Face Off: Blacked Out Chronograph Showdown

Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon ($12,000)

The Dark Side of the Moon is the Speedmaster that makes Speedmaster purists question their convictions. While admiring a non-Moonwatch may almost sound like blasphemy, the DSotM deviates far enough that Speedmasterists can drool over it guilt-free. Packing Omega’s flagship chronograph movement, below is a list of its specs.

Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon

Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon

Case Size: 44.25-millimeters in diameter, 16-millimeters in thickness

Case Material: One-piece zirconium dioxide ceramic

Movement: In-house caliber 9300; self-winding, column-wheel chronograph; 60 hour power reserve; 54 jewels; 28,800 bph

Strap/Bracelet: High-grade textile strap

Assessment: I’ll just get this out of the way; the Dark Side is a stunner. I’ve never seen a ceramic case finished with such a clean polishing. According to Omega, the case production is done in such a way that is incredibly difficult, but leaves a stronger build in the end – which is important for a brittle material such as ceramic. This may be the best bang-for-your-buck fully ceramic, in-house chronograph, albeit, it’s still an expensive watch. The 44.25mm diameter and 16mm thickness seems on the large side, but having worn this watch a few times, I can attest that it doesn’t wear quite as big as it sounds. Finally, although the caliber 9300 hasn’t been around long enough to claim much of a history, its stats are impressive, and can match up against the best of them.

 

Jaeger LeCoultre Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet ($18,000)

JLC is often referred to as the watchmaker’s watchmaker, due to their bevy of accurate and reliable in-house movements. The ‘big 3’ haute horlogerie brands — Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, and Patek Philippe — all use or have used JLC movements, making room for the argument it should actually be the ‘big 4’. One of their newest in-house movements is a self-winding chronograph used in the Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet. Let’s break down the essentials.

JLC Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet

JLC Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet

Case Size: 44-millimeters in diameter, 14.5-millimeters in thickness

Case Material: Ceramic-reinforced aluminum, coated with layer of ceramic

Movement: In-house caliber 758; self-winding, column-wheel chronograph; 65 hour power reserve; 47 jewels; 28,800 bph

Strap/Bracelet: High-grade textile strap

Assessment: Leave it to JLC to make such a perfect vintage-inspired dive chronograph. My only complaint would be the size, but it’s the slimmest of the three, and the case construction is such that wears smaller than you’d expect. In addition to the well laid out case shape, JLC took the best properties of ceramic and aluminum and combined them, making for a lightweight and extremely tough material they call cermet. Since this is a JLC movement, you can rest assured it’s accurate and robust, making it a great selling point no matter who the competition is.

IWC Aquatimer Chronograph “Galapagos Islands” ($11,100)

IWC is no stranger to black watches, as they’ve done many references with ceramic, PVD, and DLC-coating. This time, they’ve gone with rubber coating – fitting for a dive watch. The Schaffhausen watchmaker has strengthened their in-house caliber lineup, choosing the caliber 89365 for the newly released Galapagos Aquatimer.

IWC Aquatimer Galapagos

IWC Aquatimer Galapagos

Case Size: 44-millimeters in diameter, 17-millimeters in thickness

Case Material: Rubber-coated stainless steel

Movement: In-house caliber 89365; self-winding, column-wheel chronograph; 68 hour power reserve; 35 jewels; 28,800 bph

Strap/Bracelet: Rubber strap

Assessment: IWC’s yearly resurrection of one of its watch families reached the Aquatimer in 2014. Going back to its roots, but with a modern twist, the new Aquatimer traded an external bezel for an internal. This time, instead of operating by crown, like older Aquatimer references, this one uses an external ratcheting bezel – this results in an interesting and unique novelty. I’m not sure how the rubber coating will hold up over time, but I can safely say the Aquatimer has changed for the better, when compared to the previous generation.

 

Conclusion

In order to make a fair comparison, these watches must be looked at for being blacked-out chronographs, since we’ve got two divers and a race timer. With that in mind, they all bring their own positive qualities. It’s truly a tough choice. A gun to my head? I’d have to go with the Dark Side; no murdered-out watch compares when it comes to looks, and the 9300 ain’t bad either.

I’ve never been shy with my complaints about IWC’s direction, but they’ve done much better with the current Aquatimer generation. I hope they can continue to improve without the “help” of so many brand ambassadors, and overdone limited editions. The JLC would be hard to pass on, if not purely for the pedigree inside the innovative case. In the end, there aren’t any winners or losers with this trio, only degrees of how quickly money disappears from one’s wallet.

What do you all think? Leave a comment and tell us which one you’d pick.

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Shane is one of the founding members of Wound For Life and a contributor to several other publications. A lover of all things mechanical, his true passions lie with watches and adventure. To keep up with the latest from Shane, you can follow him on Twitter (@shanegriffin1) or Instagram (@shanegriffin25). If you'd like to get in touch with Shane, email him at shane@woundforlife.com.

4 Comments

  • July 3, 2014

    Matt

    Nice article. Don’t like the IWC but the JLC and Omega really are stunners. I’d have to go to with the JLC, that dial is beautiful. Admittedly I haven’t seen any of them in the flesh.

    • July 3, 2014

      Shane Griffin

      The JLC really is fantastic; it’s so well balanced. I also love the little indicator that tells you if the chronograph is running, stopped, or reset, which is helpful for understanding if it’s ready for use. I highly recommend go checking the JLC and Omega out in person.

  • July 9, 2014

    Calvin

    What about the Christopher Ward C1000 Typhoon? It too has a ceramic case and a chrono movement and costs a small fraction of the above.