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- The New Bronze Oris Big Crown Pointer Date LE Is Wonderful, Grand Seiko Release Ginza-Themed Hi-Beat 62GS, Swatch Comes Out With Lunar New Year Quintet, New From Duckworth And Glashütte Original
The New Bronze Oris Big Crown Pointer Date LE Is Wonderful, Grand Seiko Release Ginza-Themed Hi-Beat 62GS, Swatch Comes Out With Lunar New Year Quintet, New From Duckworth And Glashütte Original
The world needs more bronze watches, so: thanks Oris!
It's About Time
January 12, 2024
Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. The first week of being back is over and boy did I miss new watch releases. It’s good to be back!
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In this issue:
Even If You Don’t Follow Cricket You’ll Love This New Cricket-Themed Bronze Oris Big Crown Pointer Date LE
Grand Seiko Introduces The 62GS Hi-Beat SBGH317 With A Purple Textured Dial Inspired By The Streets Of Ginza
Swatch Comes Out With Five Dragon-Emblazoned Watches For The Lunar New Year
Duckworth Prestex Is Serious About Celebrating British Watchmakers’ Day With No.1 Series Exclusive
Glashütte Original Has You Covered For Valentine’s Day With The Lady Serenade
Today’s reading time: 5 minutes and 56 seconds
👂What’s new
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Football, or soccer if you please, is cemented as the most popular sport in the world, and there’s no doubt about it. But let me ask you, do you know what the second most popular sport in the world is? Surely it must be basketball? Hockey? (American) football? Lol, not even close. The second most popular sport in the world, nipping at the heels of football, is actually cricket. And capitalising on this popularity is Oris, a brand that has almost perfected partnerships in areas that are not what watch enthusiasts would expect. Now, they have partnered with the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) grounds to create a new limited edition bronze Big Crown Pointer Date inspired by the Father Time weathervane that is an iconic fixture of the MCC.
Equally as legendary as the MCC is the Big Crown Pointer Date which Oris has been continuously making since 1938, when it started as a pilot’s watch. Since, it has turned into the brand’s premier platform for innovations and limited editions. The MCC version of the Big Crown Pointer Date comes in a 40mm bronze case that’s just waiting to develop a patina. On top is a fluted bezel surrounding the a domed sapphire crystal. On the caseback is a rendition of the Father Time weathervane.
The dial is white with a date track on the periphery and a central hand with a red crescent tip that, well, points to the date. The hands are catherdal-stule and the numerals are large and Arabic. The numerals, the light green indices on the minutes track and the hour and minute hands are treated with beige Super-LumiNova.
Inside is the Oris 754 automatic calibre. While this would have been a great thing a few years ago when the in-house Calibre 400 had some issues, the Calibre 400 is now working perfectly, so it’s a shame they didn’t use is. Anyways, the Oris 754 is Oris’ version of the Sellita SW200-1. It’s robust, easily serviceable and has a 38 hour power reserve. The watch comes with a articulated bronze bracelet with a folding clasp and a light brown leather strap produced by Cervo Volante.
The Oris Father Time Limited Edition Big Crown Pointer Date is limited to 1,926 pieces, a number that marks the year of the opening of the MCC, and it’s priced at CHF 2,950. See more on the Oris website.
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I’ve never been to Tokyo. While plans for it are being made, Tokyo is such an iconic city you don’t really have to visit it to recognise its most famous parts. Like, for example, Ginza, the most ritzy and upscale of the city and also where Grand Seiko and Seiko headquarters are located. We got to know a bit about Ginza two years ago when Grand Seiko introduced a limited edition dedicated to the neighbourhood with the powder blue dialed Hi-Beat SBGH297. Now, they’re introducing a new LE called the SBGH317, once again in a color that’s near blue but much, much, better.
The SBGH317 comes in the classic Grand Seiko 62GS case. This means it’s 40mm wide, 12.9mm thick and has a 47mm lug-to-lug. The case is made of stainless steel that gets copious amounts of Zaratsu polishing. There’s a tiny bezel on top surrounding the box-shaped sapphire crystal. Water resistance is 100 meters.
That’s all very well known (and a bit boring). But what’s new is the incredible dial. It comes in various shades of purple with two different textures - a classic sunray-brushed pattern and the lineup’s Ginza grid pattern, yet executed in a more pronounced geometric way. Since GS loves going overboard with their descriptions, this dial is supposed to “capture the winter light of the quiet streets of Ginza, while the grid pattern represents the rows of buildings”.
Inside is Grand Seiko’s in-house, high-frequency calibre 9S85 which beats at 36,000vph and has a 55 hour power reserve and accuracy of -3/+5 seconds per day. The watch comes on a 3-link stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp.
The Grand Seiko Heritage 62GS Hi-Beat SBGH317 will be limited in both number and location. Only 530 pieces will be made and you can buy them only from six stores in Ginza. Yes, there are six (6) stores that sell Grand Seiko in one neighbourhood in Tokyo. The watch is priced at JPY 847,000, which equals €4,860. See more on the Japanese Grand Seiko website.
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For the third time this week, I’m telling you how pretty much every watch brand out there is releasing watches that celebrate the Lunar New Year, which begins on February 10 and will be the year of the dragon. From watches that cost multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars, to just a few dozen, everybody is doing it. And smack dab in the latter category is the collection of five new colorful Swatch watches, each with a dragon on the dial.
Each of the five models carries its own name and style. The Dragon in Motion is a chronograph that comes in a gold colored 43mm stainless steel case and a red sunray dial with a side profile of a dragon. The Dragon in Cloud comes in the huge 47mm BIG BOLD case that’s completely transparent and has a silver dial, again with a dragon, a translucent dial and strap. The Dragon in Gold comes in a gold colored Skin Irony 38mm wide case with a gold colored strap. The Dragon in Wind comes in classic-looking NEW GENT silhouette with a 41mm case size and all black colorway and a dragon that pops in colors of red, yellow, gray, gold and white. Finally, there’s the Dragon in Waves, a dark blue reference with neon graphics and a compact 34mm-wide case.
The five references come in prices that range from $85 to $220. The Year of the Dragon collection is on sale now and can be found in both stores and on the website. See more on the Swatch website.
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While British watchmaking industry has a long and proud history with both large and small watchmakers currently making some amazing pieces. But building on this heritage is the British Watchmakers’ Day, organised by the Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers, that will take place in March. The Alliance has proven to be very agile in promoting watchmaking in Britain and now they’re putting together a event to celebrate. Many watchmakers will be attending, some bringing special edition watches to sell, but the small brand Duckworth Prestex seems to be taking it most seriously with the colourful No.1 series which will come in 10 unique and individual watches.
The No. 1 watches come in a 39mm wide cushion-shaped steel case that the brand uses for the Bolton watch. The case has vertically brushed flanks. Only 10 pieces will be made, one in each colourway - black, white, dark blue, light blue, green, lilac, pink, orange, yellow, and burgundy. The colors are fantastic, desaturated and pastel.
But the colors are not the only special thing about this watch. The No.1 series has no numeral on the dial, but rather letters arranged in a 24-hour style display that reads “British Watch & Clock Makers”, a tribute to the Alliance hosting the show. This would be incredibly corny on a regular release watch, but on a 10-piece limited edition that will be available only at the show, it’s great.
While the regular Duckworth Prestex Bolton is priced at £625 (a fantastic price for that watch), this super limited edition No.1 series will cost you £950. The only way to buy them is to attend the British Watchmakers’ Day. See more on the Duckworth Prestex website.
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So, today’s releases cover two holidays so far - the Lunar New Year and British Watchmakers’ Day. That’s as niche as you can get. If, however, you need a watch to mark a holiday that hits closer to home, how about a Valentine’s watch from Glashütte Original. The Lady Serenade might be perhaps the perfect gift for your loved one, if you’re shopping in this price range.
The Lady Serenade and PanoMatic Luna are Glashütte Original’s mechanical watch collections designed for women. This Lady Serenade comes in a 36mm case that’s 10.2mm thick. The case is polished with satin details. Despite it’s jewellery-heavy look, you still get 50 meters of water resistance.
The new Lady Serenade Valentine’s Day 2024 comes with 52 brilliant-cut diamonds set in the bezel flush with the surface. The crown is also diamond tipped and substantially large. Unlike the other Lady Serenade models that have Roman numerals, this version features large, curved Arabic numerals at 12, 2, 4, 8 and 10 o’clock rendered in several shades of pastel pink.
Inside is Glashütte Original’s manufacture automatic movement, the calibre 39-22. It beats at 4Hz and has a power reserve of 40 hours. Out back is a skeletonised rotor has a heavy metal oscillation weight and displays the distinctive double-G symbol. The watch comes on a rose-coloured alligator leather strap with either a folding clasp or a pin buckle.
The Lady Serenade Valentine’s Day 2024 is limited to 50 pieces and it’s priced at €11,900 with the pin buckle or €12,300 with the folding clasp. See more on the Glashütte Original website.
🫳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
The practicality of the GMT function resonates with me, leading to an ongoing quest for an affordable yet commendable GMT watch. I remember reading a review on "Beyond The Dial" of this intriguing watch from Yema, obviously well-known in France but not particularly to me. I have been seduced by the opportunity to match my needs for a GMT and my love for France... Esteemed among watch enthusiasts for their legacy, Yema has further expanded their repertoire with this GMT, obviously complementing their iconic Superman aesthetic with functional diversity and a hint of color on the bezels.
I chose the 41mm stainless steel, providing a remarkable 500-meter water resistance, enhanced by a redesigned crown and fortified case back. Two options were on the table regarding the bezel, and I decided to go for the 'Batman' style blue-and-grey bezel that highlights the red seconds hand and 500 meters label.
⏲️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
This is the absolutely crazy story of Jason Fong, an autistic U.S. Marine Corps reservist, who was slowly radicalised online. First he converted to Islam. Then he started talking online about more and more radical stuff. Finally, the FBI arrested him under suspicion of being a potential Hamas terrorist in the US. The only issue is… his radicalization was encouraged to grow at every step by undercover online FBI agents.
Prince Harry’s book Spare was all the rage when it came out. Turned out there was a lot less than people hoped for inside. But even better than the book might be the story of the ghostwriter who wrote it.
Since we love watches, chances are we love all things mechanical and hand-crafted. Knives are one of those things. Deep care and craft are on display in this keenly observed profile of bladesmith Sam Goldbroch for Chicago Magazine. Dive into blade science and history along with the sensory experiences of Golbroch’s forge, as he creates a knife commissioned by the author.
👀Watch this
One video you have to watch today
Adam Savage, the former Mythbuster has some incredible access in Hollywood. Because he worked as a special effects artist on huge movies like Star Wars, every now and again he takes the viewers of his YouTube channel on a tour of one of the never-before-seen locations. Like, for example, the former Industrial Light and Magic production studio. Pretty cool.
💵Pre-loved precision
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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.
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