13 Most Popular Chronograph Watches For Men

Whilst some men may enjoy more simple, time-only timepieces, others – like us – prefer complications. The more the better. And no complication is better, more practical (or more fun) than the racing-inspired chronograph.

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First invented by French artist and watchmaker Louis Moinet in 1816, the chronograph is one of the most important complications in all of watchmaking. Chronographs are simply watches that can be used as a stopwatch as well as telling the time.

Unsurprisingly, chronographs found an eager audience among athletes, pilots and motorsports fanatics, who all found watches that were able to quickly and accurately time things on the fly totally essential. These days, chronographs might have mostly been superseded by our mobile phones or digital stopwatches, but their elegance and sporty character continue to captivate watch fans.

Time is of the essence: here are some of the best chronograph watches on the market.

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TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph

First launched in 1969, the TAG Heuer Monaco has long-maintained a close connection to the grip and swerve of the racetrack; the ultimate chronograph for racers, the Monaco holds the rather cool distinction of being the first square and waterproof chronograph in the world.

Named after the Monaco Grand Prix and easily one of the most iconic watches of all time, earning its enduring appeal after gracing Steve McQueen’s wrist in the 1971 feature film Le Mans. It’s worn a few faces since then, but today’s iteration – with a 39mm stainless steel case, blue opaline dial and silver sub-dials for chronograph minutes and chronograph hours at the 3 and 9 o’clock – is a contemporary classic.

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Longines Spirit Flyback

Longines has more credibility when it comes to chronographs than most watchmakers, boasting the eternal title as the first Swiss brand to invent the flyback chronograph, to which the new Longines Spirit Flyback pays homage.

Extremely precise, and with a power reserve of 68 hours, this COSC-certified chrono looks particularly cool on a NATO strap and is the perfect instrument for timekeeping at the highest altitudes.

Grand Seiko Tentagraph

Grand Seiko’s first-ever mechanical chronograph is an absolute show-stopper. The Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Tentagraph earned its name because it boasts a movement with a frequency of ten beats per second, a three-day (72-hour) power reserve, and is an automatic chrono Get it?

A titanium case, ceramic bezel and a deep blue dial with Grand Seiko’s signature “Mt. Iwate” pattern only add to its appeal, as does its exhibition caseback, which reveals its immaculate movement finished with Côtes de Genève and a unique Tentagraph rotor.

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Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona hardly needs an introduction. Introduced in 1963, the Rolex Daytona was created to meet the singular demands of the professional race car driver. Today, it’s one of the world’s most coveted watches. In its current incarnation, the watch features a patented in-house chronograph mechanism and a bezel with a tachymetric scale – perfect for recording your lap times, or how long someone stares at your Rolex.

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IWC Schaffhausen Portofino Chronograph

Do you like Italian sports cars? So does IWC Schaffhausen, who took the inspiration for the sleek push-buttons on the Portofino Chronograph from the cockpit of 1960s Italian motoring icons. In keeping with the sporty aesthetic, the watch features a minimalist dial with appliquéd Roman numerals and a convex sapphire glass. A Milanese mesh bracelet is available in addition to the classic alligator leather strap.

Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph Date

The ultimate baller watch, the Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph Date in rose gold takes the already highly desirable Nautilus and adds a novel chronograph complication to boot. A 60-minute and 12-hour mono-counter at 6 o’clock maintains dial symmetry, while elegantly integrated chrono pushers maintain the Nautilus’ famous form. If you’re going to buy one Patek Philippe watch, make it this one.

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Chopard Mille Miglia

Named after one of the world’s most famous races, the Chopard Mille Miglia is a chronograph for real revheads. Classically styled and highly legible, it’s filled with cool little motifs, such as a subtle red Mille Miglia direction arrow below the Chopard logo at 12 o’clock and a steering wheel design on the crown made from the brand’s proprietary Lucent steel. Its strap features a tread pattern based on that of a 1960s Dunlop racing tyre. It’s the perfect watch for the vintage car enthusiast.

A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Chronograph

A. Lange & Söhne is a highly prestigious firm that has a long history of producing some of the most refined, complicated and stylish timepieces in horological history. The Odysseus Chronograph is the brand’s first-ever automatic chronograph and the new L156.1 Datomatic calibre also has quite a novel way of recording elapsed time. Like a double chronograph (a type of watch Lange is famous for), it’s got two chronograph hands: a red one to track seconds and a lozenge-tipped silver one to track minutes.

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Baume & Mercier Riviera Chronograph

The Baume & Mercier Riviera Chronograph offers all of the thrills of expensive chronograph variants of popular integrated bracelet luxury sports watches without an eye-watering price tag; an affordable Audemars Piguet alternative, but it’s a properly luxe beast in of itself. Mounted on a grey rubber strap, this model features a sandblasted titanium bezel with a subtle PVD gold ring, plus a Valjoux chronograph movement with a day-date function – a rarity at this price point.

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Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC

First introduced in 2014, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo has quickly become one of the most exciting and in-demand watches on the planet, and the focus of many record-breaking feats of horology.

Although Bulgari, didn’t officially pitch up at Watches & Wonders this year, it certainly didn’t stop the Italian luxury jewellers from making a record-breaking announcement in Geneva, debuting the Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, which has the world’s thinnest mechanical chronograph movement at just 1.5mm.

Elegant and avant-garde, this is a chronograph like no other, but at a cool $1 million AUD, this may not be in everyone’s price point. Alternatively, the Italian brand also has a more affordable option for the everyday enthusiast, the Octo Finissimo Chrono which is a more-than-worthy substitute.

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Breguet Type 20

The world’s oldest watch brand, Breguet also has a long history of producing chronographs – especially pilot’s chronographs, such as the Type 20. This 2023 version of the esteemed pilot’s watch is inspired by the ref. 1100 delivered to the French Air Force between 1955 and 1959. Its thin fluted bezel and unusual diamond-shaped crown make it really stand out. Don’t sleep on Breguet.

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Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43

Speaking of pilot’s chronographs, the Breitling Navitimer isn’t just one of the world’s most well-known chronographs, it’s probably the world’s most famous pilot’s watch, too. Boasting a circular slide rule that allows pilots to perform on-the-fly flight calculations, the latest incarnation of Breitling’s iconic watch also features a subtly domed sapphire crystal and cool new dial colours in shades of blue, green and copper, such as the one above.

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OMEGA Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional

Finally, we end on a classic. No serious discussions about chronographs can be had without mentioning the OMEGA Speedmaster Moonwatch, which was the first watch on the moon and was an essential part of all six moon landings (and the inspiration for the most hyped watch in recent memory, the MoonSwatch).

Like those original Moonwatches, the OMEGA Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional maintains its deep roots in space exploration, featuring an all-white lacquered dial to reflect the white suits of NASA’s spacesuits when embarking on their daring spacewalks.

Under the hood, OMEGA features the in-house Co-Axial Master Chronometer 3861 movement: a contemporary update of the legendary Calibre 321 that was deployed by the first men on the moon almost 50 years ago.

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