Lange, IWC, Zenith
The history of the chronograph is a storied one. For many years, French watchmaker Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec was credited with the invention of the complication in 1821. Then, in 2012, a timepiece surfaced at a sale held Christie’s in Geneva that altered watchmaking history. The pocket stopwatch was a compteur de tierces (“thirds timer”) designed in 1815 for astronomers by another French watchmaker, Louis Moinet. The device largely resembled the chronograph as we know it today with start, stop, and reset functions operated by two pushers.
Fast forward another 150 years, and you have one of the greatest debates in watchmaking history: who invented the first automatic chronograph? Ask three different collectors, and you’ll get three different answers. Some will insist it was Zenith that was the first to announce its El Primero chronograph in January 1969. Others maintain it was Seiko that released its 6139 automatic chronograph movement to the Japanese market in May 1969. Still, many will point to the Caliber 11, which debuted inside Heuer’s watches in August 1969.
The history of the chronograph may be up for discussion, but one thing is certain: decades later, the chronograph is still the most wildly popular complication in watchmaking. These are a dozen of the coolest chronographs on the market right now.
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Rolex Cosmograph Daytona With Diamond Bezel and Mother-of-Pearl Dials
Image Credit: Rolex We’ve seen Rolex iterate on the Daytona—arguably one of its most iconic models—numerous times, from highly coveted variations like the Paul Newman to super trendy ones like the rainbow. This year, the Crown took a risk (as it can well afford to do) with a totally unique and feminine twist on the beloved model with the addition of a mother of pearl dial and diamond accents. While undoubtedly a little more refined than some other variations, the Cosmograph Daytona With Diamond Bezel and Mother-of-Pearl Dials keeps the sporty essence of the chronograph with the option of a classic Oyster bracelet or a more modern Oysterflex strap.
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Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport
Image Credit: Parmigiani Fleurier In the fall of 2021, Parmigiani Fleurier debuted its Tonda PF collection and established a fresh new design language. The Tonda has continued to evolve with each new release within the family. Last year, I had the pleasure of previewing the first Tonda PF Sport editions to join the collection at the brand’s headquarters just ahead of the launch. This debut includes a classic chrono with a panda dial. At the end of May, PF unveiled three new takes on the chrono in a more pale and subdued color palette: Milano Blue, Arctic Grey and London Grey.
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Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph With Panda Dial
Image Credit: Vacheron Constantin The chronograph and the panda dial go hand in hand. It’s a quintessential combination that never gets old. Vacheron first introduced the chronograph complication to its Overseas collection back in 1999. Nearly a decade later, the brand launched the first reverse panda variation to the collection with the Ref. 5500V/110A-B481. Then last year, we finally got a classic panda dial Overseas chronograph with a silver-toned, sunburst satin finish and snailed black counters.
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Breitling Chronomat B01
Image Credit: Breitling The Chronomat has served as a showpiece for Breitling‘s technical achievements since it first appeared in 1941 and debuted the brand’s patented rotating slide rule technology. Since then, we’ve seen numerous iterations showcasing Breitling’s innovations, from the first automatic chronograph to the brand’s first in-house caliber. The brand has just made some major updates to the collection with two new additions in collaboration with its ambassador and pro-basketballer Giannis Antetokounmpo as well as new iterations in green and titanium.
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TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper in Gold
Image Credit: TAG Heuer One of the most exciting releases of 2023 was quite possibly the return of the legendary Skipper to TAG Heuer’s catalog. The original debuted in 1968, drawing inspiration from chronographs provided by Heuer for a team competing in the 1967 America’s Cup. The model notably featured a blue dial with green and orange accents on the hands and registers. The Skipper disappeared from Heuer’s lineup in 1983 just ahead of Heuer’s acquisition by Techniques d’Avant Garde. Then Hodinkee released a highly modified configuration as a limited edition, which sold out quickly, and perhaps TAG Heuer took note of the popularity. The 2023 return of the Skipper more faithfully reprised the original—though not quite exactly. The new Glassbox style design and the addition of “TAG” on the dial are among other deviations within this reinterpretation. For 2024, we get an elevated rose gold edition of the iconic chrono as
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Patek Philippe Nautilus Flyback in White Gold
Image Credit: Patek Philippe Earlier this year, the Nautilus 5980R—a rose gold fan favorite—was among the models Patek announced it would be discontinuing. However, just a few months later at Watches & Wonders the brand added a new white gold version of the reference. In addition to the metal, Patek made a surprising and ultimately controversial update to the strap, rendering it in none other than denim. The choice is well executed, with a gorgeous opaline blue-grey dial and the white gold metal perfectly coordinating with the denim fabric, yet the style has been a polarizing one. Luckily, if the strap isn’t your thing, it can always be easily changed for those who want to enjoy the beauty of the new white gold 5980 flyback chrono.
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Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date
Image Credit: Glashütte Original Who says a chronograph can’t be playful and fun? That’s exactly what Glashütte Original has done with its Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date collection. Since the line was first introduced back in 2014, we’ve seen several cool and colorful iterations each with the ’70s spirit. In 2022, we got two funky colorways in Disco Blue and Vibrating Orange, and a year later, the brand drew from the more laidback side of the era—think loose clothing and embroidered tunics over bellbottoms and leisure suits—for its Golden Bay and Ocean Breeze iterations.
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Zenith Defy Skyline
Image Credit: Zenith When it comes to automatic chronographs, Zenith has quite literally been at the forefront with its legendary El Primero being the first of its kind when it debuted in 1969. Fast forward to the brand’s modern era, and the Defy collection has become the brand’s premier sport line. It was only a matter of time before the two came together in perfect harmony. At Watches & Wonders 2024, Zenith introduced its El Primero 3600- a 1/10th of a second high frequency chronograph movement into the beloved Defy collection for the first time. The Defy Skyline Chronograph seamlessly marries the bold proportions of the Defy and the technical prowess of the ultra-precise, in-house chronograph caliber.
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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Ceramic
Image Credit: Audemars Piguet Last year marked the 30th anniversary of AP’s Royal Oak Offshore, and in celebration, we saw a bevy of commemorative additions honoring the iconic model. This ceramic version reinterprets the Ref. 26405CE launched in 2020 and plays with an array of materials. Of course inside, you get the caliber 4401, AP’s latest self-winding integrated chronograph movement, offering a flyback function.
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IWC Portugieser
Image Credit: IWC For IWC, this is the year of the Portugieser. At Watches & Wonders 2024, the brand unveiled a bevy of iterations, from an eternal calendar to a perpetual calendar, but my among my personal favorites was the classic chrono rendered in three absolutely stunning new colorways. Achieving the handsome new hues—Horizon Blue, Obsidian, and Dune—required some serious research and development. The manpower was well worth it. These are sure to become timeless additions to IWC’s catalog.
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A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Chronograph
Image Credit: A. Lange & Söhne It may be hard to believe, but tin 2023, A. Lange & Söhne debuted its first-ever automatic chronograph. The model uses the brand’s Odysseus as the base and maintains a clean dial layout thanks to a unique configuration of the chronograph. Instead of traditional registers, the chronograph scales are both indicated by central hands. The pushers especially sleek, making this model a highly refined and minimalist chronograph.
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Girard-Perregaux Laureato Titanium
Image Credit: Girard-Perregaux Girard-Perregaux first debuted the Laureato in 1975—sneaking in just ahead of integrated bracelet watches like IWCs Ingeneur and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus. The Laureato did resemble the Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet, however, with its octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet—but therein lies its charm. In the past four decades, we’ve seen GP adapt the model in countless iterations, from ones with tinted sapphire crystal cases to a green ceramic version designed in collaboration with the luxury sports car manufacturer Aston Martin. For 2024, GP launched the first titanium version of the Laureato chrono. The choice of the metal perfectly lends itself to the curvature of the Laureato with a juxtaposition of contrasting brushed and polished finishes. It’s also lightweight, which is often prefereable when there’s this much metal involved.
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