Singer Reimagined Brings the Valjoux 72 Back Into View With the Heritage V72

Singer Reimagined has returned to one of watchmaking’s great chronograph calibres with the Heritage V72, a compact manually wound chronograph built around a restored new-old-stock Valjoux 72.

Rather than hiding the movement behind nostalgia, Singer has treated it as the main event, elevating the finishing and placing it behind a glassbox sapphire back.

The result is a watch that speaks to vintage chronograph collectors without pretending to be a period reissue.

At a glance

A golden-age chronograph calibre, treated for today

The Valjoux 72 occupies rare ground among manually wound chronograph movements.

Introduced in 1938 and produced until 1974, the column-wheel calibre became a fixture inside some of the most important sports chronographs of the 20th century.

Its three-register architecture gave watchmakers a reliable platform for central chronograph seconds, a 30-minute counter, a 12-hour totaliser and running seconds.

For the Heritage V72, Singer has selected untouched new-old-stock examples of the movement and restored them as calibre SG7201.

The original 18,000vph frequency and 44-hour power reserve remain intact, preserving the character of the calibre rather than modernising it beyond recognition.

What changes is the presentation.

The bridges and plates are frosted, the bevels and screws are hand-polished, the steel components are rhodium-plated and satin-brushed, and the switch component receives a blue ALD treatment.

The Y-shaped chronograph bridge carries the inscription “Restored by Singer”, a small but deliberate marker of the work done here.

The Heritage case keeps the proportions tight

The watch is housed in a 38.8mm case with a thickness of 13.25mm, placing it in the compact end of modern chronographs.

Singer offers the Heritage V72 in stainless steel or solid 18k yellow gold, both finished with sunray satin surfaces and mirror-polished bevels.

Vintage-style piston pushers and a flat fluted crown keep the silhouette close to traditional chronograph codes, while glassbox sapphire crystals front and back give the watch a more contemporary sense of depth.

Water resistance is rated at 50 metres, which suits the piece’s dress-sport positioning rather than suggesting a purpose-built aquatic watch.

Two dials with the same chronograph rhythm

The steel edition uses a matte stone-grey dial, while the yellow gold model is fitted with a velvety matte black dial.

Both versions are framed by Singer’s golden toothed flange and use champagne-coloured snailed sub-dials in the Valjoux 72’s familiar tricompax arrangement.

The 30-minute counter sits at 3 o’clock, the 12-hour totaliser at 6 o’clock and running seconds at 9 o’clock.

Applied golden faceted hour markers, a peripheral precision track and an applied Singer logo at noon keep the dial formal, but the orange details stop it from feeling overly restrained.

The openworked sword-shaped hour and minute hands carry orange Super-LumiNova, matched by Singer’s signature orange central chronograph seconds hand capped with a golden stud.

Limited production and positioning

The gold reference, SR620-1, is paired with a black grained leather strap measuring 20mm at the lugs and tapering to 16mm at the gold pin buckle.

The steel reference, SR621, comes on a grey textile strap with the same 20mm to 16mm taper and a steel pin buckle.

The stainless steel Heritage V72 is limited to 50 pieces and priced at CHF 23,000 excluding tax.

The 18k yellow gold edition is limited to 20 pieces and priced at CHF 45,000 excluding tax.

Availability is scheduled from early November 2026 through official Singer Reimagined retailers and Singer’s sales team.

Details & Specifications

The Heritage V72 is for the collector who sees a movement as more than a line in a spec sheet.

Its appeal lies in the tension between preservation and intervention, with Singer giving the Valjoux 72 enough room to remain itself while making it beautiful enough to deserve the sapphire back.