Reply With QuoteI'm not sure of the point of the thread. With some on here able to spend over £10k on a watch and many more half that when a £10 thing from eBay will do the job, none of it is necessary.
There are a lot of Chronos that I like the look of but I have to agree with the OP, for most there is little point in them.
I couldn't own one - I simply can't get over the fact that the second hand is not where I expect it to be but on one of the little dials.
My son has a chrono and often when I look at it I have to double take because I think it has stopped.
Cheers,
Nigel
I'm not sure of the point of the thread. With some on here able to spend over £10k on a watch and many more half that when a £10 thing from eBay will do the job, none of it is necessary.
Its not about "necessary" though.Originally Posted by Glamdring
I use the stopwatch on my smartphone for exact timing. It has big numbers, big red and green buttons, split / lap timing and will go for days. The tab next to it is countdown timer, the tab next to that is world clock, then multiple alarms etc,etc.
But I still bought a Chrono recently, simply because its a nice looking watch. I would buy another too, if I saw one I liked.
We would all wear Casio F91's if it was simply about what is "necessary".
For me it is the aesthetic of them, one has ones own tastes, I like watches that have a less fussy look about them but I do like a good chrono, balances in proportion to my tastes, if it has loads of lines and "bits" not for me ,but hey probably floats someone's boat. But one has to wonder a little bit about the notion of "unneccessary". having a car that will surpass 70mph is unneccessary but most cars do, I have a smartphone and a microwave and a cooker and a telly etc that have doodads that do things I never use them for. Life would be a great deal more grey to me if one only had stuff that was "adequate for purpose" and was "functional for the task required". Not liking them is ok too, liking watches is probably no different to art, food and wine, cats, wiskey, beer and coffee; you either like or you don't. No great deep mystery in it.
There are many features on mechanical watches that are not needed. I'm fascinated with precision engineering and it gives me huge pleasure to buy the most complicated pieces that I can afford in the watch genre. Chronographs are an added feature that contribute hugely to this 'collective mix'.
Legibility is pretty important if you're going to use a chrono effectively, followed closely by funtionality.
After owning around 15 of them over the years, I still thinking that the best combination of both is found in one with a quartz ETA 251.262 movement. I've had a few Revue Thommens with this - and the clear display with central minute chrono hand, plus the ability to use the chrono for split timing, is hard to beat. For example, I was reviewing two versions of an animated banner ad for a marketing campaign we're running for a client. The animation ran in two parts - one visual, one with text, and I needed to check the length of each, to decide the best option. Easy to do with this movement - start chrono with the top button when the banner starts; stop the hands with the bottom button at the end of part one; push top button to stop the chrono movement, then bottom button shows total time. Much easier than fiddling around with digital chrono or stopwatch, trying to remember the mode needed.
That Sir, is a very fine looking watchLegibility is pretty important if you're going to use a chrono effectively, followed closely by funtionality.
After owning around 15 of them over the years, I still thinking that the best combination of both is found in one with a quartz ETA 251.262 movement. I've had a few Revue Thommens with this - and the clear display with central minute chrono hand, plus the ability to use the chrono for split timing, is hard to beat. For example, I was reviewing two versions of an animated banner ad for a marketing campaign we're running for a client. The animation ran in two parts - one visual, one with text, and I needed to check the length of each, to decide the best option. Easy to do with this movement - start chrono with the top button when the banner starts; stop the hands with the bottom button at the end of part one; push top button to stop the chrono movement, then bottom button shows total time. Much easier than fiddling around with digital chrono or stopwatch, trying to remember the mode needed.
Same here, I've about 14 Lemanias, the best way to display elapsed time I think, one of my EZM1s gets used almost daily for running, easy to tell how far through you are at a glance, no 30min subdial-squint and mental gymnastics, just readable and intuitive.At least half my collection is chronos, mainly Lemania 5100 based. Chronos can have very clean dials. for example the EZM1 and 750-42 below.
And I use my chrono multiple times per day. At least twice to time bath filling time for kids (7 min) and for cooking, parking meter timing, and kid homework timing (e.g. daughter must read for >20min per night).
In short, I love my chronos. But I do agree that too many subdials can clutter a dial.
Here are another stripped down Lemania:
I agree that many manufacturers implement chronographs poorly—primarily from the aesthetic perspective. Too much clutter, too many bells and whistles, too much bling. I suspect most modern chronographs are more an exercise in showing off dials and hands than practical value.
There is much validity in the assertion that watch nerds like chronographs for the mechanical stuff inside. If you want a watch to tell time, a plain dial with perhaps a diver's bezel is sufficient.
I need to accurately time things nearly every day at work. I have several nice diver's watches that are good, but nothing matches a chronograph for accuracy. For me, the Lemania 134x/5012/5100 series rules for legibility, sometimes dial design, and reliability. I appreciate its mechanicals for being both crude and novel. I no longer own any Valjoux 7750's because the 12 o'clock minutes register is too often a hindrance to legibility; I also am not impressed by its design even though it is a proven reliable movement.
A few years ago, I got onto a no-tachymetre bezel kick. I never use it (does anyone?) and I think most tachy scales take away from a good design. I also grew to appreciate manual-wind watches more. It is rare to find a watch that treats design an function with equal elegance, but they are out there. Unfortunately, few new watches do so.
These two represent what I consider elegant and useful time measurers:
I love chronograph watches. What I can't stand that I see so often are watches with decorative chronograph dials that don't even work.
I am using my chronos every day, mostly in sport, when not wearing Polar HRM.
They don't work as they have stopped? Don't work as in they were never intended to work or that they are not clear to view ?
Sorry I am confused
Regards
Tony
I think what Alessandro is referring to is that it's possible to buy cheap 'homage' chronos with sub-dials and pushers that have no function at all - all the look of a chrono. without the functionality. I think some of the Alpha Daytona homage watches were and possibly are of this sort.
Thank you. I hadn't thrown that type of watch in the mix
This one doesn't work because there are no pushers and the subdial hands are glued on
You are spot on, the Daytona is the nicest egg timer money can buy! But whilst I also think its semi pointless I prioritise the any watch in the following order:-
Does it tell the time?
Seconds hand? - Bonus
Date? - Bonus
GMT Function - great abroad
Chrono - Great for my eggs
To be fair if it tell the time and has a second hand Im happy but most of mine have the extra bits (Chrono / GMT / Date etc) and one doesnt have a second hand at all so why did I buy them?
Simple I just like / love them
RIAC
This doesn't have pushers either...
...the chrono is operated by the crown.
Likewise...
The C900 from CW.
True, there are crown operated chronos. I'm talking decorative chronos on fashion junk. :D
Thank The Lord . I thought this thread was about real watchesTrue, there are crown operated chronos. I'm talking decorative chronos on fashion junk. :D
Never use it but who cares they look nice
[IMG][/IMG]
In all seriousness, that is the perfect answer.
That is your egg timer? Is there a forum for people who collect egg timers like that? Because I would join it.
[IMG
"Honey, you'll be happy to hear I'm not into watches anymore. By the way, I've just spent the mortgage on an RAF-issue egg timer with the appropriate caseback markings and impeccable provenance. Lovely patina."
"Yes, bits of egg. That's what I meant by patina."
i like chronos, a lot!
beautiful pieces that sometimes serve to chrono somethings =)
Thanks. You've inspired me to read that book again.
I realize this is probably the reason I don't have a Speedmaster, as much as I like it and respect its significance. I can't help but feel that a chronograph is going to be more fragile.
Am I wrong? I mean, it was certified to go to the moon. Also, one of my good friends has a Speedmaster and he's basically a human puppy. If he hasn't destroyed it, it's probably tough enough for sedentary old me.
There's a big difference between MORE fragile and TOO fragile. The Speedmaster Pro has probably been as thoroughly tested as any watch in history, and it passed the NASA requirements. Even if it is in theory more fragile than a simple 3-hander, it has shown itself robust enough for daily use in almost all environments you would encounter.
Excellent point. It's probably more than tough enough for the demanding tasks I would put it through, like typing and sitting on the couch.
Pointless unless you're a pilot or rally driver, and probably obsolete for them too. Just extra buttons to dig in the arm.
But we're a minority, which are you more likely to see walking round? ;)
Either way, I love pretty much all the chronos I see on here and I'm still begging for a racing speedy!
Thank you. It's just about to go on the SC, by the way - so PM me if you'd be interested.
That Sir, is a very fine looking watch
To be perfectly honest, I'd have the chrono function running all the time, just because it looks cool and you get a sense that the watch is doing something extra (which it is), maybe its just me??
There's a debate as to whether chronos are useful or not, and for those who declare that they are not useful not only for themselves but have also decided to speak for other people, and who wear expensive watches of their own, can I ask whether the following additional characteristics are also useful?
Ceramic bezels
LiquidMetal (tm) bezel inserts
15,000m of WR
GMT (when most people can add or subtract simple numbers)
Diamond-cut hands
Antimagnetic capability
Annual calendar
?
All these features are additional to the main job of a watch which is to tell the time in a case robust enough to withstand day-to-day life. If I was going to question them, I would pick off the non-functional ones first.
By the by, I reckon an instant 12-hour counter on your wrist does at least offer some functionality, and more convenience than farting around with a silly little smartphone once you've fished it out of your pocket, unlocked it, squinted at the screen, flicked through endless pages of apps, loaded the timer function, swore because you've actually started Angry Birds by mistake and now you have to wait for it to get past the splash page then go back to the home screen, load the app drawer again, flick through endless pages "no wait, wait, this phone has a 1/1000 sec timer on it, it's here somewhere...".
Meanwhile your young son has finished doing laps of the playground and wants to know how many seconds it took to run around it!
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Well, why wear a watch at all then? Plenty of other ways to read the time on.
Anyway, a chrono doesn't need to be cluttered by default, plenty examples around and in this thread. And, I regulary use a chrono (or divebezel) for all sorts of thing, keeping track of my appointments, timing the pizza, parkingmeter, etc...
Ah, but any experienced parent knows how to deal with that situation ... you lie.
"Son, you ran the lap in 72! That's super fast! Now try again and see if you can beat it!"
Personally, I use the chrono function only when needed. In quartz chronos it preserves battery life, in mechanical ones it extends service time intervals.
Tricky point of view that as most analogue chronos are decorative only.
Most wearers have no clue about the innards apart from it being fashionably mechanical.
Which makes most decorative fashion only.
There is thus very little between a knob with a Daytona Veblen piece or a time only decorative piece; BOTH are fashion and ´junk´ is obvioulsy as relative and difficult as ´quality´.
Barring exceptions especially with analogue chronos it is about how much money wants to spend and flaunt on fashionable decorative men´s accessories.
Last edited by Huertecilla; 11th September 2013 at 08:36.
Making the chrono function superfluous. Again.
Which is a good thing as it is embarrassing when it takes over 72 seconds to solve the display puzzle....
He's too smart for that and wants to see the time writ large on the display (or small on the wrist) !
[paraphrase=Heurtecilla]
Normals are clueless... decorative fashion...knobs with Rolexes...Veblen goods...fashion junk... money flaunt fashionable men's Veblen accessory knob goods...
[/paraphrase]
Oh come on you can do better than that ;)
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
And that's not even a chronograph - it's a date/day/24hr, but with buttons...and not even set correctly.True, there are crown operated chronos. I'm talking decorative chronos on fashion junk. :D
I'm constantly fooled by chronographs - they look great in pictures, but in reality I just can't stand the second hand not moving. Every time I glance at my wrist, I think my watch has stopped. I'm certainly tempted by the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec that avoids that issue.
Almost all chronographs feature a constant seconds hand.
Indeed, but the big, central one constantly pointing at 12 is the one that catches my eye. Just makes me double-take whenever I see it.
This is why the big central hand is used as the timing hand and not used as the constant seconds hand. Perhaps it's just a question of getting used to it.
Start the chrono running at 12 O'clock or on the hour so the big hand moves all the time. Be careful to avoid catching the pushers though!
Yes, that works but seems a poor use of the complication somehow. I'm quite happy just to wear non-chrono watches. There's plenty of choice.
I like a clean, legible face on my watches, as such I don't have any chronographs. I would even drop the day/date complication also, but these kind of watches are pretty rare to come by.
The Precista PRS-17C (which also uses the ETA 251.262 movement) when fitted with the 12 Hour rotating bezel can be used as a readily legible chronograph without using any sub dials.Legibility is pretty important if you're going to use a chrono effectively, followed closely by funtionality.
After owning around 15 of them over the years, I still thinking that the best combination of both is found in one with a quartz ETA 251.262 movement. I've had a few Revue Thommens with this - and the clear display with central minute chrono hand, plus the ability to use the chrono for split timing, is hard to beat. For example, I was reviewing two versions of an animated banner ad for a marketing campaign we're running for a client. The animation ran in two parts - one visual, one with text, and I needed to check the length of each, to decide the best option. Easy to do with this movement - start chrono with the top button when the banner starts; stop the hands with the bottom button at the end of part one; push top button to stop the chrono movement, then bottom button shows total time. Much easier than fiddling around with digital chrono or stopwatch, trying to remember the mode needed.
By aligning the rotating bezel with the regular hour hand at the commencement of timing, the elapsed hours can be read from the bezel; elapsed minutes from the central 60 minute chrono hand.
I would happily buy another watch with this configuration, particularly so if the chrono hour and chrono 1/10 second sub dials were omitted.
Purely about aesthetics for me. I just love the way they look.
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