I was down the shops sitting in a cafe after a colleague sparked my interest in watch collecting. I was sitting there having a flat white and citrus tart thinking of what constitutes the top five chronographs. Depending on what you are looking for, the chronograph is a brilliant choice, so I thought, what I think are the top five chronograph watches? Any one of these five chronographs will make an individual a serious collector. All with different styles, all these designs are from the late 50s and early to late 60s. All classic designs that have stood the test of time. I decided to rewrite an email for a blog post. 

Rolex Daytona – the Cosmograph Daytona named after the race track at Daytona Beach in the retirement state. The older versions used a Valjoux 7750 movement before Rolex came up with their own in-house chronograph movement.  It is argued that the Cosmograph Daytona is one of the most highly sought after Rolex model, the waiting list is long, Rolex just can’t supply and has made this model unattainable for most, hence its desirability.

Omega Speedmaster – timeless design from 1957 worn on all manned lunar missions. There have been many reiterations over the decades, but for me, the Moonwatch Professional is the quintessential chronograph of the Omega brand. This was the chronograph that was used to time the Apollo 13 burn to get them back to earth when all the other instruments in the control module had been shut down. So a mission so high tech in the early 1970s, it is incredible this famous NASA mission relied on old mechanical technology to get the crew home.

Zenith El Primero – set the standard for the chronograph, when they went into receivership the chief engineer was told to destroy all the designs from the chronograph movement to the case. He hid the designs at his house and around a decade later they revived the original design. For myself, the El Primero 3019 PHC movement is a masterpiece, it is so fortunate that the 3019 PHC movement design and tooling was not lost. Powering the early series Rolex Cosmograph Daytona models, the 4030 cam-type chronograph movement was used until Rolex developed their own in-house chronograph in 2000. 

Breitling Navitimer – most chronographs have a motoring background, however, the Navitimer is an aviation tool watch. The Navitimer is designed for pilots and features a circular slide rule for mid-air calculations, this makes the dial hard to read for the average watch enthusiast. I have never been a huge fan of the flieger style, I do respect the history and application of the Navitimer, this is the most unique of the chronographs. A WWII era flieger is known for a large clear dial with a 12 o’clock triangular index marker and a large crown that can be operated with gloves on. The circular slide rule is unique to the Navitimer, 

TAG Heuer Carrera – the Heuer Carrera is pretty much the chronograph that made Heuer, this 1960s design pretty much sums up what the Heuer Watch Company was. Although there have been plenty of models over the years, the 160 years Limited Edition is the best. I love the silver dial version, the clean and refined look of the dial makes this by far the best version. I don’t like the skeltonised version, the dial is horrible, the height too large and not a great wrist feel.