Pick up any serious watch catalogue and you'll find the chronograph watch for men holding its own section. Not because it tells time differently — a chronograph keeps the same hours and minutes as every other watch on your wrist — but because it adds a separate, user-controlled stopwatch function with its own set of hands, pushers, and registers. Understanding how that mechanism works changes how you appreciate every chronograph you'll ever wear. The PINDU P1701 Chronograph Moon Watch is the reference point for this post: a multi-register VK63 quartz chronograph that adds a moon phase display to the complication stack, at a price that doesn't require a business case to justify.
What Is a Chronograph Watch?
A chronograph is a watch with an independent seconds-counting mechanism that the wearer starts, stops, and resets using pushers on the case side. The standard timekeeping function — hours, minutes, and a running seconds display — continues uninterrupted regardless of what the chronograph is doing. The two systems operate in parallel, which is why a chronograph can time a sprint without losing track of the time of day.
The word itself comes from the Greek chronos (time) and grapho (write) — the earliest chronographs, developed in the 1820s, left ink marks on a paper dial to record elapsed time. Modern chronograph mechanisms use central hands and subdials instead of ink, but the underlying logic is identical: a secondary hand system activated by the user to measure a duration.
What makes a men's chronograph genuinely useful is versatility. A chronograph can time a cooking interval, a parking meter, a workout set, a presentation, a driving lap, or a medication dose. The function is neutral — it measures whatever you're tracking. PINDU's P1701 sits closer to the dress end: a structured multi-register layout that reads precise rather than aggressive.
How to Use a Chronograph Watch
Using a chronograph watch correctly requires understanding two pushers: start/stop and reset. The top pusher (at 2 o'clock on the P1701) starts the chronograph seconds hand from zero and, when pressed again, stops it in place. The bottom pusher (at 4 o'clock) resets all chronograph hands to zero. Never press reset while the chronograph is running — on many movements, doing so causes the seconds hand to sweep erratically before settling.
The three subdials on a standard chronograph show different elapsed-time registers. The running seconds subdial (active at all times) is typically the smallest. The elapsed minutes subdial counts chronograph minutes — it advances by one with each full chronograph seconds rotation. The elapsed hours subdial counts completed hours of timing. On the P1701, a fourth aperture tracks the moon phase independently.
To time something: press the top pusher once to start, observe your elapsed time across the subdials, press the top pusher again to freeze the reading. Press the bottom pusher to reset all chronograph hands to zero when done.
What Is a Tachymeter and Do You Need One?
A tachymeter is a scale — printed on the dial or engraved on the chapter ring — that lets you calculate speed over a known distance using the chronograph's elapsed seconds. Start the chronograph as a car crosses a kilometre marker, stop it at the next, and read the speed directly off the tachymeter scale. At 60 seconds, the scale reads 60 km/h. At 30 seconds, 120 km/h. The P1701 includes a tachymeter chapter ring, adding instrument character to a dial that already carries moon phase and chronograph complexity.
Whether you actively use the tachymeter depends entirely on whether you time intervals over measured distances. Most owners don't. The scale still contributes visually — a dense chapter ring of incremented numbers frames the subdials and gives the watch a technical, instrument-ready appearance even at rest.
The PINDU P1701: Chronograph Plus Moon Phase
The PINDU P1701 Chronograph Moon Watch is the most technically specified watch in the PINDU collection — not by the count of complications alone, but by the density of functional information on a single dial. Three chronograph registers, a running seconds subdial, a tachymeter chapter ring, a moon phase aperture, and hour and minute hands, all resolved into a legible layout.
The P1701 runs on a VK63 quartz movement — a precision Japanese quartz chronograph calibre that delivers reliable accuracy and a smooth, continuous sweep of the seconds hand, unlike the ticking step-seconds of lesser quartz movements. The moon phase disc advances on a 29.5-day cycle, tracking the lunar calendar alongside the chronograph function. Both systems run simultaneously without interfering with each other.
The sapphire crystal provides scratch resistance and optical clarity for reading the subdials at an angle — an important spec on a dial this busy. For anyone researching best chronograph under $300, the P1701 is the immediate answer within the PINDU catalogue. Explore the full PINDU Chronograph collection to compare models.
Who the P1701 Is For
The P1701 is for the buyer who wants genuine utility alongside the aesthetic. This is not a watch where the subdials are decorative — they function, they're readable, and the pusher action is satisfying to use. If you've ever owned a watch with chronograph pushers you never pressed because you didn't fully understand them, the P1701 is the watch that changes that relationship.
It suits a collector who already has a plain automatic and wants something with measurably more going on. The moon phase addition is not a gimmick in this context — it's the third functional layer on a dial that already carries two. The watch rewards the kind of owner who checks it for all three pieces of information regularly: time, elapsed duration, and lunar phase. For the full moon phase story, see our moon phase watch guide.
According to WatchTime magazine's coverage of affordable chronographs, the multi-register layout with a tachymeter chapter ring represents the most practical dial architecture for daily chronograph use — a point the P1701 executes at a price point WatchTime's luxury focus rarely reaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a chronograph watch for men?
A chronograph is a watch with an independent stopwatch function operated by pushers on the case side. The standard timekeeping continues uninterrupted. The chronograph adds user-controlled elapsed time measurement through a separate hand and subdial system. PINDU's P1701 combines full chronograph function with a moon phase display powered by a VK63 quartz movement.
How do you use a chronograph watch?
Press the top pusher to start the chronograph seconds hand. Press it again to stop and read elapsed time across the subdials. Press the bottom pusher to reset all chronograph hands to zero. Never press reset while the chronograph is running. The elapsed minutes subdial advances once per full rotation of the chronograph seconds hand.
What does the tachymeter on a chronograph watch do?
A tachymeter is a scale on the bezel or chapter ring that calculates speed over a known distance using elapsed seconds. Time a subject crossing a one-kilometre interval, stop the chronograph when the interval ends, and read the speed directly off the scale. At 30 elapsed seconds, the tachymeter reads 120 km/h.
Is the PINDU P1701 a good first chronograph?
Yes — the P1701's pusher layout and subdial arrangement follow the standard chronograph format used across the industry. The VK63 quartz movement delivers reliable accuracy, the sapphire crystal protects the busy dial, and the moon phase adds a third layer of function. It is the most specification-complete model in the PINDU chronograph range.
A chronograph watch for men earns its place in a collection the moment you start using the pushers with intention. The PINDU P1701 Chronograph Moon Watch delivers that utility alongside a moon phase display and tachymeter chapter ring, protected by sapphire crystal and backed by a 3-year warranty. Every order ships tracked with official PINDU documentation. Explore the full Chronograph collection.