Guide for Christmas Buying – chronographs of 2016

Of course, only a very few will use them as it should be but who cares, chronographs are cool, complicated and this year, brands introduced to us really great ones. This is why you’ll see our top 7 chronographs of 2015 (and not Top 5)… After presenting you our top 5 dress replica watches of 2015 and our Top 5 accessible watches of 2015, it is time now to look at certainly one of the most significant categories of them all, simply due to that most of us love the chronographs. Though choices, great results (and again, no consideration of price here, but just of beauty and sex-appeal).
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award
As you may know, the latest is the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award, that features a white dial and some cool references to what happened during this mission. The Omega Speedmaster Professional is a watch which needs no introduction. Born in the 1950s, almost unchanged since 50 years, a watch that has been worn on the moon, that is one of the all time best deals possible… Both the case and the dial are superb, elegant and extremely balanced. The details are great – and the original feel of the Speedmaster remains untouched: identical 42mm case, identical movement, identical feeling on the wrist. The perfect Speedmaster for those who don’t want the identical all the others. Limited to 1970 pieces, probably almost sold out. Price: 5,800 Euros. Nothing wrong but nothing great either. It will simply do the job).
TAG Heuer replica
replica TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 18 Chronograph Telemeter
Whatever, the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 18 Chronograph Telemeter is nice and feels terribly cool on the wrist… isn’t it what we want from a TAG Heuer? Certainly yes. See the details here. Price: 4,900 Euros. Here is certainly one of the coolest watches that TAG Heuer introduced in a long time (together with the brand new Monaco Calibre 11). It seems that the brand found the right recipe here: a bombe dial with panda layout (and a nice warmish silver color), a classical feeling, the right proportions, a 39mm case… Not the most innovative movement but still a superb piece of engine. And it’s enough to make us fall in love – visually mainly, as the mechanical side is not very exciting (a Sellita base movement with chronograph module by Dubois-Depraz. Details in our hands-on article here.

Patek Philippe replica Ref. 5370 Split seconds chronograph
At the Baselworld of this year, Patek Philippe introduced what could be their most faithful watch fake, a watch that symbolizes so well the spirit of the manufacture. If Patek Philippe had to be summed up in a single replica watch, what should it be? A 3-hand Calatrava, a Nautilus, a Minute Repeater with Tourbillon and Perpetual Calendar…? Of course not, it has to be with a rattrapante chronograph, something that both collectors reward during auctions however also look for in the real collection. The Patek Philippe Ref. 5370 Split seconds chronograph has a crazy movement, a platinum case, Breguet numerals, an enamel dial… No doubt everything is pure Haute Horlogerie and refinement.
TAG Heuer
Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 Chronograph
In the 1950s, the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 re-introduces a fantastic design used in a very collectible watch made by the old maison, recognizable from these specific ‘cow horns’ lugs. This is a watch that we immediately spotted as a winner, no doubt the nicest introduction of the year for Vacheron Constantin (except the Ref. 57260, but this one lives on another planet). It is an icon, but an icon that mostly comes in black. Except for certain limited editions, and the “Speedy” has a lot of them. Inside ticks the old manually wound calibre 1142, based on a Lemania Ebauche. All the ingredients of a great design are here. Price: 74,400 Euros. Details in our article here.