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- Seiko Gives Awesome 5 Sports Field A GMT, Vacheron Reveals Diamond Overseas Tourbillon, Awake Introduces Aventurine Dial, Breitling Buys Universal Genève, New From Union Glashütte And Roger Dubuis
Seiko Gives Awesome 5 Sports Field A GMT, Vacheron Reveals Diamond Overseas Tourbillon, Awake Introduces Aventurine Dial, Breitling Buys Universal Genève, New From Union Glashütte And Roger Dubuis
Seiko breaks it's string of expensive watches with a very affordable and useful field watch
It's About Time
December 12, 2023
Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Just as I was about to send this out, BAM, big news - Breitling buys Universal Genève. That’s huge news. Just start imagining all the watches they will make.
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In this issue:
Seiko Gives Their Popular And Very Affordable Seiko 5 Sports Field Watch A GMT Complication
Vacheron Constantin Reveals a Dazzling And Ultra Thin New Overseas Tourbillon High Jewellery
Awake Teams Up With FRANK SANS C For An Aventurine Version Of The New Summetria
Union Glashütte Releases The Very Retro Noramis Chronograph Sport
The Latest Version Of The Roger Dubuis Knights of the Round Table Is Just As Ridiculous
Big Industry News: Breitling Acquires Historic Brand Universal Genève
Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 1 second
👂What’s new
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What a monstrously successful year for Seiko this was. They released some of their best watches ever, embraced trends, created some new ones and startec celebrating 100 years of their brand. However, there was one big issue - price. While they did some very interesting stuff in their Presage and 5 Sports lines, some of their watches people liked the most were extremely high priced. Both the incredible 62MAS recreation in the form of the SJE093 and the new trio of Marinemaster watches came in at $3,500, which is a substantial amount of money that will have you easily looking at other brands. If you want the extremely cool Prospex Land Series GMT Navigator Timer Reissue SPB411, expect to shell out $1,500. Now, Seiko is introducing a new GMT complication to one of their most accessible lines, the Seiko 5 Sports Field series.
Sure, the Seiko 5 Sports already has the GMT complication, but the SSK023 and SSK025 are the first GMT applications of the multi-time zone functionality to the 5 Sports Field, their affordable explorer watch. This being Seiko, you will get the same case, meaning it measures 39.4mm, a chubby 13.6mm thick and with a lug-to-lug of 48mm. There are two versions of the case, both steel, but the SSK023 has the raw steel look and the SSK025 has a black finish.
On top you get a new bezel that surrounds the domed Hardlex crystal. The bezel is fixed and engraved with a 24-hour scale that’s painted in either black or grey, depending on the color of the case. The crown is just pushed in but still gets you 100 meters of water resistance, while the back screws in and has a see-through crystal.
The dial has large raised Arabic numerals with a minimalistic font that goes with the whole field watch aesthetic. The black color of the dial has a matte finish and the hands, along with the numerals, are filled with LumiBrite. The GMT is painted red, just like the tip of the seconds hand.
Inside the watch is the calibre 4R34, Seiko’s entry-level in-house automatic movement that beats at 3Hz and has a 41 hour power reserve. The GMT function is an office/caller instead of a flyer type, meaning you independently set the 24-hour hand. While cheap flyer GMT movements are all the rage, but none are as low priced as their caller counterparts, and they have their place in the world. The SSK023 comes on a new 5-link stainless steel bracelet with a brushed finish, while the SSK025 comes with a black NATO-style leather strap with black hardware.
The new Seiko 5 Sports Field GMT versions is part of the regular collection with the SSK023 priced at €460 and the SSK025 at €430. I would call this a great deal. See more on the Seiko website.
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To take an incredibly elegant sports watch, one like the Vacheron Constantin Overseas, and to decorate it with diamonds without creating a completely garish mess would require a very skilled jeweller. Or, just let Vacheron take care of it. The brand is introducing an incredible Overseas Tourbillon High Jewellery with their stunning tourbillon movement and equally beautiful 85 baguette-cut diamonds.
Based on the regular Overseas Tourbillon that measures 42.5 mm wide and comes in a white gold case, which has a soft iron casing ring to protect the movement from magnetism and a screw-down crown to ensure the 50m water-resistance. On top is the famous six-sided bezel, which Vacheron has set for the first time with 60 baguette-cut diamonds.
The dial get’s the Overseas signature blue dial which has a lacquered finish and on top are more diamonds. Nine of the twelve white gold hour markers are set with baguette-cut diamonds, leaving the space between 5 and 7 o’clock empty for the tourbillon aperture. The tourbillon regulator, with its distinctive open carriage shaped like a Maltese cross, is secured by a solid gold chaton, and the bridge is black polished by hand to produce a mirror-like reflection.
Inside is the brand’s ultra-thin Calibre 2160, measuring just 5.65 mm in thickness. It features a 22K gold peripheral rotor and has an 80 hour power reserve. Thanks to the peripheral rotor, the movement is on full display so you get to see the circular-grained mainplate, bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève and hand-beveled tourbillon bar.
The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon High Jewellery is available now and price is, not surprisingly, only available on request. Do keep in mind that the rose gold model without diamonds retails for €206,000. See more on the Vacheron Constantin website.
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The French microbrand Awake is known for it’s very ambitious and great looking collaborations. Previously they have worked with renowned designer Alain Silberstain as well as NASA on a series of space-themed watches. They so often push their design forward you could easily call them very adventurous. Recently, they went more conservative with the more elegant and simple Summetria collection. Now, they’re teaming up with watch journalist and YouTuber Frank Sans C to release a limited edition with a beautiful aventurine dial called the Mission to Earth - Cosmos.
Since it’s based on the Summetria, it comes in a 40mm wide titanium case that’s a bit chunky for a time only watch at 11.89mm. It’s a light piece with curved lugs, so probably wears great. The size and material make it clear it’s nowhere near a dress watch, despite the elegant dial, as does the 100 meters of water resistance.
Oh, and that dial. Aventurine dials have been all the rage this year, and it’s nice to see Awake’s take on it. It’s a very deep blue, almost black, with very pronounced specks in it, which perfectly matches the Cosmos name. Awake opts for the super minimalist approach to the aventurine dial, so there are no markers at all, with just simple hands with lume.
Inside the watch is the familiar Miyota 9039 that beats at 28,800 vph, with a 42-hour power reserve. You can see it through the exhibition caseback. The watch comes on a hand crafted midnight blue leather strap that is ethically sourced.
The Mission to Earth - Cosmos is a limited edition of just 50 pieces and it’s on sale right now. Price is set at €1,031.25 with my super-high VAT included, so check the website to see what your price would be. You can see more on the Awake website.
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Glashütte is an amazing place. The population of the german town is just under 6,700 people. And yet, there are 10 active watchmakers there at the moment. One of them is Union Glashütte. While not a powerhouse of the town, they are owned by the Swatch Group and they make some exceptionally nice retro-inspired watches. Take, for example, the Noramis line, which builds great looking and capable divers, that look like they just fell out of the 1960s. Around for only a couple of years, Noramis is now expanded with the new Union Glashütte Noramis Chronograph Sport, a dive-oriented chrono.
The Noramis is a substantial watch. It measures 43mm wide, a whopping 15.82mm thick and has a 50.05mm lug-to-lug. The case is made out of stainless steel, polished with brushed sides, and has a unidirectional bezel with a black ceramic insert on top. It’s a dive watch, so it’s kind of strange to see a unidirectional bezel, but you do get 200 meters of water resistance. There’s a substantially domed sapphire crystal over the dial and mushroom-style chronograph push buttons to help with the retro look.
Continuing the retro theme are the dials, three of them, all with a gradient finish that’s darker on the perimeter and lighter in the middle. The three colors are dark blue, anthracite, and turquoise. It’s a bi-compax setup with the chronograph minutes at 3 and running seconds at 9 o’clock. That subdial at 9 also has the date aperture, one of the best integrations of a date in modern watches. Please, everybody look up to Union Glashütte in this regard. Hour indices are conical, the hands are nickel plated and the chronograph hand has a spear-head.
Inside is the self-winding UNG-27.S2 movement. It’s based on the Valjoux 7750, meaning you get a cam-actuated chronograph mechanism that beats at 28,800vph, has a silicon balance spring and a decent power reserve of 65 hours. The watch comes on a number of interchangeable straps -either blue rubber or grey, or black fabric options.
The Noramis Chronograph Sport joins the regular Union Glashütte lineup for a price of €3,600. See more on the Union Glashütte website.
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In 2013, the avant-garde watchmaker Roger Dubuis unveiled a completely bonkers watch in a series of already wild watches. It was a huge piece that featured the Knights of the Round Table, actual figurines sitting around a table that served as a dial. Now, 10 years later, Roger Dubuis is still cranking out the King Arthur inspired watches, with a new version of the Knights of the Round Table watch rendered in titanium.
The watch starts out on the outside relatively normal. If you can call a 45mm wide case made from Damascus Titanium regular. To get the Damascus patter, the metal undergoes a rigorous process of layering, heating and hammering, followed by an acid bath to reveal a mesmerizing wave pattern. That’s the only normal part of the watch. Look at it en face and you will see twelve micro-engraved knights that surround a dial, but more on that later. The 6 mm tall figures are cast in 18K pink gold and to see them best from all sides, the bezel is raised from the case with an additional sapphire ring. The crown is also a complex element made partially from ice-blue Murano glass.
The dial is a story into itself. It is a 3D puzzle of radical composition, painstakingly assembled block by block by the craftsmen at Roger Dubuis, made to look like broken ice on a lake. The look is achieved through the use of ice-blue glass crafted using the Murano method and Limoges biscuit porcelain.
Inside the watch is the automatic Monobalancier RD821 calibre, an in house movement that basically just a time-only movement. It’s certified by the Poinçon de Genève and accordingly decorated. Each watch is inscribed at the caseback, with an oath inspired by the words of the wizard Merlin, reading, “Around this table, the bravest knights will gather as equals. They will set forth in search of adventure, righting wrongs, protecting the weak and humbling the proud.” The watch comes on a structured dark blue leather strap.
The Roger Dubuis Knights of the Round Table is limited to just 28 pieces and it’s priced at CHF 300,000 without taxes. See more on the Roger Dubuis website.
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As reported by Hodinkee, many once-defunct watch brands have relaunched over the past decade-plus, one name in particular has remained the white whale: Universal Genève. Today, a revival that's been dreamed of for years has become reality, as Universal Geneve is being reborn. Partners Group, the ownership group behind Breitling, has announced its acquisition of Universal Genève from Stelux Holdings, the Hong Kong holding company that has owned the brand since 1989.
"As excited as we are, we are also fully aware of the task at hand and the profound heritage we are set to uphold," said Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling.
I love this! Whiel Breitling may have struggled for a while, it seems that they have hit a new stride in 2022 when Partners Group increased its stake in Breitling with a valuation of $4.5 billion. Their new releases are getting better by the day and I can’t wait to see what they do with Universal Genève. Read the whole story on Hodinkee.
🫳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
One thing about the Sherpa Ultradive and OPS watches has to be understood before judging its price. It’s a passion project, if there ever was one, rekindling the iconic design of the Enicar Sherpa and presenting it in a robust, reliable and modern package. Each watch is assembled by hand, using parts from European manufacturers and suppliers only. That immediately sets it apart from the vast majority of vintage or retro-styled divers that flood the market. Martin is also completely transparent on the watch’s parts and origins, which can’t be said for most other manufacturers. So in a sense, this goes beyond the concept of Swiss Made, but for the better. It’s reassuring to know as much as possible has been sourced from within Europe and not just 60% of the ‘value’ in a watch.
⏲️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
Sometimes it’s just not fair to see how well produced the New York Times interactive features are. It’s just a few touches (I’m sure they are not cheap to make), but it’s on a completely other level. Fifty years ago, eight Americans set off for South America to climb Aconcagua, one of the world’s mightiest mountains. Things quickly went wrong. Two climbers died. Their bodies were left behind. Now, a camera belonging to one of the deceased climbers has emerged from a receding glacier near the summit… and one of mountaineering’s most enduring mysteries has been given air and light.
Rebecca Mason is the UK’s leading romance fraud specialist, so skilled that she can track down victims before they even know they are victims. In this riveting piece, Stuart McGurk explores how Mason discovered an international ring of fraudsters—and told people they were in love with a fantasy.
What does it mean when someone says a dessert is “not too sweet”? For older generations of the Asian diaspora in the US, it might be a comment of the highest praise. For younger Asians and Asian Americans, perhaps it’s a mark of maturity (and a sign that they’re becoming their parents). For Eater, Jaya Saxena unpacks this common phrase, which is a lot more complicated than it seems.
👀Watch this
One video you have to watch today
On November 30th Shane MacGowan, the Pogues frontman, lyricist and famed drunkard died. On December 8th, his friends and family gathered for his funeral. The Catholic Church in Ireland is getting criticised for allowing such an amazing party to take place in a church, but who cares. There was signing, dancing and overall cheering.
There’s a legend going around that the greatest performance of any song ever happened during the funeral of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. His friend Nick Cave performed Into My Arms, but asked that it not be televised like the rest of the funeral. We’ll never know what that performance was like, but his rendition of A Rainy Night In Soho at MacGowan’s funeral really does hit in the feels.
💵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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