INTRODUCING: The Titoni Heritage Bicompax Chronograph evokes café racer style
Fergus NashTitoni have evolved many times as a brand, although they’ve always kept up with wristwatch fashion admirably in their century of operation. In fact, it’s hard to believe that their watches aren’t seen more often considering how long they’ve been around. The modern Titoni produce watches of a luxury standard at attainable prices, offering style, heritage, and value that few other brands can compete with. The Titoni Bicompax Chronograph is based on one of their 1950s references, back when the brand was still known as Felca and motoring was reaching an all-time peak.
The 1950s saw a massive shift in the world of wristwatches, as the post-war market saw them become absolute necessary accessories for men of any field. The designs went from functional military watches to slick icons of style, and the Titoni Bicompax Chronograph harnesses that mid-century sophistication mixed with sportiness. The steeply sloping bezel is brushed and forms a perfect ring when viewed from the front, as the lugs attach to the middle of the case and jut out from there. Polished chamfers on the edges of the lugs add just a touch more classiness to the case, along with a few other polished components for contrast. This version has been sized up for modern tastes with a 41mm diameter and a lug-to-lug length of around 49mm.
The Titoni Bicompax Chronograph isn’t so much aimed towards motorsports as it is the era of the café racer — a zeitgeist of motorcycle owners who stripped their bikes down so that they could more easily zip through city streets and race between cafes. This layout of chronograph was pretty commonly seen throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, as there wasn’t much cause to measure anything that went for more than 30 minutes. The Titoni is available in two dial configurations, the first being a panda-style white base with black guilloché subdials and bright red hands for the chronograph seconds and minutes counters. The second features a black dial with silver subdials, but retains the white date wheel at 6 o’clock and those bright red hands.
Visible from the display caseback and sporting a lavish gold rotor, the Titoni Bicompax Chronograph uses the Sellita calibre SW510 BH A. The SW510 is in essence a modified clone of the ETA/Valjoux 7750, meaning that there are plenty of parts available for ease of servicing and it has many years of proven reliability. It has a 28,800vph beat rate and a power reserve of 62 hours. Between the two dial types, there are a total of eight possible references thanks to the choice of four different straps. There are two styles of two-piece nylon straps which emphasise the watch’s sportiness, a taupe leather strap that leans into the vintage roots, and a steel bracelet with a mass of polished centre links.
The Titoni Bicompax Chronograph pricing and availability:
The Titoni Bicompax Chronograph is available now GBP 2090
| Brand | Titoni |
| Model | Bicompax Chronograph |
| Case Dimensions | 41mm x 49mm |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50m |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Black or white |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Two piece nylon, leather, or steel bracelet |
| Movement | Sellita SW510 BH A |
| Power Reserve | 62 hours |
| Availability | Unlimited |
| Price | GBP 2090 |