Stylish Seconds

CRAZY FOR CHRONOGRAPHS

This is a year for chronographs. Most of the brands had one to present, and I’m quite certain you will find a model that will suit your style and budget.

IWC announced its partnership with Formula 1 Mercedes AMG Petronas team, a collaboration that has resulted in a new line of Ingenieur models, starting with the Ingenieur Chronograph Racer. With its ability to record periods of time up to 12 hours, time pit stops and calculate average speeds (over a reference distance of 1,000 metres), this watch is a great companion for the racetrack. I was quite taken with this collection, and I think IWC are going to be one of those brands with an extensive waiting list this year.

Montblanc’s latest chronograph from its TimeWalker collection features a time- zone function and a unique configuration where instead of the usual placements for the chronograph’s subdials, the minutes and seconds are at the centre, overlapping with a 24-hour scale for the second time zone. This dial design, which was popular about 40 years ago, isn’t common now, but upon seeing the watch, you notice that it does provide increased legibility, plus it looks really smart on the wrist. The TimeWalker TwinFly Chronograph is equipped with the MB LL 100 automatic movement with 72-hour power reserve with flyback chrono function and comes in a 43mm stainless steel case.

Officine Panerai has been the sponsor of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge, an international circuit for vintage and classic yachts, since 2005. It has always produced a special edition for each race, but this year the watch has a function that is made specifically for the event, a Regatta countdown. An orange push-piece at 4 o’clock moves the orange chronograph minute hand back one minute at a time, until it is at the correct position to measure the length of the countdown – the standard is five minutes, as marked in orange on the flange, but you can set it as far back as 15 minutes. The chronograph stop/start button is at 10 o’clock, and the push-piece at 8 o’clock activates the flyback function. The Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta is fitted with the P.9001/R calibre with a 3-day power reserve. It comes in a 47mm titanium case.