Hot Take: Singer Reimagined Track1 Chronographs

I can think of very few brands bursting onto the scene that made a swish in recently years, let alone one that landed with a bang. Singer Reimagined is one that has appeared on my radar since day one, loud and clear. An independent brand acclaimed for its 2018 GPHG award-winning Track1 chronograph, it hit Planet Horology like a red hot shooting star.

Founded in 2016, Singer Reimagined made a mark with the inaugural Track1 model and continues to leave a trace with 4 more editions. The watch instantly garnered a GPHG nomination in the chronograph category. Back at the start, Balazs spent some time with co-founder/designer Marco Borraccino and introduced you to the first two editions HERE. Within the space of 2 years, Track1 has grown into the brand’s signature collection and won a GPHG prize for its Hong Kong edition in 2018.

Singer Reimagined Track1

What’s the fuss?

Track 1 comes with a retro case which houses an ingenious, modern movement, called the AgenGraphe. Unlike classical chronographs that come with two sub-dials for time tracking, the AgenGraphe places the chrono functions in the centre of the watch. This completely redefines fundamental principles that have remained unchanged for decades and provides an intuitive way of viewing time. It makes so much sense, you wonder why no one had ever thought of it before!

This horological breakthrough is the result of a decade of development and has five patents for its construction. Under the bonnet, while a regular chronograph would have its mechanism built atop the gear train, the AgenGraphe has its double mainspring barrels, wheel train, and escapement positioned on the circumference of the movement surrounding the chronograph mechanism in the middle. Although an automatic movement, its rotor is actually hidden on the dial side beneath it (made possible because the hands are on a central axis), so the stunning inner workings, comprised of 477 hand-finished components, are in full open back view.

Who’s behind?

Singer Reimagined is a sister company of Singer Vehicle Design (SVD), a Californian outfit that remodels the 964-series Porsche 911s. The watch company is the lovechild of Rob Dickinson, founder of SVD, and Geneva-based watch designer Marco Borraccino, conceived in the heat of shared passion for both cars and design. It has inherited the ‘Reimagined’ gene from SVD, breaking new grounds in high-watchmaking and morphing the 60s/70s iconic sport watches into what Track1 it is today.

Marco Borraccino

Borraccino acquired serious horological credentials in the fields of Art and Industrial Design and was head of design for Officine Panerai in Milan. In 2009, Borraccino quit the corporate world and set up his independent design consultancy in Geneva with a focus on watch design for Swiss brands. He was a professor at HEAD, the Geneva Design University, and was instrumental in the creation and management of the first Chair of Watch Design in Switzerland.

The founding duo teamed up with a strategic partner and master watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht for the mechanical input. Wiederrech’s multiple award-winning workshop, Agenhor, had been working on a novel idea to enhance the legibility of the chronograph. That led to the invention of the AgenGraphe, and would eventually provide a revolutionary movement to realise the duo’s vision for a new watch.

While the vast majority of chronographs are probably more worn for their looks than used as timing tools, the Track 1 is first and foremost a chronograph that is designed to be used as a driver’s watch in the spirit of SVD. Time is indicated at 6 o’clock by rotating hour and minute disks, so it’s easy to read while driving without having to move your hand on the wheel, and the central coaxial chronograph indications are among the most legible chronograph displays on the market.

I smell integrity here rather than BS. Most folks are intelligent enough to see through the one-way love affairs between cars and watches on purely marketing or commercial basis, as I shared in my other column: HERE. Singer Reimagined is an exception to the pack because the union is natural and organic.

What’s New?

This year, Singer Reimagined has been busy leaving traces around the globe. They have created not one, but two special runs of their Track1 chronograph: London Edition and Emirates Edition. Not to mention the gorgeous one-off Only Watch Edition that went on a 3-month world tour before getting auctioned off for charity in Geneva in November (which we covered HERE).

The London Edition was unveiled in September at the opening of Phillips Perpetual, a new boutique concept in Mayfair (London) inside Phillips the auction house to sell pre-owned and vintage pieces (more about this in another article to come). Singer Reimagined is currently the only watch brand on permanent display to present new watches there.

The new model has been given a royal blue palette, fitting for the capital. It wraps its 43mm grade 5 titanium case around a dark blue dial and provides 100m water resistance. As with all Track1s, the watch features the AgenGraphe movement that serves as the heart of the chronograph with a 55-hour power reserve. The other side is a screwed caseback with a double-sided anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The watch is worn on a dark blue calfskin leather strap with anthracite stitching and perforated with brushed grade 5 titanium screw-down rivets, secured with a folding buckle.

The London Edition comes in 50 pieces, each at 45,000 CHF.

In the Middle East, the latest Track1 has been freshly launched to coincide with Dubai Watch Week and to honour its theme “Technology and Innovation”. The Emirates Edition has an earthy khaki gilt black palette that plays with contrasting colours and materials. It boasts a matte black, 43mm ceramic-coated aluminium case with gold accents in ZRN grade 5 titanium. This gives the case a hard, scratch-resistant surface while keeping it lightweight. The golden details extend to the bezel, dial, tachymeter flange, while the centre is in khaki green, and the hands are orange. The strap has a matching colourway with golden ZRN brushed grade 5 titanium rivets. The watch is otherwise mechanically identical to all other Track1s.

The Emirates Edition comes in 25 pieces, each at 50,000 CHF.

For more information, visit SingerReimagined.com