The watches that prove how good the Sellita SW500 family really is

Russell Sheldrake

We can get a little tribal in the watch community. It can be easy to fall into certain camps, whether you’re pro or anti date windows, you might be a devout collector of military watches with zero interest in anything that hasn’t seen battle, or maybe you have a deep passion for the independents. Time+Tide have staff that fall into all of these camps and more, but what I have learnt since I started working here over a year ago, was a much deeper level of appreciation for the democratising power of the Sellita SW500 movement family.

With ETA phasing out its movement supply and existing stockpiles dwindling, it has become the go-to (relatively) affordable mechanical chronograph offering from Switzerland, and for good reason. Although I’ve never been a big fan of chronographs personally, I have always understood their appeal and how difficult they are to develop from the ground up. So when I started to see a common thread running through some of the most approachable chronographs on the market, I had a moment of clarity. This has led me here to give you a list of what I think to be some of the best uses of the SW500 movements, with a bit of a focus on the SW510 branch of that family tree.

Baltic Tricompax

There is something rather reassuring about the vintage tones that Baltic is able to achieve with its Tricompax range. The French brand has been able to capture the essence of historical chronographs, and packaged it up in an entirely modern way with the Sellita SW510 sat at the heart of this concept. Whether it’s in a panda or reverse panda dial layout, or you were lucky enough to get your hands on one of the Peter Auto limited edition runs, they seem to hit the mark every time, and the manual winding of this movement gives it that extra Justactility you want from a watch like this. Price: €1,645 (~US$1,730), available from the T+T Shop

Farer Bernina Titanium

I’m on the record stating my enjoyment of the product Farer puts out, and this Bernina Titanium chronograph is no different. Encased in titanium, it makes its wrist feel incomparable to steel counterparts. What has always made Farer stand out to me is the way they go after daring designs for what could be incredibly standardised watches, and this model is no different. Opting for an off-white and red dial combination gives it a sense of an Alaska Project Speedy, but with those small pops of blue to help soften the overall vibe. Price: US$1,995

Studio Underd0g Salm0n 03Series

I think I would be doing myself and this list a disservice if I wasn’t to include Studio Underd0g’s recent pivot to Swiss-made. The Salm0n brought us the classic Underd0g creativity with the elevated sense that only a movement produced inside the 26 cantons can give you. This is also the only watch on my list (which may be an oversight I look to correct at a later date) that is a monopusher. I’m a big fan of monopusher chronographs for their simplicity in look and function. For Rich and his team to introduce this movement in this way to the brand felt incredibly authentic, and well worth that elevated price point from the 01Series. Price: US$2,000, available from the T+T Studios

Aera C-1

This is an incredibly minimalistic approach to making a chronograph. As a company, Aera has always been design-led, with its popular pilot’s and dive watches setting the tone, the C-1 Shadow and Cloud chronographs released last year showed how this brand’s stripped-back philosophy can be applied in extremely contrasting aesthetics. The Shadow and Cloud both play off each other very well, with high contrast of white and red on black demanding your attention from the Shadow, while the soft, muted tones of the Cloud offer a far more tranquil way of telling the time. Price: US$2,250 

Hanhart 415 ES

Hanhart is one of those brands that unexpectedly carries an incredible amount of history on its lugs, their 417 ES chronograph being Steve McQueen’s watch of choice, for example. While those that know about it will have their hearts warmed by the flying logo printed on the dial, everyone else is able to appreciate the intricacies that go into make this type of chronograph, whether you’re admiring the considered typeface, or the fact that you can measure an industrial minute using its red scale, the 415 ES has a lot going for it, and that’s even before we get to the SW510 movement inside. Price: €2,390 (~US$2,500)