Dunhill, aka. A. Dunhill (Alfred Dunhill) is a English brand under the Richemont umbrella. Really rare in the US, these pieces are known to be popular in Asian (where “Western” things are often always en vogue). They do however have some nice designs that I think would appeal to more demographics. While they don’t come out with a lot of new watches – some of them are quite nice with a healthy mixture of classic British appeal and avant garde interest.

Alfred Dunhill himself was known for offering a lot of motoring accessories – so the brand’s watches often have a high-end “car guy” feel to them. This watch is called the Wheel Watch Chronograph. It is part of a larger collection, but this one is a limited edition Chronograph model. You can search online for other Dunhill Wheel watch variants. I don’t think any of them are made anymore.

At first glance the watch may look like it needs crutches, being “one lugged” and all. But the interesting use of one lug on each side gives it a sort of two faced personality that is interesting. Plus, the 42mm wide steel watch case (mirrored in the chronograph subdials) is meant to look like a particular type of wheel cam. I am not sure of the name, but I have see this part before In parts bins. The thick bezel is engraved with a cote de Paris style texture, while this look is sort of replicated on the dial.

Hands are large and easy to see, making this unusual watch fail not in the readability department. Red is used for the chronograph hands, and that added color is always appreciated. The case itself is polished, and you can see how the crown and pusher are set lower into the case. The engine turned texture of the bezel shows up again on the chronograph pushers.

While Dunhill timepieces are hard to find and not usually on lists of “great” watches, pieces like the Wheel Watch show that talent of the design people at the brand. The Wheel Watch Chronograph came with a perforated calfskin leather strap, and in this skin was limited to just 500 pieces. Inside the watch is a Dubois-Depraz modified Swiss ETA automatic movement. Original price for this watch (I believe) was about $3150 back when it was released around 2006. One of these is available on James List here for just under $2,200 – which  might be a solid good deal for this Dunhill Wheel Watch Chronograph.