Recently revived British watchmaker Vertex (in name, at least) has built a modern brand largely around leveraging its well-known history producing military-commissioned watches. The MP45 chronograph is based on a 1945 watch order from the British War Office for an “ordinance timing watch” that never ended up being produced — at least until now, albeit in a modern and updated form. Just released is a new version with a black DLC-coated case livened up with red dial highlights, lending the serious, military-looking watch a sporty touch.
There isn’t a whole lot out there quite like the Vertex MP45, though fellow British brand Bremont’s recent monopusher chronograph comes to mind. The asymmetrical case, sometimes found on military watches, along with the chronograph pusher at 2 o’clock suggests a no-nonsense, functional approach. The “MP” in the “MP45B” name stands for monopusher, which is the type of chronograph with a single pusher to start, stop, and reset its stopwatch function, rather than the more common two pushers. Naturally, 45 refers to its historical inspiration, and B is for this black version.
The Vertex MP45 uses a new version of the Sellita SW510 chronograph movement modified as a monopusher and dubbed the SW510MP. It offers a 48-hour power reserve, and the chronograph measures up to 30 minutes. Interestingly, Vertex is offering two MP45 models with automatic or manually wound versions of the movement, but otherwise with the same specs and price. The Vertex MP45B has a 40mm-wide case, is water-resistant to 100m, and is coated in black DLC. Also notable are the molded Super-LumiNova indices and generously lumed hands that should provide good legibility in any lighting scenario.
The Vertex MP45B will be limited to just 27 manually wound editions and 27 automatic editions, both for the same price of about $3,980.
Gear Patrol also recommends:
MWC GG-W-113 1960s US Pattern Automatic Military Watch ($235)
Marathon General Purpose Mechanical Watch ($650)
Bremont Arrow Monopusher Chronograph Watch ($4,745)
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