Why This Watch Matters

A 1960s racing-inspired chronograph with an iconic dial design, what's not to love?

The Full Story

The sport of racing was wildly popular in the decade of the '60s, and as a result, chronographs became an increasingly prevalent style. Here, we see a striking example from Hamilton of just such a design and layout. Collectors would refer to this white dial with black registers as a panda. In this example, we have a beautiful chronograph featuring a horizontal, two-register layout with a black dial and white subdials at three and nine o'clock, and they’ve developed a lovely patina.

Many Hamilton chronographs, like the ref. 7823, were actually made by Heuer and then branded with the Hamilton name on the dial as well as the case and movement. At the time, Heuer had a reputation for making watches for other brands and occasionally even retailers. Chronographs like this Hamilton "Panda" were remarkably similar to the ever-popular Heuer Carrera but served to attract many newer and younger buyers because of the relatively more attainable price point.

The ref. 7823 features a classic, modestly sized stainless steel case design. Aside from the chronograph, the dial design is quite minimalistic, with a clean, easy-to-read layout. It showcases matchstick-style hour and minute hands as well as applied stainless steel hour markers. Each of these key timekeeping elements on the dial is filled with tritium lume for optimal legibility. On the outer track, we have a tachymeter scale. Last but not least, the dial is complete with the Hamilton logo, with its highly legible sans-serif font and stylized "H."

We paired this with our Reid Strap in an orange tone to add some flair to the look.

The Fine Print

What We Love And What You Should Know

Things We Love:

- Panda dial motif
- Date function at six o'clock
- Nice case condition

Things To Know:

This Hamilton is in overall nice, honest condition. The case is strong with scratches and the edges are still sharp. The caseback has more noticeable scratches from a previous removal attempt although the engravings are still crisp.

The dial is in good condition and has developed some patina that is mostly even. The hands and hour markers have developed patina. The lume on the dial and on the hands has aged to the same darker color. Some lume plots on the dial show signs of normal degradation.

The case, dial, crown, and movement are all signed by Hamilton. This watch was photographed on a 175mm/6.9inch wrist.