Graham

Graham Chronofighter Fortress Watch

I didn't see Graham going this retro - but they succumbed to pressure and did so. The Chronofighter Fortress is their nod to aviation instrument history and a nice piece in their collection. I only wish it didn't look so Panerai inspired on the dial. The beige colored hour indicator lume looks historitastic, and the red elements help it stay sporty. While their chronograph trigger system isn't really adapted for the retro theme, it does have a sort of steampunk look to it already in this form. Of course, it wouldn't be RAF ripe if not for the brown "bomber jacket" leather strap.

Graham no doubt will be competing with (also English) Bremont's Mustang P-51 limited edition watch that is about to come out. But each, I am sure, will be able to hold their own. Wouldn't it have been cooler for Graham to name this the "ChronoFortress?" That name does sound sort of 'bad-ass.' Here the steel case is 43mm wide and fits the theme of the watch nicely. Inside is a Graham (base Swiss) Calibre G1742 automatic chronograph column wheel movement. Price for the Chronofighter Fortress will be 7,950 Swiss francs.

Tags: Chronofighter Fortress, Graham, watch

Graham-London Chronofighter Oversize Tourist Trophy Bi-Compax Chronograph

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Swiss-Anglo watchmaker Graham-London is returning to the Isle of Man as the official timekeeper of the Tourist Trophy. Known to motorcycle racing enthusiasts the world over, the TT is one of the most iconic motorbike races in the world, taking place on the independent British isle at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.

To commemorate this year's running, Graham-London has released a limited run of special-edition Chronofighter timepieces. Each packs a Calibre G1734 automatic movement with built-in shock absorption into a giant 47-mm PVD-coated stainless steel case, a galvanized dial featuring a 30-minute stopwatch counter styled after a 30-mph speed limit road sign, with the second dial bearing the Triskelion, the Manx coat of arms. It also features a domed, double-anti-reflective sapphire crystal, date indicator, non-slip guard and the fast-action actuator. Only 211 examples will be made, 18 of which will be awarded to the race winners in each of the categories.

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Tags: graham, Graham-London, isle of man, isle of man tourist trophy, isle of man tt, man, mann, motorbike, motorbike race, motorbike racing, motorcycle, motorcycle race, motorcycle racing, tourist trophy, tt

Graham Chronofighter Trigger "Back in Black" Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

All-black is all but out. Mostly black is pretty much in. After people realized that what Hublot started with the black on black fad, only seemed to work well for Hublot (in my humble opinion), they started to add some color again to the dark hued trend watches. Maybe so that they could actually be read with any comfort. So now we see lots of watches that are black with "a touch of..." something. Here Graham has introduced the Chronofighter Trigger "Back in Black" (was it black before and has now returned?). Here however the hands of the watch are in black, so the little red color you see only applies when using the split second chronograph feature.

The watch is 46mm wide in black PVD steel with Graham's iconic chronograph trigger under the large crown. Above it is a reset button and on the opposite side of the case is a pusher to activate the split second chronograph hand. Both that pusher and the hand are in coordinating red colors. The split second (rattrapante) function is somewhat useful combined with the 30 minute chronograph. Inside the watch is an automatic Graham caliber G1743 movement that also has a useful power reserve indicator located at 12 o'clock. Price for the watch is $12,400, which is pretty steep in my book. While the watch is cool looking, you need to be either really into dark watches, and/or really into Graham to jump aboard one of these.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: black, chronofighter, graham, trigger, watch

Brawn GP Racing Chronographs by Graham-London

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos

The correlations between high-performance racing machines and high-precision timepieces hardly need any elaboration, and the examples are plenty. It seems every premium automaker and every top-tier racing team has its own line of watches, usually crafted by Switzerland's finest watchmakers. And now Brawn GP has joined the fold.

If you haven't heard of Brawn GP, it's been a while since you've watched a grand prix. The team – headed by strategic mastermind Ross Brawn – that took over when Honda packed up and left Formula One racing last year is leading the world championship with only two rounds to go. But they've run most of the season without the sort of multi-million-dollar sponsorship deals you'd expect of the rookie race winners. At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this year, however, the team announced a new deal with Anglo-Swiss watchmakers Graham-London, which lays claim to the first chronograph in timekeeping history. Graham has debuted a small line of timepieces custom made for the team, including the Chronofighter and the Silverstone, featuring Brawn GP's signature colors and individually numbered. Only 250 will be made, so you'd better be faster than a Brawn racer to get your hands on one.

Gallery: Brawn GP series by Graham-London

Tags: brawn, brawn gp, BrawnGp, f1, formula 1, formula one, Formula1, FormulaOne, graham, graham london, graham-london, GrahamLondon, grand prix, GrandPrix

Graham Lucy In The Sky Watch For Women

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

It was only a matter of time before the popular Graham Swordfish watch got overhauled into a woman's watch. It doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense given the fact that the Swordfish is a large aggressive watch attempting to evoke an image of air combat, but with popularity comes marketability. The image of the watch has been reformed into something sparkly that makes you think of the well-known Beatles' song. The clever connection links the British band to the British watch brand, and suggests that "Lucy in the Sky" is still a watch with an aviation theme. Though I don't think Graham wants its potential customers considering floating over strawberry fields - forever.

Inside the watch is an automatic mechanical chronograph movement. The bug-eyed chronograph subdial magnifiers remain, but are basically useless as the dials now just have hands with some random placed diamonds. You'd have to be really sharp to use the chronograph with any precision. The watch does look pretty with over 150 diamonds organically placed all over the dial and case. Oddly enough, the watch is still 46mm wide, which would look silly on all but the largest wristed of women. There are plenty of men even who won't wear a 46mm wide watch. The main draw of the timepiece is the aggressive large size with soft decoration making for bold statement of a watch. The Lucy in the Sky collection is available in stainless steel or red gold, with a white or black face. Prices are likely to be between about $10,000 and $20,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Graham Lucy In The Sky Watch

Tags: graham, ladies, ladys, london, lucy in the sky, LucyInTheSky, swordfish, timepiece, watches, woman, women

Graham Chronofighter Oversize Overlord Mark Four Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Nothing says 'fine timepiece" like the word "Overlord" in the title. This should be the watch of choice for all megalomaniacal rising stars! Aside from the functional and lume filled, yet somewhat homely subsidiary seconds dial (bright red on pale green?), this Graham Chronofighter Oversize Overlord Mark Four watch is pretty cool. The best part is easily the "riveted" look of the dial, meant to remind you of mechanized war machines, (or just machines) from the past. Most obviously fighter/bomber aircraft. Actually this watch is named after a specific "Overlord" mission that was part of British Air Force history.

The look of the dial in the 47mm wide case is inspired from Hurricane and Spitfire aircraft interiors. The basic Graham Chronofighter watch theme is there in its full glory, complete with the large size and trigger-like chronograph pusher system. Inside the watch is an automatic movement and quality for Graham timepieces is quite good. I've always felt that their watches are very 'solid' feeling. The Chronofighter Oversize Overlord Mark Four watch will be available as part of a limited edition of 500. I still get irked by use of the term "oversize," as I don't think it makes any sense - for anything really. It feels like marketing fluff. The only things that are "oversized" are to big to actually work/fit - whereas this timepiece will work and fit just fine. Look for availability soon with pricing that I imagine will be between $8,000 - $20,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2OVBV.S05A.K10F, chronofighter, graham, mark four, MarkFour, overlord, oversize, timepiece, watch

Graham Swordfish Big Bling

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Often I like the watches from Graham, but this one has me cringing. It's the Graham Swordfish Big Bling (a play on Hublot's Big Bang perhaps) which the company is taking to Baselworld. It has a 46mm stainless steel case which makes me wonder if this watch is aimed at men or women (the light pink and blue straps available have me confused). The watch has 322 Top Wesselton diamonds for a total weight of 3.26 carats. It uses the automatic Graham caliber G1710 movement with chronograph function. The Swordfish looks more like a bug-eyed goldfish to me and the logo-ed rubber strap just compounds the overall foolish look of the watch.

[via Time Zone]

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Tags: chronograph, graham, timepiece, watches, wristwatch