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- Chopard's New Mille Miglia Pays Homage To French Racers, Louis Erard Releases Spectacular Regulator, Depancel Introduces 70s Era Racing-Inspired Chrono, New From Ralph Lauren And Grail Watch
Chopard's New Mille Miglia Pays Homage To French Racers, Louis Erard Releases Spectacular Regulator, Depancel Introduces 70s Era Racing-Inspired Chrono, New From Ralph Lauren And Grail Watch
I would say Ralph Lauren has the best take on the Year of the Dragon watch so far
It's About Time
February 02, 2024
Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. It’s only the end of January and I think I already found my favorite watch of the year. I can only imagine what would have to come out to beat this Louis Erard. What an incredible piece.
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In this issue:
Chopard’s New Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Pays Homage To French Gentlemen Drivers
Louis Erard Releases Bizarre Regulator Piece That Just Might Be My Favorite Watch This Year
Depancel Introduces 70s Era Racing-Inspired Allure Manual Chronograph
Ralph Lauren Has A Blink-And-You-Miss-It Tribute To The Year Of The Dragon
Grail Watch Unveils Latest Moritz Grossmann x Kari Voutilainen Collaboration, The Benu 37 German Silver
Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 4 seconds
Number of dragon-themed watches this Year (so far, and including today): 19
👂What’s new
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In the world of motor racing-horology partnerships, 36 years is an extremely long time. And yet, this is exactly how long Chopard has been collaborating with one of the greatest races of all time, the Mille Miglia. The link between the watch brand and the race is so close that Chopard has named it’s racing inspired line after the event. So, now that we have established the fact that Chopard loves racing, especially vintage car racing, it makes so much sense that they are releasing a watch in time for largest classic car shows in Europe, Rétromobile. It’s called the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph French Limited Edition and it’s very French.
The new watch comes in the same old familiar case, meaning it’s 40.5mm wide, 12.88mm thick and has a 49mm lug-to-lug. The case is made out of Lucent Steel, Chopard’s proprietary steel alloy that’s responsibly produced, much harder than regular steel and has a very different shine than other steel cases. The same steel is used on the bezel, which is almost non-existent, as well as the chronograph pushers whose tops are patterned to look like the pedals on a vintage car. On top is a domed, vintage-looking sapphire crystal.
The dial is where things get very French. The entire thing has a satin finish and a silver base. On the outskirts of the dial is a blue flange with a tachymeter scale on it. You get large Arabic numerals everywhere except for 3, 6 and 9 where you’ll find the recessed and snailed subdials for small seconds at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, and a 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock. Chopard insists on placing a date window at 4:30 and it’s absolutely horrific. With the large 4 and 5 numbers, the equally as large date window just looks like a bizzare random string of numbers every other day.
Inside is an unnamed automatic chronograph movement that’s based on the ETA A322-11. It beats at 28,800vph, has a 54 hour power reserve and it’s COSC-certified. Decorations include perlage, Côtes de Genève, and blued screws. You can see these decorations through a transparent caseback, which is engraved with the unique number of the watch, the 1000 Miglia motif and a black and white chequered racing flag and the French flag. The watch comes on a perforated blue calfskin strap.
The Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph French Edition is limited to just 100 pieces and it sells for €10,400. See more on the Chopard website.
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I’m pretty sure that with the year Louis Erard had last year, they have entered my top 5 favorite watch brands. Easy. The wild watches they made with Alain Silberstein, the incredible horror-themed pieces with Konstantin Chaykin or the more subdued but incredibly beautiful collaborations with the Horophile or Massena lab have proven that they are the perfect collaborators out there. There’s not a bad watch in the bunch and they’re not as expensive as you would expect when you first see them. Now they’re teaming up with Swiss artist Olivier Mosset - known for his abstract, monochrome, minimalist art - for a regulator watch unlike any you have seen before. I know it’s only January, but I think I already found my favorite watch of the year.
Unlike the dial, the case is almost normal, but it also goes in line with Mosset’s minimalist aesthetic. It’s a black PVD-coated steel case with a matte sandblasted finish that’s 42mm wide and 12.25mm thick. And it doesn’t get any more minimal - the lugs are short and uneventful, there are no markings on the bezel and the bezel is tiny and just holds down the crystal.
Things get more interesting when you look at the dial. It’s equally as minimal as it is rich with detail. There are no logos, no hour indices, just a black lacquered background which is sprinkled with silver glitter giving it a rough texture. Mosset is known for paintings that challenge the definition of painting, so it’s no surprise he has done the same with this watch. All you get are three hands mounted in a vertical fashion across the dial, with no indication what they actually do.
It starts to make more sense when you learn that the watch has a regulator setup, which means that the hours, minutes and seconds are separated into their own counters. This was a popular setup for watchmakers in the past to make it easier for them to tell the exact time when setting clocks. To make the watch even more meta, the hands are rendered in black and almost disappear on the black background. Plus, all three are virtually identical with the only difference being the size of a small hole at their tips that serve as the indicators for which way they’re pointing.
Inside is the Sellita SW266-1 automatic movement which is Sellita’s regulator movement. How crazy is it that Sellita makes regulator movements, huh? The movement beats at 28,800vph and has a 38 hour power reserve. Louis Erard uses the elaboré grade of the movement and you can see it through the exhibition caseback. Two interchangeable straps, one in black Baranil calfskin with black stitching at the lugs, comes with the watch.
The Louis Erard x Olivier Mosset Le Régulateur is limited to 178 pieces, which is a shame but understandable. Price is set at CHF 3,750, which just seems like an incredible price for a watch so unique. See more on the Louis Erard website.
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Ask 10 people what they think about the 1970s and nine will say that was a drab decade, everything painted brown, boring and forgettable. And all nine would be wrong. I would be the one remaining guy who would convince you that the 70s were the best. The 60s were all groovy and colorfuly, yeah, but the 70s brought everything down a bit with amazing architecture, some of the best art since the 50s and movies and music that broke out of the status quo and brought new, angry and rebellious energy. Even the racing was more exciting than ever before, with huge rivalries flaring up and drivers becoming superstars. People like James Hunt, Niki Lauda and Mario Andretti were revered and racing got its own style. The same style that Depancel is now applying to their new Allure Manual Chronograph.
The new watch comes in the same stainless steel case that Depancel, a brand that has built up their reputation as being heavily inspired by legendary French cars, used on the Allure Legend 60s Chronograph. It measures 39mm wide and 13mm thick, with prominent mushroom-style pushers and a box-shaped sapphire crystal on top. The watch comes in two colors, both of which feature orange details. The same orange is present as a discreet band on the crown.
The two colors you can get the watch in are grey and blue. Depending on the color of the dial, you get contrasting black or silver tachymeter & pulsometer scales, a 30-minute chronograph counter and a bright orange central chronograph seconds hand. The markers are applied, and just like the hour and minute hands, it gets beige Super-LumiNova.
Inside is the manually wound Seagull ST1901 movement, a Chinese-made version of the legendary Venus 175 movement. It’s a column-wheel chronograph that beats at 21,600vph and has a power reserve of 45 hours. The watches come on a black, brown or blue leather strap with a ‘Traforato’ perforated finish, coloured stitching and a pin buckle or deployment clasp. Additionally, you can get a beads-of-rice bracelet.
Now, the best part of the watch. The Depancel Allure Manual Chronograph is priced at €650. Sure, some may look down on its Chinese-made movement, but these ST1901s are buletproof and the Venus architecture it’s based on is truly fantastic. This, along with the fantastic design and great build quality all make up for great value for money. See more on the Depancel website.
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Do not confuse this watch with a very cure bear on it, made by Ralph Lauren, as just another fashion brand cashgrab. This is not a Chinese-made generic watch with the RL logo slapped on it and then up-charged a 10x price. In a funny watch industry twist, Ralph Lauren actually makes decent watches. Well, they don’t make them, they are made by the Richemont Group which owns, among others include A. Lange & Söhne, Cartier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Vacheron Constantin. And now they’re introducing a watch that pays homage to the Year of the Dragon, but you won’t be blamed if you miss the reference.
This watch is a continuation of two watches they released just before the calendar New Year as a celebratory watch that featured the Martini Tartan Polo Bear and the Martini Tuxedo Polo Bear, illustrations of the brand’s quintessential bear wearing formal attire, ready for the New Year celebration. Now, RL is joining the many, many brands in the celebration of the Lunar New Year. While most of those other brands slapped golden dragons on every single surface of the watch, Ralph Lauren has a bit of a different approach.
It comes in a 38mm stainless steel case that’s mounted on a black grosgrain silk strap with leather detailing. The dial is cream-white lacquered on top of which is the bear, wearing a red velvet smoking jacket with a satin shawl lapel. Stare at it a bit more and you’ll notice the tiny golden dragon embroidered on the chest of the jacket. In its hand, the bear holds three red envelopes with golden dragons in his hand that nod to the meaning of good health and prosperity. It’s all incredibly cool.
Inside the watch is the Caliber RL200 automatic movement, which is essentially the Ralph Lauren decorated version of a Sellita SW200-1. As such, it runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and offers users an approximate power reserve of 38 hours.
Ralph Lauren’s Lunar New Year Polo Bear watch is limited to 50 units and it’s priced at $1,750. See more on the Ralph Lauren website.
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I’m starting off with some bad news. The watch I’m writing about is sold out. But still, it’s so nice I had to share it with everyone. Wei Koh has really figured out the watch game. Putting aside the fact that his Revolution magazine is one of the most influential in the watch world, he has started what could only be described as the dream collaboration project - Grail Watch. The concept couldn’t be simpler or more envy inducing: he is chosing his grail watches and working with the watchmakers to customize them to his taste. His latest collaboration, which sold out almost instantly, is a collaborative Benu 37 stainless steel from Moritz Grossmann and Kari Voutilainen dubbed the “German Silver.”
The watch comes in a 37mm stainless steel case and it actually takes inspiration from the “Silver Bullet,” a similar model with a sterling silver dial and 18K white gold case. However, the “German Silver” model is special for its unique capacity to develop a rich patina over time, as the dial of this piece is made of untreated German silver with guilloché à main crafted by Voutilainen using vintage engine-turning machines. The movement, caliber 102.1, also made of untreated German silver, features a frosted finish and elaborate hand engraving. It’s an incredible looking movement with flame-treated purple screws and gold chatons to the Glashütte stripes and white sapphires.
But those decorations and incredible look are nothing unexpected when Grossmann and Voutilainen come together. The watch was made in 20 pieces and all 20 are gone now. Retail price was set at $35,300 which is a lot of money, but also an incredibly low price for a hand made watch made by some of the best watchmakers working today. I suggest you read Wei Koh’s writeup on this collaboration to see all the incredible details they paid attention to.
🫳On hand
Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon
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⚙️Real Time Reviews
A new segment in which we feature reviews from real users reviewing their personal watches
A watch brand deeply rooted in Detroit History. As a child, I always looked at old church clocks from the car windows to know which village we were passing. Detroit got its clock tower in 1871, and this watch takes inspiration from it.
The dial has a beautiful 3d feel; the Roman numerals give it its classic style, whereas the hands give it a modern taste.
It was a limited edition of 50 pieces; I got lucky to get one of the last ones. Worth notice is the fantastic strap. It reminds me of luxury leather in the car. It makes sense that the company's owner was a car designer before switching to watchmaking.
⏲️Wait a minute
A bunch of links that might or might not have something to do with watches. One thing’s for sure - they’re interesting
Conde Nast recently announced that it was folding beloved music publication Pitchfork into the operations of GQ. In this enjoyable essay for Defector, Dan McQuade reflects on his love for early Pitchfork reviews and the evolution of music criticism since the ’90s, when writing about music on the internet, and the internet itself, was very different.
At its crux, this isn not an article about skiing. It’s rather about whether a sport is worth dying for. Simon Akam is analytical in his approach to this question, refraining from sensationalism and delivering a thoughtful essay, peppered with thrilling adventures.
Lauren Hough was a cable TV technician. She saw the worst of America. This is a glimpse of the suburban grotesque, featuring Russian mobsters, Fox News rage addicts, a caged man in a sex dungeon, and Dick Cheney.
👀Watch this
One video you have to watch today
Early in the morning of January 4th 2012, a strange message appeared on the internet. Just a few lines of text on an image, posted anonymously. It read:
Hello. We are looking for highly intelligent individuals. To find them, we have devised a test.
There is a message hidden in this image.
Find it, and it will lead you on the road to finding us. We look forward to meeting the few that will make it all the way through.
Good luck.
3301
Many speculated that it was a recruiting tool for the NSA, CIA, MI6, or even the Masons. But who was really behind it, and what was its purpose? Did it even have a purpose? Whether it did or not, it didn’t matter. Because when you post a puzzle on the internet looking for “highly intelligent people”, that’s a challenge that’s simply impossible to resist. So, the hunt for Cicada 3301 was on.
💵Pre-loved precision
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