10 of the best triple register chronographs for timing perfection

Russell Sheldrake

There are seemingly two factions in the watch industry right now. One that is happy to use the terms bicompax and tricompax to describe two and three-register chronographs, and another who could not be more against the idea. As my colleague Borna has written about in the past, the use of these two words has become a point of contention in recent years, and so I won’t get too much into it here. But when Borna decided to follow this up with a list of what he considers to be the best bicompax, or two-register chronographs on the market today, I thought it would only be right if I gave you my list of the best three-register or tricompax chronographs.

There is a full range here, and all offer something a little different, and hopefully, everyone will find something that takes their fancy. With super accessible to outright luxury, these triple register chronographs speak to just how diverse the watch world can be. After all, this is the prototypical configuration of a chronograph, this is what we all have in our minds when the word is mentioned, and so it makes sense that there is such a wide variety when it comes to this offering.

Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Mission to Mars

It feels like, at this point, we will be talking about pre-MoonSwatch and post-MoonSwatch eras. The impact these Bioceramic chronographs have made is almost immeasurable with social, cultural, and economic factors all coming into play. And for those who might not have seen it, we recently decided to rank all of them, from our very own, entirely subjective, point of view. The Mission to Mars came out on top. Its bright, playful colours match the vibe of this watch perfectly, and pays tribute to a legendary Speedmaster in doing so. What more could you ask for from the entry level triple register chronograph. Price: US$270

Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Pogue SSC947

Now we go from one homage to another, this time from one of our favourite Japanese brands, the Seiko Speedtimer Pogue draws its inspiration directly from a watch that is legendary in Seiko lore, by adding this bright yellow dial to what is already a brilliant chronograph. The original Pogue spent 84 days in space on the wrist of Colonel William Pogue’s wrist, and while that was one of the most legendary chronographs in the history of the complication, this revival of the colour scheme caused a commotion among the Seiko collective when it was released earlier this year. Price: US$700

Tissot PR516

While the PRX may be getting all of the attention these days, this PR516 chronograph is a real sleeper hit in the Tissot catalogue. From its solid case construction, to its vintage styling choices, not to mention the pops of colour against a monochrome colour palette, this is an archetypal chronograph. And when you find out it runs on a manual wind, Valjoux-derived movement, it becomes hard to beat in this price range. Price: US$1,850

Baltic Tricompax Reverse Panda

I am a sucker for a reverse panda dial, and so when Baltic launched this vintage styled chronograph, I was instantly struck with how well they had executed the dial. The minimal markings mean it doesn’t look over crowded, the sleek hands add to its old charm, and its mushroom pushers give me a real sense that the team at Baltic care about their work and pay attention to the closest details. What’s great is that this is available through our online store and in our Discovery Studio, but they have a terrible habit of flying out the door. Price: €1,645 (~US$1,900), available from the T+T Shop

Longines Avigation BigEye

There’s nothing wrong with having a bit of a quirk or point of difference about your watch, and the Avigation BigEye proves that. With minimal branding, but a big sub-dial at three, this vintage watch proves just how rich the heritage of Longines really is. Giving 1940s pilot’s chronograph vibes, it is extremely well-considered with a highly trusted automatic ETA calibre running the show. No wonder it walked away from the 2017 GPHG with the Revival prize. Price: US$3,000

TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox

This watch quickly became one of my favourites of the last couple of years. The TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox was such a clever redesign, elevating an important model for the brand, while maintaining all of its key elements, The domed crystal with the internal tachymeter helps to clear the dial, with this effect being amplified by the minimal bottom sub-dial maintaining legibility. Now we have seen multiple iterations of this watch come out, I am still a huge fan of this 39mm model with its deep blue dial. Price: US$6,450

Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch

This was the first watch I thought about when I was building this list. The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional has the perfect combination of rich history, faultless design, brilliant specs, and diverse options for those that feel like branching out. Omega has capitalised on its strong Moonwatch offering and it is ubiquitous with the Moon landing thanks to this, and having a piece of that history on your wrist is very hard to beat. Although, I do know a few collectors who make owning this watch seem like a personality type. Price: US$7,000 (Hesalite crystal)

Zenith Chronomaster Sport

Perhaps one of the most sporty chronographs on this list, the Zenith Chronomaster Sport is ubiquitous with racing and competition in my mind. The legend of the El Primero movement inside and its release in 1969 is playfully signalled by the tri-coloured sub-dials in these fantastic shades of blue, grey and silver. The execution of a chronograph like this is impeachable, thanks to Zenith’s long-standing tradition in this field, it’s a fantastic piece of engineering that has a long story to back it up. Price: US$11,300

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

Often thought of as one of the hardest watches to get hold of in the world, the Rolex Daytona still has a death grip on much of the collecting community. Its connection with vintage motor racing, and bulletproof construction thanks to the incredibly high standards at Rolex make this one of the ultimate chronographs to own. While many still see this as a pure status symbol, it’s important to remember the shockingly good watchmaking that holds this up, with the cal. 4130 inside proving to be a movement of incredible quality. But if you can lay your hands on an off-catalogue piece, that might be one of the biggest flexes you can make at your next meet up. Price: US$15,100

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph

There is just something about rose gold with a green dial. It seems to be a the colour combination taking the watch world by storm right now. And so when Vachon Constantin decided to expertly apply it to the Overseas Chronograph, it was a sure-fire contender for this list. The Overseas line is so well regarded now in the luxury space, that it needs little introduction, and the chronograph, while a little chunky, adds another layer of luxe-sportiness to it that takes it to another level for me. Price: US$79,500