52
WATCH YOUR TIME |
SPORT
These brands, among others, represent the most
powerful expressions of the watch-car connection, in
image, marketing, product design, trends, and busi-
ness terms alike. But beyond these facts, what’s truly
worth considering is how deeply the worlds of horol-
ogy and automotive culture intertwine at a funda-
mental level, in their principles and language. Both
explore mechanics, performance, design, materials,
ergonomics, functionality and symbolic value. Both
demand emotional and often financial investment.
Interestingly, it’s not just any watch that benefits from
this relationship, it’s chronographs in particular that
carry it forward with authenticity and strength. They
have shared the journey with car racing since the
beginning.
By definition, chronographs go beyond simple time
display. Their central seconds hand tracks elapsed
time independently, while auxiliary counters – typ-
ically recording up to 30 minutes and 12 hours –
capture short durations. Even in today’s digital age,
mechanical chronographs are favoured by enthusi-
asts. But until the 1970s, they were also used by pro-
fessionals, as automotive speed and horological preci-
sion evolved in parallel. Through intense innovation,
watchmakers managed to divide seconds into ever
finer increments – beyond tenths, all the way to hun-
dredths and even thousandths – displayed through
mechanical means.
And if this historical and technical overlap isn’t
proof enough that cars and watches speak the same
language, consider the aesthetic parallels. A chron-
ograph often resembles a car’s dashboard – as in the
Eberhard & Co. Chrono4, with its horizontal counters
– and, more simply, it’s rare to see a man behind the
wheel of a fine car without a beautiful watch on his
wrist, usually a chronograph, the most “mechanical”
of all traditional timepieces. ■
1. GRAND SEIKO Tokyo Lion Tentagraph SLGC009. The
sporty 43 mm Tokyo Lion returns: crafted from Brilliant Hard
Titanium with a dial inspired by the lion’s mane and a match-
ing coloured rubber strap, it houses the Tentagraph calibre
9SC5, visible through the case back.
2. H. MOSER & CIE. X ALPINE MOTORSPORTS Streamliner
Alpine Mechanics Edition. Presented as part of a pair with
a mechanical chronograph to mark the Spanish Grand Prix,
this connected watch is 42.6 mm in diameter and, the first of
its kind, was conceived in response to the specific needs of an
F1 team. Limited edition of 200.
3. ALPINA Alpiner Extreme Automatic Titanium. Alpina’s
first all-titanium watch is a 39 x 40.5 mm Alpiner Extreme,
water-resistant to 200 metres and powered by an automatic
movement. Its signature dial, embossed with triangles evok-
ing alpine peaks, adopts a light grey colour in harmony with
the titanium.
4. RADO Captain Cook HTC Chronograph. The 43 mm Cap-
tain Cook in high-tech ceramic is offered in two chronograph
versions, notably a black combination highlighted with touches
of rose gold. The automatic R801 calibre is revealed through
the case back, water-resistant to 300 metres.
BLANCPAIN Fifty Fathoms Automatic 42 MM
A continuation of the 70th Anniversary model, this Fifty Fath-
oms features a polished steel case, a domed sapphire bezel
insert, a sunburst texture black dial and large luminous Ara-
bic numerals and markers, all designed to catch the light with
finesse. It’s powered by the well-proven calibre 1315 and comes
fitted with either a steel bracelet or a Tropic-style rubber strap.
Master of the Deep
In 2023, the 42 mm steel Fifty Fathoms its 70th
Anniversary is marked with three limited editions
of 70 pieces each, one for each major region of the
world. The 2024 collection introduced titanium and
red gold versions, paving the way for this year’s steel
model. Closely echoing the 1953 original, the new
watch reprises the key details in terms of the metal,
diameter and, crucially, the pioneering dive-watch
specifications that defined the category.
The key differences lie in the material and tech-
nology refinements integrated into the design since
the model’s revival in 2003. While it still bears a
name that resonates with connoisseurs, today’s Fifty
Fathoms is no longer water-resistant to “fifty fath-
oms”, or 91.5 metres but to 300 metres. Similarly,
the bakelite bezel, which required substantial force
rotate, has been replaced with a unidirectional bezel
made with scratch-resistant sapphire. The automatic
movement, dating from 2007, features a silicon bal-
ance spring, that does away with the need for the
soft-iron inner case of earlier models that was needed
shielded it from magnetic fields and also allowed
for a sapphire crystal caseback, a feature Blancpain
introduced in 2023. These upgrades are all present
in the 2025 steel Fifty Fathoms but with the addition
of an especially alluring, ‘glossy’ aesthetic. ■ MLB