If you’re looking to buy a watch as a gift this holiday season, but you don’t want to break the bank doing it, the Windup Watch Shop carries a selection of impressive quartz chronographs with gorgeous designs inspired by classic racing watches, military pilots watches, and contemporary minimalism. Here are a few of our favorite brands and models.
BOLDR makes impressive watches with specs that far surpass their price point, and their Field Medic I ($299) is no exception. This is a super tough watch that includes functions that would be useful for medical professionals—like pulse and respiratory scales on the dial—and it also gives back to a good cause. A fixed amount of the proceeds ($30) from each watch goes to a variety of COVID-19 relief funds, including Doctors Without Borders and Red Cross Singapore.
Maybe you're looking for a vintage-styled chronograph with an authentic look? Then Yema’s Rallygraf Meca-Quartz ($329), with the Panda dial on a brown leather strap, is an option for you. Inspired by Yema’s own racing watches from the 1960s—worn by none other than Mario Andretti—the Rallygraf packs serious style into an affordable Meca-Quartz package, which mixes a mechanical chronograph mechanism with quartz time regulation to give you the best of both worlds.
For the racing enthusiast there’s also Autodromo’s Ford GT Endurance Chronograph ($695), featured here in stunning Le Mans Blue. Autodromo’s official partnership with Ford allows them to offer this heritage version of the “owner’s watch” (a limited edition reserved for only those with their own Ford GT). The Endurance Chronograph takes its design cues from the modern American supercar and adds a vintage chronograph panache.
From the speedway to the sky, the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer Chrono Quartz ($595) is a striking thing of beauty. This rugged barrel-shaped case, with its clean and asymmetrical dial design, is inspired by the watches Hamilton built for the British Royal Air Force in the ‘70s. It looks sharp under a denim jacket, or suit too.
Those with more modern, minimalist tastes, might be interested in the Junghans Form C ($545), in Matte Silver with Batons. One of the greatest names in German watchmaking, Junghans Form C shines with its bold architectural lines and strong facets and makes for a great everyday dress watch.
Zodiac’s Grandrally ($595) is inspired by the bold and aggressive muscle cars of the 1970s, powered by a modern, Swiss quartz sweeping chronograph, giving it more of the look, feel and accuracy of a mechanical chronograph. A watch with significant wrist presence and a stunning dial, the Grandrally in Gunmetal will surely stand out from the crowd, whether or not it’s doing laps.
