This $600 Racing Chronograph Borrows a Trait From Luxury Watches

Fresh out of France, this microbrand watch is largely in a class of its own.

Published October 5, 2024

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In the micro-genre that is retro-inspired motorsports chronograph watches, the dial is almost always the focus. By leaning into the loud colors and funky patterns of the 1970s, modern watches can evoke the daring spirit of the era.

The latest chronograph from motorsports-inspired French microbrand Depancel takes a different approach with how it celebrates 1970s watch design.

Sure, the new Allure Chronograph MecaQ features whisps of 1970s-approved oranges and yellows on its black dial. And yes, the watch has a very vintage-feeling 36mm barrel-shaped case. But after spending some time with the watch, I discovered it was another detail that felt the most vintage-inspired to me — while also reminding me of some far pricier luxury watches.

depancel watch — The Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ is full of ’70s charm, with an unexpected twist.

Inte-Great

The Allure features an integrated bracelet, an on-trend style that famously first came into vogue during the 1970s with luxury sports watches like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus but is not commonly seen on racing chronographs.

The unique bracelet of the Allure features a single row of vertically brushed, flying V-shaped links, and it secures via a logo-free butterfly clasp, making the bracelet look very cohesive.

The unique shape of the links and the way the bracelet flows give it a distinct serpentine vibe that reminds me of the bracelet found on the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner. Obviously, the finishing and build quality of the $20,000+ Streamliner is in a different universe compared to the Allure, but the latter’s bracelet still looks and feels fantastic for a $600 watch.

depancel watch bracelet on a mans wrist — The comfortable and snake-like integrated bracelet is easily the watch’s standout feature.

More Than a Pretty Bracelet

In addition to the luxury-inspired bracelet, the Allure has several other details that make it fun to wear. The cushion case is thin and nicely finished, with some sharp angles, a mirror-polished bezel and chamfers, and vertical brushing on the flat top surfaces.

However, at 36mm, it wears very small. Since the case design has a lot of extra real estate while still only measuring 36mm, there’s very little room for the dial, which according to my caliper has a diameter of just 31mm. For a sports chronograph like this, I think a 38- or 39-mm case would’ve been more appropriate while still feeling period-correct for the ’70s.

The tri-compax dial and inner tachymeter bezel feature plenty of color — I love that bold orange seconds hand — and the brand’s logo as the 12 o’clock index adds some additional flair (even if it kinda looks like a domino).

The sides of the case provide additional visual interest, with a screwed-on, serial-engraved plaque on the left and an octagonal crown flanked by two grooved piston-shaped pushers on the right. The crown also features an orange ring around it, which I do find attractive but took some getting used to since, on many watches, an orange ring on the crown serves as a warning that your crown is pulled out.

Inside the watch is the now-classic Seiko VK63 meca-quartz movement, which explains how Depancel was able to keep the price of the watch well below $1,000. The movement combines quartz timekeeping with a mechanical chronograph module featuring a sweeping center seconds hand.

As with any watch featuring this movement, the subdial layout isn’t ideal — the 24-hour register at 3 o’clock is largely useless — but Depancel has done a good job making each subdial look different and yet somehow cohesive. I especially like the wording on the running seconds subdial to distract from the quartz ticking.

Pricing and Availability

The Depancel Allure Chronograph MecaQ is priced at just $595 on Depancel’s website, making it one of the more affordable vintage-inspired racing chronographs on the market.

There are cheaper options out there, notably from fellow French brand Yema, but those don’t feature an integrated bracelet like you’ll find on the Allure. Brew’s Metric does have an integrated bracelet, a colorful dial and a meca-quartz chronograph movement for $450, but it’s styling is quite different and is not evocative of retro racing watches. So, if you dig the’ 70s-inspired, Moser-on-a-budget, racing chrono look, then the Allure is really your only option.

Lucky for you, it’s a pretty good option.