The seemingly long-forgotten monopusher chronographs are making a comeback. We're here to find out why.
Chronographs controlled by pressing one pusher to sequentially "start – stop – reset" began to disappear in 1934, when the company Breitling patented the second independent chronograph pusher at 4 o'clock.
The pusher was responsible for resetting the readings on the chronograph counters back to zero and took some of the pressure off the gear mechanism for the one-and-only pusher, which extended its ability to function to a certain extent.
The earliest models proudly bore the name "two-pushers" or "deux poussoirs". The second pusher gave watches a more complex bells-and-whistles look, a perfect reflection of the zeitgeist in a period of revolutionary technological innovation.
They became so popular that plain-old chronographs were already being called single-pushers before the beginning of World War Two, i.e., the traditional chronograph required a separate classification.
Monopushers have survived to this day for the same reason tourbillons, perpetual calendars, minute repeaters and mechanical watches in general have survived: their high status and grand tradition, which should never be forgotten.
Which watchmakers have attracted attention for releasing these models in recent times?
Montblanc 1858 Minerva Monopusher Chronograph Red Arrow
It's safe to say Montblanc was the agitator behind the rebirth of classic monopusher chronographs. The long-established original Minerva ateliers were integrated into Montblanc in 2006, yet the new arrivals at Montblanc Villeret pointedly resisted changing their time-honoured techniques, who do almost everything by hand from crafting the movement's components to coiling balance springs.
Many Minerva movements were also integrated into production at Montblanc, including the beautiful 13, 18 and 19 chronograph calibers. This year's novelty is the Montblanc 1858 Minerva Monopusher Chronograph Red Arrow Limited Edition with a manually wound Minerva MB M13.21 movement based on good old cal. 13.20.
The model pays homage to a watch from 1927. The chronograph's fluted bezel can be rotated to align the red arrow with the tip of the chronograph's seconds hand and start tracking elapsed time for a new event.
A telemeter runs around the periphery of the dial with a tachymeter in the center of the dial in a "colimaçon" snail shape, which allows you to measure travel speed within a range of 20-400 km/h.
The 42 mm case is interesting in that the capsule is made of steel while the bezel is in white gold. The model is limited to 88 pieces, each priced at USD 29,500.
Patek Philippe Grande Complication 1/10th of a Second Monopusher Chronograph Ref. 5470P-001
This watch combines several significant debuts in one go. For example, the first 1/10th second hand made of Silinvar (silicon with a silicon oxide coating). Apart from that, a high-frequency movement with a 5 Hz rate of vibration (36,000 vph) has been used for the first time in Patek Phillipe's history, which makes it possible to take tenths-of-a-second short-time measurements.
The additional gear train of the tenth-of-a-second mechanism is attached to the chronograph base mechanism for the center seconds counter and instantaneous jumping minute counter, so you could say Ref. 5470P has been modeled on a split-seconds chronograph.
The latest manually wound CH 29-535 PS 1/10 manufacture movement is based on the famous CH 29-535 PS caliber, which uses the Oscillomax balance-spring ensemble protected by seven patents for the first time in the current collection.
It's made of silicon-based material first used in the Ref. 5550P conceptual perpetual calendar with a moon-phase display as part of the experimental “Patek Philippe Advanced Research” program. Oscillomax is so light and efficient that it's allowed the power reserve to be increased by 50 percent to two days (provided the chronograph isn't activated too often).
Silicon's is a hard but brittle material, so Oscillomax has been afforded very reliable protection with the latest shock-absorb system — the double-pendulum shock absorber. The word "double" is in the name because the balance is also protected from accidental impact when the chronograph mechanism is activated. And of course, the new escapement is practically friction-free with anti-magnetic properties.
There's a good reason why Patek Philippe decided against unveiling Ref. 5470P-001 at the Watch & Wonders trade show, who presented the watch a day later to attract more attention to the conceptual novelty.
What did this great watchmaker need a chronograph capable of timing intervals accurate to 1/10th of a second for? And why did it have to be a monopusher? This mechanism places Ref. 5470P-001 in the highest class of Grande Complication watches, which always attract increased attention from collectors.
Another rather notable particularity about the novelty is that it isn't strictly limited. However, the wait list for the watch already stretches a number of years ahead, and that's despite the fact that the manufacturer has set the price at CHF 380,000.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph
A minute repeater with a tourbillon and split-seconds monopusher chronograph from the elite Les Cabinotiers department of the Grand Maison is a contender for the title of best watch across practically all prestigious categories, including this year's best watch.
What makes this pièce unique notable is that it debuts a new movement in the Grande Complication category. Moreover, it's the first model in Vacheron Constantin's history to combine the particular list of complications mentioned in its name.
The story of how this one-of-a-kind piece was manufactured is even longer than the model's name. According to Vacheron Constantin, two thirds of the time devoted to the watch was spent finishing the manufacture movement's 698 components by hand for the manually wound Caliber 2757.
The dial lives up to the name of the line — Les Cabinotiers — a reference to 18th-century Geneva's most skilled horologists. The indications are divided between three subdials: hours and minutes are positioned at 9 o'clock, the 30-minute chronograph counter is at 2 o'clock and the small seconds are at 6 o'clock.
The small seconds hand runs off the tourbillon, which can only be seen through the caseback. The 45 mm pink-gold case measures 16.4 mm in height. The tourbillion is concealed on the dial side for an uncluttered design which is also very unconventional and says a lot with only a sporty tachymeter scale.
It may look like a typical chronometer with two pushers on the caseband, but it's still a monopusher with a single pusher at 2 o'clock for the basic functions (start/stop/reset) while the one at 4 o'clock is for the split-seconds.
This suggests the split-seconds chronograph module was probably adapted from a model called the Traditionnelle Split-Seconds Chronograph Ultra-Thin Collection Excellence Platine Ref. 5400T/000P-B637. Vacheron Constantin states that the price for this unique watch is upon request, but it's rumored to be upwards of CHF 1,100,000.
Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante Ice Blue
Czapek has introduced a rather unusual monopusher split-seconds chronograph. Don't be fooled by the brand's historic name, this is still a newly-revived young company. The chronograph is unusual in that it's been created for extreme sports.
It still has a classic design for all its sportiness, using the jewelry-watch technique of skeletonization. Its automatic SXH6 movement is even in the Grande Complication class with a frequency of 4 Hz and a 60-hour power reserve (the watchmakers at Czapek created it in partnership with the company Chronode).
The positioning of the chronograph pushers is the same as pocket stop-watches: at 10 o'clock (main monopusher start-stop-reset functions) and 2 o'clock (split-seconds).
It's also interesting that the "Sunrise" edition of the model with a CVD-coated orange mainplate beat its estimate of CHF 60,000 - 90,000 when it sold for a staggering CHF 240,000 at last year's Only Watch auction.
The Ice Blue edition of the Antarctique Rattrapante series is limited to 99 pieces, which have almost all sold out already for the price of CHF 50,000.