WATCH DESIGN: Victorinox Swiss Army 60/60 Central Minutes Chronographs

Lemania 5100 automatic chronograph

Aeons ago in the early 1970s there was a legendary watch movement known as the Lemania 5100. The history of this beloved caliber is impressive until it met its quiet demise in the late 1990s. What was so special about a caliber with plastic parts? For one thing, it had rock-solid performance and many military organizations depended on it for their issued watches. But the real reason the Lemania 5100 was popular is because it was a central minutes chronograph.

Nowadays, this is not as common a term as it used to be, but the concept is easy to grasp. A central minutes chronograph has the chronograph’s minutes hand on the central axis of the watch. This is different than most chronographs that have the elapsed minutes indicated on a subdial.

On the surface, this does not sound that revolutionary, but there is always more to the story. For more background information, please read the excellent article “The Rise and Fall of the Central Minutes Chronograph” by Ilias Yiannopoulos on FHH Journal.

A variety of central minutes quartz chronographs by Victorinox Swiss Army

Let’s pick up the tale in the modern age where a chronograph watch is a common object on many wrists. While some people might wear these because they like the way they look, others actually use the stopwatch/chronograph function on a daily basis. Whether you are timing a trip, planning an event, cooking a steak or on a clandestine mission to replace your wife’s ice cream before she gets home… chronographs are useful in the real world.

Victorinox Swiss Army Alpnach 60/60 Chrono

Not all chronograph dials are designed the same way, but common models display the “elapsed minutes” on a tiny subdial.  A central minutes chronograph is drastically different because the “elapsed minutes” have been moved away from a difficult-to-read subdial to a larger minutes hand on the center of the dial. It is on the same center axis as the regular time-keeping hour and minute hands.

Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500 Chrono. A favorite summer watch!

Obviously, a large needle is much easier to see at a glance than a tiny subdial readout, especially in critical situations. The other benefit of a central minutes chronograph is that the chronograph times a full 60-minutes and not just 30-minutes that many chronograph subdials are limited to.

Ground Force 60/60 Chrono by Victorinox Swiss Army

Even though the Lemania 5100-based movements are no longer made, it’s possible to purchase an older one. It is also possible to get one serviced, but it may become increasingly more difficult as parts dry up and knowledge of the movement fades. Watch companies have been trying to figure the best way to replace the Lemania 5100. Some mechanical movements, like Tag Heuer’s Caliber 60, use a base ETA movement and then add a Dubois Dépraz chronograph module to it.

The variety of Victorinox Swiss Army’s Central minutes Chronos is impressive

Predictably, Caliber 60’s stacked arrangement is thicker than an integrated movement with the central minutes chronograph built in from the start. Other companies such as Damasko and Sinn have created their own movements to recreate the look of the central minutes chronographs of yesteryear. Needless to say, most of the watches just mentioned are uncommon. Worse for budget-minded collectors, they can cost a small fortune, easily tipping the scales at $3000 and up!

Victorinox Swiss Army Ground Force 60/60 Chrono. Looks like a tank. Seems to be as tough as one too.

However, there is an affordable quartz movement called the ETA 251.262 that gives much of the same functionality of the defunct Lemania 5100. If you have an allergy to quartz movements, then you might not be thrilled by this. If you are a fan of the central minutes chronograph concept, then you might be delighted to know that there is a wide range of affordable quartz watches that have this functionality.

First generation Airboss Mach 3 Chronograph by Victorinox Swiss Army, likely the first 60/60 chronograph model by the brand.

I honestly cannot say why more companies do not use the ETA 251.262 caliber, but it was a staple of Victorinox Swiss Army watches for years in their 60/60 Chronos. It appears in some of my favorite watch designs, and they are all very collectible… even today. Below are all of the Victorinox Swiss Army watches that use the ETA 251.262.

In their resting state, Victorinox Swiss Army’s 60/60 Chronos look similar to many other chronographs. The magic happens when you start timing an event by hitting the START pusher. At this point, the center seconds hand will start to tick. This immediately reveals that the chronograph minute’s hand has been hiding under the chronograph second’s hand the whole time. Upon each complete revolution of the second’s hand, the minute hand will jump forward 1 position at a time indicating that a minute has elapsed.

The stealthy Dive Master 500 Chrono in gunmetal. This guy looks ready for black ops.

You can accurately read how many minutes and seconds have gone by in a quick glance. Try this with a tiny subdial and you will realize that it is much harder to see quickly. Central minutes chronographs are so easy to read, that you might not want to go back to using watches with tiny subdials… especially if you have aging eyes.

Different Swiss Army watches with the same ETA 251.262 quartz movement

Resetting the 60/60 Chronos using the RESET pusher sets off a neat visual effect with the central chronograph hands chasing each other clockwise back to the resting position at 12:00. This is typical for quartz movements, but having 2 central chronograph hands accentuates the effect. I’ve been known to start and stop quartz a central minutes chronograph just to watch this reset effect. It’s pretty cool, and maybe a little addicting.

The second generation of the Victorinox Swiss Army Airboss Mach 3 Chrono. Notice the labeled “MIN” and “SEC” hands.

The heyday of the Lemania 5100 is likely over, but that does not mean that you cannot enjoy the practicality of a central minutes chronograph. Think of Victorinox Swiss Army 60/60 Chronos as an affordable gateway to this more rare style of a chronograph.

Other quartz-based central minutes chronos from Tag Heuer and Omega

With more research, you’ll find that other watch manufacturers used the ETA 251.262 or similar quartz calibers in their watches as well. Try looking for Tag Heuer Link Chronographs that Jason Bourne wore. Or, search for Omega’s 38 mm gold and steel Polaris Quartz Chronographs that look like they were designed by an alien race (a plus in my book!). If you know of any others, leave a comment below.

A brilliant metallic red Dive Master 500 Chrono by Victorinox Swiss Army

If you’ve read this far, then you might be ready to start your quest to find your own ETA 251.262-based quartz central minutes chronograph. You could be only a few hundred dollars away from snatching a clean example on the used market like eBay. I personally think that every watch collection should have at least one… or two… or three. Just don’t blame me if your regular chronographs with subdials seem less appealing or harder to read. Sometimes, things really are better in the center.

ETA 251.262-based central minutes chronographs by Victorinox Swiss Army