Mercer Brigadier Chronograph Watch

Powered by Seiko’s VK63 mecha-quartz movement (more on that below), the Brigadier Chronograph by Mercer features a 24-hour timer at 3 o’clock and a 60-minute timer at 9 o’clock. The watch is topped with a domed AR-coated sapphire crystal, and the polished case is made of 316L stainless steel. The dial is textured at its center, with an applied Arabic numeral at the 12 o’clock position, a date window at 6 o’clock, and applied stick markers at the remaining positions. Numerals and markers on the outer chapter ring provide a tachymeter scale.

Combining quartz accuracy with mechanical machinery, Seiko’s VK63 mecha-quartz movement offers a hybrid approach that’s bound to please enthusiasts of both camps. This unique movement offers sweeping seconds at five beats per second while maintaining the accuracy of a quartz watch. And because it powers a chronograph complication, the seconds hand resets instantly, much like a mechanical chrono movement, instead of traveling all the way around the dial.

Though it was born of a Kickstarter only 2 years ago, Mercer Watch Co. evokes a deep sense of Americana. After all, the company is named for Hugh Mercer, a fallen soldier in the American Revolution. His name not only served as a rallying cry during the war but also became the namesake of Mercer County, New Jersey, where the company is headquartered. Mercer Watch Co.’s first timepiece, the Brigadier, is another shout-out to Mercer, who had earned the title of brigadier general by the time he was killed, in 1777.