Chronograph Watches

Chronograph watches are timepieces with a built-in stopwatch complication. The chronograph was invented in 1815 by Louis Moinet to aid in astronomical observations, but the first watch to be marketed as such was built by Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec in 1821 for King Louis XVIII of France to time horse races. As expected, chronographs have been commonly used to time races of all kinds, and these watches are strongly associated with motorsports. Another type of racing chronograph not often seen these days is the yacht timer, which was used for boat races. Because of their relationship with racing, chronographs often feature a tachymeter scale for calculating speed, or a telemeter scale for measuring distance travelled.