Very fortunate to have 3 Chronographs in hand at the moment, so let's compare, contrast and score on a few categories. There can only be one winner per category.
Lume right off the bat, 3 very different philosophies on lume. takes into consideration intensity and longevity. personally, I'd rather have a medium lume that lasts all night than a torch lume that lasts a few hours.
Speedmaster - dial has painted batons with lume that runs the length of the batons and two dots on either side of the 12 for orientation. The hands also have lume down the length and match the dial lume pretty well. Very easy to tell the time at glance to due all twelve batons being lumed. Lume is constant and lasts through the night.
IWC 3717 - minimalist lume with only the 12 (triangle), 3, 6, & 9 (hashes) being lumed. the hands are wide and lumed down the length. Hands are a shade brighter than the dial. Easily see the hands but with limited dial lume not as easy to tell the time at a glance in the middle of the night. Duration matches the speedmaster.
Navitimer - lume dots on top of the applied markers except for 3 & 9 (sub dials) and two dots at the 12. Starts off strong but fades quicker than the other two.
LUME SMACKDOWN: Omega 1, IWC 0 and Breitling, 0
Date Complication:
IWC - both day and date with the wheels black and white days and numbers. Nice beveled window that works well within the dial at 3 o'clock. Quick set is nice
Navi - date only and opposite of the IWC with silver wheel and black numbers, but fits the design with the silver slide rule bezel and subdials. Date is at 4:30 and is also clean and well done. no traditional quick set on this model
Speedmaster - no date, but does have a nice etched Omega symbol in the crystal
DATE SMACKDOWN - IWC 1, Breitling 0 and Omega 0
Crown screw down? signed? grip?
Speedmaster - nice Omega symbol and push down, no need to worry about water in space. kind of hard to pull out (more on that later) but very nice grip and rotation for winding.
Navitimer - signed with the signature B and push down as the weakest point is the slide rule bezel so no need to have it screw down. grip is okay, not aggressive but easy to rotate.
IWC - screw down and signed. easy to thread on and off the case and super nice grip.
CROWN SMACKDOWN - IWC 1, Spedmaster 0 and Breitling 0
Pushers and Protection
Breitling - the bezel hangs over just enough to give some protection to the crown and pushers. Pushers have a cap over the stem and sets on top of the silos. distance from the crown is tasteful and proportional. Just the slightest bit of play when depressing the pusher before it engages the timers. Note the Lume Dots on the applied batons in the shot as well
Speedmaster - Integrated crown and pusher protection in the case. Nice, but makes it a little difficult for me to pull away from the case. Pushers are, like the Navi, close to the crown and use a cap on top of the stem. No play at all on the pushers, they are firm and start the timers immediately.
IWC 3717 - no crown or pusher protection. Pushers have no cap and set inside the stems. Pushers are a little too far away from the crown, at least for me. the spacing is a bit exaggerated.
PUSHER PROTECTION SMACKDOWN: Omega 1, IWC 0 and Breitling 0
Height this is a function of case to bezel to crystal ratio
IWC 3717 - thickest case and lack of bezel gives it a strong, albeit bottom heavy look.
Speedmaster - thinest case but makes up for with the domed crystal that gives it the same height as the others. Tallest crystal of the three
Navitimer - combination of the others, medium case, but thick(er) bezel add balance and harmony.
HEIGHT SMACKDOWN Breitling 1, IWC 0 and Omega 0
Viewing Angle Distortion -
Speedmaster - love the Hesalite, but at an angle, not so much. Note the integrated crown and pusher guard in the picture as well
Navitimer - weird domed crystal effect at the same angle - kind of like that Rush concert in 84
IWC 3717 - clearly, pun intended, the winner at the same angle
VAD SMACKDOWN IWC 1, Omega 0 and Breitling 0
Case Back pretty darn important for something not seen when wearing watch
Navitimer - nice Fahrenheit/Celsius converter surrounding the famous Breitling Wings. Model and Serial numbers also present.
IWC 3717 - not a lot going on back here. practical. I guess.
Speedmaster - needs no explanation. Flight Qualified by NASA For All Manned Space Missions and The First Watch Worn on the Moon surrounding the Hippocampus.
CASE BACK SMACKDOWN - Speedmaster 1, Breitling 0 (close call) and IWC 0
Subdials - elevation changes, markers, hands
IWC 3717 - 6, 9 and 12 orientation makes for nice inclusion of day/date. Hands are white with black trim (seconds counter in red) and in a propeller shape, which is a nice touch. very legible and are sunken into the main dial.
Speedmaster - 3, 6 and 9 set up. while stick hands on black background makes it very easy to read. Dials are sunk into the main dial and have a transition area, kind of like a slant before it flattens out. the subdials have very cool concentric rings, this radial design is hard to see at first but a nice touch for those that pay attention
Navitimer - also a 3, 6 & 9 set up but these are contrasting silver dials to the black main dial s
silver hands. Like the Omega, the dails are sunk into the main dial and have a ramp effect before reaching the bottom of the dial. These also have a little sunburst effect to them, nothing distracting, but a subtle shift in appearance in the right light and at the right angle. Again, a nice touch for those who notice such things
SUBDIAL SMACKDOWN Breitling 1, Omega 0 and IWC 0 - close call as each one has standout qualities
we know what it looks like when glance at it - what about from the perspective of the person in front of you you? no points scored for this one
IWC - strong, confident statement with the bold contrast that says alpha dog, leader like Schwarzkopf or Eisenhower
Navitimer - says I am comfortable in my own skin, I am classic, I am a renaissance man like DaVinci or Hogan
Speedmaster - I'm an astronaut
thanks for looking
Make me an offer I can't refuse!
