The Accessible Hand-Wound Depancel Legend 60s Chronograph

The names Delage, Panhard and Facel Vega ought to get any automobile fanatic’s blood pumping. These three French automobile producers are among the many most well-respected within the classic automobile trade, usually laureled for his or her excellent creativity and forward-thinking know-how. It’s additionally what impressed the identify of Depancel, the younger French watch firm with a eager sense for tasty car-inspired designs. Watches just like the good-looking Attract Chronograph Tangerine Restricted Version or the stunning Serie-R Cruiser are simply two of the examples this model has delivered to the desk. New to the gathering is that this Legend 60s Chronograph, the primary hand-wound chronograph by Depancel.

Depancel is fueled by a ardour for classic automobiles and motorsports, usually from French producers (however not completely) and with a concentrate on delivering value-for-money watchmaking. The corporate often enlists the assistance of the general public to co-create watch collections such because the Serie-A Attract Chronograph. A intelligent transfer employed by a number of manufacturers, guaranteeing buyer involvement and dedication from a really early stage. As mentioned, inspiration usually comes from the world of automobiles, and the brand new Legend 60s isn’t any exception.

The Legend 60s Chronograph is available in a compact 39mm stainless-steel case, which tops out at 13mm in top. Though not the slimmest of watches, it by no means felt out of proportion in hand, or on the wrist throughout my time with it. The ending is a mixture of polished and brushed surfaces, with polished chamfers right here and there. A box-shaped sapphire crystal sits on prime, with a second one revealing the motion. On the right-hand aspect, we discover conventional mushroom-style pushers for the chronograph, and a aspect and embellished pull-out crown. On the alternative aspect, there’s a plaque with the person quantity for the watch. It’s all very typical of the model of chronographs from the Nineteen Sixties, which is to be anticipated given the identify of the watch.

The dial is available in two configurations, each of which can absolutely delight lots of people. It’s obtainable in a Panda-style silver dial with black sub-register (the one we had for this evaluate) or a black-with-silver Reverse Panda-style dial. Each have a vertically brushed end and supply glorious legibility, with utilized numerals and a double tachymeter/pulsometer scale operating alongside the periphery. The sword-shaped hour and minute arms are easy and efficient and accompanied by a red-lacquered chronograph central seconds hand for that racing contact. The subdials have a concentric grooved sample and black or white contrasting arms. Once more, the design may be very period-correct to the period of watches it attracts inspiration from.

On the within, we discover the hand-wound Seagull ST1901 chronograph motion. Based mostly on the historic Venus 175 calibre, that is produced in China and is often present in mechanical watches priced under the EUR 1,000 mark. It’s produced by the Tianjin Seagull Watch Group, which acquired Venus within the late Nineteen Sixties, full with equipment and designs. The motion runs at a charge of 21,600vph and delivers 45 hours of operating time when totally wound. Though it’s not Haute Horlogerie, it performs admirably and is a dependable different to its extra expensive Swiss counterparts.

The Depancel Legend 60s Chronograph is proscribed to 240 individually numbered items through the pre-order marketing campaign. It comes on a micro-perforated leather-based strap in brown (for the silver dial) or black (for the black dial), completed with both a pin buckle or a folding clasp (at a EUR 25 premium). Alternatively, Depancel additionally gives a really retro Beads-of-Rice bracelet (at a premium of EUR 100). The value through the pre-order marketing campaign is ready at EUR 650, and pre-orders could be constructed from March twenty eighth to April sixteenth 2023. Every watch will probably be delivered with a particular poster signed by Depancel’s founder.

After the pre-order marketing campaign, the watch will probably be obtainable in the direction of the top of the yr once more at a beginning worth of EUR 695 (leather-based strap, pin buckle). All in all, it’s a really compelling bundle at a really enticing worth, which neatly ties in mechanical watchmaking with a ardour for automobiles with out turning into gimmicky.

For extra data, and to register for a pre-order, please go to Depancel.com.