Wenger Men's 77002 AeroGraph Chrono Series Watch Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)112-DAY UPDATE: I'm lowering my rating of this watch to two stars. Since the watch was returned to me (see updates below), I no longer dare to use the chronograph or wear it for any occasion beyond a dinner date. Basically, my confidence in the quality of the watch has been shaken, and now I treat it with "kid gloves," like it's a Faberge egg. This stems from the basic problem that I have no idea why it malfunctioned to begin with. I never subjected it to even rough treatment. Anyway...now it's just an expensive bracelet. Such a shame for such a handsome watch.
95-DAY UPDATE: My Wenger 77002 has been returned to me, 38 days after I mailed it to Wenger. The 1/10 second dial has been returned to its correct position and an enclosed card indicates that a new battery has been installed and the watch has been pressure tested.
57-DAY UPDATE: I sent my Wenger 77002 to the Wenger service center Orangeburg, New York. For no apparent reason (I had not subjected the watch to any sort of abuse), the hand on the 1/10 second dial (at the 2:00 position) started coming to rest about 10 degrees off to the clockwise direction. Postage was $5.65. If I lived in any state other than California I would also have had to include $10 to have the repaired watch returned to me.POSITIVE:
The 77002's bold, handsome design does a tremendous job of balancing sportiness (yellow face and stitching, movable bezel, chronograph) with class. It looks far more expensive than it really is.
The chronograph buttons click authoritatively -- no looseness or squishiness. This chrono is also capable of doing split times...that is, it has the ability to pause while still continuing to record elapsed time. This is a particularly useful feature for timing laps (e.g., while swimming or running around a track), though for athletic events there are inexpensive digital watches (e.g., Timex Ironman Triathlon) that would be far more capable and durable.
The leather wrist strap has been treated to make it waterproof and fits very comfortably.
The case size is just right for my 7.25" wrist, being neither too small (which would strike me as feminine) nor too gigantically chunky (which, as of this writing, is a trend that will probably soon pass). The black powdercoat has proven to be fairly durable, though not beyond being scuffed.
The crystal is convex, which serves to magnify the face and make the numbers and dials slightly easier to read. (And Lord knows, the markings on the sub-dials are teeny-tiny!) I was worried that, unless the crystal is diamond-hard, it would get scratched. Thus far it has sustained only very minor -- and hardly noticeable -- scratches.
Contrary to Amazon's inaccurate description of this watch, the bezel is actually movable uni-directionally. This is a small consolation for the limitations of the chronograph (see below), but at least I can use the bezel to track (roughly -- to the minute) up to an hour of elapsed time. The bezel ratchets with positive clicks and fits tight, without any slack.
It has kept time accurately to the second.NEITHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE:
What we normally think of as the watch's second hand only functions as a second hand when the chronograph is in use. The *actual* second hand is the sub-dial at the six o'clock position. So when you casually glance at the watch, it looks like it has died or is frozen with the main second hand at the 12 o'clock position. Over the past few months this has proven to be a non-issue, as I have found that the second hand isn't very important when reading the time.
Unlike the other bezeled watches I've owned, this one has the numbers INCREASING counter-clockwise, presumably for use as a countdown timer. It's not a bad idea, really. So, for example, if I put 45 minutes worth of coins in a parking meter, I set the bezel's "45" at the current time and then keep an eye out for when the minute hand reaches the bezel's triangular "stop" marker.
As is the case with other 30-minute chronograph watches, the chrono's minute-counting subdial (at the 9 o'clock position) is not intuitive to read because the minutes are not where you expect them to be. This is not a design flaw so much as an issue inherent in having a 30-minute limit to the chrono (see below).
The strap, which is nicely lined on the inside, is long enough to fit up to an 8" wrist. As my wrist is 7.25", it works just fine.NEGATIVE:
Chronograph watches come with timers of various lengths (30-minute, 60-minute, 12-hour, and maybe longer). The Amazon description does not specify the length of this watch's chrono, and the official Wenger website INCORRECTLY describes the 77002 chrono as being a 12-hour timer. THIS IS NOT TRUE. It is actually only a 30-minute timer, which has proven to be useless. If you like the chrono feature for the look it gives the watch (as I do), this limitation should not affect your decision to purchase this Wenger. However, if you need to time something that takes longer than 30 minutes, you might do well to find a watch with a longer chrono.
The luminescence of the hands and numbers on the dial's face is faint to the point of rendering the watch unreadable in the dark. The luminescent dot in the center of the triangle on the bezel, by contrast, is very bright...but pointless if you can't see the hands. Indiglo wouldn't be a bad idea on this watch!
CONCLUSION:
The Wenger 7702 is a gorgeous watch that is moderately priced, of moderate quality, and serviced by a company with poor repair turn-around time. I would recommend this watch to someone who likes its outstanding aesthetic design, can afford its cost, and intends to use it as a secondary watch or fashion accessory for cosmetic purposes (i.e., the watch should not be subjected to any significant amount of wear, shock, or use of the chronograph).

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The Men's AeroGraph Chrono Watch weds fine craftsmanship, practicality, and style in a single striking package. It also bears a pedigree: Swiss company Wenger was one of the first manufacturers of the Swiss army knife in 1908, and it applies the same exacting engineering standards to its products today. The sturdy stainless steel case, screw-on case back, and durable mineral crystal all protect the watch against the elements. Its bold yellow dial gives the timepiece panache, as does the black leather band with yellow stitching. The watch uses precise Swiss quartz movement and is water resistant to 330 feet (100 meters).

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