Top Six Chronographs that Will Set Your Pulse Racing

People often wonder about which complications to choose when shopping for a watch. A chronograph is a good option if you want a level of complexity that is not too high to be prohibitively expensive, but is still easy to grasp and apply, when needed. A chronograph is a kind of stopwatch that is used to measure the duration of events or record specific time intervals. It is usually represented by subdials on the main watch face. The most common subdials in chronographs are the 30-minute and 12-hour counters, along with a running seconds display, since the central seconds hand in most chronograph watches stays at 12 o'clock, when it is not being used as the seconds counter for the chronograph concerned.

The core notion behind the chronograph narrative is that before the introduction of digital watches, these (chronographs) were employed to record time during races, essentially serving as stopwatches. They employ three train wheels to calculate seconds, minutes, and hours. A simple chronograph includes a standard architecture of two push buttons on the right side of the case, flanking the watch's crown at 2 o’clock and 4 o'clock, to start and stop the chronograph counting; the 4 o’clock pusher normally resets all counters to zero. 

GMT India looks at six chronograph watches that are not just reasonably priced for a wider audience, but are also fairly precise in terms of telling time.

Maurice Lacroix Aikon Quartz Chronograph

Inspired by the Maurice Lacroix CALYPSO, the new 42 mm stainless steel watch has the six “claws” bezel, a signature element of the AIKON collection. The silver sunbrushed dial has a rhodium ‘M’ logo at 3 o'clock; a 60-second counter with an in-built date aperture at 6 o’clock; a 30-minute counter at 9 o'clock; and a 1/10 second counter at 12 o'clock. All subdials get spiral finishings.

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This timepiece has rhodium hour markers as well as faceted hands with white Super-LumiNova. The dial has a 60-minute track on the outer periphery. Powering the watch with a closed stainless steel caseback is a quartz movement. The five-row stainless steel bracelet accompanying the watch has an easy-change system.

Price: INR 1,56,000 (approx.)

Tissot T-Race MotoGP™ 75th Anniversary Limited Edition

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MotoGP™'s 75th anniversary is a significant milestone in motorsports, highlighting the enduring appeal of one of the world's most thrilling racing competitions. The 45 mm stainless steel model (Ref. T141.427.27.041.00) has a black PVD bezel that is supposed to replicate the intricate details of a brake disc, recalling motorcycle mechanics. The date correction at 10 o'clock adds to the piece’s attraction and the power design obviously pays homage to the adrenaline-fueled world of MotoGP.

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The Tissot T-Race MotoGP™ 75th Anniversary Chronograph 2024 Limited Edition has a multi-level dial with the MotoGP™ colours of blue and red. The sloping inner bezel houses the tachymeter scale, which leads to the minutes/seconds ring. The date window appears at 4:30. Powering this model is the Swiss Tissot automatic movement with a 68-hour power reserve. Turning the watch over showcases the see-through caseback with an oscillating weight. 

Price: INR 2,00,000 (approx.)

IWC Portugieser Chronograph

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The Portugieser Chronograph Rattrapante, released in 1995, marked the introduction of a chronograph to the Portugieser family. The IWC-typical vertical layout of the subdials places the stopped minutes immediately at 12 o'clock, making them easy to see, while the small seconds are at 6 o'clock. This model has a Dune dial paired with a stainless steel case, gold-plated hands, and gold hour markers. The mechanical chronograph movement has a column-wheel control of the chronograph function that ensures that individual phases in the switching sequence are clearly defined.

The Portugieser Chronograph is powered by the IWC-manufactured 69355 calibre with a 46-hour power reserve. Turning the watch over showcases the stainless steel caseback with an oscillating weight. Finishing the watch is a black alligator leather strap with a stainless steel butterfly clasp.

Price: INR 7,77,000 (approx.)

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Porsche 963

The Carrera Chronograph x Porsche 963 is housed in a 44 mm diameter casing made of brushed and polished stainless steel. The left side of the case features a black PVD fine-grained hollowed side with the "PORSCHE" logo. This timepiece's bezel features a black forged carbon tachymeter scale with white Super-LumiNova®, the "PORSCHE" emblem, and grey markings. Furthermore, at 3 o'clock, one can spot a black shimmering minute chronograph counter with four white Super-LumiNova® blocks and a black ring with a red lacquered hand. 

Then there's a black openworked shimmering permanent second indicator with a rhodium-plated hand. Finally, at 9 o'clock, there is a black shimmering hour chronograph counter with four white Super-LumiNova® blocks and a black ring featuring a red lacquered hand. Also at 6 o'clock is a black openworked date disc with a white Super-LumiNova® date revealer that emits blue light at night. The in-house Calibre TH20-00 movement, which features a personalised red column wheel, exemplifies the vertical clutch chronograph movement's technical expertise; it has a power reserve of 80 hours. Finishing the watch is a black integrated rubber strap, with “963” engraved on a fine brushed polished steel central link, featuring a polished steel folding clasp with double safety push-buttons and a TAG Heuer shield.

Price: INR 9,18,000 (approx.)

Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono

The Alpine Eagle series, inspired by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele's original St. Moritz timepiece, combines heritage and modernity across three generations of the Scheufele family. The watch boasts a sleek design with a circular case, an engraved crown, indexed bezel screws, and a textured face. The newest addition, Alpine Eagle XL Chrono, has a 44 mm grade 5 titanium case and a "Rhône Blue" dial, inspired by Alpine environments, such as Aletsch Blue and Bernina Grey. A modest tachymeter scale on the inner bezel helps with average speed measures.

The Chopard 03.05-C movement, which powers Alpine Eagle XL Chrono models, has a 60-hour power reserve. It is enhanced with a column wheel and three Chopard patents as well as a unidirectional gear drive for quick winding and energy economy. The Alpine Eagle XL Chrono model now features a rubber strap.

Price: INR 20,94,000 (approx.)

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona

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Launched in 1963, the Cosmograph Daytona was designed to meet the needs of professional racing drivers. This 40 mm Oyster has a monobloc middle case, a screw-down caseback, a winding crown, and pushers. The chronograph pushers, the crown, the crown protectors, the lugs, the hour markers, and the hour, minute, and second hands are all crafted from 18 ct yellow gold. There is a Monobloc Cerachrom in a black ceramic bezel with a tachymeter scale. 

The golden dial has a glossy sunray finish with bright black counters. Powering the watch is Calibre 4131, a mechanical chronograph movement with a column wheel and a vertical clutch with bidirectional self-winding via perpetual rotor; Côtes de Genève décoration adds to its appeal. The movement has a 72-hour power reserve. The watch is finished on an Oysterflex strap with flexible metal blades, overmolded with high-performance elastomer.

Price: INR 27,86,000 (approx.)

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