35 Best Chronograph Watches for 2024

Watchmaking, at its core, has always been about functionality. By wearing a timekeeper, not only did you get an instant update on at what point in the day you are in, but dependent on complication, you also had the opportunity to see at what point the moon was at in its cycle, what year you are in and even the opportunity to time various events (the big race or dinner). Since their invention more than 200 years ago, chronographs have established themselves the most versatile additions to the field of timekeeping. The very first was conceived as an aid to astronomical observations; over the years, chronographs have proven visually appealing as well as useful in day to day life. While nobody is entirely sure when the first chronograph was conceived, we do often point to Mr Nicolas Rieussec’s creation of 1821, which saw a spot of ink dropped onto a rotating disc of paper and dropped another when the timed event came to an end. Since then, it has become a complication we have seen from almost every brand out there. As we begin a new year, we felt the time was right to spotlight some of the best chronographs that are on the market in 2024.

Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC813

Price: $675, Case Size: 39mm, Thickness: 13.3mm, Lug-to-Lug: 45.5mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Seiko Solar Caliber V192

The original Seiko Speedtimer, released in 1969, was among the world’s first self-winding chronograph watches, equipped with the legendary Caliber 6139. When Seiko revived the Speedtimer, as part of its sport-oriented Prospex collection, it decided to eschew the automatic mechanical movement in favor a new, high-tech, solar-powered one, Caliber V192, which enhances reliability and runs up to six months on a single charge from any light source. The tachymeter scale is etched into the stationary bezel, and the dial’s intuitive design uses red detailing for the central seconds hand and the elapsed minutes hand on the 6 o’clock subdial at 6 o’clock for easy reading of the chronograph displays.

Baume & Mercier Riviera Chronograph

Price: $1,700, Case size: 43mm, Thickness: 14.14mm, Lug Width: 11mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic ETA Valjoux 7750

Baume & Mercier relaunched its 1970s sport-luxury watch, the Riviera, in 2021. The modern versions evoke their predecessors, with 12-sided bezels bearing four visible (and functional) screws at the corners and dials sporting applied Roman numeral hour markers, Dauphine hands, and eye-catching textured wave pattern motifs. Joining the collection in 2022 were the Riviera Chronograph models, all outfitted with the automatic ETA Valjoux 7750 movement. The textured dials, in either black or blue, host three subdials at 12, 6, and 9 o’clock for elapsed hours, elapsed minutes, and running seconds, respectively, and balance them out with a double window at 3 o’clock for the day and date. Like the non-chronograph Rivieras, these models’ cases, here with rectangular pushers surrounding the screw-down crown, integrate smoothly into either a bracelet or a sporty, color-coordinated rubber strap.

Tissot PRX Chronograph

Price: $1,950, Case size: 42mm, Thickness: 14.8mm, Lug to Lug: 46.5mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic ETA Valjoux 7753

The Chronograph version of the Tissot PRX followed up the very successful three-hand models in 2022. The satin-finished steel case has been slightly upsized in diameter, from 40mm to 42mm, but still settles well on most wrists with its relatively modest 14.5mm thickness. In addition to the popular integrated-bracelet design, the PRX Chronograph offers another retro-yet-trendy visual element with its bicolor “panda” or “reverse panda” dial layout, with subdials at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock and a date window at 4:30. The Baton hands and indexes are luminous-coated, and the sturdy, self-winding Valjoux movement inside boasts an impressive level of high-horology finishing for a timepiece in this price range as well as an extended, above-average power reserve of 60 hours.

Longines Avigation BigEye

Price: $3,225.00, Case Size: 41mm, Case Height: 14.50mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30m, Movement: Automatic Longines Caliber L688

Taking its cues from a 1930s pilots’ chronograph, the latest version of the Avigation BigEye has a brushed titanium case and a smoked blue dial. The watch is distinguished by its large, luminous Arabic numerals and the extra-large 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock (the “Big Eye” referred to in the model’s name, with “Avigation” a portmanteau of “aviation” and “navigation”). The movement is Longines’ proprietary automatic Caliber L688, with a 54-hour power reserve and an integrated column-wheel chronograph — a rarity at this price.

Tissot Heritage 1973

Price: $2,100, Case Size: 43mm, Thickness: 14.8mm, Lug to Lug: 47mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic ETA Valjoux 7753

Released in 2019, the Heritage 1973 is a motorsport-inspired chronograph whose retro design hearkens back to the Tissot Navigator, a watch worn in the 1970s by Swiss Formula One driver Loris Kessel. Tissot worked with Kessel’s son and his racing team to produce this modern homage, whose expanded, cushion-shaped 43mm steel case boasts an array of high-end finishes and a sharp, black-and-white “panda”-style dial bordered by a black tachymeter scale on its periphery. The front crystal is scratch-resistant sapphire, while the back exhibition window uses a more period-appropriate mineral glass to showcase the automatic integrated chronograph caliber inside, with its golden rotor engraved with a Tissot logo. The black calfskin strap with racing-style perforations is a reproduction of the original.

Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope Day-Date

Price: $2,100 - $2,300, Case Size: 40mm, Case Thickness: 14.4mm, Crystal: Plexiglas (sapphire optional), Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber J880.2 (ETA 7750 base)

The Chronoscope sports the most contemporary aesthetic in the Bauhaus-inspired Max Bill collection (it was designed after Max Bill’s death in 1994) but is still clearly on-theme, with dials in matte silvery-white, matte black, or anthracite gray and a bicompax layout of vertical subdial counters at 12 and 6 o’clock, along with a date window at 3 o’clock. The movement is based on the tried-and-tested ETA Valjoux 7750, with a 48-hour power reserve. At a case diameter of 40mm (in steel or PVD-coated steel), the Chronoscope is the largest member of the Max Bill family though still understated in its overall impression. The “Datum Englisch” (Day-Date) editions display the day and date in dual windows at 3 o’clock rather than just the date.

Oris Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph

Price: $4,000, Case Size: 43mm, Case Height: 15.5mm, Strap Width: 21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Lug-to-Lug: 52.1mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Movement: Oris 771 (Sellita 510 base)

In 2016, Oris released the much-beloved Carl Brashear Limited Edition as a bronze addition to its popular, vintage-inspired Diver Sixty-Five line. Two years later, the Holstein-based brand introduced a new edition equipped with a chronograph. Oris originally chose to use bronze for the case, crown, pushers, and bezel as a tribute to the vintage dive helmets that the watch’s namesake and inspiration — Carl Brashear, the first African-American to become a certified U.S. Navy Diver — would have worn during his career. Inside the 43-mm, 100-meter water-resistant bronze case, and behind the deep blue dial, is the Oris Caliber 771, which is essentially a modified Sellita SW 510 with a two-counter chronograph and a 48-hour power reserve — a caliber used here for the first time by Oris

Mido Multifort Patrimony Chronograph

Price: $2,390, Case Size: 42mm, Case Height: 15.2mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Automatic Mido Caliber 60 (ETA A05.H31)

Mido introduced the Multifort, the brand’s first watch with an automatic movement, and  also notable for its antimagnetic and shock-and-water-resistant properties, in 1934 and has been building the collection ever since. This 42mm bicompax chronograph with a rose-gold PVD-treated case evokes the Multichrono model of 1937. Its appealing vintage details include the domed dial with tachymeter scale, faceted sword hands, and Arabic numerals; tapered lugs and pump chrono pushers on the case; and the box-style crystal over the dial. Powering the watch is the automatic ETA-based Caliber 60, offering a 60-hour power reserve.

Longines Record Heritage Chronograph

Price: $3,125, Case Size: 40mm, Case Height: 13.8mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Automatic Longines Caliber L895

The Record Watch Co. was founded in 1903 and was known as the maker of the popular, triangular “Sector” pocket watch before delving more deeply into wristwatches in the early 20th Century, including high-end chronographs in the 1930s. Longines absorbed the Record brand in the 1960s and resurrected the Record style in a series of vintage-flavored models under the Longines brand umbrella. Among the newest and most noteworthy is 2022’s Record Chronograph, with a round 40mm steel case and a sober black dial with gold-colored details, including the tachymeter scale that borders its edges and the frames for the parallel subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock. Golden leaf-shaped hands tell the time on a combination of Arabic numerals at the even hours and thin indexes at the odds, while smoothly rounded rectangular pushers activate the built-in stopwatch. A COSC-certified automatic movement, with a silicon balance spring and a 59-hour power reserve, ticks inside.

Seagull 1963 Chronograph

Price: $300 - $500, Case Size: 38mm, Thickness: 14.5mm, Lug-to-Lug: 46.8mm, Lug Width: 18mm, Water Resistance: 30m, Crystal: Acrylic, Movement: Manual Seagull ST19

A mechanical chronograph at an under-$500 price range is so rare a bird as to be practically non-existent. All the more appropriate that the only one we’re aware of comes from a brand named after a bird, specifically a Seagull. The 1963 Chronograph is based on a watch designed for the Chinese Air Force in the eponymous year and outfitted with the manually winding ST19 caliber, which is produced entirely in Seagull’s factory in China with tooling purchased from Venus, a then-prominent movement maker in Switzerland.  A true outlier in terms of value, the Seagull 1963 Chronograph also boasts an authentic mid-century military design pedigree.

Sinn 356 Sa Pilot

Price: $1,790.00, Case Size: 38.5mm, Case Thickness: 15.5mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100m, Movement: SW 500 self winding movement

Based on a streamlined version of the 256 pilot's chronograph that the German tool-watch specialist developed for the Japanese market, the 356 series was created in 1996, with the characteristic “FLIEGER” logo on the matte black dial. With a case diameter of 38.5 mm, with a bead-blasted finish, it is classically understated in its dimensions for a chronograph. Everything is designed to ensure accurate reading of the various times, down to the hour, minute and centrally positioned seconds hand, all of which are skeletonized and coated in luminous material for guaranteed legibility. 

Frederique Constant Flyback Chronograph Manufacture

Price: $4,295 - $4,595, Case Size: 42mm, Case Height: 15.5mm, Strap Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50m, Movement: Automatic FC-760

Powered by an in-house movement developed specially for it, Frederique Constant’s Flyback Chronograph is inspired by models from the 1930s. The automatic Caliber FC-760 inside has an unconventional, star-shaped column wheel that rotates on bearings to govern the integrated stopwatch’s start, stop, and reset functions. Working in unison with the operating lever, which is controlled by the start/stop push-piece, the star-shaped wheel is responsible for the mechanism’s exceptionally smooth operation. The watch’s case measures 42mm in diameter in either stainless steel or rose-gold-plated steel. In another nod to its historical inspirations, the tachymeter scale appears on the periphery of the tricompax dial rather than on the bezel.

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox

Price: $6,450, Case Size: 39mm, Thickness: 13.9mm, Lug to Lug: 46mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100m, Movement: Automatic TAG Heuer Caliber TH-20-00

TAG Heuer’s iconic racing chronograph, the Carrera, turned 60 years old in 2023. The Swiss brand commemorated the milestone with the Carrera Chronograph Glassbox, which derives its name from the vintage-inspired, domed sapphire crystal that rises over the 39mm steel case, evoking the shape of the Hesalite crystals on the 1960s models. The crystal’s prominent curve flows seamlessly over the tachymeter scale at the outer edge of the dial, allowing it to be read legibly in a wider range of angles. The case’s pump-style pushers have also been carefully reshaped and repositioned to make them as user-friendly as possible. Debuting inside the Glassbox is the TAG Heuer TH20-00 caliber, a re-engineered version of the ubiquitous Heuer 02 movement with a new bidirectional winding system meant to increase efficiency of the winding and to enable longer periods of running with its maximum 80-hour power reserve. The Carrera Chronograph Glassbox is offered in either a monochromatic blue colorway or a vintage-look silver-and-white “reverse panda” execution on a perforated strap that evokes classic 1960s references like the Ref. 3147 “Dato 12,” the first Carrera with calendar functions. 

Tudor Black Bay Chronograph

Price: $5,000 - $7,200, Case Size: 41mm, Case Thickness: 14.79mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 200 meters, Movement: Automatic Tudor Caliber MT5813

To develop the movement for the first-ever chronograph watch in its popular Black Bay collection, Tudor turned not to its parent brand Rolex but to an outside source, fellow Swiss sports-watch giant Breitling. The resulting Caliber MT5813, which uses Breitling’s self-winding B01 movement as a base, features an integrated chronograph powered by a column wheel, a 70-hour power reserve and a COSC chronometer certification. The anodized aluminum bezel on the 41mm steel case is inscribed with a tachymeter scale rather than the dive-time scale characteristic of the Black Bay family. The screw-down crown and chrono pushers help ensure the same 200-meter water resistance as the diving models, and the dial features contrasting subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock as well as a date window at 6 o’clock.

Breitling Top Time B01 Triumph

Price: $8,000, Case Size: 41mm, Thickness: 13.3mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Lug to Lug: 50.3mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100m, Movement: Automatic Breitling Caliber B01

In the 1960s, Breitling introduced the Top Time, an unconventional chronograph watch that appealed to fans of the era’s “Café Racer” culture of stylish motorbikes and the lifestyle around them. In 2022, the Swiss watchmaker teamed with 120-year-old British motorcycle brand Triumph to produce the Top Time Triumph, distinguished by its two-register “bow tie” (aka “Zorro”) dial; the dial’s ice-blue hue is descended from a rare Top Time model from the 1970s (Ref. 815) and pays homage to the color of the Triumph Thunderbird 6T from 1951. The watch, launched alongside Triumph’s co-branded Speed Twin Breitling Limited Edition motorcycles, is also offered in an “Owners Limited Edition” version that can be customized by each of the 270 owners of the bike. The 41mm case features retro-style oversized mushroom chrono pushers; the newest versions contain the Breitling Caliber B01, a COSC-certified automatic movement with a 70-hour power reserve.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Chronograph Edition "Lake Tahoe"

Price:$11,700, Case Size: 44.5mm, Case Height; 15.7mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Lug Width: 21mm, Water Resistance: 60m, Movement: Automatic Caliber IW69380

IWC’s Pilot’s Watch Top Gun family has served as the proving ground for many of the brand’s boldest forays into avant-garde materials and technologies — like the white ceramic case in 2022’s Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Lake Tahoe,” which takes its inspiration from the mountainous, wintry landscape frequently flown over by pilots training at the U.S. Navy’s Top Gun fighter weapons school, and by those pilots’ white uniforms. The case measures 44.5 mm in diameter and 15.7mm thick, with steel pushers and crown and a titanium caseback. The matte black dial, covered by a sapphire crystal especially secured to withstand sudden drops in air pressure, hosts luminous-coated black hands and the large, legible Arabic numerals and markers that are emblematic of IWC’s Pilot series. Behind the caseback, inside an antimagnetic inner case made of soft iron, IWC’s manufacture Caliber 69380 beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph and amasses a power reserve of 46 hours. The watch comes on a white rubber strap that matches the case and is produced in a limited annual edition of 1,000 pieces.

Breitling Premier B09 “Pistachio”

Price: $8,900, Case Size: 40mm, Thickness: 13mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Lug to Lug: 47.5mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Manually wound Breitling Caliber B09

Breitling’s Premier collection, a revival of an elegant gents’ model introduced by founding-family scion Willy Breitling in 1943, debuted in 2018 with automatic movements, and new models with more historically appropriate manually wound calibers followed them up in 2021. One of the most noteworthy is the Premier B09 Chronograph 40, with its unusual “pistachio green” dial. Inside the case is Breitling’s manufacture Caliber B09, a manual-winding version of the company’s flagship base movement, Caliber B01, with a column wheel chronograph and 70 hours of power reserve. Among the Premier collection’s design hallmarks are the grooved lines in the sides of the cases, which Breitling says were “inspired by speed;” period-style Arabic hour numerals; and beveled, speedometer-style hour and minute hands treated with lume. The “semi-shiny” alligator straps are finished with tone-on-tone stitching and each movement meets COSC chronometer requirements for reliability and accuracy.

TAG Heuer Monaco

Price: $6,350, Case Size: 39mm, Case Height: 15.21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Strap Width: 22mm, Water Resistance: 30m, Movement: Heuer 02

The TAG Heuer Monaco (originally just the Heuer Monaco) made its debut in 1969 but really ascended to pop cultural icon status two years later, when legendary actor and “King of Cool” Steve McQueen wore the racing-inspired wrist chronograph in the 1971 movie Le Mans. The reference pictured here is the first Monaco outfitted with an in-house Heuer 02 movement, with vintage vibes faithful to the blue, square-faced original that McQueen made famous. It is packed with 80 hours power reserve and the two square subdials that make it recognizable from across a room.

Hamilton American Classic Intra-Matic Auto Chrono

Price: $2,195, Case Size: 40mm, Thickness: 14.4mm, Lug-to-Lug: 49mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Hamilton H-31 (Valjoux 7750 base)

Based on the original Hamilton Chrono-Matic — one of the world’s first self-winding chronographs, debuting in 1968 — the Intra-Matic Autochrono has a 42-mm steel case with elongated lugs, pump-stye pushers, and a large, right-side-mounted crown. Its black “reverse Panda” dial has an outer white tachymeter scale, applied hour markers with luminescent inserts, and two parallel, snail-finished white subdials for running seconds and 30 elapsed chronograph minutes. A vintage-style Hamilton logo appears at 12 o’clock. The movement is the automatic Hamilton Caliber H-31, based on the ETA 7750, which maintains a 60-hour power reserve. The black leather perforated strap helps give the watch a classic "racing" look.

IWC Portugieser Chronograph

Price: $8,400, Case Size: 41mm, Thickness: 13mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30m, Movement: Automatic IWC 69355

IWC’s Portugieser collection is a brand staple, originally created at the behest of a Portuguese client in 1939. The chronograph version with its parallel bicompax design debuted a few years ago with a dark green sunray dial. The subdials for the running seconds (at 6 o’clock) and elapsed hours (at 12 o’clock) are slightly recessed, and swept over by feuille hands. The Arabic numerals are surrounded by a minute scale and a ¼-second scale on the flange that enables precise readings on the central chronograph seconds hand. IWC’s manufacture Caliber 69355 beats inside the stainless steel case, equipped with a column wheel and a flyback function. The movement is also endowed with IWC’s efficiency-focused Pellaton winding system.

Omega Speedmaster Professional “Moonwatch”

Price: $5,350, Reference: 311.30.42.30.01.005, Case Size: 42mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Manual-wind Omega 1861

The Omega Speedmaster is the first watch on the moon and also often the first “serious watch” in a budding connoisseur’s collection. Best of all for traditionalists, the contemporary version of the watch is still more or less identical to the one that Buzz Aldrin rocked on the Apollo 11 mission more than 50 years ago, with a 42mm steel case, a hesalite crystal over the tricompax dial, luminous hands and hour markers, and the trendsetting tachymeter-scale bezel that speaks to the Speedy’s origins as a watch for auto racing. It’s even equipped with a modern version of the hand-wound movement that powered the original, Omega Caliber 1861, with a 3Hz frequency and a 48-hour power reserve. With this reference, Omega takes the adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” to heart.

Zenith Chronomaster Original

Price: $9,000, Reference: 03.3200.3600/69.C902, Case Size: 38mm, Case Height: 12.9mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Automatic El Primero Caliber 3600

Zenith made its most lasting impact on watchmaking history with the launch of the El Primero chronograph caliber in 1969, and one of the very first watches to contain that groundbreaking high-frequency automatic movement was recently resurrected for a modern audience as the Chronomaster Original. The watch’s modest 38mm steel case mimics the dimensions of the increasingly collectible vintage model, Ref. A386. Showcased behind a sapphire caseback, the El Primero’s built-in stopwatch can measure times to 1/10 second of accuracy.

Breitling Navitimer B01

Price: $9,200, Case Size: 46mm, Case Height: 13.9mm, Lug Width: 24mm, Lug to Lug: 51.8mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Breitling Automatic Caliber B01

Breitling secured its leadership role in the field of aviation watches with the release of the Navitimer in 1952. Developed for the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association), the watch became a mainstay of commercial airline cockpits thanks to its innovative, bidirectional slide-rule bezel, which allowed pilots to make crucial flight calculations on the wrist. In 2010, Breitling started equipping the Navitimer with its in-house Caliber B01, which features an integrated column-wheel chronograph function and a substantial power reserve of 70 hours. The stainless steel case measures a robust 46mm in diameter, and the classical tricompax dial of the most recent versions even features the winged logo of the AOPA below the Breitling logo at 12 o’clock, a nod to the model's origins.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

Price: $14,700, Case size: 40mm, Thickness: 11mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Rolex Caliber 4130

In 1962, Rolex became official timekeeper of the Daytona 500, and one year later it released the Ref. 6239 Cosmograph, nicknamed the “Daytona,” its now-famous racing-inspired chronograph watch. The watch, notable for its three-register dial and engraved tachymeter bezel, has been produced in various versions ever since, forever linked to the high-performance world of motorsport and consistently one of the most coveted watch models in the world. In 2023, the Daytona celebrated its 60th anniversary with a host of subtle but significant refinements to the case and dial as well as a new automatic movement, Caliber 4131. The case profile has new, light-catching highlights, the subdials are even more harmoniously balanced, and the tachymeter bezel, made of Rolex’s proprietary Cerachrom alloy, now has a metal ring on its periphery that matches the case material.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph

Price: $13,100 (stainless steel on calf leather strap), Case Size: 42mm, Case Width: 11.9mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100m, Movement: In-House Caliber 751

Inspired by the original 1968 Polaris, a groundbreaking alarm-equipped divers’ watch, the watches in Jaeger-LeCoultre's modern Polaris collection feature dive-inspired inner rotating bezels, dials with three concentric circles with contrasting finishes, vintage-inspired Arabic numerals and trapezoidal indexes, and large luminous hands. The Polaris Chronograph is the sportiest of the collection, its inner bezel sporting a racing-inspired tachymeter scale and its chronograph pushers designed to ensure an ideal grip. The dial’s concentric circles have a sunray finish in the center, graining on the outer circle, and an opaline treatment on the rotating inner bezel flange; its bicompax layout has a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and small seconds at 9 o’clock. Beating behind a sapphire caseback and holding a 65-hour power reserve is Jaeger-LeCoultre's self-winding manufacture Caliber 751. 

Patek ​​Philippe Ref. 5172G

Price: $73,712, Case Size: 41mm, Case Width: 11.45mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30m, Movement: Manual-winding in-house Caliber CH 29-535 PS

Debuting in 2019 in white gold, Patek Philippe’s Ref. 5172G is the elegant descendant of the discontinued and fondly remembered Ref. 5710. Updated elements include the new, fully polished finish on the white gold case, which measures 41 mm in diameter and 11.45 mm thick, a tad larger than its predecessor; the rounded chronograph pushers with guilloché treatment; the newly designed three-tiered lugs; and the applied Arabic numerals and baton-style, pointed-tip hands on the varnished, midnight-blue dial. Bordering the dial is a white transfer-print minute track and tachymeter ring; covering it is a curved, box-type sapphire crystal. Behind the sapphire exhibition caseback is Patek Philippe’s manufacture Caliber CH 29-535 PS, a manually winding, lavishly decorated, integrated chronograph movement with a column wheel, a horizontal clutch, and a 65-hour power reserve.

Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes De Vache

Price: $47,600 - $64,000, Case Size: 38mm, Case Thickness: 10.8mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 200 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber 1150

In 1955, Vacheron Constantin released the highly collectible Reference 6087, its first chronograph with a waterproof case distinguished by its unusually shaped lugs that resembled the “horns of a cow” (cornes de vache in French). Vacheron revived the model, with some modern styling and a new movement, for its vintage-inspired Historiques collection in 2015. The distinctive case is historically accurate in most of its detailing, including the mushroom-style chronograph pushers, grooved crown, and curvy cow-horn lugs. At 38.5 mm in diameter, it is slightly larger than the historical model’s 35 mm size, The mostly period-accurate dial has applied hour indexes, blued chronograph hands, and a tachymeter scale on its periphery, another holdover from the 1955 original. Vacheron’s manufacture Caliber 1142, ticking inside, has earned the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva for its high-horology decorations.

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph Panda

Price: $32,400, Case Size: 42.5mm, Case Thickness: 13.7mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 150 meters, Movement: Automatic Vacheron Constantin Caliber 5200

Tracing its aesthetic roots to a fondly remembered sport-luxury watch that Vacheron Constantin released in the 1970s, the 222, the Overseas collection has become a versatile and popular cornerstone of the centuries-old Genevan manufacture’s current lineup. In early 2023, a new panda-dial version of the Overseas Chronograph made its debut, with a silver sunburst dial, black velvet-finished subdials, and a black minute track on the dial’s periphery. The 42.5mm steel case is topped by the hallmark six-sided bezel of the Overseas family, inspired by Vacheron’s Maltese Cross emblem, and mounted on either a rubber strap or a steel case with the same Maltese cross motif defining its shaped links. The in-house, self-winding Caliber 5200 powers the watch; its solid gold rotor, visible through a sapphire caseback, features a relief engraving of a wind rose, a nod to the model’s nautical inspiration. 

H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Flyback Chronograph

Price: $43,900, Case Size: 42.3mm, Thickness: 14.2mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 120m, Movement: Automatic Caliber HMC 902

H. Moser & Cie named its Streamliner chronograph after the high-speed trains of the 1920s and ’30s remembered for their rounded, aerodynamic curves, which inspired the model’s cushion-shaped, ergonomically designed case, smoothly integrated bracelet, and minimalist dial. What makes the Streamliner so innovative is the dial’s clean layout, which displays chronograph times without the use of subdials: two central counter hands display elapsed hours and minutes on the two tracks on the dial’s border, the outer one for elapsed minutes, the inner for elapsed seconds; while the two larger central hands display the time. The chronograph hands are operated by pushers at 10 and 2 o’clock on the case, evoking the “bullhead” look of vintage, hand-held stopwatches along with the prominent “60” at the 12 o’clock position on the dial. The Streamliner’s distinctive design adheres both to Moser’s philosophy of stylish simplicity and the watch’s mandate to create “a chronograph which displays the time rather than a watch which features a chronograph.’

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore

Price: $84,400, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 15.3mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic AP Caliber 4404

Released in 1993 as a more aggressively sporty version of the original, trend-setting Royal Oak “Jumbo,” the Royal Oak Offshore was defined by a larger 42mm case, an even bolder version of the original’s “tapisserie” dial texture, and for the first time ever in a Royal Oak watch, a chronograph movement. The Offshore collection has forged its own iconic identity since then, and in 2023 AP launched the first version of the watch with both a case and bracelet made from its own proprietary black ceramic. The case uses ceramic for the hallmark octagonal bezel with exposed screws and even for the chronograph push-pieces at 2 and 4 o’clock. Powering the watch is Audemars Piguet’s in-house automatic Caliber 4404, with a column wheel, a vertical clutch, and an AP-inscribed gold rotor, all visible behind a sapphire caseback.

A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Up/Down

Price: $90,700, Case Size: 41mm, Case Width: 13.1mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Manually winding in-house Caliber L951.6

The Datograph Up/Down, launched in 2012, combines a flyback chronograph with a large “Outsize” date indication, a hallmark of Glashütte-based luxury watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne. The dial is crafted from solid silver, with solid-gold appliques and hour markers and rhodiumed gold hands. The “Up/Down” in the watch’s name refers to the power-reserve indicator with “AUF” (“up”) representing the maximum power reserve of 60 hours, and “AB” (“down”) warning the wearer with its red-gold arrow that the mainspring’s energy has been depleted. Inside the 41mm case beats Lange’s in-house, manually winding Caliber L951.6, outfitted with a column-wheel and enhanced with a high-level of traditional Saxon finishing on the three-quarter plate and hand-engraved balance cock.

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronograph

Price: $31,000, Case Size: 42mm, Case Width: 12.4mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber PF070

Hailing from Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda PF collection, which is characterized by a purist aesthetic inspired by the Golden Ratio, the Tonda PF Chronograph features a gleaming 42-mm stainless steel case with a hand-knurled platinum bezel. Inside the case is Parmigiani’s COSC-certified, 5 Hz Caliber PF070, an integrated, high-frequency, column-wheel movement boasting 68 hours of power reserve. The three-register dial hosts a grain d’orge (barleycorn) guilloché texture that defines the Tonda PF family, along with a set of white-gold hands. The dial’s clean, almost flush surface was achieved by using a thinly sandblasted minute track and counter outlines around the subdials, and the case’s chronograph pushers were seamlessly fused into the profile of the hallmark teardrop-shaped lugs. The self-winding movement has an openworked oscillating weight in 22k rose gold, graced with a central medallion bearing the maison’s engraved “PF” logo.

Hermès H08 Chronograph

Price: $16,190, Case Size: 41mm x 41mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: N/A, Movement: Automatic Caliber H1837

Hermès has made a name for itself not just for its handbags and scarves, but also for its distinctively designed timepieces, outfitted with proprietary Swiss-made movements from its partner firm Vaucher. The brand’s sportiest collection is the H08, which launched in 2019. In 2023, Hermès added the H08 Chronograph, equipped with arguably the sportiest of complications. Like its three-handed predecessors, the Chronograph has a cushion-shaped, supple-curved, square case, here made of a strong but lightweight composite material that melds carbon fiber with graphene powder. The bezel is made of polished and satin-brushed titanium, while the case middle hosts an orange-rimmed button that serves as the single pusher for the built-in chronograph’s stop, start, and reset functions. The black dial’s hour numerals are in a specially designed font exclusive to Hermes, and the chronograph subdials echo the cushion shape of the case. The proprietary movement inside holds a 46-hour power reserve; the strap is made of orange rubber to harmonize with the dial details. 

Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Collection Tentagraph SBGC001

Price: $13,700, Case Size: 43.2mm, Case Thickness: 15.3mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber 9SC5

For those of us who have been waiting for Grand Seiko to deliver an honest-to-gosh mechanical automatic chronograph — no quartz or Spring Drive — our wait is finally over with the introduction of the Tentagraph, powered by the newly developed high-beat Caliber 9SC5, with a column wheel, a vertical clutch, and a dual-impulse escapement that transfers energy indirectly through the pallet fork, and directly through the balance wheel, to the free-sprung balance. The name “Tentagraph '' derives from the model’s array of attributes: TEN beats per second, i.e., the frequency of 36,600 vph; Three days, i.e. the power reserve; and Automatic chronoGRAPH. It makes its debut in a 43.2mm case (15.3mm thick) made of Grand Seiko’s high-intensity titanium, with the same material used for the bracelet. The blue dial sports the “Mount Iwate” pattern and the tachymeter-scale bezel is made of ceramic.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph

Price: $41,230, Case Size: 49.4mm x 29.9mm, Case Thickness: 11.14mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Manually Wound  Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 860

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s signature dress watch, the Reverso, was originally designed as a sports watch, its reversible swiveling case making it a practical timekeeper for the polo players who wore it during a match to protect the crystal from being struck by errant mallets and balls. In production since 1931, the Reverso is now available in numerous variations and sub-families, including the Reverso Tribute, which most closely replicates the classical Art Deco look of its ancestor. At Watches & Wonders 2023, JLC unveiled the Reverso Tribute Chronograph, which impressed attendees with its eye-catching combo: elegantly understated sunburst blue with three-hand time display on its front face and the fully skeletonized complexity of its reverse side, which combines a subdial revealing a second time zone that appears to float above the mechanism; a central chronograph seconds hand activated by the two side-mounted pushers on the case; and a retrograde hand with a 30-minute scale to tally chronograph minutes. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s all-new manually winding Caliber 860 — shaped, like all Reverso calibers, to fit perfectly inside the rectangular case — is the high-horology movement that makes all of this possible.