Based in 2018, Depancel is a French impartial model that makes a speciality of racing-inspired watches. The title Depancel is a contraction of Delage, Panhard, and Facel Vega (three French automotive producers whose vehicles emphasised the enjoyment of driving), and the corporate’s timepieces are all united by an aesthetic language that’s deeply rooted on this planet of motorsport. Amongst Depancel’s current releases for 2024 is a brand new entry-level mannequin inside its Attract assortment, and the Depancel Attract Chronograph MecaQ is a compact and reasonably priced sports activities watch with Seventies design cues that’s powered by a mecaquartz motion.
The longstanding reputation of chronograph watches is plain, and most fanatics would agree {that a} chronograph is a pure platform for a motorsport-inspired timepiece. As of late, many racing-themed chronographs rival the costs of precise sports activities vehicles; nevertheless, the style additionally lends itself extremely effectively to reasonably priced fashions that may be enjoyable and carefree choices inside an individual’s assortment. Some fanatics instinctively flip their noses up at quartz watches, though a quartz chronograph is the perfect basis for an reasonably priced motorsport-themed timepiece, and the Depancel Attract Chronograph MecaQ is a strong racing-inspired chronograph prices roughly the identical worth as a brand new set of tires.
Crafted from 316L stainless-steel with linear brushed surfaces and high-polished accents, the case of the Depancel Attract Chronograph MecaQ provides a tonneau-shaped profile that measures 36mm in diameter by 10.95mm thick, with brief angular lugs which can be set 16mm aside and lengthen to create an total lug-to-lug profile of 42.8mm. The highest of the case is fitted with a flat sapphire crystal, the reverse facet receives a strong caseback that’s secured on the corners by 4 small screws, and water resistance for the mannequin is available in at a typical (but enough) 50 meters to supply safety towards every day contact. In the meantime, the right-hand facet of the Attract Chronograph MecaQ’s case is furnished by a signed crown with a shiny purple ring that’s flanked by a pair of pump-style pushers, and hooked up to the other facet of the case is a small polished plate that’s engraved with the watch’s mannequin and serial quantity.
With an total look that’s meant to be paying homage to a automotive’s dashboard, the dial of the Depancel Attract Chronograph MecaQ is the place the mannequin’s motorsport inspiration is most obvious, and it incorporates a black floor with white markings punctuated by small purple, orange, and yellow accents. The three chronograph registers seem in a typical 3-6-9 configuration, and surrounding the perimeter of the dial is a dual-function scale that accommodates each tachymeter and pulsometer markings. Moreover, whereas the pair of time-telling palms and utilized hour markers all obtain an utility of green-glowing luminous materials, the brightness and length of their glow are hardly noteworthy in comparison with what may be discovered elsewhere throughout the business. Even nonetheless, the luminous parts are a welcome element, and the utilized Depancel brand at 12 o’clock can also be stuffed with luminous materials to match the opposite indexes.
The Depancel Attract Chronograph MecaQ weighs roughly 51 grams with out its bracelet, or 149 grams should you embrace the solid-link bracelet with the whole thing of its detachable hyperlinks. Whereas the case’s 16mm lugs may accommodate a typical third-party strap, the Attract Chronograph MecaQ ought to actually be seen as an built-in bracelet watch, because the hyperlinks instantly flare out to 20mm with a view to meet the sides of the case earlier than progressively tapering all the way down to 18mm on the underside of the wrist. The one-piece hyperlink design provides an look that’s barely paying homage to what you get from the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner sequence, though it’s considerably much less elaborate in its building and ending, with fully brushed surfaces and customary friction-fit pins securing the detachable hyperlinks.
The bracelet hyperlinks on the Depancel Attract Chronograph MecaQ are utterly strong, which offers the watch with a reasonably substantial presence, particularly given its compact dimension. Nevertheless, the vary of articulation provided by the hyperlinks is minimal, and the bracelet wears extra like a versatile metallic cuff than a fluid meeting of elements draped across the wrist. Equally, the clasp seems in a butterfly-style design with a double push-button launch, though it lacks an extension system, which implies that homeowners who’re between hyperlink sizes could have few adjustment choices. Butterfly-style folding clasps seldom embrace extensions, and I personally really feel {that a} pair of half-links would have been a welcome addition, as it will have elevated the vary of sizing choices and allowed homeowners to higher middle the clasp on the underside of their wrists.
Depancel’s top-of-the-line mechanical chronographs can price as much as a number of thousand {dollars}; nevertheless, for the reason that Attract Chronograph MecaQ is meant to be one of many model’s entry-level fashions, it’s powered by the Seiko Caliber VK63 mecaquartz chronograph motion. Working on a single 394 energy cell with a battery life of roughly three years, the Seiko VK63 is a quartz motion with a mechanical module for its chronograph palms, and it provides the conveniences (and value effectivity) of quartz, whereas nonetheless benefiting from the tactile suggestions and instantaneous reset of a mechanical chronograph. With that in thoughts, for the reason that Seiko VK63 is of course a date-displaying motion and the Attract Chronograph MecaQ doesn’t function a date window, the crown displays the benign but irritating “ghost place” when it’s pulled out to set the time.
Fairly than being a six-figure watch that rivals the costs of the vehicles that encourage it, the Depancel Attract Chronograph MecaQ is meant to offer motorsport fanatics with an attainable technique to get pleasure from a lovely racing-themed timepiece. Whereas the Attract Chronograph MecaQ doesn’t intention to be a luxurious watch, it undeniably provides the impression of a strong and well-crafted product, and Depancel carries out the meeting and high quality management of its watches from inside its house nation of France. With an official retail worth of $595 USD, the Depancel Attract Chronograph MecaQ isn’t absolutely the least costly mannequin from the model’s present lineup, though it’s considerably cheaper than its automated chronograph siblings, whereas nonetheless offering a lot of the identical motorsport-inspired spirit. For extra info on the Depancel Attract Chronograph MecaQ, please go to the model’s web site.
