Founded in 2018, Depancel is a French independent brand that specializes in racing-inspired watches. The name Depancel is a contraction of Delage, Panhard, and Facel Vega (three French automotive manufacturers whose cars emphasized the joy of driving), and the company’s timepieces are all united by an aesthetic language that is deeply rooted in the world of motorsport. Among Depancel’s recent releases for 2024 is a new entry-level model within its Allure collection, and the Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ is a compact and affordable sports watch with 1970s design cues that is powered by a mecaquartz movement.
The longstanding popularity of chronograph watches is undeniable, and most enthusiasts would agree that a chronograph is a natural platform for a motorsport-inspired timepiece. These days, many racing-themed chronographs rival the prices of actual sports cars; however, the genre also lends itself incredibly well to affordable models that can be fun and carefree options within a person’s collection. Some enthusiasts instinctively turn their noses up at quartz watches, although a quartz chronograph is the ideal foundation for an affordable motorsport-themed timepiece, and the Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ is a solid racing-inspired chronograph costs roughly the same price as a new set of tires.
Crafted from 316L stainless steel with linear brushed surfaces and high-polished accents, the case of the Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ offers a tonneau-shaped profile that measures 36mm in diameter by 10.95mm thick, with short angular lugs that are set 16mm apart and extend to create an overall lug-to-lug profile of 42.8mm. The top of the case is fitted with a flat sapphire crystal, the reverse side receives a solid caseback that is secured at the corners by four small screws, and water resistance for the model comes in at a standard (yet sufficient) 50 meters to offer protection against daily contact. Meanwhile, the right-hand side of the Allure Chronograph MecaQ’s case is furnished by a signed crown with a bright red ring that is flanked by a pair of pump-style pushers, and attached to the opposite side of the case is a small polished plate that is engraved with the watch’s model and serial number.
With an overall appearance that is intended to be reminiscent of a car’s dashboard, the dial of the Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ is where the model’s motorsport inspiration is most apparent, and it features a black surface with white markings punctuated by small red, orange, and yellow accents. The three chronograph registers appear in a standard 3-6-9 configuration, and surrounding the perimeter of the dial is a dual-function scale that contains both tachymeter and pulsometer markings. Additionally, while the pair of time-telling hands and applied hour markers all receive an application of green-glowing luminous material, the brightness and duration of their glow are hardly noteworthy compared to what can be found elsewhere within the industry. Even still, the luminous elements are a welcome detail, and the applied Depancel logo at 12 o’clock is also filled with luminous material to match the other indexes.
The Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ weighs approximately 51 grams without its bracelet, or 149 grams if you include the solid-link bracelet with the entirety of its removable links. While the case’s 16mm lugs could accommodate a standard third-party strap, the Allure Chronograph MecaQ should really be viewed as an integrated bracelet watch, as the links immediately flare out to 20mm in order to meet the edges of the case before gradually tapering down to 18mm on the underside of the wrist. The single-piece link design offers an appearance that is slightly reminiscent of what you get from the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner series, although it is significantly less elaborate in its construction and finishing, with entirely brushed surfaces and standard friction-fit pins securing the removable links.
The bracelet links on the Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ are completely solid, which provides the watch with a fairly substantial presence, especially given its compact size. However, the range of articulation offered by the links is minimal, and the bracelet wears more like a flexible metal cuff than a fluid assembly of components draped around the wrist. Similarly, the clasp appears in a butterfly-style design with a double push-button release, although it lacks an extension system, which means that owners who are between link sizes will have few adjustment options. Butterfly-style folding clasps seldom include extensions, and I personally feel that a pair of half-links would have been a welcome addition, as it would have increased the range of sizing options and allowed owners to better center the clasp on the bottom of their wrists.
Depancel’s top-of-the-line mechanical chronographs can cost up to several thousand dollars; however, since the Allure Chronograph MecaQ is intended to be one of the brand’s entry-level models, it is powered by the Seiko Caliber VK63 mecaquartz chronograph movement. Running on a single 394 power cell with a battery life of approximately three years, the Seiko VK63 is a quartz movement with a mechanical module for its chronograph hands, and it offers the conveniences (and cost efficiency) of quartz, while still benefiting from the tactile feedback and instantaneous reset of a mechanical chronograph. With that in mind, since the Seiko VK63 is naturally a date-displaying movement and the Allure Chronograph MecaQ doesn’t feature a date window, the crown exhibits the benign yet irritating “ghost position” when it is pulled out to set the time.
Rather than being a six-figure watch that rivals the prices of the cars that inspire it, the Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ is intended to provide motorsport enthusiasts with an attainable way to enjoy an attractive racing-themed timepiece. While the Allure Chronograph MecaQ doesn’t aim to be a luxury watch, it undeniably offers the impression of a solid and well-crafted product, and Depancel carries out the assembly and quality control of its watches from within its home country of France. With an official retail price of $595 USD, the Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ isn’t the absolute least expensive model from the brand’s current lineup, although it is significantly less expensive than its automatic chronograph siblings, while still providing much of the same motorsport-inspired spirit. For more information on the Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ, please visit the brand’s website.
