Pedants will say a chronograph is actually a device that “draws” time, like Mr Nicolas Rieussec’s ink-blot rotating paper disc contraption, which timed 19th-century horse races. But even Montblanc’s tribute to Rieussec in wristwatch form is called a chronograph, rather than chronoscope (you’re “seeing” elapsed time via miniature subdials). But who’s keeping score anyway (other than the stopwatch mechanics themselves) when the tactile interaction and sheer rakish aesthetic of a chronograph watch is so satisfying?

Chronographs are hugely complex to construct in concert with the base timekeeping mechanics, but their ubiquity comes down to a febrile connection with the worlds of motor racing, space exploration, aviation and the military. A potent Boy’s Own crucible of adventure and endeavour, as well as a quotidian tool that every man can find a reason to use day in, day out, whether it’s timing your breakfast egg or deciding if a new commuting route really is worth changing buses. Here is our pick of seven of the most exciting chronographs around today.

Overseas Automatic Chronograph 42.5mm

Geneva’s most venerable maison is best known for the opposite of sportiness: refined Latin classicism with three hands on a leather strap, or countless hands both long and short, in pocket scale rather than wrist. But with 50 years’ distance, Vacheron Constantin’s raffish, disco-luxe 222 and the sporty Overseas collection it inspired finally feels vindicated. Those bracelet links sinuously extend the house’s Maltese cross motif, the truncated arms of which form the castellated pattern of the bezel. The calibre 5200 inside is as exquisitely turned as you’d expect, and the pernickety white-glove wearers of the Poinçon de Genève agree. Groove on.

Master Control Calendar Automatic Chronograph 40mm

Topping Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Control collection, this triple calendar switch-up of a stopwatch makes it the most sophisticated tool in the box of the “watchmaker’s watchmaker” – a brand regarded as the 19th-century Apple to the Vallée de Joux’s Silicon Valley. This model’s calibre 759 automatic movement (packing a full 65 hours’ power reserve) is still made in the very same spot Mr Antoine LeCoultre set up shop more than 150 years ago – now with every conceivable horological trade mastered under one roof. That includes design as well as manufacture, unarguably proven by the no-nonsense 1950s-inspired utility of this piece.

Luminor Yachts Challenge Automatic Flyback Chronograph 44mm

Its 1990s rebirth was on the wrists of landlubber beefcakes such as Messrs Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Panerai has wasted no time (so to speak) reconnecting to a military maritime heritage, ever since the Italian secrets act allowed it. So, in this Classic Yachts Challenge special, you not only have a visceral connection to the covert pre-war endeavour of Italy’s tactical frogmen, but a double whammy of prestige regatta helmsmanship in Panerai’s partnership with the oceangoing equivalent of the Mille Miglia (see Chopard below). The Florentine naval equipment supplier may have started by adapting Rolex pocket watches in the 1930s, but the in-house-made P.9100 flyback chronograph movement powering this salty seadog shows the sheer nautical mileage covered since.

Portugieser Automatic Chronograph 41mm

Panerai may have compounded the oversize trend in the 1990s, but IWC Schaffhausen and two Portuguese naval merchandisers invented it just shy of a century ago. They also proved that 41mm of steel could look and feel elegant on the wrist, rather than in a waistcoat pocket – especially, and surprisingly, with chronograph functionality in the mix. “Mushroom” pushers and a restrained twin-counter array up and down rather than left and right all help the sartorial cause, and a navy blue integrated rubber strap seems to round things out. What’s not surprising is that IWC has barely tweaked a thing in all these years, except under the bonnet. Which is another way of saying there are few men’s dressers that are ill-suited to a Portugieser.

Supermarine Williams Racing WR22 Automatic Chronograph 43mm

“Official training partner” may sound something a stretch – it’s just another Formula 1 watch-brand sponsorship, surely? Albeit a mighty fruitful one looking at the 1970s-inflected raciness of this latest special, inspired by the era that first saw Sir Frank Williams’ eponymous team in the ascendance. But with the bedding-down of Bremont’s multimillion-pound new facility in Oxfordshire, down the road from the race team’s own HQ, the investment in cutting-edge manufacturing has sparked genuine cross-fertilisation of engineering knowledge between the two Brits.

After all, while 11-axis CNC milling on a nanometre scale is crucial for Bremont’s intricate Trip-Tick case construct, it can only go on to benefit performance machinery usually made on a rather larger scale. This new relationship is made all the more vivid by the packaging: this precision chronograph comes strapped to black steering-wheel Alcantara fabric, and boxed up with an original wheel nut from a Williams Racing car.

Uni-Racer Limited Edition Hand-Wound Chronograph 39mm

For Mr William Massena’s first LAB conceit – LAB, as in “collaboration” as well as “laboratory” – the auctioneer and fanboy retro collector has made an immaculate choice in Universal Genève as inspiration. The 1960s chronograph maker’s Uni-Compax, or “Big Eye” dual-counter array is sumptuously rendered in a high-octane colourway that reminds one of Castrol and Firestone rubber. Not only that, but Massena has been doubly faithful in fitting the Uni-Racer with a period-correct manual, rather than automatic movement (a Swiss Sellita SW510), plus a closed steel caseback. Gentlemen, wind your engines…

Mille Miglia GTS Limited Edition Automatic Chronograph 44mm

It’s impossible to imagine any other corporate co-pilot for the Mille Miglia than Chopard – which probably explains why the Swiss-German jeweller-turned-horloger has been riding shotgun with the world’s most beautiful congregation of vintage cars for each of the past 35 years. The three-day regularity race through 1,000 miles of sweeping Tuscan and Lombardy countryside mirrors a Chopard’s passion for beautiful engineering and performance, all manifest in this riff on the brand’s yearly MM special, resplendent in pistachio-green dashboard and retro driver’s-glove strap. It’s a bold flex, which sadly we can’t guarantee will equal that of Chopard co-presiedent Mr Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, who most often participates with Mr Jack Ickx (of all racing legends) at the wheel of any of his priceless 1950s Porsches.