GPHG 2023: These Chronograph Nominees Show Exceptional Technical Finesse

This is the era of smart gadgets, including digital watches that have stopwatch functionalities. But this was not the case even a few years ago. In the not-so-distant past, when a timepiece doubled up as a stopwatch, it was considered a groundbreaking piece. Over the years, chronographs have witnessed various kinds of technical upgrades. This year, the GPHG nominees, vying for the ‘Chronograph of the Year’ title, reiterate the fact that chronographs will never go out of fashion. GMT India takes a closer look at the nominations:

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph

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Audemars Piguet recently unveiled the new black ceramic version of its Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph (Ref. 26622CE.OO.D062CA.01), highlighting its architectural micro-mechanics with striking green accents. The watch comes in a 43 mm black ceramic case, featuring a bezel with eight visible screws. The watch gets a black and green dial, black counters for the chronograph, pink gold hands with luminescent coating, and a green inner bezel.

Powering the watch is self-winding Calibre 2967 with 65 hours of power reserve. The 100-piece limited-edition watch sits on a green rubber strap with a titanium AP folding clasp and an interchangeable strap system. There is an additional black rubber strap as well.

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De Bethune DB Eight

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The timepiece uses De Bethune 31st in-house calibre. The 42.4 mm titanium (Ref. DB8RETIS1) watch gets a monopusher feature for the chronograph function. The watch also gets a silver guilloche dial with 12 sectors, blue Arabic numbers, and a 60-minute silver barley grey engine-turned-subdial at 6 o’clock.

The monopusher button is well integrated into the crown. Powering the watch is the manual winding Calibre DB3000, offering a 60-hour power reserve. Finishing the watch is an extra supple alligator leather strap with an alligator lining mated to a pin buckle in grade 5 titanium,. The new DB Eight is a versatile timepiece, well suited for everyday wear.

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Grand Seiko Tentagraph

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Tentagraph is Grand Seiko’s first mechanical chronograph. The high-beat precision watch (Ref. SLGC001) comes in a 43.2 mm titanium case with a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel. The watch’s dial pattern replicates Mt. Iwate. There are trapezoidal hour markers, a date window at 4:30, and three subdials.

The movement uses a dual-impulse escapement, which efficiently transfers energy to the balance wheel, indirectly through the pallet fork and directly from the escape wheel. Powering the watch is a manual winding Calibre 9SC5 with 72 hours of power reserve. Finishing the watch is a titanium bracelet, which is about 30 percent lighter and more scratch-resistant than a stainless steel bracelet.

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Petermann Bédat Chronographe Rattrapante

The second chapter in the unfurling story of the watchmaking duo Gaël Petermann & Florian Bédat is a monument to fine mechanics. To the basic column chronograph (Ref. 2941), the two watchmakers have added a split-second function. Allowing for two intervals of time that begin at the same instant to be measured in parallel, the watch posed a challenge in terms of design, construction, and adjustment.

The 2941 ensures an additional safety mechanism that effectively prevents an unintentional reset of the stopwatch. The 38.6 mm, 10-piece limited-edition, platinum watch is powered by an in-house Calibre 202, offering a 42-hour power reserve. The watch is finished on a black leather strap with a pin buckle. 

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Singer Reimagined 1969 Chrono

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Singer Reimagined, especially the 1969 version, pays tribute to the 1960s. The 40 mm stainless steel watch gets a new time display and enhanced readability. The award-winning 60-hour chronograph function takes centre stage on the dial. The central dial displays the chronograph information in a pure Singer style and the seconds, jumping minutes, and jumping hours hands are centrally mounted, all pointing to the same base 60 scale.

Powering the watch is Calibre AGH 6365 with 72 hours of power reserve. The 1969 Chronograph is the quintessential expression of the Singer Reimagined high-watchmaking approach, featuring the most recent version of the famous Agengraphe calibre.

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TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper

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TAG Heuer’s decades-long history in sports timing has encompassed everything from motor racing to skiing. The 39 mm stainless steel watch (Ref. CBS2213.FN6002) gets a blue circular brushed dial with a green-, orange-, and teal-lacquered 15-minute countdown indicator at 3 o’clock; a blue permanent second indicator at 6 o’clock; and a teal-lacquered hour chronograph counter at 9 o’clock.

Powering the watch is the automatic self-winding Calibre TH20-06, offering 80 hours of power reserve. The new Carrera Skipper, however, promises to be considerably more attainable, compared with other variants. The watch will serve as the ‘flagship’ for a whole series of maritime models.