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  • The Hamilton Ventura Dragon Skeleton Is The Wildest Version Of A Strange Watch, echo/neutra Introduces New GMT, Nivada Grenchen Recreates Super Antarctic Polar, New From Boldr, Ikepod And Leica

The Hamilton Ventura Dragon Skeleton Is The Wildest Version Of A Strange Watch, echo/neutra Introduces New GMT, Nivada Grenchen Recreates Super Antarctic Polar, New From Boldr, Ikepod And Leica

What a nice little edition filled with some fantastic microbrands

Author

It's About Time
December 05, 2023

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Today I tip my hat to Nivada Grenchen for their absolutely fantastic Polar Antarctic. We need more watches like that.

If you like this newsletter, you might consider supporting it directly through Patreon. If you were subscribed, you could have already read my lengthy piece on Only Watch and it potentially being the biggest scam of the watch world. Other subscriber-only articles include the Completely Sterile Secret Watches Of MACV-SOG and my choice of 11 vintage Heuer watches that would make the perfect basis for new TAG Heuer recreations, including a possible MoonSwatch type watch that could actually break the internet.

In this issue:

  • The Hamilton Ventura Dragon Skeleton For The Lunar New Year Is The Wildest Version Of The Already Strange Watch

  • echo/neutra Introduces New Cortina 1956 GMT With Some Incredible Colors

  • The Expedition Enigmath Is Boldr’s Vision Of The Perfect Field And Exploration Watch

  • Nivada Grenchen Teams Up With Ace Jewelers For A Perfect Super Antarctic Polar

  • Ikepod Reminds That They Are Still Kings Of Weird Design With The New Seapod Camo Pixel

  • Leica Introduces The New ZM 1 Gold Limited Edition Inspired by Their First Golden Camera

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 54 seconds

👂What’s new

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I was 11 years old when I saw my first Hamilton Ventura watch. Sure, it is incredibly unique with it’s triangular shape, but it’s not that impressive that an 11 year old kid would remember seeing it for the first time. No, of course it isn’t. However, what was impressive was Men In Black, the Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones action comedy that entertained me rewatch after rewatch. In the movie, Smith is issued the “last suit he’ll ever wear” - black suit, black shoues, black sunglasses, black tie, white shirt and a Hamilton Ventura. Hamilton really is the best at product placement in movies, since I still remember the MiB wearing the Ventura. Since then Hamilton has expanded the Ventura line significantly and it now includes both sports and dress watches. Their latest one, the Ventura Dragon Skeleton, pays homage to the next Lunar New Year, the year of the dragon, in a very wild way.

The Ventura Dragon Skeleton comes in their ELVIS80 watch case that’s kind of hard to measure since it’s triangular. But let’s just say it’s 42.5mm wide and 44.6mm high. The watch comes in two versions, a rose gold PVD case or a black PVD. However, both versions have the crazy matte black PVD-coated skeleton dial that features cut-outs in the shape of a dragon. On the rose gold variant, the dragon is accentuated with green eyes and golden outlines that complement the warm hues of its case and handset. Meanwhile, the all-black option features black outlines, accompanied by bold red eyes that go with the color of the seconds hand.

Inside the watch is the H-10-S automatic caliber, which is incredibly similar to the Powermatic 80, which makes sense seeing as how Hamilton is a Swatch Group company. It has an anti-magnetic and shock-resistant Nivachron balance spring and a power reserve of 80 hours. The watches come on black rubber straps in an all-over and textured dragon scale pattern.

The watches are available for sale and don’t seem to be limited editions. Both are priced the same - $1,995. See more on the Hamilton website.

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Many microbrands follow a similar path, which means we get a lot of watches that look very much similar. Some maybe even too similar to each others. There’s a lot of vintage recreation, some explorations with colors, movements we see repeated from watch to watch and prices under or around the $1,000 mark. To be fair, the Italian microbrand echo/neutra is playing dangerously close to meeting all of those “generic” microbrand looks, but then pulls a left turn and delivers perfectly designed, classy pieces with a modern edge. Their latest release is a trio of GMT watches called the Cortina 1956 GMT, a retro-modern collection that would make great go anywhere, do anything watches.

The new collection comes in an elegant stainless steel case that measures 40mm wide, 12mm thick and has a lug-to-lug of 46mm. While it might sound like a very thick watch, keep in mind that it has a domed sapphire crystal that’s 2mm thick, so without it the thickness falls below 10mm. The case a combination of brushed and polished surfaces and has a 100 meter water resistance.

On top is a fixed 24-hour bezel with inserts that are colour-matched to the dials, two rendered in sapphire and one in ceramic. The ceramic one is fully lumed and it looks fantastic in pictures, so it’s a shame that you don’t get those in the sapphire bezels as well. At 12 o’clock is the echo/neutra signature Dolomite bezel marker with three mountain peaks.

Then there’s the dials, which come in three versions - a soft ivory, an intense black, and a vivid teal. The dials are very minimalist in design, making them very legible and with beautiful Arabic numerals. There’s a red 1956 logo above six o’clock which pays tribute to the VII Winter Olympic Games, held in Cortina, where the Games are set to return in 2026. The handset is treated with old radium Super-LumiNova and the GMT is rendered in a very bright red with an arrow on top.

Inside the watch is the Soprod C125 GMT which features both hacking and handwinding, a smooth beat rate of 4Hz, and 42 hours of power reserve. The watches can be had on a large selection of straps - each comes standard with a black tropic-style strap, plus your choice of a colour-coordinated vintage suede or leather two-stitch strap. You can always add the three-link stainless bracelet for €50.

The Echo/neutra Cortina 1956 GMT is available now and priced at €1,090. See more on the echo/neutra website.

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We are currently living in the second, maybe even the third generation of microbrand watches. Following in the footsteps of pioneers, brands like Boldr are craving out some interesting niches. Boldr Supply Company is a company out of Singapore that has made a name for themselves making stylish and rugged watches and knives that are perfect for weekend getaways. Just the other day they released a collaboration with Worn & Wound, a duo of incredibly handsome field GMT watches. Now, they have a new take on a field, this one with even more functionalities and geared for exploration. A true tool watch. The Boldr Expedition Enigmath.

The stainless steel watch comes in a 41mm wide and 12.8mm thick case, with a 47.5mm lug-to-lug. It has long and sweeping lugs, along with pronounced flanks on either side of the case. It’s a large piece, but what do you expect from a tool watch, especially one that hast to include a complicated functionality like this one does.

It’s safe to assume that the Enigmath in the name is a combination of enigma and math, hinting at the usefulness of the bezel. The enigmath gets an internal slide rule bezel that’s operated with the screw down crown at 2 o’clock, which rotates the white portion of the internal bezel. The slide rule allows you do to quick and easy multiplication, division, speed/time/distance calculations, fuel consumption, ascent and descent rates, and conversions.

The white bezel is contrasted by the three available dials in either green, blue or black, titled the Sinharaja, Coconico and Schwarzland respectively. Each has a gentle fumé gradient dial in their dominant colour surrounded by the black and white rings that form the slide rule bezel. The dial is easy to read and has a combination of Arabic numerals and bar indexes that form the hour scale, both fairly large and coated with lume.

The mathematical theme continues on the watch’s reverse. You’ll find a logarithmic spiral among the markings on the back crystal, and behind it is the Miyota 9039 movement. Nothing revolutionary, but robust, with a beat rate of 28,800 per hour and a power reserve of 42 hours. Each of the three colorways comes with a matching canvas strap. An extra $139 will also get you a bracelet. While I’m a fan of always getting the metal bracelet as the option, these canvas straps really do look nice.

The Boldr Expedition Enigmath is now available for a pretty incredible price - $599. See more on the Boldr website.

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Despite being founded in 1926, and being one of the legendary Swiss watch manufacturers, Nivada Grenchen has had a tough time during the quartz crisis and went under. However, in recent years, watch entrepreneur Guillaume Laidet has brought the brand back and is churning out hit after hit. Today’s Nivada Grenchen is doing something pretty smart - they are going through their incredibly rich back catalogue and recreating them with modern sensibilities and materials. For their latest release, they have teamed up with Dutch-based retailer Ace Jewelers which is owned and run by the Ben Joseph family, and it’s called the Super Antarctic Polar.

The new Super Antarctic Polar comes in a brushed and polished stainless steel 3-part case that measures 38mm wide and 12mm thick, with a double domed sapphire crystal and 100 meters of water resistance. The original Nivada Grenchen Antarctic was released in the 1950s and gained fame when it accompanied the Operation Deep Freeze 1 mission to the South Pole in 1955/56.

This Polar version draws inspiration from the Super Antarctic 32025A template. Instead of the standard Antarcic matte black dial with black print, you get a clean, matte white background with contrasting black writing. The bright orange second hand not only adds a vibrant touch, but also pays homage to the color commonly associated with high-visibility Arctic exploration gear, as well as the national color of the Netherlands.

Inside the watch is the automatic Soprod P024 based on the very familiar ETA 2824-2. It operates at 28,800vph, features a quick-set date, and has a 38-hour power reserve. The watch comes on a Beads of Rice stainless steel bracelet. But I might even say I prefer it’s look on the complimentary orange NATO-strap.

The Nivada Grenchen Super Antarctic Polar is exclusively available from Ace Jewelers boutique in Amsterdam and online via their website. It's priced at €1.155 incl. 21% VAT and outside the EU at €955 excluding VAT. See more about the watch on the Ace Jewelers website.

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Back in 1994, entrepreneur Oliver Ike and one of the most legendary designers of all time, Marc Newson came together to form a weird watch startup - Ikepod. They made wild pod-shaped UFO watches that had a strong cult following in the design crowd, but this wasn’t enough to keep them afloat. Ikepod had a rough time for a while and it was revitalised in 2018. Now they’re introducing a new version of their diver, the Seapod with a military-inspired Camo Pixel dial.

The Seapod is a relatively new watch from Ikepod, released only in 2021, and inspired by Newson’s 1994 Seaslug dive watch. It’s a huge thing, measuring 46mm wide and 17mm thick, with a black PVD-coated steel case and a sloping bezel with no lugs. Being a diver, you get 200 meters of water resistance and a 120-click unidirectional bezel with large white numerals and markings that glow green in the dark. The dial is made up of small coloured blocks to recreate the effect of Camo Pixel and features cross-shaped cutouts with Super-LumiNova and 3D black blocks in their centre. Like other Seapods, the hands are also treated with luminescent material.

Inside the watch is the automatic Miyota 9039 movement, which is a fairly robust and well known movement. It beats at 28,800vph and has a 40 hour power reserve. Accuracy is -10/+30 seconds per day which is to be expected from a movement like this. The watch comes with two silicone straps - one with the same camo patern and a plain black one.

The Ikepod Seapod Camo Pixel is limited to just 50 pieces and it retails for € 1,690. Deliveries are expected in mid-December 2023. See more on the Ikepod website.

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I will never get over the fact that a company can go from making the absolute best cameras in the world and just seemingly effortlessly switch to making fantastic watches. The company is Leica and they still make amazing cameras. They’re also increasing the number of watches they make, while keeping them incredible. Their latest release is also their first limited edition, the Leica ZM1 Gold Limited Edition.

Based on their ZM 1 watch, the new Gold version comes in a 41mm wide case made out of 18k gold 4N with contrasting brushed and polished finishing. The patented push crown and quick date pusher are made from titanium. Leica says that it’s inspired by the IA Luxus, their first ever golden camera from 1929 it’s just incredibly good looking.

It gets an updated dial from the ZM 1, as well. Instead of the black or blue of previous editions it’s now a rich chocolate brown with sunray brushing and a slight gradient towards black around the edge, while the hands and hour markers are galvanised in a gold color. It matches the gold of the case superbly.

The functionality remains the same - you get hours, minutes, small seconds, date, power reserve indicator and movement status indicator. And it manages to do all of this with one subdial and three apertures. The watch is powered by the Leica calibre LH-1001, a manual-wind movement with a 60-hour power reserve, which is incredibly solid, and is equipped with a unique function. When you push down on the crown, the movement stops and the seconds hand jumps to the 12 o’clock position, allowing you to set the watch accurately before restarting it with another press of the crown. The watch comes on a brown responsibly sourced alligator leather strap.

The Leica ZM 1 Gold Limited Edition is limited to just 50 pieces and it retails for $28,000. See more on the Leica website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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⚙️Watch Worthy

A look at an off beat, less known watch you might actually like

Many of the trench watches in WWI were improvised or produced quickly, and the easiest way to make lugs was simply to solder on some wire which retained a strap. The result is a case which is perfectly circular, and suspended simply by the wire lugs. The bezel has been given a polished finish to stand out from the brushed and curvy mid-case, which also adds a touch of sophistication. The onion-style crown also has some nice, thick knurling without being oversized and is located at 12 o’clock to mirror pocket watch traditions. The Vario 1918 Pilot is a 40mm watch with a 20mm lug width and 48mm lug-to-lug length, however the brand plan to produce a 37mm version if the first batch is successful.

⏲️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

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

I love Band of Brothers so much it’s almost once per year that I rewatch it. While I have the series DVD box-set somewhere, I don’t think I ever checked out the bonus features. Which is a shame, as Ron Livingston kept a video diary of the legendary bootcamp the actors went through. What incredible footage.

💵Pre-loved precision

Buy and sell your watches. Think of this section like old school classifieds - i don’t guarantee anything except that a bunch of people will see your ad and I’ll put the buyer and seller in touch. Want to advertise your watch? Contact us 

  • SOLD: Well, not really new. It’s a great looking mid-90s Tudor Submariner 75090, offered for sale by a member of the It’s About Time reader crew. I love the way it looks and seems to be in great condition. Check it out over on Chrono24.

  • LOOKING TO BUY: One of our readers is looking to purchase three very specific watches: an Islander ISL-133 Mother of Pearl, a Sinn 556 Mother of Pearl or a Zelos 300m GMT Mosaic Mother of Pearl. If you’re selling any of these, reach out to us and we’ll put you in touch

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