Surely one of the most distinctive wristwatches in production today, the Chronofighter from Graham, with its fabulous exaggerated chronograph operating assembly, has established a cult status among lovers of watches which have character, and this most certainly has.

Recalling the wartime custom where airmen adorned the nose of their aircraft with a good luck charm in the form of a pretty cheery girl, the new Chronofighter Vintage Nose Art limited edition collection has borrowed the idea with a hand-painted figurine on the dial, and in a special low number production its been given a playful festive touch. 

Beneath the sapphire crystal, and against the backdrop of the sun-brushed blue dial, Nose Art Merry poses flirtatiously in her little Santa costume, with her name painted in pink. Obviously a particularly seasonal theme, it’s hardly a year-round wearer, but it is a cool and fun piece. 

Elongated indices are accented with Super LumiNova, which is also generously applied to fill the steel hands to ensure excellent legibility in low light conditions. The small seconds have no actual subdial, instead of blending in with the red dress, and below at the 6, is the 30-second chronograph counter. At the 9 a pair of windows displays the day and date, so novelty values aside, the watch is still a fully practical timepiece. 

Of course, the most outstanding feature of the Chronofighter series is its pronounced articulated trigger and the piston reset pusher, which are located on the left of the case, making for enhanced ease of use by using the thumb and forefinger to start, stop or reset the chronograph. It’s a feature which not only looks great but is also particularly relevant to the Chronofighter Vintage Nose Art collection too, as its design was directly inspired by the thumb-operated joystick firing button which unleashed the grim payload.

Inside beats the G1747 automatic self-winding movement, which can be appreciated through the sapphire exhibition case back. Fully wound the movement will run for 48 hours, although of course, any movement on the wrist keeps the power reserve topped up.

The deep blue, hand sewn calfskin leather strap with pin buckle is soft, and ensures a luxuriously comfortable wear on the wrist. There’s also a red canvas strap supplied too.