It’s no secret vintage inspired watches are everywhere. Name just about any brand and it’s likely they have at least one vintage looking timekeeper in their stable. Some watchmakers choose to stick very closely to throwback aesthetics, while others merely capture a few details.
So, what’s driving the trend? It could be that vintage, to varying degrees, is always in. Folks like to wax on about how “they don’t make ‘em like they used to.” It could also be a way to honor the time when mechanical watches were necessary. This is especially true with racing chronographs. Before the days of high accuracy quartz watches and stopwatches, auto racing relied on well-made, accurate, and precise mechanical chronographs. It’s not that modern chronographs can’t, or shouldn’t, take on contemporary design, but given the real life utility of the chronographs of yesteryear, some might feel, “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.”
As it goes with any type of watch, some do it better than others. Today, I think we have three winners in the vintage-styled racing chronographs, so let’s see how they stack up.
Hamilton Pan Europ
Hamilton Pan Europ ($1825)
1971, the same year they joined the Swatch Group, Hamilton released a sporty chronograph by the name of Pan Europ, powered by the famous Chrono-Matic movement. Marking its 40th anniversary, Hamilton chose to release an updated Pan Europ, filling a vintage niche that Hamilton has had success in.
Aesthetically, the new and old Pan Europs are unmistakably similar. The 60-minute rotating bezel, inner tachymeter ring, 6:00 date function, and horizontal, bi-compax layout have all been retained. However, Hamilton opted for a modified ETA 7753, dubbed the caliber H-31, which is exclusive to them. The other major change was with the case size. While the original Pan Europ was likely viewed as oversized for its time, it looks modest in the shadow of the updated 45-millimeter case.
Stats:
Case Size: 45-millimeters in diameter, 14.5-millimeters in thickness
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Movement: Hamilton exclusive caliber H-31; self-winding, cam-actuated chronograph; 60-hour power reserve; 27 jewels; 28,800 bph
Strap/Bracelet: Leather strap
Assessment: With an oversized cushion case, and a colorful dial with contrasting subdials, the Pan Europ captures the ‘70s sport watch perfectly. And not to be stuck too far in the past, we love that they went with their caliber H-31, as the 60-hour power reserve is a great addition. Our only critique would be on how oversized the case is. 45-millimeters is a bit too much for our taste, but the case shape should minimize the wrist presence some. Hamilton is always one of the best values out of Switzerland, and at less than $2,000, the Pan Europ is no exception.
Oris Chronoris
Oris Chronoris ($3,250)
Oris seems to be one of those brands that quietly puts together some great watches. They’ve been around for a long time, but they don’t get a ton of recognition. Recently, they have been pushing the technology side with both a mechanical altimeter and depth gauge built into a new pilot and dive watch, respectively. Their other big news was the announcement of their first in-house movement since 1981.
Here we have the Chronoris – another fine looking watch for Oris, and a modern take on an old reference. A conservatively sized 40-millimeter cushion case is an increase from the original by about 3-millimeters, which is the sweet spot for today’s sport watches, and the lone subdial counting off minutes at the 12:00 position is also a nice addition – the old Chronoris came without a minute counter. With orange accents and a nice black rally strap, the Chronoris fits the vintage race chronograph to a “T”.
Stats:
Case Size: 40-millimeters in diameter, 14.5-millimeters in thickness
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Movement: ETA 7750; self-winding, cam-actuated chronograph; 42-hour power reserve; 25 jewels; 28,800 bph
Strap/Bracelet: Leather strap, stainless steel bracelet, or rubber strap
Assessment: The Chronoris is a seriously handsome sport watch. Aside from maybe a bit-too-girthy case, Oris really hit the mark here. Functionally, it will do it’s timing job well, but the lack of a running seconds hand leaves something to be desired, even if it was kept out to stay true to the original. We would have liked to have seen a running seconds subdial at the 9:00 that was ghosted out and blended into the dial, if only to provide the peace of mind of knowing your watch is functioning properly. All-in-all, this is an excellent value at just over $3,000 (it should never cost you this much at a retailer), and one we wouldn’t hesitate to put on our wrists.
- Longines Heritage 1973
Longines Heritage 1973 ($3,250)
Making our way through this Face Off has us realizing how much of a roll all three of these brands have been on – not the least of which is Longines. They’ve really been pushing the vintage re-editions, from the classy Conquest Heritage, to the sporty Heritage 1973. Featuring their column-wheel chronograph movement, the Heritage 1973 nails the looks of its predecessor dead to rights. And for the vintage Heuer fans, this could also be the Tag Heuer Camaro that wasn’t (we all know how you’ve been impatiently awaiting its comeback).
Out of the three, the Heritage 1973 lands more on the dressy end of the spectrum, betrayed only by the tachymeter ring. The clean panda dial instantly pulls at memories of Singer dials found on Carreras and Daytonas of the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s – not a bad look to mimic. Like the others, Longines could send the Heritage 1973 back a few decades, and it would look right at home.
Stats:
Case Size: 40-millimeters in diameter, 13-millimeters (?) in thickness
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Movement: L688; self-winding, column wheel chronograph; 54-hour power reserve; 27 jewels; 28,800 bph
Strap/Bracelet: Alligator strap
Assessment: Sometimes playing the vintage market can be a bit nerve-wracking; you never know when you might end up with a lemon. This leads to probably the best result of the recent re-edition trend: you get a vintage-styled watch without the vintage baggage. With how closely Longines stayed to the original design, many folks might mistake it for an old watch. Our ONLY complaint here is the date function – it really felt unnecessary here. Drop the date and this watch is perfect.
Conclusion: Boy, this is a pretty tight race. What the Pan Europ added in case bulk, it lost in vintage feel; so, in this heated competition, a single mess up will hold you back from the pack. Along the same lines, the added date function really spoils an otherwise fantastic watch. As a daily wearer, I would still choose it over the Oris, but this is purely due to the flashy orange accents on the Chronoris. Otherwise, from a concept standpoint, Oris takes the cake. However, depending on your tastes, you can’t go wrong with any of them.
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