Review: Graham Chronofighter Vintage Bolt

If you grew up in the Appalachian Mountains, like I did, Graham doesn’t ring a bell unless you’re talking about the former name of Bluefield, VA. It definitely didn’t mean much to me in the watch world, and maybe that’s why I jumped at the offer to look at the Graham Chronofighter Vintage Bolt (also, I have bigger wrists, but we’ll touch on that later). And, if I’m honest, it was a good opportunity to touch something outside of my normal Pabst Blue Ribbon price range.

Graham is one of those companies that takes its name from the past. In this case from George Graham, a renowned English clockmaker sometimes erroneously credited for the creation of the deadbeat escapement. This isn’t to say he wasn’t a great clockmaker—quite the opposite—and I guess if you’re going to revive anyone’s name, he’s as good as any. With that said, other than the fact that the company claims partial British ownership and passion, there really isn’t much else in common with George Graham other than the name. Its catalog isn’t comprised of classical pieces made in vintage British style, but rather it consists of larger sport watches in the vein of diver, drivers, and flyers.

Before I started my research, I had never heard of or seen a bomb timer with a trigger system; I firmly believed that this watch was just going to be a big, made-up hunk of metal chronograph for the over-testosteroned crowd. I was wrong. In fact, the Graham Chronofighter Vintage Bolt (a limited edition of 100 pieces) surprised me in several ways.

The Case

One of the first things I’d like to address, as it was one of the reasons I chose the watch, is the “crimped edge” bezel that surrounds the CVB. It’s different than anything I’d ever seen, and considering that the Chronofighter Vintage isn’t new, the addition of this bezel seemed odd to me.  Graham doesn’t really explain it other than that it’s there to tantalize the senses when touched. However, I found that this bezel did exist on old bomb timers like a Lip Type K. Things like this are always kind of cool to me. I don’t know why that bezel existed, but it did in fact exist, and, whether you like to admit it or not, it is nice to run your hand across. 

The whole case is beautifully done with polished and brushed surfaces that keep the watch interesting without making it too much like a luxury watch. The flat crimped bezel, with the help of the crystal also makes the watch feel slimmer than it actually is. A lot of automatic chronographs can feel pretty tall, but this watch succeeds in making the whole package feel slim. The glassbox crystal sits tall, but the sides are almost straight up with little to no curve, and the flat top makes the image of the dial seem like it’s right there on the surface.

The other bold feature of this watch is the chronograph trigger. At first glance it appears more akin to something from Skycaptain and the World of Tomorrow rather than a watch, but it’s actually sort of brilliant.  The chronograph movement has been modified to function with a trigger built inside the crown rather than your normal 2 and 4 placement. Designed so that it could be activated with a gloved hand, it actually works very pleasantly in the modern world.  Also, it’s mounted on the left so that the apparatus, which is overly large, won’t dig into your wrist all day, and so that you can easily use your thumb, which is capable of exerting the most force in such a position—which is a plus and gives it something a little different than most of the chronographs you see. I was actually able to actuate the chronograph function while driving and not even lift or turn my left wrist. Start and stop both function with a noticeable click and reset is performed by the mushroom button at 10 o’clock. 

The only drawback to this system (for us righties) is that the balloon crown is surrounded by this trigger system. Permanently. The balloon isn’t hard to grip but could probably stand to be a millimeter or two bigger. Also, functionally, the crown is going to take some getting used to.  The movement is produced by La Joux-Perret and based on the ETA 7750, but is mounted upside down. What that means for you is that winding isn’t done via the thumb rolling the crown upward, but downward. I know one would get used to it, but I found myself having to turn the watch upside down to wind it up. I get that it’s an auto, and you could just shake it, and while that might be fun for some of you, I prefer to wind my watches to get them going. 

The Dial

Functionality is also present on the dial. Well, sort of. The matte black grain textured dial is printed with bright white markers. Two old military style train tracks surround the dial, one being for the time marked every minute, and the outer for the chronograph seconds reading. Five-minute increments are all marked with 45 and 60 standing out more than the rest. I guess we could assume 15 and 30 would have to if not for the second-hand counter and elapsed minutes subdial. Speaking of the running seconds subdial, it’s upside down (with 30 at the top and 60 at the bottom), and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. 

Here’s the “sort of” part.  The hands are blued. I have nothing against blued hands, and I really like it when it’s actually blued metal. The problem is, even with the sword sections filled in with a rather limp Super-LumiNova, they’re almost impossible to see against the black field. It doesn’t affect the time reading all that much, but it makes using the chronograph a task. The chrono seconds hand does have a diamond lume pip and yellow painted pointer, but the yellow is slim against the white track, and the blue hand disappears like a minivan in a mall parking lot.

The same issue is present on the elapsed minutes too, as it is almost non existent against the black dial. The running seconds hand is yellow, and easy to see, but why not the others? I like functions that work, but that’s a rough blemish for me. It’s almost form over function. At least you can read the red CHRONOFIGHTER logo without squinting. Right?  Right!

The Rest

The rest of the watch is as nice and well made as the rest. The case back has a sapphire glass allowing anyone who cares to peer into the workings of the Chronofighter. It lets you know that it can, in fact be, worn on an adventure, with 100m water resistance, and that they’ve been “watchmakers since 1695.” Make of that claim what you will. The leather strap is supple and thick. The kind of strap that fits well on a pilots watch. As far as the buckle is concerned, it’s a little much, but does the job. 

Having read the dimensions of this watch, I can see why I was selected to write about it. It reads like it’s going to be gargantuan and I’ve got a 7 ½ inch wrist. I expected to get an Invicta sized watch. What I got was a larger watch that in no way feels as big as its spec sheet reads. It could be that the bezel makes the dial look smaller, or that the surfaces on the side keep it looking like it was chiseled from a solid hunk of marble, but somehow, this watch wears very well. And comfortably, I might add. 

The left-side controls make a huge difference, even if they can take a little getting used to. It might not be for everyone, but it has a uniqueness and eye-catching size without being obnoxious. It all just works well together. Like the Nightpanel button on a Saab, the Graham Chronofighter Vintage Bolt might not always be used for its intended function, but it’s damn cool to show your friends. 

You can learn more about the Graham and buy its watches directly from the brand’s website.