Dan Henry is a retro watch brand named after a famous collector whose name is, you guessed it, Dan Henry. Specializing in vintage-inspired timepieces, each of their models is named after a significant year in history. Drawing inspiration from the events and design trends of that era, each piece has a unique vintage personality. The collection offers a wide range of styles that will appeal to anyone who appreciates classic watchmaking, and these three vintage chronographs are some of our favorites.
The 1937
The 1937 Dress Chronograph is a slim and and groovy piece that’s great as an every day wearer or for formal occasions. The watch has a stainless steel case measuring 38mm in diameter with a case thickness of 12.7mm and a lug to lug distance of 46mm. It’s powered by the Seiko VK64 Mecaquartz, which you can learn more about here. It features a domed sapphire crystal and has 30 meters of water resistance. The best part: it comes in at an extremely attractive $270.
This piece comes in four different variations — Gold, Silver, Gilt, and Onyx — with two sub-dials positioned at either 3 and 9 o’clock or 12 and 6 o’clock. All four variations are available with or without a date function, which is positioned between 4 and 5 o’clock. Adding to its vintage feel, the 1937 features square chronograph pushers that integrate seamlessly with the case. Paying homage to its name, this is a limited edition watch with production capped at 1,937 pieces.
Our personal favorite, the Gold model features a silver dial with gold hands for the hour, minute, and 24-hour indicators and blue hands for the chronograph functions. The gold and blue hands both contrast nicely against the silver dial and create an elegant and timeless look.
The 1939
Perhaps the Dan Henry piece with the most vintage feel, the 1939 is a utilitarian piece that draws inspiration from function-focused military watches of the 1930’s. The variety of dials on this watch allow for three chronograph functions — a telemeter, tachometer, and pulsometer. The telemeter allows for distance calculations, the tachometer is used to calculate average speed, and the pulsometer allows for heartrate calculations.
To help make the most of the 1939’s functionality, the case back features a handy conversion table. In addition to being useful, it’s just outright cool.
The 1939 features oversized pushers that add to its vintage look. Like the military watches of the 1930’s, these pushers are designed to be pushed even if gloves are being worn. Despite the wealth of information on this dial, it is surprisingly easy to read and doesn’t feel crowded.
The 1939 has a lug-to-lug distance of 49.2mm, a case diameter of 41mm, and comes in at 13.9mm thick. It sports a stainless steel case and is run by a Miyota 6S21 quartz movement. The 1939 has a domed sapphire crystal and 50 meters of water resistance to withstand a beating. This watch comes out of the box with both leather and canvas straps, with their colors depending on the model.
A Hard Choice Between Two Great Options
Unlike some other pieces from Dan Henry, the two dial variations on the 1939 are quite different. The Chocolate version has the tachometer along the outside of the dial, the telemeter further inside, and the pulsometer rounding out the center. The tachometer and pulsometers are in red text which pairs really nicely with the brown and gold accents.
By contrast, the Silver model comes in all black and white with all of its hands in a complimentary shade of blue.
The Chocolate model has an optional date window between 4 and 5 o’clock while the Silver model has its date window at the 6 o’clock position.
At $270, it’s hard to go wrong with either model. Despite having no bad things to say about the silver model, the chocolate, especially on the canvas strap, has a unique vintage look that’s tough to beat.
The 1962
A beautifully designed piece, the 1962 Racing Chronograph offers one of the best affordable alternatives to the Rolex Daytona. It comes in at a standard 39mm in diameter with a case thickness of 13.5mm and a lug to lug distance of 45.9mm. Like the 1937, A Seiko Mecaquartz (VK63) powers the 1962. This allows the 1962 to keep near perfect time without sacrificing that smooth chronograph sweep we’ve all come to love.
The crystal is domed K1 mineral glass, which is most closely compared to Seiko Hardlex. Additionally, the 1962 features 50 meters of water resistance which should be more than enough for any casual swim.
There are four dial variations of the 1962 — the Evil Panda, Panda, Gilt, and Blue. All variations feature the standard racing chronograph design, with three sub-dials positioned at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock.
Choosing a favorite from this group is incredibly challenging and it’s hard to go wrong with any of the options. The Evil Panda’s red chronograph hand pops against its black dial, the Gilt’s gold accents are elegant and well-finished, the Panda is reminiscent of the iconic Paul Newman Daytona, and the Blue’s orange hour markers and chronograph hand jumps off the wrist.
In line with other Dan Henry options, the 1962 is a limited edition with 1,962 pieces available. Although the Panda version is sold out, you can find one on Chrono24 for ~$500. Other members of the collection range from $270 to $285, an incredible value for a watch this well-designed.
Wrapping up
Dan Henry makes quality watches that are all unique in style. Although the watches we covered here today are primarily quartz, their designs are a work of art on their own. The way these jump off the wrist you’ll be proud to give an answer when someone asks you what you’re wearing.
