When one speaks of watches, many types, styles, and designs come to mind. There’s the classic dress watch, the reliable tool watch, the stylish pilot’s watch and the sporty dive watch, just to name a few.
But amid the vast landscape, a special type of watch blends form and function, beauty and utility, and style and substance – the ‘Chronograph’.
A chronograph is one of the most popular watch styles in today’s market and also one of the most useful. Beyond their functionality and practicality, chronograph watches are also among the most desirable. For instance, a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona sells for approximately three times its brand-new price on the secondary market. So, you know what we’re talking about.
Unfortunately, this much-loved complication is also the most misunderstood.
In this article, we’ll cover everything related to a chronograph watch, including how it works, the different types, and the most popular models on the market today.
What is a Chronograph?
The word ‘Chronograph’ is derived from the Greek words ‘Chronos’ (time) and ‘Graph’ (measure). So, the purpose of this watch type is easily established from its name. Chronographs allow users to track time and carry out various calculations with ease. It’s like the stopwatch feature on your phone but more practical since it’s seamlessly integrated into the watch face.
Simply put, a chronograph watch serves as a stopwatch and a regular 12-hour timepiece. It can be used to read time, precisely time multiple events, and perform other calculations.
The Chronograph is a feature that has been around for over a decade. It was first seen in pocket watches. Today, almost every brand has at least one Chronograph in its offering.
Brief History of Chronograph
For many years, it was believed that French watchmaker Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec, who served King Louis XVIII, invented the Chronograph in 1821 to time horse races. Rieussec’s device dropped ink onto a rotating dial to mark the beginning and end of an elapsed time. However, in 2013, it was revealed that Frenchman Louis Moinet was the first to design a pocket watch with a stopwatch for astronomers in 1815.
However, it wasn’t until 1969 that the first automatic chronograph timepieces arrived, with brands from TAG Heuer to Breitling and Zenith. Fast-forward to today, when the first image that comes to mind when we think of a chronograph is the traditional three-dial layout with two pushers. This is the look we’ve become accustomed to in all the modern icons, such as the Rolex Daytona or the Omega Speedmaster. But there’s more to it.
How to operate a Chronograph?
The Chronograph is a multi-functional tool among wristwatches, so it should come as no surprise that operating one requires some knowledge. At the heart of a chronograph is an intricate mechanism powered by a series of springs and gears.
Here’s how to use one:
- Pushers
A chronograph performs three main functions – start, stop and return to zero (reset). These three functions are operated using pushers on the side of the watch.
- The pusher at 2 o’clock allows you to ‘Start’ and ‘Stop’.
- The pusher at 4 o’clock helps to ‘Reset’.
- Sub-Dials
A chronograph comes with twin or triple registers on the dial, also known as sub-dials. The bi-compax models can record up to one hour, while the tri-compax chronographs can time up to 12 hours.
- The Bi-Compax models have two sub-dials—one is the standard seconds counter and the other a minute counter, which is used when the Chronograph is in use.
- The Tri-Compax or triple counter models have three sub-dials – an hour counter, a minute counter and a second counter. The trio registers the elapsed time and allows for detailed time measurement over extended periods.
- The seconds sub-dial tracks the seconds of the day and not of the stopwatch and hence continues to sweep.
- The second hand on the large dial tracks the stopwatch’s seconds.
- Tachymeter
Most chronograph watches come with a tachymeter on the bezel or in the dial. When you know the time and distance involved in an event, the tachymeter helps calculate the speed. Additionally, the tachymeter can calculate the distance if you know the time and speed.
- Read the elapsed time
Say your watch has a 30-minute subdial at 3 o’clock and a seconds counter at 9 o’clock, and you want to track the elapsed time of an event of 20 minutes and 10 seconds. The minute subdial will record the 20 minutes elapsed, and the seconds hand on the large dial will show the elapsed 10 seconds. This is how you read the time.
- Reset the Chronograph
- If it’s a flyback chronograph, you need to press the bottom pusher, and the hand will quickly return to 12.
- If the Chronograph is not a flyback, you must manually reset it. Turn the watch’s crown to reset the chronograph hand to the 12 o’clock position.
Purpose of a Chronograph
Since origin, chronograph watches have been used by professionals, pilots and athletes who need precise timekeeping. Apart from measuring elapsed time, chronographs are used for other timekeeping functions, such as:
- Chronograph watches with a tachymeter bezel, or dial helps calculate speed and distance
- Pulsometers track heartbeat rates
- Telemeters measure the distance of the wearer from a particular event like a thunderstorm
- Tracking the duration of athletic competition or races
Types of Chronographs
The most common type of Chronograph consists of three sub-dials, measuring the hours, minutes and current seconds. The dial’s second hand tracks the seconds of your Chronograph. However, there are more complex types of chronographs, which we’ll explore below.
Remember, all chronographs are stopwatches with varying levels of complexity.
Let’s start.
1. Simple Chronograph
The traditional Chronograph is a simple stopwatch, distinguished by a single chronograph hand, two pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock, and a straightforward three-step start, stop, and reset mechanism. The watches usually have three or two sub-dials on the dial.
The two pushers help to achieve the chronograph function. Press the top pusher once to set the counters going. Press it twice, and it stops them. Next, you can either press the top button another time (third time) to set the timer off from the same position or press the down pusher to reset the chrono hand back to zero.
A simple chronograph typically includes a central chrono seconds hand, which replaces the role of a seconds hand on a traditional time-only watch. The difference with this central chronograph hand is that it remains still at 12 o’clock until you start the Chrono.
On the chronograph with three subdials, the running second’s hand is relegated to the second subdial. Apart from this, there is a minute subdial and a 12-hour subdial for measuring the elapsed minutes and hours.
Popular models:
- Rolex Daytona
- Breitling Chronomat
- Omega Speedmaster
- TAG Heuer Monaco
- Tudor Black Bay Chrono
2. Monopusher Chronograph
As the name suggests, a mono-pusher chronograph, also called a single-pusher chronograph, has one pusher to control the chronograph hand. The pusher starts, stops and resets the Chronograph.
It gives the watch a cleaner look; some brands even incorporate the pusher button into the crown itself. However, as a single pusher operates all functions, it is not possible to restart the timing once it is stopped. As you press it a third time, the hand will always go back to zero.
Popular models:
- Panerai Luminor 1950 Ceramic 8 Days Chrono Monopulsante GMT
- Cartier Tortue Monopusher Chronograph
- Vacheron Constantin Harmony Monopusher Chronograph
- Patek Philippe 5470P 1/10th of a Second Monopusher Chronograph
3. Flyback Chronograph
Similar to the simple chronograph type with two pushers, the Flyback presents an additional feature that helps measure multiple laps during a race, run, or other activity that requires laps.
The top pusher starts and stops the time, and the bottom resets it. The difference is that the lower button can be pressed in flyback chronographs when the Chronograph is in action, causing the main hand to reset to zero and immediately start again. All this happens with just a single push.
This easy feature implies the wearer doesn’t have to press the top button to stop the hand and then the bottom button to reset it, all of which lose vital split seconds.
In short, a flyback chronograph allows you to easily measure time intervals.
Popular models:
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph
- Patek Philippe Nautilus Flyback Chronograph Ref. 5980/ 60G-001
- IWC Pilot’s “Top Gun” Flyback Chronograph
- Breguet Type XXI
- Lange Söhne Datograph
4. Split-Seconds / Rattrapante Chronograph
The most sophisticated and complex chronograph is the Split-Seconds or Rattrapante chronograph. Naturally, it is also the most expensive type. Along with the two pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock, the Rattrapante has an additional pusher at 10 o’clock.
This third button controls the split-second function. The Rattrapante chronographs also have a second chronograph hand tucked away beneath the main one and not visible to the eye until needed.
You start timing the normal way with the first pusher. Then, pressing the split-second button stops the upper of the two hands while the bottom hand continues. This is especially helpful when you’re timing two competitors. You can stop one hand as the winner finishes the line and the second one as the opponent crosses. This way, you’ll be able to see the time difference instantly.
The Split-Seconds or Rattrapante chronographs usually sit on the top end of horology in terms of pricing. However, you can find one at a price still accessible in the pre-owned market.
Popular models:
- Patek Philippe 5370P Split-Seconds Chronograph
- A.Lange & Sohne 1815 Rattrapante
- Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Split-Seconds Chronograph
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 25865
- IWC Portugieser Rattrapante Chronograph
- Breitling Navitimer B03 Rattrapante Chronograph
5. Laptimer Chronograph
This is another highly complex chronograph that elevates the concept of the split-second or rattrapante chronograph to a new level. As you see in split-second chronographs, pressing the split-second pusher stops one of the central second’s hands while the other continues.
In the lap timer Chronograph, one of the central second’s hands stops so you can track the lap time that’s been completed. Simultaneously, the other second hand will reset to zero, so you can start timing the second lap immediately. This process can be considered a flyback and split-second chronograph combined in one.
Popular model:
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Laptimer Michael Schumacher
6. Tachymeter, Telemeter & Pulsometer Chronograph
Chronographs with a tachymeter scale on the bezel or dial allow you to calculate speed. They measure the speed at which the wearer travels over a specific period. You start the Chronograph in the usual manner at a known starting point and stop it when the object has travelled a known distance. The chronograph hand points to a certain value on the tachymeter scale, which denotes the object’s average speed in units per hour.
The telemeter is a unique scale that lets you measure your distance from an event you can hear and see—for example, a thunderstorm. Start the Chronograph when you see the flash of lightning, and stop it once you hear the thunder. Use the telemeter to determine how far you are from the storm. The second hand will point to a number on the telemeter scale indicating distance. It works using the speed of sound and tracks how far the sound has travelled since you saw the flash.
The pulsometer is a specialised type of Chronograph used to measure a heart rate or pulse. You start the chrono at the same time you begin counting the pulses and measure the time it takes to reach a set number of pulsations. Once that particular number of pulses has reached, you stop the Chrono and read the pulsometer to obtain the pulse rate per minute.
5 Popular Chronograph watch models
Whether you like its function or how it looks, there’s always some reason why these complicated little mechanisms are so popular. Here are the five most popular Chronograph watches from the biggest brands guaranteed to impress.
1. Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch
Introduced in 1957 as a watch for professional racers, the Omega Speedmaster reached its mythical status in 1969 when NASA selected it as its official timekeeper for lunar missions. The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch was the first watch to land on the moon! The watch features a 42mm stainless steel case with a matching bracelet, a tachymeter scale, and a dial with three chronograph registers measuring small seconds, a 30-minute subdial, and a 12-hour subdial.
Our Pick: Omega Speedmaster Hesalite Sapphire Sandwich Moonwatch Ref. 3572.50.00
2. Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
In the 1930s, Rolex started experimenting with mechanical chronographs, but it was only in 1963 that the Swiss watchmaker released its own collection of chronograph watches. The Cosmograph Daytona was released as a tribute to the Daytona International Speedway, Florida. Designed for professional race car drivers, the Dayton features a 40mm case and a tri-complex dial featuring a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 9 o’clock and a seconds counter at 6 o’clock. In recent years, Rolex has added a specialised rubber bracelet, the Oysterflex and a ceramic bezel to the watches.
Our Pick: Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Everose Gold Ref: 126515LN
3. Breitling Navitimer Chronograph
The Breitling Navitimer stands as one of the most iconic pilot’s watches. Released in 1952 in collaboration with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Navitimer combines precise chronograph functions with a circular slide rule bezel, allowing pilots to easily perform crucial flight calculations. While this slide rule bezel feature is no longer necessary today, it remains a hallmark of the Navitimer. Initially, the watches came in a 40mm case with a signature raised bezel and the dial balanced chronograph sub-dials with slide rule scales.
Our Pick: Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 41 Ref. AB0139211B1P1
4. TAG Heuer Monaco
Initially released in 1969, the TAG Heuer Monaco was one of the first chronographs produced by the brand. The Monaco is attractive, featuring a unique square case and blue dial. However, the watch reached fame when American actor Steve McQueen chose to wear the timepiece in his 1971 movie ‘Le Mans’. Despite his quick cameo, the Monaco was perpetually linked to motor racing. Over the years, Monaco has been re-released several times with new editions and variations and remains one of the most distinctive chronographs.
Our Pick: TAG Heuer Monaco’ Gulf’ Special Edition Ref. CAW211R.FC6401
5. IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph
For those wondering why a chronograph can’t be functional and look good, IWC’s line of pilot’s watches has mastered the art. Dating back to the 1930s, the IWC Pilot’s watches were created to meet the needs of military pilots. The watches are larger in size, highly legible, and easy to operate. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph took things a notch higher, allowing the pilots to measure the elapsed time with ease. Today, the watches have become quintessential for modern-day explorers.
Our Pick: IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Ref. IW388101
Things’ NOT’ to do with your Chronograph
- There’s no harm in pressing the reset button of your Chronograph while it’s still running. It won’t harm unless it’s a flyback chronograph and is built for it. However, if you press it really hard, it could break.
- It’s advisable not to leave your Chronograph running continuously as it puts more pressure on the components and more power on the mainspring for functioning. All of it, in turn, reduces the unnecessary strain on the entire movement and wears it down more quickly.
- Even if your chronograph watch is built for action under the water, you may want to double-check it with the manufacturer before taking it in the water. It’s important to ensure the pushers are safely operated underwater.
Why are Chronographs expensive?
Compared to a standard watch, a chronograph’s inner workings and mechanism are far more complex and feature various components that work in harmony to power the piece. Thus, the manufacturer puts a lot of effort into assembling and testing chronograph watches.
Moreover, brands that manufacture watches with chronograph movements built in-house and do not outsource them from external suppliers like ETA will be more expensive because of the escalating prices of the materials and tools. Also, the cost will be higher if the watch is equipped with a split-second function or a flyback.
Furthermore, if you wish to buy a chronograph, it’s worth considering the watch maintenance process. After all, at some point, you need to get your watch serviced or repaired, and the cost of this will undoubtedly be more than what you’d spend on a standard timepiece.
Is it worth buying a Chronograph?
Chronograph watches offer a striking combination of form and function, making them highly desirable among collectors and enthusiasts. Here are some of the key reasons why you can consider adding one to your collection:
- Bold Aesthetic: Chronographs are instantly recognisable for their visually striking dials with sub-dials, pushers and tachymeter or telemeter scales. These features give the chronographs a bold and dynamic appearance.
- Precise Timekeeping: Chronographs’ stopwatch feature helps to maintain precise timekeeping during races, laps, or other events.
- Versatility: Whether you’re timing a race or pairing it as an accessory, chronographs are versatile in appearance and can be worn in formal and casual settings.
- Investment Potential: Chronograph watches from luxury watch brands like Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer, and others hold their value well and are even known to appreciate in value over time, making them a worthwhile investment.
Closing Thoughts
Chronograph watches are great tools. However, they are one of the most difficult complications to create and often cost extra. After all, fitting an entire mechanical stopwatch function into a wristwatch is no easy feat.
Ultimately, the value one derives from a chronograph watch is subjective and deeply based on the wearer’s appreciation for functionality, craftsmanship, and aesthetics. For those who prefer luxury watches with mechanical complexity or have the need to time events frequently, a chronograph is indispensable. Others find the design of a chronograph with sub-dials visually appealing.
Then there are some who prefer the elegance of a classic timepiece, making the decision completely personal.
The key difference between a chronograph and a regular watch is the integration of stopwatch capability, easily recognised by additional sub-dials and pushers, which the former lacks.
So, the choice between them is up to the wearer’s preference. It’s advisable to consider your needs, purpose, and personal preference before buying chronographs.
