There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Most days though, I wear my Damasko DC66 Si, which runs off a 7750 modified with a Silicon balance spring and various other upgraded bits and bobs. This is much less pretty, but has the practical advantages of being automatic, having a day/date function, a 12-hour bezel (for travel) and Damasko's virtually indestructible ice-hardened steel case and DLC coating. This is my beater.
Other than that, most affordable mechanical chronographs are uninteresting, because more often than not they're running on a 7750 - which, make no mistake, is an excellent movement, but a bit too ubiquitous. Much more interesting are the Lemania 5100 chronos with central minutes counters. I think these are just more legible and more interesting, like this Sinn 142. Unfortunately, the Lemania 5100 seems to be out of production, so you'd have to go vintage for this.
In terms of affordable, interesting mechanical chronographs that are currently in production, I think a brand to watch is Seiko. It's recently come out with a gorgeous chrono in its Presage line that's notable for having an in-house automatic, column wheel, vertical clutch chrono movement, as well as a hand-painted enamel dial, which are features normally found only in watches many times the price. One drawback though, is that the movement itself isn't pretty. I've handled one with an exhibition caseback, and the only visible moving part is the escapement. It's frankly bizarre that Seiko would manufacture a column wheel chrono movement, pair it with a see-through caseback, and then obscure the column wheel behind various plates and such. This is a wasted opportunity, because a column-wheel chrono movement is a joy to watch in operation.
On that note, Massdrop x Omega might actually have a chance, considering Omega's gorgeous Speedy Tuesday limited edition SMP. https://www.omegawatches.com/watches/speedmaster/moonwatch/speedy-tuesday-limited-edition/product/