A chronograph is a watch with a stopwatch built in. On most chronographs, you press the top pusher to start timing, press it again to stop, and press the bottom pusher to send the hands back to zero. The big center hand counts the seconds, and a small subdial counts the minutes.
What is a chronograph watch?
It is a normal watch plus a separate timing function you can start and stop whenever you want. The timing function has its own hands, and when you are not using it, they sit parked at zero.
That is why a lot of first-time owners ask the same question: "Why isn't my second hand moving?" On most chronographs, the long center hand is the stopwatch seconds hand. It stays at 12 until you start it. The watch's everyday seconds live in one of the small subdials instead.
Which pusher does what?
Most chronographs have two pushers on the right side of the case, one above the crown and one below it. The usual layout is:
- Start: press the top pusher. The center chronograph hand starts moving.
- Stop: press the top pusher again. The hands freeze so you can read the time.
- Continue: press the top pusher once more and timing picks up where it left off. This is handy when you want to pause, then keep adding time.
- Reset: with the chronograph stopped, press the bottom pusher. All the chronograph hands return to zero.
Get in the habit of stopping before you reset. It is the standard order on nearly every chronograph, and it keeps you from losing a reading by accident.
How do you read the subdials?
Chronographs usually have two or three small dials. Each one has a single job. The common ones are:
- Running seconds: the watch's normal seconds hand. It always moves, whether or not the chronograph is running. If it is moving, the watch is running.
- Chronograph minutes: adds one minute every time the center hand completes a full lap.
- 24-hour: turns once a day with the main time, so you can tell day from night at a glance. It is useful after a long flight or when you set the watch and need to know whether it is AM or PM.
How do you read an elapsed time?
Read the minutes first, then the seconds. Say the minute counter is just past 7 and the center hand is on 25. Your elapsed time is 7 minutes and 25 seconds.
What can you actually time with a chronograph?
- A parking meter
- Pasta, eggs, or tea steeping
- A run, an interval set, or rest between gym sets
- A presentation or a speech you need to keep short
It is faster than unlocking a phone.
Does a mecaquartz chronograph work differently?
The buttons work the same. The feel is different. Many quartz chronographs tick the center hand once per second, and on reset the hands can wind back to zero one at a time. A mecaquartz chronograph keeps quartz timekeeping for the time of day but uses a mechanical module for the stopwatch. The result: the center hand sweeps smoothly, and when you press reset it snaps back to zero instantly. If you want the full explanation, I wrote one here: What is a mecaquartz chronograph?
Common chronograph mistakes
- Leaving it running all day. On any battery-powered chronograph, running the stopwatch nonstop uses more power. Start it, use it, stop it, reset it.
- Pressing pushers underwater. Most water resistance ratings assume you leave the pushers alone in the water. Use the chronograph on dry land.
- Thinking the watch stopped. If the center hand isn't moving, check the running seconds subdial first. That is your real seconds hand.
How Season No. 2 fits
Season No. 2 is the chronograph I designed for people who will actually use the stopwatch. It runs on the Seiko VK63 mecaquartz movement, so you get quartz accuracy with no winding, plus the sweep and instant snap-back on reset. The three subdials are running seconds, chronograph minutes, and 24-hour. The running seconds subdial carries the Season daisy, so you always know where to look.
The case is 39mm wide and 11.8mm thick, with 10 ATM (100m) water resistance and a 316L stainless steel bracelet. It is $199 and comes in three colors: Trinity, with a black dial and three subdials in three colors; Silver Snow; and Midnight Gold. Each color is limited to 100 pieces with a numbered caseback, and none will be restocked. You can see all three in the Season No. 2 collection, or compare options in the best chronograph watches under $200.
Quick answers
Which pusher starts a chronograph?
On most chronographs, the top pusher starts and stops the timer, and the bottom pusher resets it to zero.
Why doesn't the big second hand move on my chronograph?
The center hand is usually the stopwatch hand and stays at zero until you start it. The everyday seconds run in a small subdial.
Does using the chronograph drain the battery?
Running it constantly uses more power on any quartz or mecaquartz chronograph. Normal start, stop and reset use is fine.
Not sure which pusher does what on your watch? Email me at journeyabouttime@gmail.com and I'll walk you through it. — Sam