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Albishorn Marinagraph, timing the moments before the start

The Albishorn Marinagraph Classic brings the ritual of a regatta start to the wrist with a 10-minute retrograde countdown and a spirit inspired by 1958

A mechanical chronograph created around sailing, combining imaginary vintage aesthetics, a regatta function, a 39 mm case and a proprietary calibre

Ten minutes may sound like a short interval, but before the start of a regatta they can contain a remarkable number of decisions. Position, wind, distance from the line, speed and strategy all have to converge at the right moment. Albishorn has built the Marinagraph Classic around precisely those ten minutes, creating a mechanical chronograph in which the nautical function is more than a visual reference: it is integrated directly into the movement through a retrograde countdown dedicated to the pre-start sequence.

A contemporary watch with a history that never existed

One of the most distinctive aspects of Albishorn’s approach is the concept of imaginary vintage. The brand does not reproduce an actual watch from the 1950s. Instead, it imagines the kind of watch that might have been created at the time, building a plausible but explicitly fictional story around it.

For the Marinagraph, the chosen reference is 1958, the year the America’s Cup returned after the long interruption following World War II and the 12-Metre class was introduced. Albishorn conceptually connects its chronograph with that period of innovation and with the American yacht Columbia, designed by Olin Stephens and skippered by Briggs Cunningham, which successfully defended the Cup against the British challenger Sceptre. The manufacturer makes it clear, however, that this narrative is entirely fictional and that the watch has no affiliation with the America’s Cup, Columbia or any related organisation.

Those ten minutes reveal the true character of the Marinagraph

At 7 o’clock on the dial is the function that most directly connects the watch to sailing: a 10-minute retrograde countdown. Pressing the chronograph’s single pusher activates both the countdown and the central chronograph seconds hand. Once the countdown reaches zero, its hand stops while the chronograph seconds continue running. To return the system to its initial position, the chronograph must first be stopped and then reset.

It is therefore more than a decorative complication. The principle reflects a real requirement in competitive sailing, where knowing exactly how much time remains before the starting signal can be an important part of crew strategy.

A small disc serves as the running indicator, while the applied indexes and hands use Super-LumiNova to maintain visibility in reduced light.

From regatta language to a cleaner dial

The 2026 Marinagraph Classic offers a more restrained interpretation than some earlier versions in the family. Its large bidirectional bezel uses a proprietary black sapphire insert with twelve luminous markings, replacing the more visually assertive tide display seen on other Marinagraph executions.

There are two principal dial treatments. The first features a sunburst black surface with silver indexes and red accents. The second, the Marinagraph Classic Fumé, uses a polished white dial that gradually darkens towards the edge, paired with black indexes and blue details. Both retain the coloured countdown display that has become one of the watch’s most recognisable graphic elements.

39 millimetres, steel and an unconventional crown position

The 316L stainless-steel case measures 39 mm in diameter, 47.7 mm lug-to-lug and 13 mm thick including the box-shaped sapphire crystal. Water resistance is rated to 100 metres. The bezel itself measures 42.7 mm in diameter, giving the Marinagraph a strong visual presence without requiring an oversized case.

The control layout also departs from conventional chronograph architecture. The crown sits at 10 o’clock, while the red anodised aluminium monopusher is positioned at 9 o’clock and controls start, stop and reset. Albishorn also connects this placement with the ease of operating the chronograph naturally with the thumb during manoeuvres. An engraving of a sailing yacht on the caseback leaves little doubt about the environment for which the watch was imagined.

Inside is the calibre that makes the regatta function possible

At the technical heart of the watch is the proprietary automatic ALB01 A calibre, made in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It measures 30 mm in diameter and 6.6 mm in height, runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, uses 25 jewels and offers a typical power reserve of 64 hours.

Its defining feature remains the monopusher chronograph architecture combined with the patented 10-minute retrograde function. Hodinkee notes that the movement is partly derived from the Valjoux 7750 architecture but has been extensively modified to incorporate the single-pusher system, increased power reserve, regatta countdown and reduced thickness.

This is where the Marinagraph moves beyond nautical styling. A blue dial, a yacht engraved on the caseback or a water-ready strap are not enough on their own to create a watch genuinely connected with yachting. Here, that connection begins with a mechanical function conceived around a very specific moment in a yacht race.

From the dock to everyday life

The Marinagraph Classic is water-resistant to 100 metres and is offered with rubber straps, with a steel bracelet also available. Albishorn supplies the black version with black and red rubber straps, while the Classic Fumé comes with white and black straps. Both variants are limited to 99 unnumbered pieces. The manufacturer lists a price of CHF 3,950 with rubber straps, while Hodinkee reports CHF 4,400 for the configuration that also includes the steel bracelet.

What makes the Marinagraph particularly relevant to the MED Yachting world, however, is the idea behind it. The sea is not used simply as a lifestyle image: it becomes the reason for a complication, for the positioning of the controls and even for the fictional history Albishorn has chosen to construct.

It is a 2026 watch answering an imaginary question: what might a regatta chronograph have looked like if it had been designed in 1958 according to this philosophy? The answer does not belong to watchmaking history. It belongs to the present, while looking back to an era when sailing, mechanical instruments and the abilities of the crew were inseparable parts of the same challenge.

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Albishorn Watches, Water Collection

18 August 2026
© MED Yachting Editorial Team
Albishorn Marinagraph, timing the moments before the start
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The information in this article has been sourced from and adapted from official sources and/or press releases, in accordance with our editorial code of ethics.