Large, Powerful & Light – Hands-On with the Graham Chronofighter Superlight

Enhanced with bold colors, the Graham Chronofighter Superlight stands out from the crowd. At 47 mm in diameter, it is a watch you need to try on, especially because it is surprisingly light – less than 100g – and comfortable despite its gargantuan dimension. Today, we go hands-on with this bold and colorful chronograph inspired by racing.

The Graham Chronofighter Superlight really grabs the eye with its unorthodox design and bold colors. Do not trust appearances, it is big but wears comfortable. It features high-tech, high performance technology and material; its case being fashioned out of black carbon nanotube composite. The complex manufacturing process includes a polished bezel and chronograph start / stop trigger in carbon fiber. A slightly domed sapphire crystal with double-sided AR coating provides spacious viewing of the dial. The case back is fitted with a sapphire crystal and secured with 6 screws.

Designed for performance and efficiency, the signature left-side trigger relocates the chronograph functions away from the wrist while allowing the wearer to start / stop the chronograph with the thumb, the fastest of all fingers – and after a few tests, we can tell you that it indeed works perfectly. The left position of the trigger and its actuation with the thumb is actually very intuitive… maybe more than the classical twin- pushers at 2 and 4. Of course, this implies a slightly different feel on the wrist – and in any case, you can also use this watch as a lefty.

The black and gray woven dial is made of carbon fiber too. Despite its complicated design, reading the time is easy, with large hour markers. It is paired with large sporty hands with luminescent coating, while the chronograph hands are presented in a contrasting color (in yellow on the yellow or the blue versions, in red on the red edition). A tachymeter scale around the edge of the dial underlines the technical character of the watch and sets it as a racing chronograph, which makes sense with the trigger and the carbon fiber used for the case.

The Graham Chronofighter Superlight is powered by the automatic caliber G1747, based on the reliable Valjoux 7750, the legendary cam and lever chronograph. It displays the date at 8 o’clock in a small window. The reverse chronograph 30-minute counter is also a nice, if unusual touch, and its hand points downward when reset, to enhance readability. As the chronograph trigger is placed on the left side, the entire display is in fact reversed. This workhorse operates at 28,800vph and offers a power reserve of 48 hours. It is visible through the smoked sapphire case back, which is a cool touch, coherent with the overall dark design of the watch. At the same time, some may feel that the smoky tint it makes it a little more difficult to contemplate the movement.

An integrated rubber strap, embossed with a Clous de Paris pattern and coordinated with the dial color sets the final touch. It is closed with a black carbon pin buckle. It is priced at CHF 9,900. More details on graham1695.com.

The Graham Chronofighter Superlight Skeleton

Presented in white or black, this version of the Chronofighter Superlight exposes the gears of its movement, including the balance wheel, through a skeletonized dial. The open-worked design lending itself perfectly to the bold character of the model. The caliber 1790 is also based on the Valjoux 7750, with a different configuration. A different rotor is visible through the smoked caseback. Price: CHF 10,900.

Technical specifications – Graham Chronofighter Superlight

• Case: 47 mm – superlight black carbon composite case – domed sapphire crystal with double sided antireflective coating – smoked sapphire case back – water resistant to 100m
• Movement: Calibre G1747 (modified Valjoux 7750) – mechanical with automatic winding – 48h power reserve – 28,800 vibrations/h – 25 jewels – hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, date
  • Calibre 1790 for the skeleton version (modified Valjoux 7750) – mechanical with automatic winding – 48h power reserve – 28,800 vibrations/h – 29 jewels – hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph.
• Strap:  integrated rubber strap, embossed with a Clous de Paris pattern with carbon pin buckle
• Available in blue, red or yellow (Superlight); white or black (Superlight Skeleton)
• Retail price: CHF 9,900 – CHF 10,900 for the Superlight skeleton.