Depancel Legend 60s Chronograph Watch Review

Depancel have always touted themselves as a watch brand built by collectors, for collectors, which has generally meant leaning into limited runs of cool, contemporarily designed watches. The issue is that that’s not entirely what collectors want. The Tangerine made for a striking, modern racing watch but with 1960s style returning with a vengeance, those aforementioned collectors have been clamouring for something a bit more retro. Enter the Depancel Legend 60s Panda.

The name says it all really. An automotive-inspired chronograph influenced by the high-octane racers of the 1960s and their trackside stopwatches, it’s familiar territory for anyone that’s glanced at a Heuer Carrera. Familiarity’s not a bad thing of course, especially when – which we’ll get to later – it’s in this accessible a format.

At 39mm it hits that sweet spot for any retro sports watch, particularly a chronograph. In fact, it feels charmingly compact, and sits very nicely on the wrist. I feel like it could do with a little more finishing across the case and pushers to feel like a luxury watch, but there’s something to be said about a more utilitarian, tool watch level of finish. There are no overcompensating performance touches here, just streamlined throwback style done well.

The same can be said of the dial which again offers a familiar colourway, the Panda. It’s a dial variation that everyone’s been trying out recently (including Vacheron) and works as aesthetic shorthand for 60s-style chronograph. Here the contrast has been dialled up for an incredibly eye-catching black-on-white look with recessed subdials. It’s also available as a reverse panda, with white subdials on black, but I much prefer this.

What’s less usual however are the pair of scales. The tachymeter, used to measure average speed over a set distance, is par for the course. The pulsometer, used to measure heart rate, is much more off-kilter. The fact that the two nestle so comfortably together, with the pulsometer taking up the first quarter of the dial, the tachymeter the rest, makes me wonder why I don’t see it a lot more often.

It’s a small thing but I love the Motor Racing Instruments LTD lettering on the dial. Paired with Depancel’s already retro logo that wouldn’t look out of place on a vintage racer, it adds that extra period flourish. Finished with a glass box crystal, the Legend 60s is about as faithful to its roots as it can be without being dredged from some watchmaking archives. That’s also, surprisingly, true of the movement.

Calibre-wise we’re looking at a Seagull ST1901, a Chinese- made manual-wind movement that’s one of the most  underrated in the watch world. Sure, there are plenty of purists that are sniffy about the Asian-made calibre, but as Depancel, Studio Underd0g and a handful of others have shown, it’s a solid piece. On the one hand it’s definitely accessible, but with a 50-hour power reserve (45 with the chronograph running) and eye-catching architecture, it’s a lot of bang for your buck. If there’s one downside it’s that the manual winding is a little stiff.

Perhaps more interestingly from a historical standpoint, the ST1901 is a modern, frequency-increased incarnation of one of the premier column-wheel chronograph movements from the 60s, the Venus 170. It’s not just a riff either; Seagull, previously Sea-Gull, based it off plans they bought when Venus closed their doors. So, it’s not just accessible, it’s possibly the most period-appropriate movement possible.

We have it here on a micro-perforated leather strap, breathable, and typical of racing chronographs new and old. You’ve probably tried one on a few times. It’s comfortable, practical and far, far less cool than the optional beads-of-rice metal bracelet option. The first is pretty standard, the second oozes charm.

All-in-all, there’s not much in the Legend 60s we’ve not seen before. That’s to be expected in all honesty, the watch industry adores its rose-tinted specs and safe, archival designs. At the same time, Depancel have nailed why we still love this kind of chronograph today, right down to the 60s successor movement inside.

Most importantly however, the Legend 60s will only set you back £595 – £720 (depending on your preferred strap options) in good, British money. In part that’s thanks to the Chinese-made movement, in part the sparse finishing, but in terms of design there’s more than enough to love at that price point. Plus, the first 240 of each dial will come in a collectors’ edition with a signed poster. What that poster is, I can’t say. 1966’s Grand Prix, perhaps?