This week on ?Vintage Eye,? we?ll be pivoting to the super-affordable side of the neo-vintage trend with the Dan Henry 1962 Racing Chronograph. This watch was released earlier this year by the value-driven microbrand to much fanfare. As the watch?s name indicates, it?s modeled after 1960s-style racing chronographs, and takes its foremost inspiration from the Universal Genève Compax “Nina Rindt” produced in the same era (picture below via Analog/Shift), along with a few smaller elements from the Rolex Daytona ?Paul Newman? references. These vintage watches defined ?60s racing watches and continue to significantly influence modern sports watches, so it?s no surprise a vintage-inspired modern brand would choose them as its most recent focus.
The model uses a 39-mm steel case, with faceted lugs, pump pushers and a slightly tapered crown. The piece is available in three color options, “Evil Panda” (black with a red chronograph seconds hand), “Panda” (white with black accents), and “Blue” (blue with orange accents). Encircling the face is a black or blue tachymetric scale, with a racing-style minute counter on the outermost edge of the dial just within it. An applied mark is used for each hour hand, with wide hour hands determining the running time. There?s a subdial for a 60-minute counter, running seconds, and 24-hour running hours at the 9, 6, and 3 o?clock positions, respectively, while a thin hand is used for the chronograph ...