Super Weight: Graham Chronofighter Superlight Carbon - Men's Folio
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Super Weight: Graham Chronofighter Superlight Carbon

  • By Yong Wei Jian

By now, Graham’s Chronofighter is synonymous with the British watch brand. Built like tactical gear, the iconic timepiece commands attention through its oversized case, bold numerals, and signature quick-action trigger that starts and stops the chronograph function. The brawny badass wears unabashedly big, so one would expect considerable wrist strength to bear the bulk, but not when it forges a relationship with carbon fibre.

Heavily favoured in aerospace and performance automotive industries, carbon fibre hits above its weight class by having exceptional resistance and strength despite a feather-light heft. Graham took this high-tech material and processed it into four different forms to build the Chronofighter Superlight Carbon: A carbon speckled composite with shock absorption for the case; a carbon matrix directly cut to form the case middle; multiple layers of plain carbon fibre for the chronograph trigger; and a carbon fibre weave on the bezel and dial. The result is a massive 47mm watch that comes in at under 100g.

Apart from the material story in carbon fibre, the rest of the Chronofighter is characteristic of itself. The left trigger lever relocates chronograph operations away from the wrist for an ergonomic advantage. The lower right quadrant of the dial is occupied by the minutes and seconds counter, balanced by a small date window on the left. The tachymeter scale stands in contrast against the black dial, while the main time-telling hands are SuperLumiNova-coated. Beneath all the carbon is Graham’s standard calibre G1747, an automatic chronograph movement based on the Valjoux 7750.

The Chronofighter Superlight Carbon collection exists as a trilogy, with the last instalment being introduced this year to wrap up the lightweight proposition. Available in 50 pieces, the new limited edition model is distinguished by racing orange accents, a “Start” inscription on the minutes counter, and an integrated Clous de Paris rubber strap in subdued grey (compared to the previous bright red or yellow).

This article was originally published in Men’s Folio Magazine April 2016