Before joining Timezone if some one had asked me to describe a chronograph watch I would have probably described a Daytona, classic 3 sub dial chronograph. I was looking at my watches the other night (I am partial to a chrono), I have four chrono's but only one has 3 sub dials & whenever I am looking at chronographs I gravitate towards the 2 sub dial kind, purely on aesthetics, as opposed to any other more functional reason. That started me wondering as to what other peoples preference would be:
Gratuitous pictures of my four:
I'm not a massive chronograph fan, preferring simple 3 hand sports watches. That being said, my Zenith Chrono Tipo is probably my favourite watch. I love the symmetry of the 2 sub dials and no date. Chronographs with 3 sub dials always seem to be unbalanced to me.
I much prefer 3 sub-dial chronos. 2 dial ones look a bit empty to me - I'm not into minimalist design!
I must admit that there's rarely any practical use for a 3rd sub-dail, but when was having a chrono watch about actual function??
Love a chronograph - to the extent that I own nine of them...
Centre-minutes > all the rest.
Got to be 3 sub dials but only at 3/6/9 .
Never at 12/6/9 , one of my redlines in watch buying that .
Two of my sub-dials - both look great in my eyes.
Agreed. I quite like two subdials at 3 and 9. Prefer three at 3,6,9.Originally Posted by numberjack
I wouldn’t say 12,6,9 is a no go but definitely detracts some points.
I’ve never had a central minute counter but I like the thought of a single subdial with central minutes and seconds.
0, 1, 2...
3, 3, 1:
'Ave another 1,:
And another 1...-
The Lemania is cheating a bit as the chrono-minute subdial is the whole dial I guess... ;)
I love chronos if they're done right. Of the several I've owned, the Omega Speedmaster and the Alpina Startimer have been my favourites. Both have excellent clarity despite lots of information on the dial.
The lack of date on the Speedy did annoy me though which is why I sold it, so I reckon that just put the Startimer in first place for me.
I like three at 3, 6 and 9 preferably without a date.
Two dials are nice at 3 and 9 with a date window at six.
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All my current crop are triple sub dial versions.
Cheers
Neil
Current chronos
I probably have a slight preference for 2 sub chronos but only slightly. The bigger issue is alot of chronos can look lovely busy, Speedmaster does the 3 subs best imo.
The patina helps make this the perfect chrono to my eyes as the main hands grab your vision so clearly over the subs making it not cluttered in the slightest. As legible as a 3 hander.
Last edited by Tetlee; 19th August 2022 at 20:45.
3 sub-dials 6-9-12, day-date.
2 sub-dials 3 & 9
3-6-9.
And last but not least..., 3 & 9.
Happy with all sub-dials wherever they may be, chronographs, my favourite complication.
But don't forget, the 6-12, with GMT complication...
Ahh, another 6-9-12
Hmmm, a 6-12
Nearly forgot, another 3-6-9..
And one more, nearly forgot, Eddie's 3-9'er,
So you can see I love chrono's and I don't care about sub-dial position, date windows, or no dates, I couldn't give a 'monkeys' I just love 'em in always, easily pleased me.
Last edited by Nealywheelie; 20th August 2022 at 23:06. Reason: addition
Much prefer a 3 dial chrono. It seems a little pointless to me not to be able to record hours elapsed.
Hours elapsed possible with 2 handed subdial on a 2 dial chrono.
Yeah....but if hours & minutes are important to whatever you are timing, then the seconds are pretty irrelvant! Mostly you are timing short events where minutes & seconds are the significant figures. I find that most 3 dial chronos don't really have a sensible use for the 3rd dial - often it contains a pretty pointless 24hr hour hand.
I have no use for a chrono that can only record up to 30 minutes.
And with a tricompax I can also use the chrono as a second timezone. In a geeky kind of way.
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Or even no sub dials ;)
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I'm ashamed to say it, but I rarely use the sub dials.
Last edited by Chris B; 20th August 2022 at 13:08. Reason: typo
Chronograph watch was what got me interested in timepieces in the first place back in the 70's.
I was just fascinated by a watch that had three subdials.
And my preference for the layout of a chronograph, had not changed since then.
It has to be dials at the 3,6 & 9 position.
Preach brother, my ultimate central minutes is due soon!
Two Dials, Three Sundial Hands - the RHS has two hands like a small HH:MM setup to read unto 24h. The LHS is the running seconds
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
The Oris Chronoris 1970 LE is my favourite chronograph, although I don't wear it much. The 12 6 9 dial with a very subtle dial at 9 that is subtly hidden is the perfect mix for me. Looks like a 2 dial but has 3.
Likewise…. Very excitedPreach brother, my ultimate central minutes is due soon!
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3 for me!
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Seems that I like them in all flavours, even rather limited Chronostop.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Still the one vintage watch I'd buy if I had the money:
Holy crapioli! I had no idea that was imminent - it's glorious!
Preach brother, my ultimate central minutes is due soon!
I quite like the look of both 2 and 3 sub-dial chronos. For me the most important thing is that they get the spacing right so they don't look crowded.
Currently I only have one chrono in my trio which is this cool Seiko that I'm really enjoying. Certainly takes some inspiration from a certain famous chrono, but puts it's own spin on it and a great carefree option. It has 3 sub-dials, but only 2 of them are actually chronograph related, the other is a rather unnecessary 24-hour time indicator, not quite sure why! The only other chrono I think I've ever actually owned was a Zenith Defy 21, and I couldn't tell you if that counts as 2 or 3 sub-dials.. 2 with markers but 3 with hands?
I actually use the chrono on this regularly now to time 15 second increments of time. I always thought it was a bit of a novelty feature, but now that I have it the ability to hit 'go' whenever and time 15 or 30 second without keeping track of the start time, it's actually super useful for me.
Last edited by M1011; 21st August 2022 at 01:07.
Can I ask what brand and model this watch is? Thanks
I have no use for a chrono that can only record up to 30 minutes.
And with a tricompax I can also use the chrono as a second timezone. In a geeky kind of way.
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Ah, that’s a Universal Geneve Compax “Nina Rindt” Ref.885.103/2, from the mid to late 1960s, isn’t it? I love the main hour and minute hands. Possibly the most beautiful chronograph ever.Still the one vintage watch I'd buy if I had the money:
Subdials at 3,6,9 and no date is my preference…
Last edited by hhhh; 21st August 2022 at 09:19.
It's a Maen Skymaster.
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Beat me to it. And very nice they are too.
Nice to see a couple of Eberhards featured in this thread.
Will anyone admit to owning one of their 4 register chronos?
______
Jim.
The excitement is immense! Mine is in the first batch, so hopefully end Sept or early Oct is when it's due. Almost 12 months and finally i can get excited by my grail!
Ooh that's lovely! Nice one Howard.Subdials at 3,6,9 and no date is my preference…
I like a nice openwork - 2 dial or is that 3 I see?
or a bit of colour
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
Entirely understandable!
May I ask the most ungracious and indelicate of questions - what did these unobtainia retail at?
I prefer the look of a 2 register chronograph but find 3 register more useful as I tend to measure longer periods of time so a 12 hour register is preferred, I find the 24 hour register on some useless though.
Either way a chronograph is my favourite and I find the most useful complication.
That Zenith Stratos Rainbow is stunning, especially as it's on that beautiful bracelet..
I would love that in my life; maybe one day.
3 for me!
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Of those definitely the speedy, each to their own. Neither of us are wrong just differing tastesI love chronos if they're done right. Of the several I've owned, the Omega Speedmaster and the Alpina Startimer have been my favourites. Both have excellent clarity despite lots of information on the dial.
The lack of date on the Speedy did annoy me though which is why I sold it, so I reckon that just put the Startimer in first place for me.
I have these 3, at least for the moment. It may not be haute horology, but I like the Valjoux 7750 and it’s clones with the associated 12-6-9 subdials and Day-Date. I know I’m in a minority.
Dave
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Last edited by helidoc; 21st August 2022 at 20:06.
Too much, 35k CHF. I need to figure out a few things to chop soon....
That is certainly ambitious, but to my eye, FWIW, it really looks the part - a truly exceptional design, beautifully implemented, outstanding in a sea of mediocre, derivative me-toos and we've-always-done-it-this-way low-effort pabulum. Enjoy!
That would work for me.Two Dials, Three Sundial Hands - the RHS has two hands like a small HH:MM setup to read unto 24h. The LHS is the running seconds
2 for me
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That zenith is so very cool. Love the way they look in photos + how comfortable they are on wrist.Current chronos
I’ve got a strong preference for 3 dials of equal size at 3 6 9. Or maybe just specifically Speedmasters. And I hate date windows…
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