A Classic Mid-Century American Pilot’s Chronograph Returns, Better Than Ever

In case you hadn’t noticed, Benrus is on the comeback trail.

The American watchmaker, founded in 1921, has had numerous starts and stops since the late 1960s and exchanged hands countless times. But under new American ownership and a new Swiss-made operation, the brand rebooted itself last year and has since been busy continuously updating its lineup with increasingly impressive takes on the mid-century military watches for which it is best known.

The latest and literally greatest Benrus watch to get a revival is the Sky Chief, Benrus’s collector-favorite 1940s pilot’s chronograph, which has been reborn with a tantalizing mix of faithful mid-century sizing and design and 21st-century Swiss luxury-level quality.

Sky high

Benrus

The original Sky Chief was introduced by Benrus in 1940 as an early example of a dedicated pilot’s chronograph, and its design still holds up well today with an agreeable, symmetrical layout that just screams “mid-century tool watch.”

The OG Sky Chief was a small, chunky watch, with a case measuring just 35mm across and a beefy 13.8mm thick. For the 2026 reboot, Benrus has kept the proportions period-appropriate while also making the watch much more wearable.

The new Sky Chief’s case diameter has been increased slightly to 36mm, so it’s still quite compact. Better still, the thickness has been reduced to just 11.9mm, making this decidedly slim for an automatic chronograph. Presumably included in that thickness is a tall domed sapphire crystal, mimicking the distinctive domed acrylic crystal of the original.

Benrus

The stainless steel case maintains its original square-shaped pushers, which were partly responsible for the vintage watch’s notoriously poor water resistance. That’s no longer an issue here, however, as modern watch engineering has allowed Benrus to make the new Sky Chief water-resistant to a surprisingly robust 100m.

The downturned lugs and oversized, flat, knurled crown have also been brought over from the original, though the lugs are no longer drilled and the crown is now signed with the Benrus logo. Brand-new is the caseback, which has been given a sapphire exhibition window to show off the watch’s rarely seen movement: The ETA 2894-2 automatic.

The ETA is a 37-jewel, cam-actuated, automatic chronograph with a power reserve of 42 hours that replaces the old hand-wound Venus movements found in the original Sky Chiefs. Benrus has also gone to the trouble of getting the new movement COSC-certified, making this modern Sky Chief a chronometer.

Benrus

The dial design is the same as in 1940, with a slight change in subdial placement due to the new movement. Arabic numeral indices printed in creamy fauxtina Super-LumiNova replace the radium-printed originals, with the markers at 3, 6 and 9 being absent due to the tricompax layout.

The 12-hour counter remains at 6:00, but the 30-minute chronograph register and running seconds display have swapped positions, with the former now appearing at 9:00 and the latter at 3:00. Despite the change, Benrus has kept the elongated dashes at the 4, 8 and 12-minute marks on the chronograph minutes register.

These unique markings were included on the original Sky Chief because radio navigation systems were not yet reliable, and pilots had to calculate their position via dead reckoning by noting the angle between the sun (or the North Star at night) and the horizon. This measurement was to be taken at least once every four minutes, hence the markings.

Benrus

The seconds track, demarcated into quarters, remains on the outer edge of the dial, and a thin polished bezel surrounds the crystal to give the dial plenty of real estate in the small case. The syringe handset is also lume-filled, but the chronograph seconds hand is not, just like on vintage examples. Dial text is minimal, with only “Benrus Sky Chief” appearing below 12:00 in vintage font.

There are two colors of the Sky Chief available at launch, both meant to emulate faded examples of vintage watches. Stratus Grey looks like a faded black dial, while Cirrus White is a silvery white dial. Both colors are sold on the same gray leather strap and also come with an additional black leather strap.

Benrus

Availability and Pricing

As I said up top, Benrus has really been on a roll of late, and I think the Sky Chief is the brand’s most impressive modern release yet. It’s one thing to crank out field watches, but creating an elegant, handsome and rugged automatic chronograph with a solid movement, good specs and, best of all, a thin case, is something that should be applauded.

The price, like other recent models from the brand, is higher than we’re used to seeing from Benrus: It’s $3,950. But once you take a look at what you’re actually getting, and once you remember that the new Benrus has invested heavily in the quality of its watches, the price seems more in line than it seems at first blush.

The Sky Chief is available now on Benrus’s website.

Benrus

Benrus Sky Chief

Specs

Case Size	36mm
Movement	ETA Cal. 2894-2 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	100m

• $3,950 at Benrus

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