The Chronograph

https://gearpatrol.com/2015/02/13/complications-the-chronograph/

There is no other type of watch that requires as much interaction from its owner as the chronograph.
There is, furthermore, a certain pleasure that comes from interacting with a finely-made
mechanical chronograph movement: you feel the button release under the right amount of finger
pressure, hear the satisfying click, and the sweep hand begins its march. There is a tension that
builds as the hand approaches 60 seconds again and again and the minute counter ticks over to
another hash. Push the button again and time comes to a stop. Press the reset button and all hands
snap back impossibly fast, ready to go again.
The first patented chronograph was a simple clockwork mechanism in a box connected to two ink
styluses that wrote on rotating discs of paper to compare the times of two race horses on a track.
The word “chronograph” literally means “time writer”, and it wasn’t long before its usefulness was
understood and watchmakers scrambled to make their own, more portable and more accurate. At
first, chronographs were in pocketwatch cases and did nothing more than act as stopwatches; they
didn’t tell the time of day at all. You see, it’s easier to develop a stopwatch than to integrate this
function with a movement that also keeps the time of day.
At first chronographs had only one button, which was coaxial to the winding crown itself. Pushing
the button in succession started, stopped and reset the chronograph. But in 1915, Gaston Breitling
invented the separate pusher chronograph, and then a few years later the two-button chronograph;
the industry hasn’t looked back since, except as a retro design exercise.

The two most popular types of chronograph movement:

The coulisse-lever (left) and column wheel (right).

While early chronograph movements were made up of simple mechanical levers, the two most
prevalent types of movements that still persist today are the column wheel and the coulisse lever. In
a column wheel movement, a mechanism that looks like a small castle turret rotates one increment
with each click of the chronograph pusher. A mechanical finger falls between the teeth of the
column wheel to activate the functions. The column wheel movement requires precision in design
and build, and the resulting action is perceptible to the user in the smooth and quick response,
usually visible from observation. Column wheel chronographs are generally more expensive and
not as common but are typically more desirable to watch collectors because of the level of quality
and attention to detail in their manufacture.
A coulisse lever movement has its advantages, too: it’s easier to manufacture and very robust, without
the finicky tolerances required in a column wheel. In this type of movement, each push of a
chronograph button moves a heart-shaped cam (the coulisse) back and forth to start, stop or reset
the chronograph. The action of a coulisse lever movement is firmer, requiring more effort to
engage and not quite as tactilely pleasurable to operate. However, the vast majority of mechanical
chronographs sold today use one type of coulisse lever movement that was first introduced in 1974
and still very much alive today.

In the late 1960s, several watch companies were racing to develop the world’s first self-winding, or
“automatic”, chronograph. Up to that point, despite a ubiquity of automatic watches, chronographs
still had to be hand wound due to the complexity and space restrictions in creating an automatic
chronograph. Three groups crossed the finish line neck and neck in 1969. A consortium of
Hamilton, Buren, Breitling and Heuer worked together to develop the Caliber 11, an automatic
chronograph movement that used a small oscillating weight called a micro-rotor.:
Meanwhile, Zenith presented their own auto chrono, the “El Primero” (“the first”) which used a full-
sized winding rotor:

But in Japan, Seiko may have beaten them both with its own automatic, the 6139:

Who made it first is a matter of semantics; most of the mechanical chronographs sold since that
time have wound themselves, making handcrankers rarer and more appealing.
In all its guises — automatic or hand wound, column wheel or coulisse lever — chronographs have
long been the tools of pilots, astronauts, race car drivers, soldiers and doctors. They’re also worn by
those who appreciate the tactile pleasure of taking part in the dance of gears and levers every time
the button is pressed. In short, there is a chronograph for just about any taste or budget.

Five Great Chronographs - Your Very Own “Time Writer”

Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer Chronograph

Originally a Pennsylvanian maker of pocket watches for

America’s railroads, by the 1960s Hamilton had a Swiss
factory and was building chronographs for Britain’s Royal Air
Force. The Khaki Pioneer is an homage to those watches, with
the same asymmetrical case and two-register dial. The
chronograph is driven by Hamilton’s H-31 caliber, tracking
time up to 30 minutes and boasting a 60-hour power reserve.
BUY NOW: $1,845

TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph

You can’t have a list of chronographs without a TAG

Heuer. Since its founding in 1860, the brand has been a
leader in automotive and aviation chronographs, and the
Autavia of the 1960s and ’70s was one of its icons. The
latest generation of Formula 1 recalls the tonneau-shaped
case and bold bezel of those Autavias but updates it with
better water resistance and a sapphire crystal.

BUY NOW: $2,800

 Longines Column Wheel Chronograph
Chronographs with column wheel movements are a sign of
high watchmaking prowess and often come with a price
tag to match. But you’d be hard pressed to find a more
affordable one than the proudly named Column Wheel
Chronograph from Longines. Not only is the watch
classically styled but its namesake movement yields crisp,
precise actuation that is a pleasure to operate.

Bremont
Boeing
Model 247
Bremont cut
its teeth
building tough
aviation-
inspired
chronographs,
but the British
brand’s recent
partnership
with aircraft
giant Boeing
has taken its
watches to a new level. Boasting a case made from the
same steel
Boeing
uses on the
787’s
landing
gear, the
Model 247
will stand
up to just
about anything, all the while keeping time with
chronometer-certified accuracy.

Vacheron Constantin Harmony Monopusher

In the rarified air of high watchmaking sit the few

brands that design and build their own chronographs
in-house. Just this year, Vacheron introduced a new
hand-wound chrono calibre in a watch that was
inspired by one it built in 1928. With its two-register
dial and crown-mounted mono-pusher, you’d swear the
Harmony doesn’t just stop time, but actually travels
back in it