Looking for a racing watch? you are in the right place. Racing watches speak for racing enthusiasts. Invented for automotive racing, the watches function to tell and measure times, distances, and speeds. It makes an exciting combination between racing cars and watches. In fact, both need a high level of engineering and craftsmanship to make an impressive one. Both watches and cars share a similar history in their mechanical nature.
Accuracy is crucial in any kind of race sports. Thus, specific watches are designed to fulfill the mentioned needs. They are expected to have maximum precision and a broad range of designs with contrasting colors. Racing watches also welcome anyone who is in love with a strong chronograph timepiece.
Even though one doesn’t have an interest in racing, high-performance watches are worth the money to be in the collection. You’re on the right track if you like a watch with a robust, flashy, and masculine character.
However, although most racing watches come with a chronograph, keep in mind that not every chronograph watch is for racing. They comprise several must-have characteristics for reliable performance during racing.
In this article, we’re going to talk more about racing watches from the common attributes to some impressive watches you can look up. Stay with us!
Common Characteristics of Racing Watches
Racing watches are similar to pilot or dive watches which are designed to perform a specific purpose. However, a racing timepiece has a more distinctive feature that is quite rarely found in other types of watches.
They mostly work as a timekeeper to measure times, distances, and speeds. From these 3 key points, it’s important to take a closer look at the watch’s dial, chronograph, and tachymeter bezel.
For a racing watch, the dial is the main highlight to look for the time in its entirety. For racing is a high-speed sport, a driver can only take a quick look at the watch. Thus, a high contrast dial is essential – be it the color of the indices and the sub-dial.
It will enhance the watch’s readability while driving at extreme speed. In addition to that, a racing watch usually comes in an angled case orientation so that the wearer doesn’t need to take their hand off the steering wheel.
Now, let’s find the answer to why most racing watches come with a chronograph. This feature is a vital element as it serves as the stopwatch. It is the basic timing function to keep track of the race time and distance. It has one or two pushers to start, stop, and reset the watch’s second hand. You can view the result at a minute subdial of the watch.
Further, the tachymeter serves the function of measuring speed. It calculates the speed (in units per hour) by measuring the elapsed time (in seconds) over a specific distance. This function works in a fixed, non-rotating bezel. Now that you’ve known the common attributes of racing watches, let’s have a good look at the popular racing watches below.
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7 Best of the Best Racing Watches for 2023
Among many options, we’ve compiled some racing watches that might pick your interest. They are great, both to accompany your upcoming race or a nice companion to watch a racing sport.
Oris Williams F1 Team Skeleton
Let’s start the line with the Oris collection. The Williams F1 Team Skeleton is a racing watch that isn’t equipped with a chronograph. The appearance might be dubious as the dial is quite unique. In fact, it’s a skeleton dial that showcases the Oris automatic movement Caliber 733.
Further, it’s Oris’s collaboration with the Williams F1 team – that definitely speaks like a racing timepiece as it is imbued with the true vibe of racing. Adding to the beauty, the dial features some numerals – date numeral on the inner rim and hour/minutes on the outer ring.
Le Jour Le Mans Chronograph Blue Ref. LJ-LM-003
The brand has a rich history in the making of racing chronographs. One of its popular releases, Le Mans Chronograph Blue shows excellent robustness with classic designs.
The watch presents a bold presence with the sizes of 42mm case diameter, 51mm lug to lug, and 17mm thickness. In addition, the 316L stainless steel bracelet and strap make the watch sturdy and fit easily on the wrist.
This Le Mans Chronograph features a fixed bezel with a tachymeter scale. On the sunray blue dial, there are 3 white subdials to register the time elapsed. The high contrast dial enhances the watch’s readability at any moment.
These features are useful to measure the speed over a specific distance, a suitable tool for racing enthusiasts and drivers in motorsports.
Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Chronograph Blue Ref. SBDL087
Another pick of men’s racing watches comes from Seiko. This excellent Prospex Speedtimer Chronograph Gold exhibits a great contrast with fine details on its dial. The watch goes for matte gold with contrasting black subdials. The gold-tone hands further add a slick appearance along with its domed sapphire crystal.
Underneath the solidly-constructed exterior, the watch is driven by the reliable Seiko Cal. V192 solar-powered quartz chronograph movement. As can be expected from solar watches, you don’t need to frequently change the battery as the watch boasts a power reserve of about 6 months on a full charge.
Read also: 7 Best Seiko Watches for Men That Fit Your Wrist
Yema Speedgraf
Elegant yet sporty, that’s how Yema Speedgraf is set to amaze. The brown leather strap makes a good presence to its vintage charm while the black dial with a chronograph boasts a sporty look. In fact, the watch is a homage to the 1960s Yema classic chronographs but appears more modern with a tachymeter scale around its dial.
At the heart of the watch is the Seiko NE86 movement, a rare Seiko movement that is part of Yema’s best chronograph caliber. Operating at 28,800 bph, the movement has an impressive power reserve of 45 hours. Additionally, this Yema Speedgraf is equipped with three push buttons for easier operation of the watch and chronograph function.
Tissot Supersport
A bold and masculine-sized timepiece, the Tissot Supersport Chrono makes a great appearance as an impressive racing watch. The design flaunts straight lines and sharp edges with various details to give depth to the dial. Measured 45mm in diameter, the watch does wear big on the wrist.
At the center of the dial, the watch features a chronograph with tri compax dial layout. To further highlight the sporty design, a tachymeter scale is fitted on the outer ring. Paired with a brown leather strap, it completed the overall appearance with a seriously sporty look.
Hamilton Intra-Matic Chronograph White Ref. H38416711
Hamilton is reputable for the accuracy and robustness traits of its watch. It is mostly known for the brand’s military watches. Yet, the latest release of Intra-Matic Chronograph White might bring about another competence of the brand.
The watch is built to present excellent workmanship by combining the stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, and black leather strap. These materials make the watch resistant to scratch and comfortable to wear.
The black tachymeter scale blends elegantly with the white dial to enhance legibility. Be at ease as the watch has the latest H-31 automatic movement with 60 hours of power reserve. Furthermore, it has a 100m water resistance. If you’re looking for a racing timepiece, this Intra-Matic Chronograph is a great pick with its sporty, neo-vintage theme.
TAG Heuer Monaco x Gulf Automatic
Last but not least, the next recommendation for men’s racing watches comes from an interesting collaboration between TAG Heuer and Gulf Automatic. The watch appears in such a lively, sturdy, and bold design. TAG Heuer itself is known for making impressive racing watches and has been part of racing events in the past century.
This Monaco watch gains popularity since a famous actor, Steve McQueen wore it in the 1970 film Le Mans. Driven by the remarkable TAG Heuer Caliber 11 automatic movement, this watch performs at its best with two sub-dials as chronograph at 3 and 9 o’clock positions.
Final Thought
Racing watches have been important since the beginning of motorsports, especially for drivers. As they are inspired by racing cars, many elements would be very much a resemblance of the event – be it car gauges to watches worn by legendary racing drivers.
Though you’re not going to find yourself speeding on a circuit or having a victory lap, a racing chronograph will surely attract the eyes of many. With the high-contrast dial, chronograph, and tachymeter features, they are going to be great choices for you.
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