There is perhaps no more versatile complication than the chronograph. 

From race cars to rocket ships, boats to battlefields, you are likely to find a chronograph being employed to measure a plethora of tasks and times. From the Greek khrónos (“time) and gráphō (“to write”), a chronograph is a watch that has the ability to record time, generally via the addition of small sub-counters that register minutes and hours. 

Though many storied brands produced notable chronographs during the complication’s heyday from the 1930s through the 1970s, numerous other firms fell by the wayside during the Quartz Crisis, folding completely and disappearing or being rolled up into conglomerates that pillaged their stores of parts. 

Thankfully, contemporary brands are still offering modern pilot’s watches that are designed to get the job done. The Reference 9557 from Zen-Watch Basel — a family-owned, Swiss concern that’s been in business since 1922 — is such a watch, melding vintage-inspired design with contemporary materials.

Housed in a 42mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, dual pump pushers, and a stepped bezel, it features a luminous, matte black dial with Arabic indices, a ‘cathedral’ handset, a triple-register chronograph display, and a day-date display at 3:00. Powered by the automatic Swiss Valjoux 7750 movement and paired to a black rubber strap with a stainless steel pin buckle, it’s a handsome, well sized chronograph that’s perfect for both aeronautical and land-based adventures. 

Don’t sleep on it!