The Year of the Chronographs

Second only to the ubiquitous date display, the chronograph, or stopwatch function, is the most common watch complication. This year was a particularly significant vintage for chronographs, including three that stand apart for technical milestones and sheer design audacity. For A. Lange & Söhne, the chronograph may be a specialty, but the German brand broke new technical ground with its red-hot Odysseus sports watch, developing its first self-winding chronograph movement: the exquisitely hand-finished L156.1 Datomatic caliber. The Odysseus Chronograph (left, $145,000) is limited to 100 pieces. Without the typical sub-dial counters, the 42.5-mm stainless steel model does not present as a chronograph. Instead, it tracks elapsing time with two center hands: red for seconds and a lozenge-tipped hand for minutes. The design preserves Odysseus’ clean aesthetic, with the brand’s signature big date…