Motorsports watches: Modern alternatives to dyed-in-the-wool designs

Picture the classic motorsports watch: a strong, chunky case paired with a multifunction chronograph. The bezel might well feature a tachymeter scale. It is, in a sense, designed for a day at the track–both to survive the rigors and to monitor the action. 

The favorites of this style ty…

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First and foremost, a race watch must be easily readable!!!   Cluttered dials with see through faces and complicated fancy hands add too much visual clutter.

William Colom said:

First and foremost, a race watch must be easily readable!!!   Cluttered dials with see through faces and complicated fancy hands add too much visual clutter.

Hey, I understand your perspective. There is sophistication in simplicity. 

Personally, I love the clean, retro looks of this watch: BRM Watch V6-44 | GT Vintage | B.R.M Chronographes - The Winners' Watch

I have a few friends who collect watches and I put these on their radar. They have not stopped sending me ones they like ever since. 

In reply to William Colom :

My “daily,” if you will: Tissot PRS 516. I find it easy to read while it’s also a little different than the norm. 

William Colom said:

First and foremost, a race watch must be easily readable!!!   Cluttered dials with see through faces and complicated fancy hands add too much visual clutter.

I’d agree with all of that. Gotta be able to read it, right? 

I have a couple of hundred watches, many of them vintage and the ones that are easy to read, preferably automatic and with a stop watch function are the most useful.   My daily wear watch is an Omega Seamaster Professional - rugged, waterproof dive watch that is accurate and reliable.  If you prefer a watch that impresses people, you can spend around 10X that much for a Rolex that is as accurate and rugged as the Omega, or you can opt for the Omega and buy yourself a nice used daily driver grocery getter with the difference.