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A tachymeter is a scale on a watch used to measure speed based on time traveled over a fixed distance.

A tachymeter measures average speed over a known distance. Start the chronograph at your starting point, then stop it when you've traveled exactly one unit (one kilometer or one mile). The chronograph seconds hand points to your speed on the tachymeter scale. For example, if it takes 30 seconds, the scale reads 120 km/h.
Tachymeters appear on bezels (rotating bezel on sports watches), printed on the outer edge of the dial, or on a flange/chapter ring between the dial and crystal. Bezel-mounted tachymeters are most common on racing chronographs. The scale typically runs from 60 to 400 units, corresponding to speeds achievable in under 60 seconds.
The Rolex Daytona, Omega Speedmaster, and TAG Heuer Carrera are the most iconic tachymeter chronographs. Breitling's Navitimer features a circular slide rule for complex aviation calculations. The Speedmaster famously used its tachymeter in space navigation by NASA astronauts, cementing the complication's technical heritage.

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