Chronograph watches are some of the most iconic and functional timepieces available today. From their historical roots to their modern-day appeal, these watches offer a blend of precision, style, and craftsmanship. Let’s explore the history, features, and enduring popularity of chronograph watches.
What does chronograph mean?
The literal translation of Chronograph is “time writer” or to “write time” which refers to the fact that there is a stop watch function in addition to the straightforward timekeeping and display ability of a watch.
Who invented the chronograph
For a very long time it was widely acknowledged that the chronograph had been invented by the French watchmaker Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec in 1821. He developed it for the purpose of accurately timing horse races, and it was he who gave the watch the name chronograph. The stopwatch was incredibly accurate measuring to one tenth of a second. An amazing feat of engineering more than 200 hundred years ago.
In 2013, it was revealed that Louis Moinet, another Frenchman, had developed a pocket watch in 1816 for astronomers. This timepiece featured a stopwatch accurate to 1/60th of a second and a mechanism running at 216,000 vibrations per hour, earning recognition as the first chronograph.
The transition to wristwatches
In the early 1900’s watch manufacturers were striving to turn pocket watches into chronographs worn on the wrist with demand being driven by the military, pilots and automobile racing drivers.
1913
Longines launched a monopusher chronograph. This was a single push button design, which controlled the start, stop and reset functions of the chronograph. This left the design and its dials relatively simple.
1915
Breitling introduced the first chronograph wristwatch with a second, independent pusher. This moved the reset function of the chronograph to its own button, keeping the start/stop function on another. This was a major movement in becoming enhanced usability. In 2015, Breitling commemorated this with the release of 1,915 pieces of the Transocean Chronograph 1915.
1934
Breitling went on to add a third independent pusher, giving the start, stop and rest functions their own buttons. This is a design principle adopted by many modern chronographs today.
1940’s
Other manufacturers followed suit and over time, these watches grew in popularity resulting in more features being developed, like the Universal Geneva Film Compax. In the 1940’s tachymeter scales started to be added to the bezels of some models. These were especially useful to racers and aviators who needed to measure speed or distance in relation to time elapsed.
1958-1967
Sometime later, in 1958, Heuer introduced a rotating bezel which was then subsequently developed into a rotating tachymeter which in 1967 was added to a new version of the Heuer Autavia. This model gained popularity among racers and enthusiasts alike.
1969, a watershed year in chronograph history
With chronograph wristwatches continuing to grow in popularity the next significant development came at the end of the 1960’s and it was major. In fact, 1969 is considered by many to be one of the most significant years in watchmaking history.
During this time, several manufacturers were racing to create an automatic chronograph. Leading the charge was a group of Swiss watchmakers, including Heuer, Breitling, Buren, Hamilton, and Dubois-Depraz, collectively known as the “Chronomatic Group.” Meanwhile, the Japanese manufacturer Seiko and the Swiss company Zenith were working independently toward the same goal.
The question of who was first to produce a self-winding chronograph remains debated among experts. Zenith claimed the title by unveiling their prototype movement, the El Primero (“The First”), in January 1969. However, the watch was not available for purchase until much later that year.
The Chronomatic Group followed closely, officially launching their movement, known as Project 99, on March 3, 1969. This innovative movement was designed to be shared across multiple brands. In Japan, Seiko introduced the 6139 in May, though it was initially available only in their domestic market.
By August 1969, the Heuer Calibre 11, also called the Chronomatic, emerged from the Swiss consortium’s efforts. It powered iconic models such as the Carrera, Autavia, and Monaco. Around the same time, Breitling released their Chrono-Matic, alongside the Navitimer and Chronomat models, while Hamilton also adopted the Chrono-Matic name for their chronograph.
A watch for the moon! 1969 was also the year of the moon landing, with astronauts wearing Omega Speedmaster models. The “Moonwatch” remains one of the most celebrated chronographs.
1969 was also the year of the moon landing, with astronauts wearing Omega Speedmaster models. The “Moonwatch” remains one of the most celebrated chronographs.
The quartz revolution and its impact
In December 1969, Seiko launched the world’s first quartz watch, the Astron. Powered by a battery, this groundbreaking release marked the prelude to what would later be known as “The Quartz Crisis.”
The impact on chronograph watch sales was not immediate. It wasn’t until 1983 that Seiko introduced the first quartz chronograph, the Seiko Sport 100 7A28. However, during the 1970s and 1980s, Switzerland faced the worst economic crisis in its history, with many attributing it to the “near downfall” of the Swiss watchmaking industry. Numerous brands went out of business, while others were rescued by financial institutions, something that we have seen before. In response to the crisis, a number of manufacturers formed a consortium to develop a Swiss quartz movement which would come to be called Beta 21.
Following the release of the Seiko Chronograph Sport 100 7A28, most watchmakers soon added quartz chronograph models to their ranges. The design and style of chronographs remained popular, even though most buyers no longer relied on their stopwatch functionality.
Having ridden out the difficulties caused by the advent of the quartz movements, most manufacturers might have considered restricting their ranges to offer these lower priced alternatives. Instead, they continued producing traditional manual and automatic chronographs. Quartz versions enabled producers to reach a bigger target audience, but demand for the mechanical movement options not only remained strong but gradually increased as society became generally more affluent.
The modern appeal of chronograph watches
These days, the luxury brands with which we are so familiar through their celebrity endorsements, product placement, advertising and presence on the high street, offer huge ranges of chronographs.
For example, the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph has both a quartz watch and an automatic (Calibre 16) chronograph. In fact, if the chronograph style of watch is what you’re looking for, the choice is seemingly endless. From the high-end top brands down to mass produced pieces from all manner of manufacturers and everything in between. There is almost certainly a chronograph to suit every budget and a design that will appeal.
Stablemates Swatch and Omega continue to be innovative as demonstrated by the MoonSwatch range of chronographs, being very keenly priced tributes to the famous Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch.
Another interesting development is the Eco-Dive system developed by Citizen. These watches are powered by light and therefore the quartz movement does not require a battery.
The future of chronographs
It still seems unlikely that buyers of chronographs will regularly make use of the stopwatch function particularly now there are so many “Smart” watches available. After all, you don’t for example, see many runners wearing a chronograph.
Nevertheless, the demand for chronographs remains high and in the pre-owned market, there is a large selection of old chronograph watches, usually described as vintage chronograph watches and there are automatic chronograph watches, mechanical chronograph watches, in fact all manner of chronographs. Most would come under the heading of men’s chronograph watches and it does seem that the style, design and by necessity the size of chronographs make them less appealing to ladies but perhaps that is something that will change in time as there does seem to be something of a trend for ladies choosing larger watches.
The appeal of the chronograph may be more about style, design, fashion and of course in the case of the expensive luxury brands, a status symbol rather than functionality but whatever the purchase motivation the incredible historic achievements and the ongoing developments mean that there is a chronograph to suit the needs of everyone.
