The minute I laid eyes on the echo/neutra Cortina 1956 Hand-Wound Chronograph, I was smitten. The Italian brand’s motoring-inspired watch has a reverse panda-white cream dial with black subdials, and is one of the most handsome watch faces I’ve encountered this year. I had been pining for a white-dialed Omega Speedmaster, but I also didn’t want to sell any of my organs to get one. At $1,590, the Cortina 1956 Chrono comes in at a fraction of the Omega’s lofty $8,100 price tag—and it may turn more heads than its Swiss counterpart.
Founder and designer Nicola Callegaro created the microbrand out of a passion for timeless horological style, and the result is a line of watches that qualify as evocative and original at the same time. The Cortina 1956 Hand-Wound Chronograph draws its inspiration from motoring-inspired chronograph sports watches from the ‘50s and ‘60s, which is what drew me to it immediately.
Attention to Detail
The dimensions matter, specifically when they relate to a classic look and comfort on the wrist. The Cortina Chrono’s 316L stainless-steel case measures 40mm in diameter and 14.1mm in thickness, which includes its vintage-style, ultra-domed sapphire glass. Lug-to-lug distance is 46mm, contributing to the watch’s wear comfort. The classic look is bolstered by the glorious, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal that mimics vintage acrylic without the accompanying vulnerability to damage.
Unlike the all-white Omega Speedmaster dial and subdials, the Cortina Chrono’s subdials are rendered in black, perfectly matching the hands, markers, and the flat ceramic telemeter scale bezel. The complete look elevates the sport watch aesthetic to a new level of refinement that belies the watch’s asking price. Two additional welcome touches include the 1956 emblem at the 6 o’clock position and the “mechanical” lettering that mimics the iconic Porsche 911 Carrera script. It’s small enough not to look derivative, and enriches the motoring ethos of the watch.
The hour and minute hands are filled with Superluminova BGW9 and framed in black, providing excellent legibility across the cream-white dial and the black subdials. Not all watches nail the hand length, but these terminate at just the right locations. The minute hand grazes the split-seconds track, while the arrow hour hand ends shy of the hour markers. The double red-tipped chronograph hand pops against the dial nicely.
Bracelet and Movement
The rest of the case and bracelet are an elegant blend of brushed and polished surfaces, as evidenced by the chamfered lugs. The three-link stainless steel bracelet uses polished outer links and brushed inner links, bucking familiar convention and adding to the level of refinement. The fitted end-links nestle perfectly between the lugs and at the case edge, with impressively tight tolerances that aren’t typically found at this price. The pump pushers that flank the subtle logo on the crown are perfect understated choices here, providing satisfying action for timing laps or just keeping your fingers busy. The crown could use better knurling to make one-fingered winding easier, but it suits its intended purpose. Thankfully, there’s no date window to crowd the otherwise well-balanced dial.
The movement is a Swiss Sellita SW510M BH b elaboré, a 23-jewel bi-compax (running second sundial + chronograph minutes counter subdial) mechanical movement. Sadly, it’s not viewable through the solid “1956” caseback, though it would be nice to see its manual winding mechanics operate. The good news is that the movement is accurate at +/-5 seconds per day, with a power reserve of a solid 50 hours. If you’ve never owned a manual wind watch, don’t fear: it adds fresh interaction that an automatic or quartz can never provide.
Photo by Amos Kwon
The Bottom Line
On the wrist, the echo/neutra Cortina 1956 chrono is a delight. It looks as good with a blazer and jeans as it does with a polo shirt and shorts. Frankly, it’s hard to wrap my brain around such an attainable price for a watch that’s so well constructed and so attractive. I find myself ditching my beloved go-to German diving watches just to dress things up with echo/neutra’s very original interpretation of the much-lauded and ubiquitous Omega Speedmaster. This one belongs at the top of your 2025 shopping list.
