Among collectors of military watches, few categories generate as much excitement as pilot’s chronographs, particularly mid-century European examples. The Italian Air Force-issued Leonidas CP1 chronograph of the ‘60s and ‘70s is one of the most attractive, sought-after designs to come out of this midcentury pilot’s chronograph boom, and for its latest release, Praesidus aims to bring the look of the CP1 to life in an affordable new reimagining. This young American brand has quickly made a name for itself with its takes on a wide swath of classic military timepieces, and this latest development from the company expands on its signature mix of classic inspiration, rugged construction, and uniquely quirky details. The new Praesidus Type H-75 Chronograph delivers a compelling ‘70s-era military pilot look along with an unorthodox weathered feel, wrapped up with meca-quartz functionality and an impressively approachable price tag.

Praesidus starts the Type H-75 Chronograph with a compact, utilitarian 38mm case in stainless steel. The brand cleaves close to its midcentury military inspiration here, with tightly packaged, brushed case sides, a wide pillbox crown, and a pair of tall, easy-to-operate piston-style pushers. Where this case really begins to stand out, however, is through the bezel. The tapering, heavily gear-toothed unidirectional bezel edge adds some much-needed geometry to an otherwise almost brutally simple case, while the matte black aluminum insert gives the design a retro punch on the wrist. The full 60-minute bezel scale is another highlight, with a charismatic vintage look right out of the box and easily legible markings. Praesidus does add a touch of refinement to this vintage military-inspired case through its lugs, thanks to a tapering polished lug chamfer that isn’t present on the original Leonidas CP1 design. Overall, the Type H-75 Chronograph’s case does a fine job of emulating the look and feel of its Italian Air Force-issue inspiration on the wrist, but there are a handful of reminders of the brand’s entry-level price point here. For example, the 18mm lug width can come across as a bit pinched and narrow on the wrist when viewed alongside the case, and the “sapphire coated” mineral crystal has a truly old-school look and feel that may be divisive among enthusiasts. Beyond these potential concerns, though, the stance on the wrist here is handsomely balanced, with an 11.5mm overall thickness and a manageable 45.5mm lug-to-lug length. Around back, the H-75 Chronograph’s spartan, text-only caseback engraving drives home this watch’s military-styled aspirations, although a solid 100 meters of water resistance makes it significantly more modern and livable.

The dial of the Praesidus Type H-75 Chronograph is where its character shines through brightest, but it’s also likely the most controversial element of the watch. The overall layout here is classic pilot’s chronograph, interspersed with charmingly warm retro touches. The raised printed Arabic hours numerals are particularly handsome here, with standout elements like the rounded four, open six, and hooked seven lending quite a bit of character to the functionalist, military-inspired design. Likewise, the asphalt-like grained texture of the matte black main dial surface gives the Type H-75 Chonograph a handsomely aged feel on the wrist, without veering into a “tropical” brown hue. On the other hand, the handset here is bound to be divisive. While the straight sword handset and oversized arrow-tipped central chronograph seconds hand design are both carried over faithfully from the original Leonidas CP1, Praesidus’s choice of finishing is unorthodox, to say the least. Setting aside the usual enthusiast debate around warm “fauxtina” lume (I happen to love khaki-colored lume when it’s done thoughtfully), the luminant for these hands is a saturated near-mustard yellow. This is a color that virtually never appears in naturally aging tritium or radium lume, and what’s more, the near-white lume used on the hour numerals clashes with this deep yellow tone starkly on the wrist. From here, these hands are brushed, rather than the midcentury original’s white-painted hand treatment. The 3 o’clock 24-hour subdial is also likely to raise some eyebrows here, giving away the watch’s meca-quartz internals and recessed surprisingly deep from the level of the main dial. Looking past these concerns, though, the Type H-75 Chronograph’s dial still speaks to the charm and efficacy of the original CP1 layout with more personality than nearly any competitor at this price point.

Praesidus powers the Type H-75 Chronograph with the rugged, familiar Seiko VK64 meca-quartz chronograph movement. The VK64 has become a staple in countless affordable chronograph offerings over the years, and its mix of quartz accuracy with a sweeping, mechanical chronograph seconds hand makes this ubiquity very understandable. Here, it works to both keep the cost of the watch down and provide a more precise, durable military-issue wearing experience than a mechanical chronograph could realistically match. While Praesidus keeps the details of this particular VK64 close to the vest, expect the same three-year battery power reserve as in other applications.

To complete the watch, Praesidus offers the Type H-75 Chronograph with a variety of suitably tough, military-style strap options, including distressed brown leather, warm gray or black canvas, and heavily aged sandy tan leather. Our review sample arrived with this last option, and the soft, almost suede-like texture and pale tan hue work well to bring out the aged look of the rest of the watch. This is also a commendably soft, comfortable strap option right out of the box, and when paired with the lightweight quartz-powered watch, the end result is a breezy, forget-it’s-there sort of wearing experience.

There’s no doubt that mid-century military-issued pilot’s chronographs remain some of the hottest military watches in collector circles, and the new Praesidus Type H-75 Chronograph’s ability to capture most of the style and energy of these sought-after vintage models in a Moonswatch-priced new offering is a major achievement. The Praesidus Type H-75 Chronograph is available to order now through the brand’s e-commerce platform. MSRP for this watch stands at $245 USD as of press time. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.