Chronographs are the good-looking athletes of the watch world, offering a blend of style with features that allow the wearer to time any event with precision. Recently a wealth of these watches has appeared on the market, including single-pusher chronographs, multipushers, and dual- or triple-subdial indication chronographs, among others. The versatile timepieces are built for performance and aesthetic appeal—appropriate for both weekend-casual sport outings and the boardroom.

Swiss watchmaker Nicolas Rieussec invented the chronograph in 1821—the first one featured a clock with a small engraving pen that recorded elapsed time using ink. Since this first model’s unveiling, the progression of chronographs moved swiftly, so that by the first decade of the 20th century, watchmakers had perfected the mechanism to an incredible degree. Today’s chronographs can often be combined with other watch functions, including pulsometers, which medical doctors use to measure pulse, and tachymeters, which measure speed.