I must confess that I don’t care much about chronographs. But Raymond Weil may have just won me over. It’s not that I don’t admire chronographs, but rather that I’ve never really been compelled to spend any measurable sum of money on one (much less an immeasurable sum). I’ve owned two or three, ever. One was a Seagull-equipped piece from a now-defunct microbrand; one was a Lorier Gemini; and one was a gift I sold with permission because I never wore it. I knew Raymond Weil’s Millesime collection was basically hit after hit, but even when I first received the new Raymond Weil Millesime Chronograph Tri-Compax watches, including the limited-edition Raymond Weil X Largo Winch, I shrugged and regarded them as merely “nice.” But I was soon smitten.

Along with Frederique Constant and perhaps Baume et Mercier, I have long regarded Raymond Weil as the epitome of entry-level luxury Swiss watchmaking. (Perhaps we can consider the three brands the entry-level counterpoint to Patek, AP, and Vacheron.) With the Millesime collection — and a few recent Freelancer releases — I think Raymond Weil convinced me and others that it was far more than just an entry-level luxury Swiss watchmaker. (To both FC and BM’s credit, I think they’ve done the same over the past few years.) The Millesime Chronograph Tri-Compax models only reaffirm this idea.

The Raymond Weil Millesime Chronograph Tri-Compax watches share their case with the rest of the Millesime collection. Here, it measures 39.5 wide and 12.9mm thick, great dimensions for an automatic chrono. The 45.5mm lug-to-lug finishes the form out and ensures an easy wear on just about every wrist.  This is really a classic case design that’s a far cry from the more modern Freelancer chronographs. One of my favorite elements of this watch, and something that really gives it a throwback (to the ’30s) vibe is the scroll lugs, which are belied by the top-down view which only suggests rather boring straight lugs. Instead of that run-of-the-mill design, the Millesime watches have a wonderful curved lug that expands to a wider, round end, creating the look of a scroll (the scroll style is common on furniture arms, and I’m sure other things). Another compelling element of the case is the brushed bezel, which tamps down just a bit on the formality of the Millesime Chronographs.

Across the design, there’s a balance of brushing and polishing, including the brushed sides, polished pump pushers, and the fluted crown, which includes polishing and frosting. The case has a box sapphire crystal, which seems to be the trend these days and is certainly my preference over a domed crystal. As might be expected, there’s only 50m of water resistance. Unlike the sportier Freelancer chronos, which get 100m, this watch isn’t made for adventure, unless your idea of adventure is chancing a night out at a fancy restaurant (which it may be — no judgment!).

The Millesime Chronographs are offered on either strap or bracelet. My experience with brands like RW, FC, and BM, is that however nice they’re watches may be, their straps are absolute garbage. To be sure, my Frederique Constant Slimline Automatic that I got for my wedding came on a black leather strap that I’ve only worn once, on the day of my wedding. That’s not the case here, though. RW surprises again with rather casual two-stitch leather straps color-matched to each watch that are soft, supple, and feel great in hand and on the wrist. Like the brushed bezel, this strap style creates a somewhat casual look. The straps close with a simple pin buckle clasp and lack quick-release bars, but I don’t care about the former, and the drilled lugs help with the latter. For the Largo Winch model, the grey strap features the comic’s “W” logo on the underside but is not offered on the bracelet, which features a railroad design with polished small links and a butterfly clasp. While RW is quite reasonable and only charges $100 extra for the bracelet, I may suggest you save the money and go with the excellent leather straps.

The Raymond Weil Millesime Chronograph Tri-Compax is offered in three dials: Midnight Blue panda, black, and the Largo Winch LE. The one that will undoubtedly catch peoples’ eyes is the Raymond Weil X Largo Winch Limited Edition, with its silver and green dial. For those who don’t know (like me before I wrote this), Largo Winch is a Belgian comic book by Philippe Francq that follows the eponymous Largo Winch. Winch is a young, handsome orphan who finds himself at the head of a business empire, having to confront numerous threats to his holdings. I haven’t read any of the comics or seen any of the other media, but it looks and sounds to me like a corporate, anti-corruption James Bond.

Two design choices telegraph the collaboration: the green and the W in the subdial. The Largo Winch LE has the same case and dial layout as the other two models, with a 30-minute chronograph counter at 3, 12-hour chrono counter at 6, and running seconds at 9. Of course, on the Lago Winch, all the sunken subdials have a green color, specifically the color of money (Pantone4214C) and a matte finish, with the Largo Winch ‘W’ in a contrasting green within the 9 o’clock register. Two other green accents punctuate the dial: the tachymeter ring and the tip of the chronograph seconds hand. Another distinguishing factor is the silver central dial, which features a brushed (instead of matte) finish.

The other two models include the Black dial and the Midnight Blue panda. Of the three, my favorite is the Midnight Blue. It’s an impossibly deep blue that can seem black in many light conditions, and the chance to catch the rich blue was something I found myself anticipating. The Midnight Blue has silver registers with numerals in a brighter blue. The Black dial, on the other hand, is too simplistic for me, without any flair, but it may appeal to those looking for the most versatility. Regardless of the dial, the tachymeter ring features an azzurage finish, and the hands are brushed with Super-LumiNova fill. The hour markers are also done in Super-LumiNova, although the Largo Winch’s black lume is so dim as to be useless. While the Midnight Blue and Black dials shone brightly for my needs, it’s my feeling that lume done poorly, as on the LE, should be foregone altogether.

Powering the Raymond Weil Millesime Chronograph Tri-Compax is what the brand has labeled the RW5030. I’m fine if a brand wants to relabel a third-party movement, but I’d also like that brand to be transparent about the base movement. Here, it’s a standard Swiss automatic Sellita SW510b (the no-date version), and RW has done nothing extra other than the cutout rotor with custom printing, and is on full display through the sapphire caseback crystal. As an interesting aside, RW uses the RW5030 designation for its bicompax chronos, too, which is consistent with Sellita’s own naming conventions, which use the same name for all variants of a base. The RW5030/SW510 offers a 62-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph, which won’t see any complaints. On the Raymond Weil X Largo Winch, the crystal features an illustration of Largo Winch created exclusively for this collaboration, and if you look closely, you can see he’s wearing the LE on his wrist.

Despite my adoration of these timepieces, the price threw me off a bit. When I first started handling them, I was thinking $2,500-$3,000. I’d buy one in an instant between $2,500 and $3,000. When I saw the price was over $3,500, I was a bit deflated. Then I started looking at chronographs from those other two entry-level icons. Frederique Constant’s automatic chronos are priced between $3,100 and $3,995, while Baume et Mercier charges between $3,150 and $4,950. It’s also worth noting that Raymond Weil’s Freelancer chronographs start at $3,795. This is all to say that the pricing is both internally and externally consistent and that the reality of today’s market is that the vast majority of automatic chronographs start at $3,000.

There are no doubt chronographs that are more historic or objectively better, if not both. How do you compete with the quality of a Daytona (the answer, actually, is to not use screw-down pushers), the historicity of the Speedmaster (which you have to admit is a bit played out), or the primacy of the El Primero (or the Calibre 11 or the 6139, depending on what camp you’re in). Maybe you can’t. But maybe that’s part of what makes chronographs so miserable, all the huffing and puffing about movements and firsts and moons. It turns out I didn’t and don’t want any of those things. I just want a pretty watch with a solid movement that wears well and isn’t obsessed with its credentials. With the Raymond Weil Millesime Tri-Compax models, that’s exactly what I get. The Raymond Weil Millesime Tri-Compax is priced at $3,625 USD on a leather strap for the Black dial (Reference 7765-STC-20001) or Midnight Blue dial (Reference 7765-STC-50651) and $3,725 USD on a bracelet for the Black dial (Reference 7765-ST-20001) or the Midnight Blue dial (Reference 7765-ST-50651). The Raymond Weil X Largo Winch Limited Edition (Reference 7765-STC-50651) is priced at $3,775 USD and limited to 300 pieces. For more information, please visit the Raymond Weil website.