Graham Chronofighter Trigger Tourbillograph

Graham-London, the brand of British origin that -together with Arnold and Son- belongs to the Swiss-owned The British Masters SA group has revealed the new member of its Chronofighter collection.

Called the Graham Chronofighter Trigger Tourbillograph, the model features their trademark trigger-style button on the left side of the case, as well as a transparent tourbillon escapement carriage and, of course, the chronograph itself: the now-omnipresent complication that was originally created by the brand’s founding father George Graham in the beginning of XVIII century.

I don’t really like when fine watches get their push-pieces stylized as gas pedals, safety control levers and, most of all, triggers.

Well, I equally hate the canteen-style military watches.

Yet, I understand that in today’s world, when even the expensive timepieces are sometimes produced in hundreds of thousands of units, the young brands are desperate to construct and learn their own design language, even if sometimes it sounds like a barbaric gibberish.

Unfortunately, the new Graham Chronofighter Trigger Tourbillograph watch belongs to the latter group.

Its trigger-shaped push-piece that controls the foudroyante (split-seconds) chronograph complication looks almost as appropriate in a luxury tourbillon watch as a king size waterbed in a church.

The design is so ‘bold’ that it actually ruins the otherwise beautiful timepiece.

This is especially lamentable considering the fact that the Tourbillograph comes equipped with a new Calibre G1780 automatic movement with an eccentric tourbillon complication developed and manufactured by La Joux-Perret.

Beating at a pace of 28,800 vph, the self-winding caliber features a double bridge construction with an 18-carat red gold upper deck.

The whole assembly is placed in a rather large red gold case 46 millimeters in diameter.

As far as I understand, Graham will try to sell the watch for some €100,000.

It would have been a more than reasonable price for a tourbillon watch packed in a massive rose gold case if not that damned “trigger”.

Photos: Graham

Graham Chronofighter Trigger Tourbillograph automatic watch specification:

Price range: €100,000
Movement: La Joux-Perret
Complications: Chronograph, tourbillon
Power reserve: N/A
Case material: 18k rose gold
Case dimensions: 46 mm
Case height: N/A
Dial: Rhodium-plated
Water resistance: N/A
Strap: Brown leather
Crystal: Sapphire