De Bethune DB29 Maxichrono Tourbillon: This represents a truly unconventional approach in making a chronograph – in every sense. The timepiece has been executed at a stunning level. You aren’t likely to find a better-looking chronograph caliber, except perhaps from A. Lange & Söhne or Patek Philippe. The DB29 Maxichrono is superlative, as is its price of $270,000.
Glashütte Original Senator Chronograph Panorama Date: Finally, the Saxon brand has added a fully integrated automatic chronograph caliber to its collection. The entirely new, in-house-developed movement, Caliber 37-01, can be produced for a reasonable price, so the models equipped with it can be sold at fair prices. The prices start at $31,500. for the watch in a rose-gold case. The movement is used in GO’s Seventies Chronograph, which is sold at a lower price point, but I much prefer the Senator.
IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Expedition Charles Darwin: Forget its long and complicated name; the really cool thing about this chronograph is its bronze case and the fantastic IWC in-house Calibre 89365 that powers it. Bronze is a material that “lives,” so the watch’s look will slightly change over the years. Cool, right? The price: 9,900 euros including tax.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Chronograph Ceramic: A perfect outdoor and travel companion with an independently set second time-zone indication by a second hour hand. The second hour hand can be used to indicate your home time, and you can see through the little aperture, positioned just under JLC-Logo atv 12 o’clock, if it is night or day. This JLC watch is powered by the in-house calibre “757,” and looks really sharp in the black ceramic case. The price: 12,400 euros including tax.
Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon: What shall I write? Omega simply has done a wonderful job with this ultra-cool chrono. The gray ceramic case hosts the Omega in-house Caliber 9300, a masterpiece and one of the best contemporary chronograph movements. After presenting the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon last year and Grey Side of the Moon this year, what will Omega do for an encore? Perhaps a Speedmaster Bright Side of the Moon in a white ceramic case? The Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon sells for $12,000.
Patek Philippe Multi-Scale Chronograph Ref. 5975P: Only 100 pieces of this stunning chronograph, powered by the in-house Caliber CH 28 520, will ever be made. The timepiece was presented for the manufacture’s 175th birthday just some weeks ago. If you want one, you’d best hurry up and get on the list. I’m confident you won’t regret this acquisition. Yes, the watch is available in other case materials, but for me the version in platinum is simply the best. The price: 78,000 CHF including tax.
What are your favorite chronographs, what is your personal top 10 chronographs list? Let me know in the comment section below. I look forward to reading your feedback. And feel free to add comments to my selection of best chronograph watches.
Vacheron Overseas Chrono much better than AP and most of the watches on your list
You are correct! Breitling chronomat 44 GMT is superb in house movement that set the standards for 5 year warranties on luxury watches. This movement is so much more than a Daytona, a Rolex GMT and the Submariner. Which one would have to purchase all three of the Rolexs to compare to the Breitling B04. Then look at the build of the Breitling compared to Rolex. A Rolex bezel is actual “pop on” in the case of the GMT, Daytona and the Submariner. Breitling screws the bezel securely
The B04 is 70 hours vs 40 for the Daytona. The Daytona is what? I believe 44 jewels vs the B04 47 jewels. Daytona is water resistant to 100 meters vs the Breitling B04 is 200 meters? A chronograph dive watch sports fans! One has to give Rolex a hand up for creating a great BRAND. Rolex manufactures very robust calibers and the Rolex people marketing geniuses. I admier Rolex for that, I admier Rolex for their fine watches but really their marketing. Rolex the number one luxury brand! Quite an honor, quite an achievement. Great marketing and control of their product.
I don’t know where they get these lists from.
Where’s the Breguet XX or XXI?
Why are there multiple offerings from IWC all using the same calibre?
It’s total none sense.
Why doesn’t anyone mention that at one point in time the Zenith Chronograph movement was used by Rolex in their Daytona and is a sought after watch too because of that…
Uhmm… Breitling Navitimer 01!
Clearly not a well thought through list of top chronographs. No Lange’s 1815, Datograph or Double Split. No Vacheron. No Rolex Daytona. This looks like a list from a drunken amateur night.
You mention two Breitlings, but neither are the Navitimer which has the B01 movement?
No mentioned of the original Omega Speedmaster?
How about the Zenith El Primero 36’000?
Longines on your list, but it’s not the new Pulsometer Chrono? And, speaking on mono-pushers…
Vacheron has a fantastic new mono chrono.
Sorry to the Daytona nay-sayers, but that movement is highly regarded, extremely accurate, and aside from some hoi-polloi wearing them, it’s a fantastic watch. Much more so than, say, Rado….
Some list….
OH….OH and Montblanc reintroduced the Minerva movement in their new gold chrono.
I was never a Cartier fan, but love this one. I have a Zenith El Primero.
Nice! but how come they miss GUCCI ???
GUGGI! Who was previously CUGGI 40 years ago! Plus who started of making clothes. Lest get real here.
More to the point What happened to TAG HEUER’S CALIBRE 1887, which won Calibre of the International Year Award in 2010. I wonder how much IWC and BREITLING pay to have 2 of there watches previewed?
First of all, glad you excluded the over rated Rolex Daytona… just sold mine and could not be happier.
My big surprise is not finding the AP Royal Oak Offshore or Royal Oak Chrono… superb watches.
Cartier… there is not a single model I like….same for Rado.
The new Hublot Unico I do not like at all, in fact what I dislike the most is the round pushers.. one of my favourites is the Hublot Big Bang Black Magic (with carbon dial)..
Some other missing chronos:
Breguet Type XXI.. superb, either steel or rose gold.
IWC Splitfire Chrono
Jaeger Le Coultre Master Compressor Chronograph 2
Breitling Navitimer
I’ll comment your choices
It is not with bad intention but adding my personal opinion about your choices.
Breitling is ok it is very cool and very reliable and has a strong image
Cartier is one of my least favourite because it seems to me that it is a contradiction of terms cartier-sport chrono
Hublot has only one atu for it that’s the in house caliber , in rest Hublot is experimenting over and over uglier and uglier models and non plus ultra equipped with a tourbillon
JLC is pretty nice but I am not sure how resistant is in a long term the aluminum enforced bezel. Personally i would choose Ceramic chrono date model
The Chopard looks awesome on wrist but it has a design problem-the bolts after a little heavier use have the tendency to erode in a very nasty way and the watch will look very old and used.
Schafi is pretty beauty and my opinion is one of the best from those.
Rado is from lower league-instead of it , I don’t say that it is not looking good, I would choose Tissot chrono 516 which is much more sportier
Omega is a strong nut because of the craftmanship ceramic and cool caliber.
Longines is ok but it looks like a poor guy aspiring for stratosphere
For sure anyone who is reading this can say -this guy has the handbrakes on.
but talking objectively about every watch , emphasizes who heterogenous is the watch industry and how different are the peoples tastes
My list would be in random order
Omega , Breitling, Blancpain , Panerai , tissot , tagHeuer 1887, IWC, Lange datograph,JLC but the ceramic with date version,Audemars Piguet royal oak offshore
Merry Christmas to you Alex and for every reader of this ok forum cheers
This choice is little bit confused.IWC and Rado or Longines?
IWC is LeMust,really nice piece of watch,but Rado or Longines-no way.
And where are the mythical Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Off Shore,Blancpain,Brequet,Zenit El Primero,Rolex Daytona…?
I prefer clean dial chronos that are easy to read, ie in this list: Omega and Cartier.
Hublot – is way too busy
I am pleased to my new Eterna Tangaroa Moonphase grono, which has a reasionable price and good design. I wait for your test results
I may be one of the few that actually does use the stop-watch function of a chronograph fairly regularly. For me, none of these watches, with their minute and hour subdials, improves the usability of a chrono. The problem is that it is simply too difficult to read the elapse time at a glance, especially on watches where the minute subdial only records 30-minutes, and you must mentally calculate the time based on which 30-minute interval the hour subdial is indicating.
There have been a small number of new watches in the last two years that have the chronograph hour and minute hands co-axial with the time-of-day hands, or in some cases, have the elapse time shown on a single, separate subdial. Those are true advances in chrono design.
Personally for great value in a chrono I would hands down go for the Seiko solar pepsi chrono. If money was of no concern, a Rolex Daytona.
Great list! My personal choices would have some of the same, but not all.
I also like the Lange Datograph, the Zenith El Primero, and a Gallet Multichron.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people get outraged that there choices are not on the list. If they took the time to read and comprehend the article they would see its a PERSONAL list. Cheers.
Maybe I’m reading wrong… There’s an absence of an El Primero. No Zenith? Rolex Daytona? Come on… Best Chronographs?
The list is good. From this list, I’d choose omega speedmaster. But how can you not mention rolex daytona and tag heuer carrera?
Turima Flieger UTC Chrono Power reserve.
Hard to imagine any list being credible if it does not even mention the Rolex Daytona or Zenith ElPrimero.
One of the best looking chrnos, made lately, was the Omega racend timer, which might, however, be sold out, meanwhile.
Also in its Museum Collection, the MD (medical doctor’s) watch, inspired by a watch of the late thirties, might still be available.
Theye watches. Inspired by the golden era 1940-1970, are, in my opinion, the best looking watches of our times.
An alternative would be the fabulous Longines chonos 13ZN and 30 CH, of 1940-1970 , which are stlill available at resonable prices…
Giorgio
Hard to imagine talking top 10 chronographs without something from Zenith. What exactly makes any of these better than a beautiful watch that also happens to run on an El Primero?
I love my Longines conquest classic chronograph. Clean looking dial and love the blue column wheel
Lange Datograph
My vote is for my breguet type XXI chronograph, although cant argue with your choices!
U missed out tag heuer carrera 1887..
Graham Chronographs has to be in the list. They do great watches.
Lot of these are just too busy, overdone and somewhat tacky IMHO. The 3 I’d own is the Deep Sea, Omega and maybe the IWC . I had the regular Deep Sea and it’s an amazing watch with a great mvt.
OMEGA speedmaster dark side of the moon MOTHER OF ALL WATCHES plus 100% style .
rolex steel daytona white dial
Zenith is missing
The JLC Deep Sea Chronograph looks amazing. But at that price, I would go for an iconic Omega Speedmaster.
Lange is very nice but not in same league price wise if any if these. IWC gets my vote here. Pam is useless for 99.8% of the people who buy it. Novel comp tho. Hublot a lot more if the same, like JLC too
What about Seiko astron???
for my money JLC first choice no choice RADO thanks again George from Sydney Australia
I actually prefer the Rado or the Longines, the others are no better watches, they just have huge prices so the snobs with more money than common sense can pat each other on the back and feel better about themselves!
I am actually one of the few people who uses the chronograph complication regularly. My favourite is the Omega dark side of the moon however the case size of 44.25mm is a little too large for me.
Can anyone suggest an automatic chronograph which has central chronograph minute hand rather than a subdial minutes. Breitling Skyracer was a perfect movement for my liking but they don’t do it anymore. What a shame. I rank that movement as no.1
Any comments?
When I read your comments, I thought quickly in the IWC Da Vinci Chronograph. All, minutes and hours on a single subdial located at 12 o´clock. What do you think?
For me its the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Dark Side of the Moon followed by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Chronograph but I wouldn’t say no to the IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph either!
I like all the watch listed but the Cartirr Montre calibre de Cartier is the most attractive out of the lot. I would love to see it with a blue face
Longines Heritage Collection Tachymeter Chronograph Men’s Watch
L2.781.4.13.2
I would have added the Tudor Heritage Blue on the list.
breitling gmt chrono black steel its a real pilot watch…tough and good look
Great list! My only additions would be a Zenith El Primero, and the Split Flyback from Lange & Sohne.
rado is pretty expensive and together with longines in my opinion is not in the same league as the others above mentioned
cool
I assume you meant in expensive. Yes I would agree. I would take the JLC or PAM. And BTW, Hublot, enough already….