Chronograph watches
Discover our new and pre-owned luxury chronographs for sale in Montreal: Rolex Daytona, Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph, Tudor Black Bay Chrono, Cartier Santos Chronograph and TAG Heuer Formula 1. Every watch is authenticated by our team of experts before it’s offered. The reference you want isn’t in the showcase? Our brokerage service finds it for you. Come try them on in store at 6500 Saint-Laurent Boulevard.
What is a chronograph watch?
A chronograph is a watch with a built-in stopwatch: one pusher starts and stops the timing, the other resets it, and small sub-dials count the elapsed minutes and hours. Born for timing races, flights and laps, it became the most technical of the classic complications. Many chronographs also carry a tachymeter scale, which converts the time taken to cover a known distance, such as one kilometre, into an average speed.
The chronographs in our collection
| Chronograph | Known for | In our inventory |
|---|---|---|
| Rolex Daytona | Launched in 1963, tachymeter bezel, automatic movement | Steel with black ceramic bezel, platinum with diamond markers, yellow gold, Paul Newman dial |
| Omega Speedmaster | Born in 1957, the Moonwatch worn on Apollo 11, manual winding | Professional Moonwatch, Snoopy |
| Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph | The octagonal 1972 design with a chronograph | Blue dial |
| Tudor Black Bay Chrono | Tudor’s sporty chronograph, a more accessible entry point | Flamingo Blue and other Black Bay chronographs |
| Cartier Santos Chronograph | Aviation heritage, square case | Santos 100 XL Chronograph in black ADLC |
| TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Motorsport look, quartz movement | Formula 1 Chronograph |
Two chronographs dominate collectors’ wish lists: the Rolex Daytona, the reference among sports chronographs, and the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, the watch of the Apollo missions. To see our other models, browse our Rolex, Omega and Tudor collections.
The icons of the chronograph
- Rolex Daytona: launched in 1963 and named after the Florida racetrack. Automatic since 1988, it now runs on the in-house calibre 4131. Platinum versions have an ice-blue dial. See our Rolex price guide by model.
- Omega Speedmaster Professional: introduced in 1957, qualified by NASA in 1965 and worn on the Moon in 1969. The Moonwatch keeps its manual winding, now with the calibre 3861. The Snoopy editions recall the Silver Snoopy Award NASA gave Omega after Apollo 13. More in our Omega guide.
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph: the octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet of the 1972 Royal Oak, here with a chronograph. Read our Royal Oak guide.
- Tudor Black Bay Chrono: a steel chronograph with a manufacture movement, often chosen as a first luxury chronograph. See our Tudor buying guide.
- Cartier Santos and TAG Heuer: the Santos brings the chronograph into a square aviator case, while TAG Heuer carries its motorsport heritage.
Every chronograph authenticated by our experts
The Daytona and the Speedmaster are among the most counterfeited watches, and a chronograph has more parts to check. Before it’s offered, every piece goes through our authenticity check: movement, serial and reference numbers, pushers and chronograph function, dial and bezel finishing, bracelet and original papers when available. See our authentication process in Montreal.
Sell or trade your chronograph
Want to move from a Speedmaster to a Daytona, or change brands? We buy authentic luxury watches and can apply their value to your next one. Here’s how to sell your luxury watch in Montreal. To compare with other styles, see our men’s luxury watches.
You may also like our Audemars Piguet watches and luxury sport watches.
Honos Watches is an independent watch dealer and is not affiliated with any brand, including Rolex, Omega, Audemars Piguet, Tudor, Cartier and TAG Heuer. Rolex, Daytona, Cosmograph, Oyster, Oystersteel and Cerachrom are trademarks of Rolex SA. Omega and Speedmaster are trademarks of Omega SA. Audemars Piguet and Royal Oak are trademarks of Audemars Piguet Holding SA. Tudor and Black Bay are trademarks of Montres Tudor SA. Cartier and Santos are trademarks of Cartier International AG. TAG Heuer is a trademark of TAG Heuer SA. Nicknames such as Paul Newman or Snoopy are collector terms or edition names.
Frequently asked questions about chronograph watches
A chronograph lets you time an event without losing track of the time of day: a pusher starts and stops the stopwatch, another resets it, and sub-dials count the minutes and hours. With a tachymeter bezel, it also gives an average speed over a known distance. Today most owners use it for everyday things, like timing parking or cooking, as much as for its look.
There’s no single best chronograph, but two models come up most often: the Rolex Daytona, the reference among sports chronographs, and the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, for its history with the Apollo missions. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph appeals to fans of integrated-bracelet sports watches, and the Tudor Black Bay Chrono is a more accessible way into the category.
The Daytona is an automatic chronograph in the Rolex Oyster style, rarer and generally much more expensive on the secondary market. The Speedmaster Moonwatch is manual-winding, slimmer and tied to space history, at a more accessible price. Both are true icons. The best way to choose is to try them back to back in store and see which one you’ll want to wear every day.
Demand for the Daytona, especially in steel, far exceeds what authorized dealers receive, which creates long waits and high secondary market prices. Buying pre-owned from a dealer who authenticates each piece lets you get one right away. If the Daytona you want isn’t in our inventory, our brokerage service can look for it through our network.
Yes. A quartz movement doesn’t take anything away from the quality of the case, bracelet or finishing. Quartz chronographs, like the TAG Heuer Formula 1, are accurate, sturdy and need less maintenance than a mechanical movement. Collectors tend to prefer mechanical chronographs for their craftsmanship and resale value, but the choice mostly depends on how you’ll use the watch.
Some chronographs, like the steel Rolex Daytona or certain Speedmaster editions, generally retain a good share of their value on the secondary market, especially when sold with box and papers. Others depreciate more, like most watches. Future value is never guaranteed: start by choosing a chronograph you love to wear, then keep its documents and have it serviced regularly.
What our clients say
I bought my first Rolex Submariner from François and the experience was flawless. He took the time to compare the Submariner Date with the No Date, showed me the original papers and the box, and the price was fair against the market. I’d recommend him to anyone looking for an authentic luxury watch in Montreal.
What won me over was how transparent François is about authentication. He walked me through how he checks the movement and the serial number on my Tudor Black Bay. You can tell he’s genuinely passionate about watchmaking.
I sold my Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch and François made me a clear offer in under 24 hours, well above what I was being offered elsewhere. No pressure, fast payment. If you want to sell a luxury watch with confidence, this is the place.