Recommendations and thoughts

Check out Douglas and Wolbrook watches. Both under the same roof, great history too.

A well made preowned watch is better than a poorly made brand new watch.  Listing from Chrono24

$1700 is a very solid budget for a high quality Chrono.

When they reopen ordering for the Zelos Vitesse, you might check that out.  It stands tall but it's a stunner. $1500 at full retail I think

eBay has the Tissot PRX Chronograph at that price ($1690ish) but at 42mm and an integrated bracelet, you'll want to try it on first.

The hamilton intramatic panda dial is a looker ($1500ish on the gray market).

You probably can get a Junghans max bill chronoscope or a hanhart pioneer too if you search well, to say nothing of the used market.

If you open up to mecha quartz, you could pick up a Seiko Speedtimer solar ($500), a Nezumi ($350), and Vario ($300)empire and have enough over for a lovely night out.

If you budget just a little more…

https://baltic-watches.com/en/products/tricompax-peter-auto

Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster is my fovorite in its class.

Came here to propose this, @buettner made a nice video about this and posted the link here. Looks to be a very interesting watch!

Great suggestion, I’ll drop a link for You’re Terrific’s latest video where he showcases one of the Nivada Grenchen watches. 

https://youtu.be/0h8nHfPMPKs

It's hard to beat a Farer Bernina for the WOW factor.

True - but the Farer Bernina is now sold out.

Fortunately, I was able to get one last year before that point.

I had a custom strap made for it - the one pictured in blue is really nice, but an earlier version had a blue rally strap with red holes - I saw that and had to have it. Farer was no longer making that strap - so next best thing - get a custom one made to match it. It came out really well:

I will give you a visual list to choose from - some of these like the Farer Bernina and Zelos Vitesse could be sold out now, but possibly available on the secondary market.

At the higher end of the range you are looking at, is the Bravur La Vuelta. Case size of 38.2, height of 14.5, and running the automatic Sellita SW511b with 62 hours power reserve, and domed sapphire. Cost $2,450 - comes on a black leather rally strap but I added the red rubber strap to bring out the color from the bezel and seconds/chronograph hands.

On the other end of the price spectrum is the Certina DS Podium Precidrive Chronograph GMT. Case size of 42mm, height of 13mm, and running the ETA G10.961 quartz movement, case is aluminum and strap is rubber - this watch is super light on the wrist. List price is $680, but my cost was $189 - significantly below your budget.

A great choice if you can find one on the secondary market is the Haven Chilton. Case size of 37.5mm, height of 13.1mm, and running the manual Sellita SW510 M B with 58 hour power reserve. Comes with both a stainless steel bracelet and leather strap. List price is $1,799, but I found mine just last week on the secondary market for $1,650. This is hitting your sweet spot if you like the design.

Another good choice that is right in your price range is the Le Jour Le Mans Chronograph, but this one is probably too large and bulky. Case size of 42mm, height of 17mm (this is a "big boy") and running the automatic Valjoux 7750. List price is $1,530, but I was able to get one brand new for $975 (from Serious Watches).

A possible budget choice is the Mathey-Tissot 1970 Chronograph. Case size of 41mm, height of 12mm, and running the automatic Sellita 510A. List price is $1,990, but I found them brand new box/papers for $829.

Nezumi released their first mechanical chronograph last year (as opposed to their several mecaquartz models) that is superb - the Voiture 10th Anniversary Chronograph (limited edition of 100). Case size is 40mm, height of 14.5mm, and running the manual Sellita SW510Mb with 58 hours of power reserve. Cost is $1,510 if you can find one still available.

Someone has already mentioned the Nivada Grenchens - they are fabulous and right in your price range. Case size is 38.3mm, height of 14.8mm, and running either automatic or manual Sellita movements. Cost is generally around $1,900-2,100 depending on whether you go for a strap or bracelet. These don't have your 12-hour subdial though so I didn't picture any of them.

On the unusual end of the spectrum, Detroit Mint produced a Citizen Bullhead replica during the height of the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood popularity to match the watch worn by Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Case size of 40mm, height of 13mm, and running the Citizen OS quartz movement. You could order this in several strap options, but, of course, you need to go for the Cliff Booth bund-style strap. Cost was $264

I avoided showing anything over 42mm - there are some really good ones in the 43mm to 45mm range. Otherwise, that about empties it for me. Unless you decide you want to explore vintage watches - then there is a plethora of good choices in your price range with case sizes that range from 36mm to 39mm with generally modest height as they use manual chronograph movements.

Good luck!

Just received this email five minutes ago about the new limited edition La Vuelta right as I finished my post here.

They only made 50 pieces so jump on it now if you like the looks!

https://bravurwatches.com/products/grand-tour-la-vuelta-2022?goal=0_f40c28db86-7f1b8684f1-374848736&mc_cid=7f1b8684f1&mc_eid=4ca32fde46

I own a Zeppelin and I can say you get a lot of value for the price plus they look awesome 🔥

Gray market might also be a good place to look.

Got it for way less than MSRP.

Tag Heuer F1 quartz chrono is also 43mm, but due to the short lugs it should wear smaller.

Out of those you listed, the Maen and Nezumi are very nice pieces and likely worth a pickup

Well within your budget, both at around the £150 mark, are these two:

The Sugess is 40mm, with a mechanical ST9100 movement. Really an in-house movement as Sugess is a Sea-gull brand.

The Hruodland is 38mm, with a mecaquartz VK64 movement from Seiko.

As you can tell, I like a vintage look for my watches, and I am not a big fan of crowded dials, even for chronos.

Servicing mechanical chronos is generally dear, so a mecaquartz may be the way to go.

Thanks for the recommendations. Chrono 24 looks like a good option. I like the recommendations I have not see before.