Chromatic Fugue
1903
Manual wind vs automatic chronos
I’ve heard it said that the 5070, 5170, and 5172 are in a special category because they are *manual wind* chronographs. People sometimes say that this feature is what makes those references special and justifies why they are priced at or above the level of automatic chronos with additional complications such as the 5905, 5960, etc. I’ve always wondered: what’s behind this valuation judgment? Is it simply that manual wind watches permit an unobstructed view of the movement, which is therefore finished to a higher grade than the automatic models with their rotors? Or is it something else?
Manual wind vs automatic chronos
I’ve heard it said that the 5070, 5170, and 5172 are in a special category because they are *manual wind* chronographs. People sometimes say that this feature is what makes those references special and justifies why they are priced at or above the level o...
You hit the nail on the head.
An unobstructed view of a classic manual chronograph can be delicious! And in my decidedly biased opinion, the most delicious of them all is the Montblanc 16.29 caliber. I like it even more than the Datograph. If I weren’t traveling, I’d post an image for...
I’m not sure on the technical details, but I understand Patek manual chronos use a horizontal clutch and automatic chronos use a vertical clutch.
A horizontal clutch looks better, but I think is more difficult to do well, as they can have issues such as the second hand jumping when you start the chrono.