Graham London Watches

About Graham London

The Swiss group The British Masters has breathed new life into the old name Graham with unusual watch creations. The moniker is derived from one of the most important figures in the history of watchmaking: the great George Graham was not only the namesake of the cylinder escapement from the eighteenth century, but was also said to be the inventor of the chronograph and may justifiably be called one of the most important men in the history of watchmaking.

Graham began working for the famous Thomas Tompion in 1695, but soon started his own business – with the ambition of outdoing his master. Most of the watches that were made at this time deviated in rate precision by up to ten minutes per day. Graham was one of the first whose watches didn’t deviate more than one second per day. Graham even received the contract from the Greenwich Royal Observatory to build its master clock. He was also inducted into the Royal Society, an organization that was originally reserved for scientists and astronomers only. His inventions made Graham famous throughout Europe, even if he had none of them patented – his moral ideals did not allow him to! He preferred to share his knowledge with his colleagues. Because of his great deeds performed in the name of his homeland, the English Parliament agreed to inter his earthly remains in Westminster Abbey’s nave, where they still reside today.

Despite his merits earned in the development of precision timekeeping, it was one of the short-term measuring devices Graham invented that would coin the image of the new wristwatch brand. To this day, nothing has changed in the base concept of the chronograph, which includes a second set of hands that can be coupled or decoupled to join or leave the flow of energy in the movement as desired. Therefore, various chronographs play the main role in the modern Graham model palette.

There is, for example, the Chronofighter model, whose unusual thumb lever mechanism is an enduring fascination in this most popular of boy toy watches. Similar buttons were built sixty years ago for British bomber pilots, who couldn’t reliably press the comparatively small crown button of their pilot’s chronographs with their big gloves on.

The chronograph family keeps on growing – now completed with the Swordfish chronograph, also available for lefties and outfitted with a very special visual: In this case it’s the applied magnifying lenses over the two chronograph counters, whereby it is worth mentioning that the little crystals are each surrounded by a lavishly constructed bezel. The new chronograph for 2007 is named for one of the famous curves of England’s legendary race course, Silverstone: Woodcote. Whole races, championships, and careers have been decided in this curve, and among motor sports fans the name alone commands a great deal of respect. The Grand Silverstone Woodcote’s sporty dial made of carbon fiber, displaying large date and sweep GMT indications, is striking. Its energy is supplied by the reliable bi-compax chronograph movement Graham Caliber 1721. This timepiece also includes an incredibly practical flyback function that means the chronograph no longer needs to be stopped, reset, and started again – all of these steps are united in one simple, flowing gesture. The sporty watch is secured to the wrist by a black rubber strap with a tire tread motif.

Last year’s King George saw Graham daring to create a true grande complication for the first time: a split-second chronograph with a minute repeater.