Chronographs

Maybe it’s the engineer in me, but I decided from the start that I wanted my new watch to be a chronograph. I don’t actually have that many occasions when I need to time something, but it does happen. Plus I like the extra buttons and dials on the watch.

One of the first things I discovered when I was checking out the chronograph offerings from various companies is that almost all of them use the same movement: the Valjoux 7750. There are of course several other movements out there, including what is probably the second-most common, the ETA 2892-2. Both the 7750 and the 2892 are currently sold by ETA, and are considered reliable, accurate movements. The 7750 can usually be identified by the placement of the subdials at the 12 o’clock, 9 o’clock, and 6 o’clock positions. The 2892 movement puts the subdials at 9 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 3 o’clock. That said, there are apparently some versions of 7750 that move the subdials, so this isn’t a completely reliable indicator. Another aspect of the 7750 that seems to often surprise new watch owners is that the large second hand is only used for the chronograph function: the normal sweep seconds for time keeping is on a subdial.

Many watch companies that use these ETA movements “modify” them in-house. These modifications can be as minor as some polishing and aesthetic improvements for display casebacks, or complete replacement of many movement components. IWC, one of my current leading contenders for My Next Watch, claims to do such extensive modifications that the result is a movement that almost qualifies as being in-house.