Reply With QuoteEl primero. First integrated chronograph movement.
Reading One of the Speedmaster threads made me think ;
Which is the most iconic Chronograph ?
The Speedmaster ?
The Monaco ?
The Daytona ?
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El primero. First integrated chronograph movement.
Navitimer 806.
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Depends. Speedy is/was The Moonwatch. Bragging rights stop there. Monaco - classic looks AND Steve McQueen. Daytona wasn't that popular but the Newman link has put it into legend then it became the sports watch for personalities (barrichello, goran-erikkson et al). But is it the watch or the chrono movt that makes it iconic?
Speedy for its moon connection, longeivity and distinctive design.
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Amongst WIS - I'd say the Speedy Prof.
Amongst the general public - probably G-Shock!
There is the Speedy Pro ... and there is the rest.
Gotta be the speedy. If the submariner defines the dive watch then the speedy must define the chronographs
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I always say this... Strela 3017 as worn by Leonov on his spacewalk.
Originally Posted by Bluehase284
Agreed, mostly because the people who wore them actually used them for their intended purpose. IMHO.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Good call on the Navitimer 806, but for me it’s the Navitimer A13322.
Has always been a Navitimer for me, 806 first choice. Never really "got" the Speedmaster, still don't.
From a movement design standpoint I would nominate the El Primero.
I think that the Seiko 6139 'Pogue' is worthy of an honourable mention.
First auto chrono and sold at an affordable price.
Introduced 50 years ago and there are rumours of a reissue this year to mark the occasion.
Tudor Heritage Black Bay chrono' ................only joking.
I would go for the Breitling 806, or Omega Speedy, as already mentioned. But a lot of WIS's would say Daytona.
I personally like the Breguet Type XX Aeronaval, it's an 'Iconic' chronograph for me.
I'd say the Speedy - the accessibility price wise for so many years compared to the others cannot be ignored. Still think its butt ugly....
Could'nt agree more, with the 806 a close second.
Speedy or Navitimer? I can't decide, but I like the Breitling more.
Not sure there has to be one iconic chrono, both meet the criteria for me.
Cosmonaute beat the Speedy into space if it matters :)
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
In my opinion speedy
DaytonaC is also iconic in a sense you don’t see them around except on grey market dealers display....
And if it hadn’t leaked like a sieve on splashdown may have gone to the moon and still be NASA certified. But it did and it isn’t.
That aside a 1960s 806 or 809 is a wonderful thing. The Rolex doesn’t come close.
The Speedy. The most iconic watch period.
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In the scheme of things replacing 3 watches every mission wouldn't register :)
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
A very good point I hadn’t considered previously. The water was at the end not the start of the mission. It would have been cheaper to buy a bucket of 809s and replace when necessary them rather than spend countless dollars running tests on 6 candidate watches!
Iconic can mean different things to different people but part of it is being instantly recognizable, particularly when applied to a brand or a product. Some of the aforementioned while being horological landmarks are not 'iconic'. I think amongst mechanical watches the honor could go to Speedmaster or Daytona. It doesn't imply they are better watches than the rest.
Seiko Giugiaro Ripley
As a watch the Speedmaster Pro imo but I think the El Primero is probably the best chrono movement.
I would say Speedmaster pro for its achievements but a worthy mention of the Lemania 5100, great chrono movement that has graced some beautiful watches..
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Last edited by murkeywaters; 5th April 2019 at 08:42.
The obvious candidates must be the Speedy Pro and Daytona. But you could easily argue for the great range of Zenith El Primero chronos , from 1969 onward.
I agree that the Speedmaster hits the threshold to be thought of as iconic. For some reason I’ve never quite taken to it having bought, owned and then sold three.
Hanhart as an example of a muted cultural icon? Steve McQueen.
Personal choices are Lemania RAF/RN and Heuer Carrera 2447 in its various guises.
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I think the Zenith El Primero deserves the 1st place in the podium. The Seiko 6139 was the first chronograph and on top of that it was sold at an accessible price point because of that I think it deserves the 2nd place.
I'm surprised (and then not) that people list the Daytona.
OK, it might be a lusted after watch now, but when originally released it was playing catch up and, if I recall, not really very popular.
Rappers might love them now (and Rolex have purchased the motorsport association), but I think they're still a way behind in the 'iconic' stakes to the Speedmaster and the Navitimer, personally.
The Sub is absolutely THE iconic diver's watch (even if you can argue over the 'original'), but I think the Daytona is 2nd division.
M
Moonwatch gets my vote... But for the WIS I would nominate the Seiko 7A28, the world's first quartz chronograph.
For me is the Speedmaster man on the f'ing moon.
The 1964 Heuer Carrera for me.
Speedy!
Rolex has the definitive diver, no question. But Omega has the definitive chrono.
For the everyday Joe it's probably the speedmaster, as it's had a huge amount of std and LE versions over the years so most recognisable but for the enthusiasts it's gotta be the Zenith Daytona
MOTFM
60’s Heuer Carrera’s a good shout but it’s the 806 for me.
Speedy is the top off the list based on the space connection but the tag heuer Monaco comes in second for me as a iconic watch
Not really getting the parity here.
Speedie - on every Apollo astronaut's wrist, went to the moon, timed the crucial burn on Apollo 13's miraculous return to earth.
Monaco - worn by an actor for a film (and famously at no other time by the same actor).
Daytona - given away as race prizes, worn by another actor.
If we are setting the comparative bar this low, then we need to include some other more deserving chronographs
Heuer Bund
Most of the 1970s Heuers worn by the real race drivers, not McQueen playing one
Lemania HS9
Zeniths original El Primero range, or the A386.
Porsche Design black PVD
Zenith Cairelli
Seiko Pogue
Navitimer (806 is the iconic version)
The list goes on
It seems to me that either Speedie wins hands down or we need some more candidates.
Dave
I would have to say the ‘Speedmaster’.
Used for timing on moon-missions, would appear to elevate it above any other watch’s timing usage.
I’m sure the Daytona was used (unofficially) for timing formula 1 laps in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s - but not quite as ‘iconic’
Zenith A386 el primero
its a cool watch now, I love mine, it must have been really groundbreaking in 1969
Breguet type xx
Opposite end of the spectrum to some of the watches already mentioned here, but I always liked the Seagull '63 Chinese Air Force reissue, and the original it was based on.
And no mention of Seiko's 7A28 British forces chrono from the 80'S?
I think the most recognised chronograph worldwide must be the Casio F91W.
Still think G-shocks win on the digital chronograph front.
The bar set by people in relation to the term iconic(use the dictionary) on a watch forum isn't really a bar. Watch people or WIS have a broader range than those of non-watch caliber so I believe we have a lot more choices in the selection process. Here are a couple this doesn't even hit all the choices:
To which I would add the Seiko 0634-5019... the first Quartz digital chronograph.
Oh! That used to be a grail of mine. Valjoux 72 with the asymmetric pushers. What a looker. It is the watch behind the Bulova Lunar chrono. The paddle-pushers of the Bulova was a way to disguise the asymmetricity of the pushers of the Valjoux 72. To me it is prettier than the Rolly Cosmograph....
It's even prettier than the Speedy...
'69 Speedmaster c.861 Vs. UG Space-Compax v.72
http://chronomaddox.com/competitors/...ce-compax.html
Last edited by abraxas; 5th April 2019 at 23:54.
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