If you're looking to buy a manual-winding chronograph, we highly recommend the Dunhill Millennium Chronograph! [One of the Chronos editorial team's favorites]

What are the characteristics of the watches that editors of watch magazines really love and own? Editor Hosoda mentioned the Dunhill Millennium Chronograph, a manual-winding chronograph. He said that the surprisingly solid finish of the movement and the gloss of the thick lacquer dial are particularly appealing.

Chronos Japan editor Hosoda's favorite is the Millennium Chronograph

　To get a little insider's story, December is the webChronos campaign period. We want to further increase the satisfaction of our regular readers, and also reach more people who haven't read webChronos before.

　With this in mind, this month we are putting together a variety of articles in addition to our regular serialization, and are posting more articles than usual. This month's "Editor's Favorite Article" is one such attempt.

　As the name suggests, this project introduces a favorite watch from among the watches owned by the editorial staff of Chronos Japan (webChronos). It feels a little embarrassing to write about it, but this time I would like to feature the Dunhill Millennium Chronograph that I, Hosoda, own.

I was infected with the urge to own a chronograph.

　About once a year, I get the urge to buy a chronograph. The triggers vary: I might thoroughly research chronographs in a special feature on Chronos, I might accidentally find a good one on Yahoo! Auctions or eBay, or an acquaintance might show me their watch.

　I just can't help but want a chronograph. And I gather information about them, regardless of whether they're new or antique. This disease usually starts when I have my eye on something I want, and just when the symptoms reach their peak—I'll buy it this weekend!—the cure, "financial problems," kicks in, and somehow I manage to avoid a secondary disaster.

　However, when I bought the Millennium Chronograph, this elixir didn't work. The selling price was so low. At the time, I wanted a watch with a manual winding movement and a horizontal clutch (a carrying arm, after all!), so I remember researching everything from Valjoux and Lemania to Venus, Landeron, and Excelsior Park.

　However, I had a hard time finding a model that really caught my eye. The only models that were priced within my reach were antiques with dials in poor condition. It seemed like a brand new watch from that era was out of reach.

I happened to find the Millennium Chronograph on the web.

　However, the current hand-wound movement, especially one with a carrying arm, is an even higher financial hurdle. Then, by chance, I came across the Millennium Chronograph online. It's equipped with the Lemania Caliber 1873 and costs just 10 yen. That's a price that's unheard of for Breitling, Heuer, or the Omega Speedmaster (approximately Caliber 861/1861), which use the same movement.

　The unique case design, with lugs extending from the center, and the single-strand bracelet, which is likely to be well-received in the current "lux sports" boom, are distinctive and eye-catching, and the 37mm case diameter is also exquisite.

　Having found an unexpected bargain, I went ahead and bought the medicine, as the medication was not working as well as it should have due to the high energy I had felt that night.

The movement is more beautifully finished than you would expect.

　The Dunhill watch I received was better than I expected. The Lemania movement was well polished, and honestly, it was the most polished Caliber 1873 I've ever seen. The bridges were well beveled, and the screw heads were also well polished.

　It is unclear whether Lemania ebauches were graded according to their finish, but it is quite amusing to imagine that Dunhill used a high-grade movement or that one of the Richemont Group brands finished it later.

　Although I bought this watch primarily for the movement, I also really liked the dial design. The white dial, made with a thick, polished lacquer finish typical of the late 1990s and 2000s, has a particularly sexy sheen, especially under strong light sources. It's even more enjoyable to look at than the movement itself.

　With a diameter of 27mm, the Cal. 1873 is small for a modern movement, so if it were placed in a modern case, the subdials would inevitably look cross-eyed.

　However, the Millennium Chronograph doesn't have this problem thanks to its relatively small case and the three-dimensional dial ring. The placement of the third counter is appropriate.

　As mentioned above, the Dunhill Millennium Chronograph, with its excellent interior (mechanical) and exterior, proved effective against my incurable disease. That's how satisfying it was.

Let's be comrades!

　The Millennium Chronograph is probably the cheapest hand-wound Lemania watch you can buy. It's a real bargain, considering its successor, powered by an El Primero movement, costs three times as much, even though the only difference is the addition of a moon phase.

　It's hard to shake the feeling that this watch has received an unfairly low rating, but there are still plenty of high-quality pieces out there, so if you're interested, join us!