Time Trials: 10 Men’s Watches to Track the Race

Chronographs and motorsports go together like podiums and champagne. These ten watches for men are the top contenders for first place on your wrist.

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional 

Purists favour Speedies modelled after the ones worn by Apollo astronauts, which had black dials with white markings — widely considered the best combination for legibility. This one, however, offers all the authenticity of the original Moonwatch design, with a more modern look thanks to a set of bright white subdials. ($13,600)

Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph

If your summer plans include a road trip to ogle the meticulously buffed sheet metal of a concours d’élégance, this motoring-inspired chronograph is for you. Named in honour of the eponymous Italian road race from Brescia to Rome and back — of which Chopard is a longtime backer — it’s a vintage motorsport accessory on par with a pair of mesh-back driving gloves. ($17,000)

Bvlgari Aluminium Bronzo Chronograph

While not as famous as the brand’s Octo, Bvlgari’s aluminium-cased chronograph is no less distinctive thanks to its integrated bracelet and signature Bvlgari-branded bezel. Originally made in aluminum (hence the name), this new execution proves it looks just as fetching in bronze. ($8,350)

Breitling Top Time B01 Ford Thunderbird

Like a well-preserved classic car, a motorsports chronograph should feel at least a little fun on the wrist, even if it’s not your daily driver. That’s the idea behind this edition of the Top Time, dedicated to one of the most legendary sports cars of the 1950s, right down to the perforated red leather strap. ($9,550) 

Panerai Luminor Chrono

This watch’s earliest antecedents were designed for Italian Navy divers, but since Panerai’s rebirth in the early 1990s, the Luminor has evolved into a wide range of variants, including a chronograph. As its alligator leather strap suggests — and despite its 100 m water resistance — this one is built for life on dry land. ($14,100)

Montblanc Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph

This piece’s unusual dial layout is inspired by a chronograph produced by its namesake, the clockmaker to King Louis XVIII, in 1821. It also pays homage to Rieussec’s hometown of Paris in its subtler details, like the Clous de Paris-style engraving that evokes its cobblestone streets and a map of the city printed on the inside of its leather strap. ($11,900)

Citizen Endeavor Chrono

There aren’t many ways to improve upon the tri-compax chronograph archetype, but Citizen has managed to do so with the Endeavor. That’s because it’s one of the many pieces in the brand’s lineup featuring Eco-Drive, a durable, practical, and highly accurate quartz movement that’s powered by any light. ($895)

Tudor Black Bay Chrono 

Chronographs are an exercise in functional design, and few watches demonstrate this better than the Black Bay Chrono. With its 41 mm case, screw-down pushers, a manufacture-calibre automatic movement, and a clean mid-century “reverse panda” dial, it would be a challenge to add anything to this Black Bay to improve it. ($8,720)

Longines Conquest Chronograph

After nearly 200 years in business, Longines has produced many watches. None, however, are quite as lauded as the brand’s chronographs — particularly those powered by the historic 13ZN movement of the 1940s and 1950s. The Conquest is a spiritual successor to those classics, with a traditional dial layout and a workhorse Swiss movement. ($4,800)