# What do you use your chronograph function for?



## ChronoScot (Oct 25, 2010)

I was wondering what other members actually use their chronograph functions for.

I was never under any illusion that I _really_ needed the functionality of a chronograph (not to mention a tachymeter) when I bought my Speedmaster Date. I wanted it rather because of the sporty / technical look and, as I'm an engineer, I thought it would be cool to have a stopwatch on my wrist.

Since owning it, I've used the chronograph for such vital daily tasks as timing my way to work, cooking pasta and measuring my heartbeat (in the most convoluted way, by counting to 15 beats, reading off the tachymeter and dividing by 4 - there are for sure easier ways).

Does anyone find less trivial regular use of their chronograph than I do? ;-)


----------



## john wilson (Feb 9, 2006)

Hello CS! Cooking. How long I'm in slow traffic. Heart. Trips. How long a dog is brarking. How long I'm on the webb. How long in a Doctors office.


----------



## anonymousmoose (Sep 17, 2007)

Lol. Sometimes I press the pushers to play with the chronograph. I never really use it for any useful purpose. And when I intend to, I forget it's running and notice it going a few hours later.

If I didn't have a iPhone then maybe I'd use it for practical purposes.

/posted via mobile device\


----------



## RayGlow (Feb 20, 2008)

How long hose is running on garden - cooking, especially grilling steaks - how long pumping water from my pond (this has saved my fish many times!!) - and like John said, how long waiting at Dr. office....


----------



## DaBaeker (Jan 29, 2008)

Timing stuff.


----------



## Cabaiguan (Nov 19, 2008)

I mostly use it to time my kids' "timeouts". You dads know what I mean.


----------



## Broleo (May 24, 2010)

+1, this sums it up. And sometime just to press it for fun really.



DaBaeker said:


> Timing stuff.


----------



## SCRIBBLEDEAN (Aug 8, 2008)

I use mine to time my son's Cross Country racing times. I do not run competitively, but when I do run myself I do not wear my Speedmeaster. I time my own runs with a digital quartz spprts watch.


----------



## arkolykos (Sep 5, 2009)

use it for boil eggs one day...........

also for pastas...... 

a lot of times about useless things such as distance from one point to another............


----------



## semmern (Sep 2, 2009)

I use my Speedmaster to time my racetracks and holding patterns when flying under Instrument Flight Rules, and for timing my VFR flights. In addition to just timing "stuff", or starting the chrono just to watch the subdial ballet


----------



## eah990 (Sep 22, 2010)

I time myself when im in my bed with my girlfriend. Still trying to beat 2 minutes.


----------



## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

eah990 said:


> I time myself when im in my bed with my girlfriend. Still trying to beat 2 minutes.


If you let the chrono run for 3 minutes before starting, you will easily score 5 minutes


----------



## palmag (Apr 6, 2010)

I used my chrono's extensively at university during exams. When I was seating 2 or 3 hour exams, I would work out how many question there were and divide that over the available time, generally it would work out to be between 20 to 30 mins per question. I would start the exam and let the chrono fly. I loved the fact that at a glance I knew exactly how much time I had spent on a particular question. Once I finished a question i would reset the chrono and start the procedure again. This procedure generally allowed me to finish the exams well within allocated time, and also allowed me to have a little time up my sleeve to double check my answers.


----------



## sdchew (Jan 31, 2010)

anonymousmoose said:


> Lol. Sometimes I press the pushers to play with the chronograph. I never really use it for any useful purpose. And when I intend to, I forget it's running and notice it going a few hours later.
> 
> If I didn't have a iPhone then maybe I'd use it for practical purposes.
> 
> /posted via mobile device\


Sadly, I'm in the same boat as AM. Maybe I lived too long in Perth.


----------



## teeritz (May 27, 2006)

On my Speedmaster Moonwatch;

-I use the chrono hand as a date pointer. E.G.- today is the 16th, so I hit the stopwatch and stop it when the chrono hand lands on the 16 second marker on the dial. 

-To time my lunch breaks. Let's say I got to lunch at 1:10pm. I let the chrono run for 40 seconds and then stop it (at 1:40 on the dial). That way, at a glance, I can see how close the minute hand is to the stopped chrono hand to let me know how much time I have left on my lunch break. Sure, I could just use the actual chrono, but this method provides a better "at a glance" readout of remaining or elapsed time.


----------



## Sean779 (Jul 23, 2007)

eah990 said:


> I time myself when im in my bed with my girlfriend. Still trying to beat 2 minutes.


That's funny. The first thing I look at when I see a chronograph is how much respect has been paid to the visibility of the chrono subdials. I don't want them to look like decoration. Monsanto bought my father as a research scientist during the pre-quartz 60s a Gallet chronograph. I like the Ocean7 LM-6C because with its big orange minute hand, even though skeletonized (and impossible to photograph how vibrant the orange is), makes time-telling easy.

Of course, I time my steaks or whatever else I'm cooking...in fact, I can time two things, using the bezel. I also time when I start a focussed project, because I get in a zone where I lose all track of time, and like to know how much focussed time outside of time, I've spent. First my father's watch, then my grail, where subdials have deserved prominence.


----------



## DaBaeker (Jan 29, 2008)

Sean779 said:


> That's funny...... because I get in a zone where I lose all track of time, and like to know how much focussed time outside of time, I've spent.


hmmm.... thats pretty funny;-) . Beautiful Gallet you have. Monsanto really picked that out and nt your Dad?


----------



## WIS_Chronomaster (Sep 17, 2007)

I use mine for cooking timing mostly


----------



## OzO (Aug 27, 2008)

I like to time anything and everything on my chronographs :-!


----------



## ddatta (Oct 6, 2009)

Boiling eggs. Mission success rate? 100%!!... hmm.. must be the hesalite


----------



## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

teeritz said:


> -To time my lunch breaks. Let's say I got to lunch at 1:10pm. I let the chrono run for 40 seconds and then stop it (at 1:40 on the dial). That way, at a glance, I can see how close the minute hand is to the stopped chrono hand to let me know how much time I have left on my lunch break. Sure, I could just use the actual chrono, but this method provides a better "at a glance" readout of remaining or elapsed time.


It's still too tedious, watches with a simple rotating bezel should be more handy for this task


----------



## teeritz (May 27, 2006)

lvt said:


> It's still too tedious, watches with a simple rotating bezel should be more handy for this task


Perhaps it is, but if I want to wear my Speedy to work, then this is the method that I use. I realise that it can take me as long as a whole minute to set up, but I'm okay with that. 
After all, it's a Speedmaster.


----------



## china (Aug 6, 2010)

I use mine almost daily to time my espresso shots. I use to chrono occasionally for other tasks too, but not that often.


----------



## Sean779 (Jul 23, 2007)

DaBaeker said:


> hmmm.... thats pretty funny;-) . Beautiful Gallet you have. Monsanto really picked that out and nt your Dad?


I imagine my dad picked it out--a black dial chrono was a bit of an unusual choice. He was recruited to Monsanto, 1962, and I imagine he choose it and they forked over for watch :-!


----------



## Artek (Dec 25, 2010)

On a Tissot chrono I used to use it to time steeping my tea. On my PO I use the bezel ocasionally.


----------



## jude7789 (Sep 8, 2009)

palmag said:


> I used my chrono's extensively at university during exams. When I was seating 2 or 3 hour exams, I would work out how many question there were and divide that over the available time, generally it would work out to be between 20 to 30 mins per question. I would start the exam and let the chrono fly. I loved the fact that at a glance I knew exactly how much time I had spent on a particular question. Once I finished a question i would reset the chrono and start the procedure again. This procedure generally allowed me to finish the exams well within allocated time, and also allowed me to have a little time up my sleeve to double check my answers.


As opposed to simply working out what time you had to complete the question by?
Or maybe that's too straightforward


----------



## diosrl (Nov 28, 2010)

ddatta said:


> Boiling eggs. Mission success rate? 100%!!... hmm.. must be the hesalite


Same thing! Perfect eggs each time


----------



## palmag (Apr 6, 2010)

jude7789 said:


> As opposed to simply working out what time you had to complete the question by?
> Or maybe that's too straightforward


...the chrono just made it easier, specially for those big engineering/structural/design exams where if you got too carried away you could end up spending way too much time just on one question and completely run out of time, with a single glance I knew how long i had left for each single question  ....lecturers loved to give 3hr exams that should really take 4 hrs to complete....hence the chrono.


----------



## Cabaiguan (Nov 19, 2008)

semmern said:


> I use my Speedmaster to time my racetracks and holding patterns when flying under Instrument Flight Rules, and for timing my VFR flights. In addition to just timing "stuff", or starting the chrono just to watch the subdial ballet


Show off. ;-d


----------



## Cana (May 6, 2008)

I also use my Speedy to time eggs, and parking meters. The bezel on my divers work as well but beats a Speedy moom watch - you just never know when you are going to be called on to save a mission to the moon.


----------



## Piotr-UK (Feb 3, 2010)

I use mine as a second time zone when I'm traveling so I don't have to synch the running seconds and minute hand each time I'm in a different zone. I also time my running and cycling. Don't wear when running just start it as I leave and click it when I get back.

Piotr-UK


----------



## Sean779 (Jul 23, 2007)

lvt said:


> It's still too tedious, watches with a simple rotating bezel should be more handy for this task


maybe for that task, but for tasks like poached eggs every second counts!


----------



## Blackhawksfan81 (Apr 6, 2009)

I rarely wear a chronograph these days but I use the bezel on my PO daily. 

Parking meters. Especially here in Chicago where a quarter dollar gets you an odd amount of time (eg, 7 minutes or 32 minutes of parking).

Also cooking, laundry, commuting to the office on public transit, etc. I also order carry-out food several times a week, so when they say "ready in 25 minutes" I just set the bezel.


----------



## Gopher (Dec 27, 2007)

Grilling and other cooking; timing player shifts when coaching soccer and basketball.


----------



## vbomega (Jan 31, 2010)

I don't really use my chronograph that much due to an annoying limitation of only having 8 beats per second. I really need an El Primero, because it doesn't have this limitation.


----------



## FreelanceWriter (May 30, 2010)

jude7789 said:


> As opposed to simply working out what time you had to complete the question by?
> Or maybe that's too straightforward


Actually, when I was prepping for the LSAT, I found my Seiko sports chronograph was indispensable because of the stop/resume function and I definitely credited it as being partially responsible for allowing me to score in the 90th percentile.

I found that if I waited until I finished an entire sample test to review each question, it was much harder for me to evaluate my thought process that might have resulted in a wrong answer and to reinforce the process to get to the right answer. But if I stopped to review each question (or each set of 5 questions), it was impossible to make sure that I was also working within the overall time limit for the test. The stop/resume chrono function allowed me to take as much time as I needed to go over each question and absorb the process while simultaneously keeping track of my ability to complete the entire test within the allotted time for it.


----------



## palmag (Apr 6, 2010)

FreelanceWriter said:


> Actually, when I was prepping for the LSAT, I found my Seiko sports chronograph was indispensable because of the stop/resume function and I definitely credited it as being partially responsible for allowing me to score in the 90th percentile.
> 
> I found that if I waited until I finished an entire sample test to review each question, it was much harder for me to evaluate my thought process that might have resulted in a wrong answer and to reinforce the process to get to the right answer. But if I stopped to review each question (or each set of 5 questions), it was impossible to make sure that I was also working within the overall time limit for the test. The stop/resume chrono function allowed me to take as much time as I needed to go over each question and absorb the process while simultaneously keeping track of my ability to complete the entire test within the allotted time for it.


You know exactly what I was talking about! :-!


----------



## joeuk (Feb 16, 2010)

for those who wrote "making the perfect boiled egg" you could at least share and tell us all the perfect time lol then i might have a use for my speedy lol


----------



## HappyJack (Mar 31, 2008)

IMO the best chrono display is one with a centre-sweep chrono minute hand -like the Lemania 5100 as used in the Grail Speedy - the 376.0822. Unfortunately, Omega doesn't make those any more; if they did, I'd buy one in a moment. I'd even buy the quartz equivalent that Breitling used in the M-1 - the 251.262. 

Uses - today as an example, I timed the drive to the airfield and worked out my average speed; timed the flight review I undertook in the Pitts Special S-2C; timed the drive home; timed the swim I did in the afternoon (a 50-metre length takes a minute so when I've been swimming for 32 minutes that 1600m or about 1 mile); then timed the parking meter on the 0-60 bezel.


----------



## jmsrolls (Feb 10, 2006)

This one sits on the dresser next to my bed so I can put it on first thing each morning:










I then use it to time two of my morning medications. One I take 30 minutes before breakfast and the other 30 minutes after.

It is also useful for timing sermons and grilling burgers.

Fr. John†


----------



## Argonath (Nov 25, 2010)

usually i time conversations with my patients, their heart rates in relation to blood pressure. also for measuring onset of chest pain or as we docs say angina pectoris. most use goes to my profession i must say therefore the chronograph is a true tool in my toolwatch! 

apart from that pretty much what everybody else has already posted here!

and that's my trusty companion!


----------



## semmern (Sep 2, 2009)

Argonath, that's one beeeeautiful Seamaster you have there!


----------



## tomazzl (Jan 18, 2011)

Mainly for timing my gym workouts. Got to last a minimumof an hour


----------



## Argonath (Nov 25, 2010)

semmern said:


> Argonath, that's one beeeeautiful Seamaster you have there!


thank you mate! very kind of you!


----------



## aardvarkbark (Oct 27, 2010)

I've been using mine to measure the length of a day. Have been averaging 24 hr. +/-


----------



## john wilson (Feb 9, 2006)




----------



## joeuk (Feb 16, 2010)

John your pictures are brilliant must buy new lens and learn it more, what lens are you using


----------



## john wilson (Feb 9, 2006)

joeuk said:


> John your pictures are brilliant must buy new lens and learn it more, what lens are you using


Hi Joe. I'm useing the Nikkor 60mm f2.8 macro. And thank you. 
John Wilson


----------



## Argonath (Nov 25, 2010)

john wilson, I love your collection! very cool pieces and especially the Chronograph version of the SMP in blue and the other Chronograph on the 2nd to last picture in black with the classical arrangement of the sub-dials! I would love to find one like that for myself!


----------



## Mr Fjeld (Aug 8, 2010)

Hope it's ok to bring back an old thread. Most have been said already, but I had a strange discovery about relative time last weekend. I really hate shopping and whenever my girlfriend and I am in town, I try everything to escape the nightmare of going along her into fashion shops. The bright lights, the endless questions about do I look good in this, what do you think of that etc. is such a mood killer. And to this day I haven't figured out why on earth a woman has to touch and feel the texture of something she knows she isn't going to buy in the first place. Now, I don't know how many pieces of clothing a shop has at any time but it feels like all this texture control is taking its time. Second worst is to wait outside - especially if I can't surf on the mobile because of bad reception. Salvation does come in the form of watch stores, tool shops etc. if there are any nearby. Anyway, last weekend I thought it was a good idea to time her while she was walking into the various stores. What usually seemed like ages actually took no more than at the most 10 minutes. Mostly less than that with an average about 4 minutes..... I was perplexed to say the least. Time is obviously relative.

I also use the stopwatch many times a day; dog walks, walking distances, going by car to work, cooking etc.


----------



## Planet Ocean (Nov 12, 2009)

I've always loved having a chronograph watch as it comes in handy at work or play. I use it for timing the grinding of coffee beans to the timing of steaks on the grill. At exam time its a must and on the job, I use it to time evacuations when I run safety drills. 

On the road, its convenient to time the duration of my commute, if I'm driving to a new place. Lastly, its been useful for the timing of traffic lights as they change from red to green. In that way, if I miss the light, I'll know how long I'll have to wait or whether to use the next turnoff. Currently own the Omega SMP chronograph 213.30.42.40.01.001 (Black Bond Chronograph)


----------



## TraserH3 (Jul 15, 2007)

WIS_Chronomaster said:


> I use mine for cooking timing mostly


Which movement is in that? The subdials are so far apart.


----------



## shadowfaxx (Sep 25, 2010)

I keep it running for the beauty of the seconds arm just smoothly going in motion


----------



## shadowfaxx (Sep 25, 2010)

Re: What do you use your chronograph function for?
I use it to watch the bigvseconds arm in sincronization with the small seconds arm. I actually keep it running all the time. Is that ok for the watch ?


----------



## Natura Vergine (Apr 4, 2010)

eah990 said:


> I time myself when im in my bed with my girlfriend. Still trying to beat 2 minutes.


You are a real speedmaster:-d, :rodekaart


----------



## Mr Fjeld (Aug 8, 2010)

Natura Vergine said:


> You are a real speedmaster:-d, :rodekaart


Haha, great one!


----------



## alpapilot (Jul 15, 2009)

I use my Mark II to time engine starts in the jet. Turbine engines have starter duty cycles of usually one to three minutes on and then one to five minutes off depending on the particular engine and airplane. Also, EGT, oil pressure, N1, N2 etc. rise need to happen within a certain amount of seconds. 

Usually, the stopwatch in the airplane is used but, in the jet I fly it is hard to see it while starting. For some reason McDonald-Douglas engineers thought that an engine start should require the first officer to reach over the captain's head with his right hand while keeping his left hand on the fuel valve on the center pedestal.


----------



## WIS_Chronomaster (Sep 17, 2007)

Lol



eah990 said:


> I time myself when im in my bed with my girlfriend. Still trying to beat 2 minutes.


----------



## Spit161 (Oct 9, 2009)

alpapilot said:


> I use my Mark II to time engine starts in the jet. Turbine engines have starter duty cycles of usually one to three minutes on and then one to five minutes off depending on the particular engine and airplane. Also, EGT, oil pressure, N1, N2 etc. rise need to happen within a certain amount of seconds.
> 
> Usually, the stopwatch in the airplane is used but, in the jet I fly it is hard to see it while starting. For some reason McDonald-Douglas engineers thought that an engine start should require the first officer to reach over the captain's head with his right hand while keeping his left hand on the fuel valve on the center pedestal.


Interesting stuff.
I tend to use my chronos to give me a rough indication of a flight time, just in case the Hobbs in the a/c gives up on me.. It has happened! A flight that was 1.5hrs was only showing 0.6 on the Hobbs!

cheers.

PS, What a/c are you on, alpapilot?


----------



## richardew (Apr 7, 2011)

I make a couple of road trips each month and start the chronograph when I leave home to time the outbound trip. Occasionally I'll use the tachymetre to get my speed over a mile, but my GPS does that much better. Most of the time when I use the chronograph function I forget to stop it. Seems like I'm not the only one. I don't find it very useful for cooking or roasting coffee beans as the countdown timer w/alarm that is on the oven/microwave gets my attention when it's time to do something much better that the chrono.


----------



## HHHH (Mar 20, 2011)

Sean779 said:


> That's funny. The first thing I look at when I see a chronograph is how much respect has been paid to the visibility of the chrono subdials. I don't want them to look like decoration. Monsanto bought my father as a research scientist during the pre-quartz 60s a Gallet chronograph. I like the Ocean7 LM-6C because with its big orange minute hand, even though skeletonized (and impossible to photograph how vibrant the orange is), makes time-telling easy.
> 
> Of course, I time my steaks or whatever else I'm cooking...in fact, I can time two things, using the bezel. I also time when I start a focussed project, because I get in a zone where I lose all track of time, and like to know how much focussed time outside of time, I've spent. First my father's watch, then my grail, where subdials have deserved prominence.


That Ocean7 is awesome! Must look more into skeleton hand dive watches. So legible and minimal.

Regarding what I use the chrono for, I use it to time how long I've been in the car-park, so I'm always under the free parking limit and never have to pay the fee.

The other day my gal told me to remember we got in at 2:17. I just reached across and started the chrono. To be honest, I thought it was pretty damn sexy myself. See! There is a purpose to the chrono complication!


----------



## stndrdtime (Jan 15, 2011)

ChronoScot said:


>


The Speedmaster Date is a great looking watch. I've got to look into one of those....


----------



## iam7head (Dec 16, 2010)

timing my other watch on the work bench, when I bake or cook, marking time left at the parking meter, or getting impatient waiting in line for anything.


----------



## MFB71 (Jan 31, 2010)

Richard,
Easy. Timing when the next round is due. 

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk


----------



## ChronoScot (Oct 25, 2010)

MFB Scotland said:


> Richard,
> Easy. Timing when the next round is due.
> 
> Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk


Michael, I don't need a Speedie for that, I just wait until the glass is empty and try to have the presence of mind to remember whether I bought the last one or not ;-)


----------



## yande (Aug 4, 2010)

To time how long it takes to Roast 5 kgs of Macadamia nuts in a sea of Macadamia oil at a temperature of 170C, so that they come out a golden cream colour, that is, before I add a mixture of Wasabi and Seaweed to them. Precise timing for a quality product such as this, I would only trust Omega. Come on Guys don't laugh, I'm thinking Ambassador... The next!? :-d
Also to time how long my brother and business partner spends on his Hi-Fi forum during most working days. Hehe, he doesn't have a chronograph... Thank Goodness.


----------



## bassplayrr (Oct 23, 2009)

I usually use my chronos to time the various steps of homebrewing; starter, grain steeping, wort boiling, hop additions, etc.


----------



## daboosh (Sep 7, 2010)

Like most others, timing the way to work, small chores, and virtually anything that can be timed. 

I do use it for SOME cooking (pasta, etc.) but NEVER for cooking meats. Please guys, if you are cooking by time then you are doing it wrong! Cook to temperature. Get yourself an instant-read thermometer like a ThermaPen and cook your meats to internal temperature. I promise you that you will never undercook or overcook a steak or chicken ever again. Even better, grill it on a Big Green Egg. :-d


----------



## MysticBlueX3 (May 26, 2011)

I used it last night when I was grilling my chicken.


----------



## MysticBlueX3 (May 26, 2011)

ChronoScot said:


>


BTW, nice looking watch. Always nice to see an Omega that is not a PO, SMP or Moonwatch.


----------



## seagullfan (Feb 7, 2010)

I use it to time my billable hours (handy since my old chronograph only goes to 30 minutes). Some of the client work I do can run into 4-5 hours at a time.


----------



## ChronoScot (Oct 25, 2010)

*Oh the irony!*

I was supervising the dry run of a certain machine today before it was brought into service, part of which involved measuring the temperature of bearings at specific intervals. For some reason there was no stopwatch available, so an ideal application for a chronograph, in order to read off the times for the temperature measurements. I glance at my wrist only to see that I am wearing...

...my non-chronograph Aqua Terra... :-(

This was one of the _very _rare occasions in a number of years of working as an engineer that I actually recall _needing_ to use a chronograph, and I was not even wearing my Speedmaster. What a total disappointment for a WIS!

In the end, I used my iPhone. The irony of the situation makes me shake my WIS head :-(


----------



## por44 (Dec 21, 2007)

anonymousmoose said:


> Lol. Sometimes I press the pushers to play with the chronograph. I never really use it for any useful purpose. And when I intend to, I forget it's running and notice it going a few hours later.
> 
> If I didn't have a iPhone then maybe I'd use it for practical purposes.
> 
> /posted via mobile device\


*+1*


----------



## mm99 (Oct 19, 2011)

yes, I use it to time the coffee grinder for my french press in the morning. sometimes I use it to time how long I sleep. forces me to manage sleep when I realize i sometimes only take 5 hrs per night for a few days in a row...joys of working with Europe from the west coast US.



teeritz said:


> Perhaps it is, but if I want to wear my Speedy to work, then this is the method that I use. I realise that it can take me as long as a whole minute to set up, but I'm okay with that.
> After all, it's a Speedmaster.


----------



## elmatador (Jul 7, 2011)

Absolutely nothing...i just like the way it looks....seriously


----------



## Sad Glad (Jan 6, 2012)

I use it to time my french press, my coffee taste better since I bought my Speedmaster


----------



## cptdean (Sep 30, 2008)

elmatador said:


> Absolutely nothing...i just like the way it looks....seriously


+1


----------



## megamustang (May 8, 2010)

Timing my daughter's cross country races, long distance phone calls to my mother, total duration of long trips (used for filing travel vouchers at work)...

NOTHING that I can't do with my G-shock....... But I do it while wearing a suit.


----------



## kycigar (May 28, 2007)

MY wife likes to refer to my Speedy Pro as a "three thousand dollar egg timer"!


----------



## ChronoScot (Oct 25, 2010)

kycigar said:


> MY wife likes to refer to my Speedy Pro as a "three thousand dollar egg timer"!


That's the big irony of it all. As this thread demonstrates, only the fewest would appear to have a need to (say) time re-entry burns for their damaged spacecraft, or similarly lofty applications of the chronograph ;-)


----------



## yande (Aug 4, 2010)

kycigar said:


> MY wife likes to refer to my Speedy Pro as a "three thousand dollar egg timer"!


Back in the day, my friends mother used to call their microwave, a $600 dollar digital clock. Like the chronograph, that's correct, until you need to use it.

I have a _penchant_ for Chronographs. I theorise that most chronograph wearers have a love of driving, if not a desire to drive at speed. When I think of chronographs, it is the Monaco that first springs to my mind, and then the Speedmaster and then of timing speed. Well that is the reason, after thinking quite a deal over it, why most of the top shelf of my watch box are chronographs. (Not pictured are the odd chronograph on the lower shelf and my PO, on my wrist today, and my Cal 911 flightmaster, due back Tuesday from my watchmaker.)










Now this is a chronograph..


----------



## PeteJ (Jan 5, 2012)

eah990 said:


> I time myself when im in my bed with my girlfriend. Still trying to beat 2 minutes.


Hint: looking at your watch during the act - women consider this to be unromantic.


----------



## iinsic (Feb 18, 2010)

Like most others, I use my chronos to time things on the grill. Precision counts when you've got a 2" porterhouse cooking. I can't use it for longer timings, such as watering, because I need an alarm to tell me to turn the dang thing off. The iPhone handles those sorts of tasks. I also use it to time patient sessions, since I'm not one of those 50- minute "Well, that's all the time we have for today" freaks. Most sessions average closer to an hour-and-a-half, but the chrono allows me to know the precise duration, since I bill in 1/10 hour increments.

Finally, when I'm on the interstate, I use it to time legs between fuel stops (kinda anal that way ;-)). Whenever I replace the tires on my car or get any wheel work done, I'll go to the interstate to check the speedo on the measured miles. I usually do three checks, expecting the median time to be pretty close to the mean.

Rob


----------



## Manuel Garcia O'Kely (May 2, 2011)

Well, I ski for a 'living', and I use mine to time runs, and to time total 'laps' down run and back up chairs to top, so that I can estimate how many runs I have left in the day.

As well as cooking - a very regular use - although I use the bezel on my non-chrono's for that too.

Most anything I think of I guess.

I like to let mine run sometimes as well - I started it when watch said straight up noon and those hands make such a nice loop.

It is hard for me to say which complication I like better - frankly a GMT hand is pretty handy as I'm an amateur radio operator and use GMT regularly as well, so both are desirable in my eye.

I have a Breitling Navtimer [original Ti and digital/analog] that does both. I need to get the bracelet resized again. Smaller.


----------



## cptdean (Sep 30, 2008)

Thanks to a cool tip from 'teeritz' I am now setting the chrono second hand to the minute marker that corresponds with the current day of the month. Now my Speedy has a date function! Thanks, teeritz!


----------



## teeritz (May 27, 2006)

I wish I could take the credit, but I read it here from another forum member. Very nifty trick, though.


----------



## JimInOz (Jun 7, 2011)

I used it to see how long I can hold my breath.

I tried the same thing with her ladyship but never even got a reading above a few milliseconds.

(Second part's a joke, honest, she's not really a talker, well not too much. I'd better shut up).


----------



## mr_pedro (Dec 26, 2011)

To adjust the grind such that a double shot of espresso is brewed in exacly 25 seconds.
Recently, to time the contractions and determine when its time to go to the hospital.
At the gym I like to be done in under an hour, so I like to keep the chrono runing.


----------



## yande (Aug 4, 2010)

teeritz said:


> I wish I could take the credit, but I read it here from another forum member. Very nifty trick, though.


Your modesty, and honesty, T. as always, I applaud.. (yeah, I know for you, it was an obvious statement, and for that, I appreciate it all the more.) |>


----------



## catlike (Aug 7, 2009)

Nothing. Whenever I need the function, I look down at my wrist & realize my chronos are at home in the case - doh! 

One of the downsides of owning more than one watch.......


----------



## WIS_Chronomaster (Sep 17, 2007)

Nothing.


----------



## stbob (Dec 30, 2017)

_311.32.40.30.01.001_









_311.32.40.30.01.001_


----------



## chrisjones3 (Mar 7, 2009)

Some year’s ago timing the period of a carbide bomb passing the drill bit until the resulting gas is sensed at surface whilst drilling oil wells. The duration tells you the hole condition. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## haganaga (Dec 23, 2015)

Going through potty training with my oldest. Every 30-45 min it’s POTTY TIME! The Speedy has been very helpful. Obviously any watch with a timer of any sort (or a smartphone) would do the same job, but it’s fun and easy to use. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## AttraWatches (Apr 1, 2019)

ChronoScot said:


> I was wondering what other members actually use their chronograph functions for.
> 
> I was never under any illusion that I _really_ needed the functionality of a chronograph (not to mention a tachymeter) when I bought my Speedmaster Date. I wanted it rather because of the sporty / technical look and, as I'm an engineer, I thought it would be cool to have a stopwatch on my wrist.
> 
> ...


I use my Speedmaster and Strela for cooking too! Not just pasta, but just about anything! I especially like to use it for steak, considering the cost of a good cut. I don't like a well-done porterhouse!

At work, I use my chronographs for meetings facilitation. I timebox certain topics within the scope of 30-60 minutes so I can ensure that we stay on track and cover everything that we need to.

... I also just love to push buttons. Not metaphorically, of course.


----------



## tismail (Aug 10, 2018)

A lot of people I know use it for coffee brewing

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk


----------



## Toothbras (Apr 19, 2010)

chrisjones3 said:


> The duration tells you the hole condition.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


There's a joke in here somewhere


----------



## snarfbot (Sep 29, 2013)

I click the buttons sometimes for funsies


----------



## watch1440 (Jan 31, 2014)

Best toy function in a watch. ever


----------



## forsakenfury (Oct 3, 2019)

I've always wondered if the chronograph function was actually used, now I know.


----------



## anonymousmoose (Sep 17, 2007)

I steer away from chronographs because I never have a use for the function. A lot of the time I initiate it and forget that I was using the watch to time something. I got a Fitbit bracelet on the right wrist and having a vibrating timer means I don't forget.

I have one Chrono, which I consider the King of Chronographs (subjective viewpoint). IMO if you buying and IWC get a Chrono... and this one is the best looking one ever made.









I do love the 2225.80, the first Bond chronograph before the red writing and applied markings. I'm ashamed to say the sin of watchlust sets in whenever I see it (along with the non-chronograph GMT version)


----------



## MaxIcon (Oct 16, 2016)

I set mine going to have something different to admire on my watch. You know, for those times when you look at your watch for a bit, then realize you still haven't noticed what time it is.

I also like to watch for how the subdials work on different movements, like whether they snap to the next marker or move gradually.

If I try to use it to time something, I forget to pay attention, like anonymousmoose. I need to use my phone for that.


----------



## koolpep (Jul 14, 2008)

I use it to time my commute, lap time during a race, anything I need to pay attention to and shouldn’t take my eyes off, the tactile feeling of a chronograph pusher makes that easy. Sometimes I use that to time how long I speak in meetings. 

How long it takes me to perform certain tasks using specific features in a software (work)...

So actually I like using it quite a lot, but for a lot of cases except racing and really short tasks a normal minute diving bezel gets me there too.


----------



## stbob (Dec 30, 2017)

Deviled eggs...


----------

