Chronographs are among the most popular styles of men's wristwatches. Many watch enthusiasts appreciate their sporty look and the fact that they not only show the time and date but can also double as stopwatches. Naturally, this calls for more sophisticated technical solutions than a simple three-hand watch, which is reflected in correspondingly higher prices. Still, if you'd like to wear one of these sporty "stopwatches" on your wrist, you don't have to spend a fortune, because several renowned luxury watch brands offer suitable models for under 2,000 euros. Here we present some of the most beautiful examples in this category to the readers of our magazine.
Hanhart: the red pusher makes the difference
One of the luxury watch brands offering several chronograph models for less than €2,000 is the German-Swiss brand Hanhart. The company, which specialized early on in making chronographs and stopwatches, was founded in 1882 by Johann Adolf Hanhart in the Swiss canton of Thurgau, but just twenty years later it relocated to Schwenningen in the Black Forest. The reason for the move to Germany was a shortage of watchmakers where the company had been founded. Today, the company is headquartered in Gütenbach in the Schwarzwald-Baar district.
Hanhart's chronographs under €2,000 include the Pioneer Mk I, Pioneer Mk II and Pioneer TachyTele. The Pioneer Mk I is especially popular with nostalgic watch fans, as it is a faithful reissue of the Caliber 40 model. This was Hanhart's first monopusher chronograph and was developed in 1938.
The following year, it was issued to members of the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine, who valued the watches for their high accuracy and reliability during the Second World War. Around 1940, production began on the two-pusher model known as Caliber 41, and in the years that followed, pilot's watches became one of the company's core products.
The Pioneer Mk I and Pioneer Mk II, as well as the Pioneer TachyTele, are instantly recognizable thanks to their fluted rotating bezel with its red marker and the distinctive red pusher. Each is available with a black or white dial and is worn on a leather strap or stainless steel bracelet.
Plenty of performance at truly moderate prices: sporty chronographs from Certina
Certina has made a name for itself not only with its Double Security ("DS") concept, now proven for almost six decades, but also with outstanding value for money. Some of this manufacturer's Swiss quality watches can be had for less than 500 euros, and in the under-€2,000 price range you'll find several Certina "stopwatches" that deliver remarkable quality and performance for the price.
Certina's Quartz DS First Ceramic Chronograph, for instance, combines the high precision of a quartz watch and sporty chronograph styling with the distinctive aesthetic of a ceramic bezel. The Quartz DS Podium GMT, on the other hand, lets its wearer not only time events but also display the time in a second time zone.
With the Automatic DS Podium Square Chronograph and the Automatic DS Podium Valgranges, Certina's collections also include two models whose looks recall the racing chronographs of the 1960s and early 1970s and which are powered by automatic movements – in either a square or round case. Both models nonetheless stay well below the €2,000 mark, as do Certina's remarkable Action Diver Automatic dive chronograph and its quartz-powered sister models in the DS Action series, which run on high-precision Precidrive calibers.
Junghans Chronoscope – chronographs with retro charm
For watch fans with a soft spot for early-1970s design, Junghans offers two gorgeous watches in its Chronoscope models from the 1972 collection. On the quartz versions, the two larger subdials sit on either side of the dial center at 3 and 9 o'clock, while on the Solar versions they are stacked vertically at 12 and 6 o'clock.
The version with orange dial accents is a particularly striking eye-catcher. If you prefer a less sporty look, the Junghans Meister Chronoscope is a perfectly dress-watch-worthy alternative, fitted with a mechanical self-winding movement.
In terms of design, this watch draws on classic men's wristwatches of the 1950s and 1960s, yet here too the case conceals state-of-the-art watchmaking technology that is anything but nostalgic.
Chronographs under €2,000 from Longines and TAG Heuer
Longines and Tag Heuer are two renowned Swiss luxury watch brands covering a relatively wide price spectrum, from the three-figure range up to the mid-four figures. They, too, offer several chronographs that deliver reliable performance and high Swiss brand prestige for less than €2,000.
At Longines, these include, for example, the classically styled Conquest Heritage Chronograph with automatic movement, as well as the chronograph versions of the sporty Conquest Gents with quartz movement and of the automatic HydroConquest dive watch.
Fans of TAG Heuer likewise don't have to spend more than €2,000 on a chronograph from the brand if they opt, for example, for a piece from the Formula 1 Quartz series or a quartz dive chronograph from the Aquaracer line.
The latter is water-resistant to 30 bar, or 300 meters, easily meeting the demands of professional and recreational divers.
Visually, these Formula 1 and Aquaracer models differ in only a few details from their mechanical sister models, which are priced considerably higher and are also available in gold or two-tone versions.
