HAMBURG Chrono Edition Vintage dark green gold / suede 20 gold

Gold-toned suede is an unusual thing to find on a chronograph, and it is the reason this Sternglas HAMBURG Chrono Edition Vintage looks less like a tool and more like an accessory.

HAMBURG is the Sternglas collection that borrows from maritime measuring instruments, and it shows in the dial: heavy Arabic numerals, a fine minute scale around the outside, Luminova where it counts after dark. The Edition Vintage rethinks that in 1960s terms, replacing the collection's usual steel with a gold-toned case.

The dial is dark green, the case 42 mm, and the strap is suede in a gold tone on 20 mm lugs. Suede has a matte nap that scatters light instead of returning it, so the case reads richer by contrast. The movement is a Seiko/TMI VK64 meca-quartz chronograph: quartz timekeeping, mechanically driven chronograph, a hand that sweeps at five steps per second and snaps to zero. There is a 24-hour register and a date at six, double-domed sapphire with double anti-reflective coating, and 5 bar of water resistance.

Texture over shine. This one suits someone who already owns a steel chronograph and wants something with more character.

Perfect for: suede strap chronographs, textured strap watches, gold and green watch gifts.