Over the past year or so, I have come to appreciate the Graham Chronofighter, and have been fortunate to review a couple different variations. While the large trigger over on the left side of the case initially seems like it would be rather unwieldy, it works rather well in practice, and gives things a much smaller appearance when the watch peeks out from under a cuff. Now, they have released a new version of the Graham Chronofighter that is a collaboration with the Navy SEAL Foundation.
If you are like me, you were not aware that a foundation existed for Navy SEALs, but it does. It’s a 501(c)(3) organization that provides support to the SEALs and their families. While it might have been tempting to “beef up” the Graham Chronofighter to further bring it in alignment with something a SEAL might wear, that is not what happened here (so, yeah, still have the 100m WR). This means that the watch really is not meant for active duty, but for those who would support the Naval group.
To that end, the normally colorful dials have been replaced by a grey digital camouflage pattern, with the handset and numerals getting the blackout treatment (black SuperLuminova, for those curious). Flip the special SEAL Graham Chronofighter over, however, and you are hit with an explosion of color, in the form of a stylized stars-and-stripes, over which appears the logo of the organization that this watch is supporting. For each of the 500 pieces of this watch that are sold (MSRP is $8,050; available at authorized retailers), Graham will be making a donation to the Navy SEAL Foundation.
While the 47mm Graham Chronofighter certainly is a watch that is an acquired taste (due to it’s size and configuration), it is one that has grown on me. I also like how Graham has stuck with their tried and true model for this initial foray with the charity, rather than trying to come up with something overly ruggedized or “tacticool” in appearance. They stuck with what they know, and executed another interesting iteration on the Graham Chronofighter. And hey, if you were already thinking of picking one up, it does not hurt that you are also able to help out a charity at the same time. graham1695.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Graham Chronofighter Navy SEAL Foundation Limited Edition
- Price: $8,050
- Who we think it might be for: You want a surprisingly compact large watch, and you like to support your troops
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: Probably not – if I were picking up a Graham Chronofighter, there are other color schemes more to my liking
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Play around with that digital camouflage, and hide some dark Luminova in there
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: How, well, not “in your face” they managed to make a camo watch be
