The Tutima Saxon One Chronograph is the Lady in Red

Or dame, if you prefer (seems we’re not to be using fraulein anymore). Either which way, this particular Tutima Saxon One Chronograph is actually a version you can’t find anywhere on the Tutima site? Why is that? I couldn’t get an answer, but let’s just treat it like a “hidden menu item” – and send your local AD for a spin when you request it.

So, given my well-published distate for chronographs, would I agree to go hands-on with the Tutima Saxon One Chronograph? Well, for one, Tutima does an absolute surpreme job of designing chronographs that hide that very functionality in plain site. Secondly, who wouldn’t want to check out a watch you can’t even see on the corporate site?

When I got the Tutima Saxon One Chronograph in for review, I was of course struck by the lovely shade of red. When you take a closer look at the dial, you notice that you’ve got a flatter, almost enamel-like red for the main dial, accented by a brighter metallic red used in the subdials. Now, let’s talk about those subdials. On the left, you’ve got your running seconds, pretty standard. On the bottom, you’ve got a 12-hour chronograph register. So, up top is the chronograph minutes, right? Nope! That’s a 24-hour register (linked to the main time). So, how are you tracking the minutes?

Well, when you kick off the chronograph, the second hard starts sweeping around, and then you’re greeted with the site of the chrono minutes hand, which was hiding there, just invisible due to being the same shape and size. This continues the theme of Tutima hiding the functionality in plain site, and I, frankly, was delighted to experience it. Less delightful was that bezel. sure, with it’s clean red mark, you could use it as a secondary timer. However, it’s bi-directional and has no discernible “click” to it, which means it’s super-easy to knock off of the mark you set it at, diminishing it’s usability.

The rest of the dial-side of things with the Tutima Saxon One Chronograph is a delight. The dagger handset is appropriately and proportionately sized, the polished indices have little lume pips hiding at the outer track, and the date window even managed to get beveled, making it look more like a conscious design decision than the almost-afterthought so many date windows end up representing.

Flipping the Tutima Saxon One Chronograph over, you get a lovely (if no-nonsense) look at the automatic movement doing the heavy lifting, complete with an applied logo on the rotor. Of course, being an automatic and a chronograph does mean you need space, and those high bevels on the caseback do belie the almost 16mm thickness of the piece.

Even with that, though, I did enjoy my time with the Tutima Saxon One Chronograph. If I were buying one, though, I think I’d opt for the bracelet, as the strap seemed a little offput by the rotational forces the case was exerting. That said, it would be hard to deny the appeal of this very cherry approach to a watch. As reviewed here, the Tutima Saxon One Chronograph can be yours for $6,100. And, unlike yesterday’s German chronograph, doesn’t require you to buy a car at the same time. tutima.com

Review Summary

• Brand & Model: Tutima Saxon One Chronograph
• Price: $6,100
• Who?s it for? You want a chronograph that doesn’t look like a chronograph – and has lots of details hiding in the dial
• Would I wear it? While I like the “hidden chronograph” design, this is not the Tutima for me (that would the Sky or the non-chrono Saxon One)
• What I?d change: The bezel. I suppose it could help with timing, but the fact that it’s bi-directional and all-but-clickless means it’s surpremely easy to knock off of the mark you set it on.
• The best thing about it: For me, the best surprise was that the chrono seconds hand was actually hiding the chrono minutes hand – a lot of hidden details here!

Tech Specs from Tutima

• Movement details:?Automatic movement chronograph. Rotor with 18 karat gold seal. 25 jewels. Polished screws. Power reserve when fully wound 48 hours.
• Functions:?Date display. Hour, minute, small second. Chronograph 60-second counter, 60-minute counter and 12-hour counter. Sweep second and minute counters. 24-hour display.
• Case details:?Water-resistant 20 atm. Integrated push-buttons. Bidirectionally rotating bezel with red reference marker. Domed sapphire crystal anti-reflective. Screw-in crown. See-through back with sapphire crystal.