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Few extant watchmakers can claim to have been founded over 125 years ago, and still fewer have been in continuous operation since. Swiss watchmaker Edox is a brand that can claim both. Founded in 1884, the Edox has been operating ever since, and this year celebrates its 140th anniversary. Since its founding, it has achieved a few superlatives (first double gasket crown, first watch with every timezone), weathered the quartz crisis, and managed to continue producing high-quality Swiss timepieces. Part of Edox’s rich history is its involvement with motorsport, which goes back over 50 years. It’s this involvement and one of the watches it produced that Edox has chosen as part of its 140th Anniversary celebration. The new limited-edition Edox Sportsman Chronographe Automatic is based on the classic 1972 Sportsman Chronographe model and revisits the iconic design of the original with great success.
Nowadays, Edox is as best known for its tough-as-nails dive watches, but the brand has always been obsessed with speed and equipping drivers with reliable timing tools. In 1963, Edox became the official timing partner of Autocross, and the die was cast. More recently, the brand has been an official partner of the World Rally Championship, the Dakar Rally, the Sauber F1 Team, and the FIA World Rallycross Championship. In 2022, Edox became the official timing partner of BMW M Motorsport, the racing division of the legendary German automaker. In reviving the original 1972 hand-wound Sportsman Chronograph, Edox has equipped the new model with an automatic movement and refocused the colorways to celebrate its partnership with BMW M Motorsport.
Edox has brought the historic form of the original watch into the modern era, with upgraded finishing and sizing for contemporary tastes. The stainless steel case measures 41mm, with a tonneau silhouette that features a slight angle as the lugs turn in. The wide, sweeping case flanks are fully polished, in contrast to the sunray brushing on the top of the case that radiates from the sapphire crystal. The dramatically domed crystal reasserts the vintage inspiration of this modern timepiece, while the sloped case allows the watch to accommodate almost any wrist.
The case is equipped with traditional pump pushers just like its predecessor and a screw-down crown engraved with the Edox hourglass logo. The pushers and crown are all fully polished — including the fluting on the crown — to ensure a seamless aesthetic blend with the case flank. The screw-down crown and robust case construction afford 300m of water resistance, allowing the Sportsman Chronographe Automatic to accompany well beyond the track.
The Edox Sportsman Chronographe Automatic is delivered with two bands, both crafted to uncompromising standards. A substantial Milanese mesh bracelet option is fully polished with removable links for perfect sizing and has a folding, push-button foldover for a secure fit. For more of a gentleman-racer look, a rally-style strap in supple brown leather is included, with a folding deployant clasp that disappears under the strap for a sleek look all the way around the wrist.
The Sportsman Chronographe Automatic is presented with the choice of a vibrant blue or a striking light gray that shifts and turns in the light, at times rendered a true gray, at others appearing almost taupe. Both dials are brought to brilliant life with a sharp sunray finish emanating from the center. The keen eye will note how the sunray finish of the dial is continued by that of the case finishing. Surrounding the dials is an easy-to-read brushed silver tachymeter ring, with blue text accompanying the blue dial and black text pairing with the light gray dial.
The dial layout and the subdials draw directly from the original 1972 model. At 9 o’clock, a white subdial with stark, black printing ticks off the running seconds with a simple polished baton hand. Moving to 3 o’clock, the same background design is utilized for the 30-minute chronograph counter, but here Edox has chosen to update the original design. Where the original features a center ring of alternating red and white 5-minute arcs, the new model uses the colors of BMW M Motorsport to have three arcs in blue, light blue, and red. The bright red hand creates a visual connection the chronograph seconds hand and calls out the red from the register.
The new Edox Sportsman doesn’t stop at being an exceptional chronograph or having more than ample depth rating. The baton hands and applied block markers are filled with Super-LumiNova for an even, bright glow that translates to ideal low-light visibility. Even the electric red chronograph seconds hand is lumed, ensuring that the watch never loses functionality, regardless of the environment or the time of day. The totality of the dial is a testament to the attention and respect paid by Edox in revisiting a historic model.
In creating a new version of the Sportsman Chronographe, Edox wanted to make sure that the advances that have been made in movements in the intervening 52 years could be appreciated. The obvious choice was made to power the watch with the Swiss automatic Sellita SW510 BH b, rebranded by Edox as the Edox 082. To commemorate the brand’s anniversary, a special 140th anniversary has been utilized. The use of the Sellita movement brings the reliability of a cam-operated chronograph mechanism and a sizeable power reserve of 62 hours at 28,800 vph.
When searching the archives for a suitable watch to celebrate not only an anniversary but also a partnership that represents a culmination of decades of motorsport involvement, Edox’s decision to revamp the 1972 Sportsman Chronographe seems all but inevitable. Building the new version with a premium Swiss automatic movement, impressive water resistance, and two lively dial options shows that in the 140 years since its founding, Edox has only gotten better. The Edox Sportsman Chronographe Automatic is limited to 600 pieces and priced at €3,600 EUR. For more information, please visit the Edox website.
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