Dress Chronographs, why we all need one - The Vescari Chestor
Before we all went diving, flying and racing, watches were considered a piece of jewelry to complement an outfit. In the case of chronographs the history is completely backwards, they were never intended to use while raising your glass on a fancy dinner, but you know what? It just works. The complication was made to live on the sidelines of a racetrack while cars passed by, they also belong on the wrist of experienced military officers while calculating the distance of an object and just like pilot watches and diving watches, they were made for a purpose (although we always take them for a shower). This is for me the reason why a dress chronograph makes sense, yes, they have evolved from a harsh environment into the modern world but those blued hands, small cases with tiny pushers fit perfectly well with a dinner jacket, here is where the Vescari Chestor enter the scene.
I have seen many chronographs from microbrands and they all make the same mistake, they oversize the case without thinking of the pushers making it hard to wear, they add a flat sapphire crystal taking that vintage charm and they add more sub-dials than needed, this is not the case here, the Chestor is as refined as a dress watch should be.
The specifications:
Size does matters, not sure why in a world where Quartz movements are available brands tend to go for a 42mm or even 43mm cases, a big chronograph is hard to pull regardless you are Pnaerai or Bulova. The Vescari is 40mm with a short lug to lug distance, it fits my 6.25 inch wrist and for some reason it feels like smaller case (which is always a good thing), we opted for the rose gold version (nothing is more chic than this) which has a mixed of polished and brushed surfaces with a great attention to detail. The black sunburst dials is a joy to watch, those rose gold sword hands and the applied markers make the time not only easy to spot but also a pleasure to wonder, I always get lost on the dial and I still don’t mind. The chronograph hand reaches the far end of the minute track making it so hypnotizing that you just want to keep pressing the pusher to see the action time after time. Inside the 40mm case is a reliable 6s21 quartz movement which is as robust as the PVD application, durable and ready to go out of the races and onto the tracks (good song by the way).
On the wrist:
With a perfect size, a great lug to lug distance and a height that will slide under any cuff the Chestor wears perfectly well. The domed mineral crystal gives this old age vibe distorting the angles of that beautiful 6 and 12 applied numerals. Its legible and not heavy, the watch came with a canvas strap that at first thought you will think that does not pair with such a classy piece, but it does, it gives that sporty vibe with a touch of elegance, its so dark and so black that it really complements that sunburst dial, it's a brave choice from Vescari which is very welcome.
Conclusion:
Vintage watches and specially chronographs are very popular at the moment, if you are a watch enthusiast and you want a vintage chronograph with classic proportions I am sure that you do not need me to tell you that they are very expensive and, if you want to opt for a gold version then things become even worst. The Chestor is a watch that gives you that same old age flair with out breaking the bank, we did not mentioned the risk of buying a 60 year old chronograph, that is as dangerous as buying a vintage Jaguar XK120. That said I own some vintage pieces which I love but I do baby them quite a bit and sometimes I ended up not wearing them, I think I wore the Chestor non stop for week, when I looked at my wrist I got scared thinking: ''I shouldn’t take this watch out so much...'', but then I remembered that it was built not only to wear but also to last. I would highly recommend this watch to anyone who is in need of that vintage/modern chronograph feeling, it will definitely scratch that itch.
More info at www.vescari.com
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