I noticed when reading articles and watching videos about watches that people often say things like "let's face it, no one needs a chronograph".



While a chronograph is certainly not a necessity to most I find the function way too useful to be dismissed so easily. And I can't help but think that more people would feel that way if they ever got into the habit of using it. It strikes me as odd that very few people dive over 200 meters deep, are concerned about the moonphase or need the full Gregorian calender laid out on their dial. But for some reason when talking about the simple possibility to keep track of the amount of time that has passed, people often go out of their way to mention the relative uselessness of it all.



While my knowledge of the English language is probably not extensive enough to eloquently describe my appreciation for the chronograph complication in both form and function I still wish to express this:

To me, and I suspect others, the chronograph is the single most useful feature of my watch. It is also a complication that is beautiful in design and execution (from Valjoux 7750 to Länge's L951.6), has the (relatively) unique all important feature that it allows the wearer to directly interact with the movement, and has an impact on my life that other watch-features do not have.



For my work I time my presentations using the chronograph. When presenting a simple glance at my watch always gives me an idea of how much time I have left and whether I am keeping an ok pace (in practice, taking note of which exact minute you started and keeping track of how many have passed using just the minute hand seems fairly impossible under some circumstances). Unlike most of my colleagues who nervously have to ask the host "how much time they have left" as they quickly rush through their results I always feel like I have a lot of time and can go about my business calmly and thoughtfully.

I use a simple trick to achieve this: my chronograph.



But that is just the tip of the iceberg when you get used to actually using a chronograph. Tram leaves in 16 minutes. I want to go into a shop to get a new shirt for jogging. No problem. I press the pusher. As I am at the cashregister I notice I have 5 minutes left. Great. No need to run. The presentation analogy applies here as well: knowing how much time I have left allows me to go about my business a lot more calmly.

At work, I don't believe (at all) in making every minute count to be hyper productive. But there is a definite difference in what I consider my "core business" and all the administrative and organizational nonsense that distract me from achieving my goals. Timing and limiting the amount of time I spend on things that are non-essential has allowed me to do those things in less time and not spend a minute more than I have committed in advance.

Honestly I could go on for a while about the ways in which I use a "timer" that go beyond boiling an egg, but suffice it to say that I find it useful and truly believe others could benefit from it too.



The reason why I find it the most useful feature to have on the wrist is because I personally can often take a few seconds to find the current time and date. Meaning that it is useful to have on the wrist but could be read from some other source. The chronograph however, I often need to use discreetly and at specific moments meaning the direct accessibility and the fact that I only have to press down on the pusher is a big advantage over something like a phone (or even a dive bezel).



Anyway. Not sure why I made this topic. Out of love for the chronograph complication I guess. And because I wonder if anyone at all feels similar in any way about this or any other complication/feature. Maybe the view that a chronograph is relatively useless is true for some who perhaps lead a life where measuring things in minutes that have passed is rarely of any value. But I just find that hard to imagine.



Since so many people have shared their photos I'll do the same. Photo is blurry so not the best. But I like it nonetheless. The chrono as a secret weapon.