Escapement
Watch Reviews, Watch Blogs & Watch News By Angus Davies

Chronograph Watches

Chronograph watches are traditional timepieces, fitted with an extra complication, allowing the device to act as a stopwatch. They are used to measure time, in real-time and relatively, to different levels of accuracy.

The world’s first chronograph watch was invented by Louis Moinet in 1816. The French horologist, sculptor and painter was officially awarded two world records for his revolutionary timepiece – the Compteur de Tierces. These records were the “World’s First Chronograph” and the “First High-Frequency Stopwatch”.

Explore this fascinating realm of watchmaking by exploring our wide range of watch reviews for this complication here on Escapement Magazine.

  • Simple chronograph: A single stopwatch function with start, stop and reset.
  • Flyback chronograph: Allows the stopwatch to be reset and restarted instantly with one push, often used in aviation.
  • Rattrapante (split-seconds) chronograph: Features two seconds hands to time multiple events simultaneously.

A standard watch tells the time and may include the date, but a chronograph goes further by incorporating stopwatch functionality. This is achieved through one or more buttons on the case that start, stop, and reset a central seconds hand, as well as additional sub-dials for recording elapsed minutes or hours.