The brand then followed up with a skeleton version and also the twin-counter BR05 chronograph. And now Bell & Ross takes the covers off perhaps the most useful iteration to date – the BR05 GMT. Though a newish arrival to a well-established genre, the BR05 was essentially derived from the brand’s trademark square watch case, a design dating to 2005 that was inspired by instrument panels of fighter jets. But the BR05 diverged from those military origins, acquiring a more refined, slightly retro appearance with its case finishing, a mix of polished and brushed surfaces, as well as an elegant integration of the bracelet. The new GMT sticks to the same design, while adding the utility of a second time zone. Initial thoughts When Bell & Ross (B&R) offered to loan me a BR05 GMT prototype for a few days, I wasn’t expecting any surprises. But when I first got the watch in hand, I found the fit and finish unexpectedly good. The BR05 has an appealing, tactile feel, stemming from the sharply finished case and appealing design. My initial impressions were positive – the BR05 GMT lives up to the expectations set by its retail price. The best feature of the GMT is something it shares with its siblings in the collection, namely the BR05 case and bracelet. They are well finished and a good look. But the GMT stands out for its simplicity ...

HANDS ON – The Farer Segrave Monopusher Chronograph delivers a big eye with a colourful twist Time+Tide
Sep 13, 2021

HANDS ON – The Farer Segrave Monopusher Chronograph delivers a big eye with a colourful twist

Pride is not an emotion I often overplay when it comes to my Britishness, but last week while dipping in and out of appointments around Switzerland’s prettiest city for Geneva Watch Days I was brimming with the stuff – emanating predominately from my left wrist. You’ll be hard pressed to find a place where the … ContinuedThe post HANDS ON – The Farer Segrave Monopusher Chronograph delivers a big eye with a colourful twist appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Auction Watch: Unique Patek Philippe Ref. 5070/1P – Black Dial on Bracelet SJX Watches
Sep 12, 2021

Auction Watch: Unique Patek Philippe Ref. 5070/1P – Black Dial on Bracelet

Distinctive with its wide, flat bezel, the ref. 5070 was Patek Philippe’s last chronograph powered by the CH27-70 movement derived from the Lemania 2310. At 42 mm in diameter, the ref. 5070 was the largest high-end chronograph on the market at its launch in 1998. Amongst the four versions of the ref. 5070 – in rose, yellow, or white gold as well as platinum – the platinum version is the rarest. Around 250 were made according to Sotheby’s, with the standard guise for the platinum case being being a metallic, muted-blue dial. Produced at the “special request of an important client” in 2012, the  ref. 5070/1P-010 has a black dial, while preserving the standard dial design with its large, applied Arabic numerals in white gold. While the standard model is has the model reference 5070P, this example has the suffix “/1P”, indicating the monochromatic dial is matched by a platinum “brick” bracelet, an uncommon option only available via special order. Importantly, both the black dial and bracelet are mentioned on the certificate, which indicates the watch was sold at the Patek Philippe Salon in Geneva. The combination of a platinum case, black dial, and matching bracelet – familiar and simple but endlessly striking – has been seen before on other chronograph models, including a ref. 5004P that sold at Christie’s in 2019. But this is the first ref. 5070P in this livery to be offered publicly. Estimated at HK$4-8 million, or US$500,000-1 million, the uniq...

The return of a dark legend, with the lumelicious TAG Heuer Aquaracer Night Diver Time+Tide
Sep 12, 2021

The return of a dark legend, with the lumelicious TAG Heuer Aquaracer Night Diver

For many people, a TAG Heuer is their first good mechanical Swiss watch. While some swear allegiance to the classic Carrera, personally I love the motor-racing vibes of their vintage-inspired references and, yes, I do feel a bit more like Steve McQueen when I wear the Monaco. But one thing TAG Heuer does best, is … ContinuedThe post The return of a dark legend, with the lumelicious TAG Heuer Aquaracer Night Diver appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Breitling Super Chronomat 44 Four-Year Calendar: the sports chronograph with an unusual calendar Deployant
Sep 4, 2021

Breitling Super Chronomat 44 Four-Year Calendar: the sports chronograph with an unusual calendar

Overall we enjoyed the look and feel of the watch. It brought to mind Omega's Speedmaster and its calendar sibiling. Or even more distant, IWC's Ingenier or GST calendar. The contrasting materials and colors gave the watch a sporty look, and the size came with substantial wrist presence. The downside of course, is a rather hefty sports watch more suited for those with thicker wrists.

Audemars Piguet Debuts the Royal Oak Offshore 42 mm with In-House Cal. 4404 SJX Watches
Sep 2, 2021

Audemars Piguet Debuts the Royal Oak Offshore 42 mm with In-House Cal. 4404

One of the biggest watches on the market when it was introduced in 1993, the Royal Oak Offshore is a landmark in the oversized-sports watch genre. Since then the model has been iterated into numerous variants and several sizes, while the first-generation originals have occasionally returned as limited editions. Now they are back for good as part of the regular collection at Audemars Piguet – but upgraded with the in-house cal. 4404 as well as quick-release bracelets and straps. Nicknamed “evolution” by Audemars Piguet (AP), the new Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 42 mm ref. 26238TI is being launched with a trio of watches that are a faithful take on the 1993 original, along with two new “Mega Tapisserie” dials in the same size. The Offshore 42 mm with “Mega Tapisserie” dials Initial thoughts The last major revamp of the Offshore Chronograph 42 mm was in 2014, when it received a movement upgrade in the form of an in-house base movement, though retaining the modular chronograph. And then two years ago Audemars Piguet unveiled a model equipped with the Frederic Piguet cal. 1185. The new Offshore is arguably better than all its recent counterparts, because it combines the original design – which is a classic – while improving what needed to be improved, namely the movement. In the release announcement, AP describes the movement as “a new selfwinding integrated chronograph, Calibre 4404, equipped with column wheel and flyback function”, which pretty much ...

INTRODUCING: The Sinn 103 Classic 12 celebrates the brand’s 60th with a reverse panda dial Time+Tide
Sep 2, 2021

INTRODUCING: The Sinn 103 Classic 12 celebrates the brand’s 60th with a reverse panda dial

I love brand anniversaries. They present the perfect opportunity for a brand to do something new or to celebrate their past by pulling something special out of their archives. In 2011, Sinn gave us the grey dialled, bi-compax, 358 chronograph to celebrate their 50th anniversary. With this year being their 60th, I couldn’t wait to … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Sinn 103 Classic 12 celebrates the brand’s 60th with a reverse panda dial appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Ulysse Nardin Debuts the Marine Torpilleur 175 Years Collection SJX Watches
Sep 1, 2021

Ulysse Nardin Debuts the Marine Torpilleur 175 Years Collection

Historically a major producer of marine chronometers, Ulysse Nardin has repurposed the concept in the modern day for its bestselling line of wristwatches that retain the face of a marine chronometer while having in-house movements and eminently reasonable prices. For its 175th anniversary, Ulysse Nardin has unveiled the Marine Torpilleur 175 Years collection, a suite of limited-edition watches starting with an affordable base model and ending with a range-topping tourbillon featuring a fired-enamel dial. Initial thoughts Originally introduced as an entry-level Marine model – it was named after a torpedo boat – the Marine Torpilleur has been successful enough that it’s now an entire anniversary line up. The expansion of the line is a good thing, because the Torpilleur is classically handsome and generally good value. All the Torpilleur models are largish at 42 mm in diameter, but most are slim, with heights of about 11 mm, though the chronograph is understandably wider and thicker. As a result, they appear relatively thin on the wrist, especially for a sporty watch. The tourbillon with a black enamel dial, and next to it a vintage Ulysse Nardin chronometer pocket watch with tourbillon regulator And the watches are all equipped with high-spec in-house movements, which is a big factor in their value propositions. Even the base model, which costs US$8,200 in its simplest version, is equipped with the UN-118, a movement that has a silicon hairspring and escapement, along...

Czapek Introduces the Antarctique Rattrapante SJX Watches
Sep 1, 2021

Czapek Introduces the Antarctique Rattrapante

Czapek & Cie unveiled the Antarctique a year ago, its first foray into the popular category of luxury-sports watches. While the Antarctique had many of the elements synonymous with a luxury-sports watch, namely a steel case, blue dial, and integrated bracelet, it lacked what is arguably the signature element of Czapek’s design DNA – a pair of sub-dials at five and seven. Just unveiled at Geneva Watch Days, the followup to the original model combines a light touch of high horology with styling more faithful to the brand’s origins – the Antarctique Rattrapante, which is also the brand’s first split-seconds chronograph. Initial thoughts At a glance, the Antarctique Rattrapante is a noble effort in fusing the brand’s signature look with a modern, open-worked dial. Aesthetically, the design works well. The concept of having the entire split-seconds chronograph module visible on the dial creates an intricate view of the mechanics that would normally be hidden. And the mechanics are interesting, as the look is the result of substantial contortions to lower the sub-dials while ensuring they do not run into the gear train for the central hands. Notably, the repositioning was done with extra wheels – the chronograph mechanism actually has the registers in their traditional three and nine positions. At its core however, the chronograph remains a traditional, mono-pusher mechanism, albeit one that’s modular. The split-seconds mechanism does lack a key feature found ...

Comments 4

  1. C. Almeida
    The framing here is frankly a bit off. A chronograph is hardly the most-engineered complication in Swiss watchmaking; that crown belongs to perpetual calendars and minute repeaters. That said, the automatic chronograph remains the most *accessible* complicated movement for volume producers, and that's a worthier claim. The 1969 reference is apt, though the real innovation happened years before.
    1. Ben W. replying to C. Almeida
      Fair correction on the engineering hierarchy. But I'd add: the "accessibility" angle gets muddied fast once you're actually trying to buy one. A Daytona or even a Tudor Chrono sits behind waitlists and AD games that make "accessible" feel like marketing speak. The movement's elegant, sure, but the secondary market lottery around these watches tells a different story about what buyers actually face.
  2. Reece
    thinking about getting my first chrono and this helped a lot. is a vintage automatic worth learning on or should i just grab something new first. also how much should i realistically spend.
    1. WristBuzz Team replying to Reece
      This all depends on your own feelings and what you like to spend. Pretty hard to answer imho.

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