Cover Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph
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One of the biggest trends in watchmaking this year is the concealed chronograph, transcending its traditional appearance and toying with certainty
How do you recognise a chronograph? It used to be easy. There were pushers and counters. Its appearance is coded and apparently set in stone, but a flood of new products in 2023 is ushering in a new type of chronograph: one that doesn’t look like a chronograph. While there are always clues betraying such dissimulations if you look closely enough, they are increasingly subtle, and spotting them requires a kind of mental gymnastics that plays on and challenges our cognitive biases.
Abracadabra
With one, two or even three pushers for split-seconds versions, chronographs can be identified by these protrusions along their flank, on either side of the crown. The new version of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph takes advantage of its flippable nature to deceive a casual observer: when viewed from the front with its solid, smooth dial showing, the two pushers seem to serve no purpose, but turning it over reveals a skeletonised chronograph face bearing inverted pushers. Montblanc’s Unveiled Timekeeper, meanwhile, has simply solved the problem at the root: the chronograph has no pushers, hidden or otherwise; it is activated by the bezel.
Above Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph
Above Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph
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Above Montblanc 1858 The Unveiled Timekeeper Minerva 100
Montblanc 1858 The Unveiled Timekeeper Minerva 100
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Pushers or none?
If you wear an H08 Chronograph by Hermès, the only element that will protrude from your shirt sleeve is the crown. Although there is nothing apparently unusual about the latter, it contains the pusher that controls its chronograph—which is identifiable by its two counters. While this co-axial arrangement is not new, Hermès has taken it to a new level of concealment.
Above Hermès H08 Chronograph
Hermès H08 Chronograph
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A Lange & Söhne has also reached a peak in this respect. The original Odysseus model without a chronograph featured a case with two small protrusions somewhat like crown guards whose purpose was not clear. Perhaps the answer was that the brand had anticipated the creation of the chronograph version, because the same two very subtle protrusions are still there and now each contains a pusher.
Above A Lange & Söhne Odysseus Chronograph
A Lange & Söhne Odysseus Chronograph
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Counter error
Traditionally, chronograph watches have two sub-dials to indicate minutes and hours of elapsed time. These counters are often positioned at different locations on the watch face: at three, four, six, eight, nine or 12 o’clock. Each arrangement has its advantages.
However, sometimes a chronograph has only one small dial present. This single counter could be interpreted as either minutes or small seconds of elapsed time. It may be hard to tell which measurement the counter depicts due to its similar 60-unit graduation scale.
Above De Bethune DB Eight
De Bethune DB Eight
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There are two possibilities in this case. First, the single counter could actually indicate small seconds, with two overlapping hands showing all chronograph measurements. This is the case with the Odysseus Chronograph.
Alternatively, as with the De Bethune DB Eight, a face appears to have a small seconds indicator hand at six o’clock, but upon closer inspection, the counter actually tracks elapsed minutes. The push-button crown is discrete and blends into the watch case, so you have to press it to realise it starts and stops the chronograph. That is the magic of high watchmaking: it is all about the innovative use of space and of course, sleight of hand.
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