Atelier Wen's Incredible Full Tantalum Inflection With Special Movement; Nivada x Ace F77; TAG Honors Senna; A Pop Culture LE; Lebois & Co's Dressy Option; Parmigiani's UT Longhorn Special Edition

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. You might have noticed there were no newsletters on Monday and Tuesday. If you remember, on Friday I told you that my pinched nerve issue is back, and, unfortunately, it’s worse than it was before. I’m talking crippling pain that makes it impossible to keep my eyes open, let alone write. And to make things worse, it seems that I am very resistant to pain relief drugs. It’s going to be a very long and painful path to figure out what’s wrong with my shoulder, so do excuse any inconsistencies in my writing.

Also, I’ll ask you for anything, but… If you were considering doing a paid subscription at some point in the coming weeks, I would appreciate it if you could do it sooner, as our socialized medicine system is built on corruption and incompetence, so a lot of expensive doctors will have to be paid out of pocket. Speaking of paid subscriptions, I ow you guys the Monday post, and it’s included at the bottom.

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In this issue

• Atelier Wen Introduces Incredible Full Tantalum Inflection Collection With A Very Special Movement

• Nivada Grenchen And Ace Jewelers Team Up For One Of The Last F77 Mark 1 Watches

• TAG Heuer Releases Senna-Themed Duo Ahead Of Brazil Grand Prix

• Louis Erard Goes Pop Culture With An Astro-Boy Themed 2340

• Lebois & Co Releases Their Dressy Option, The Heritage Small Seconds Collection

• Parmigiani Fleurier Teams Up With The Forty First Foundation For A UT Longhorn Special Edition

• FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS Historical Perspectives: The Patek Counterfeiter: Watchmaking's First Great Scandal

• FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS Watches You Might Not Have Seen, Week 54: The Gruen Airflight And The Art Of The Jumping 24-Hour Display

👂What’s new

1/

Atelier Wen Introduces Incredible Full Tantalum Inflection Collection With A Very Special Movement

Sometimes, as a watch journalist, you see a watch very much in advance. And sometimes, the watch is so freaking nice, you want to eat your own face out of frustration because you want to tell everyone what you just saw. But I can finally talk about it. This is the new Inflection collection from Atelier Wen, a Chinese brand founded by two Frenchmen, done in complete tantalum. Tantalum is a notoriously tough material to work with, thanks to its… well… toughness, so it is often reserved for high end brands and even they struggle with producing a full tantalum bracelet. And yet, here’s Atelier Wen who did just that. And to boot, they equipped it with a very interesting movement.

Atelier Wen entered the mainstream with their Perception model which had a very unique look, but also one that had a lot of flat surfaces and sharp angles. The Inflection, on the other hand, does the exact opposite. It’s much more fluid and organic, while paying a bit of homage to those Perception designs with protruding side profiles. The case measures 40mm wide, 10mm thick and has a 45mm lug-to-lug. On top is a polished concave bezel, with a lot of curves going on everywhere. These curves are extremely impressive, as I already said that tantalum is difficult to mould due to its toughness. But look at it closer, and you’ll see vertically brushed surfaces and polished accents, also a feat with tantalum. It’s hard to explain how this watch feels on wrist. It’s reasonably sized, but it’s shockingly heavy. The first time you try on a full gold watch, you’re taken aback with the weight. But that’s nothing compared to tantalum. It kind of breaks your brain as you can’t rationalize how such a small object is so heavy. It’s super cool and super unique. Water resistance is 100 meters.

But it’s not all about the case here, as the dial is also incredibly impressive. It’s done by the workshop of Kong Lingjun, one of China’s most renowned enamelers who also did the Atelier Wen Ancestra dials. There are three versions available at launch. The You has a hand-hammered silver dial base coated in gradient, translucent enamel that has multiple shades of green, paired with white Arabic numerals and rhodium-plated hands. The Mò gets a obsidian black grand feu enamel dial with gilt Arabic numerals and 5N gold-plated hands. And last is the Yuan which has a blue grand feu enamel with white Arabic numerals and rhodium-plated hands. All of them have leaf-shaped with a frosted mid-plane and high-polished, deeply concave side planes.

Atelier Wen didn’t stop with just the designs. While the Perception used a Chinese Peacock movement, and the Ancestra uses a French Pequignet movement, the Inflection is a grown-up luxury watch. And as a high-end watch, it needs a high-end movement. Here, they acquired a movement from the Swiss legends, Girard-Perregaux and then got them to heavily rework it. The movement is the calibre GP03300 which gets completely remade bridges that are now ruthenium-plated and decorated with polished bevels, sharp exterior angles, and laser-etched waved stripes. It also has a customised rotor with a tungsten weight and five skeletonised brass spokes plated in rose gold and it’s an incredibly beautiful movement. It beats at 4Hz and has a 48 hour power reserve. Now, if all of this wasn’t impressive enough, consider the fact that the organic-looking bracelet is also made out of tantalum, which is extremely rare even in the highest bracket of watches.

The Atelier Wen Inflexion is, for now, limited to 100 pieces (of that only 30 pieces will be made of the You model, never to be repeated), but they tell me that they want to increase production as soon as possible. However, it’s a difficult watch to make. Allocations of the Atelier Wen Inflection will be done on a by-application basis, and each application will be vetted internally. Price for the full tantalum version is set at $29,800, without tax or, if you want it on a FKM rubber strap with a tantalum buckle, you’ll be spending $19,800, without tax. That’s quite the price for a brand like Atelier Wen that usually operates in the lower four figures, but this is an incredible watch and you would be hard pressed to find something like this even in higher price points. See more on the Atelier Web website.

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Nivada Grenchen And Ace Jewelers Team Up For One Of The Last F77 Mark 1 Watches

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. One of these watches is the F77, a recreation of an integrated bracelets steel sports watch first released in 1977. Just before summer, we got Mark 2 of the F77 with a new and slim case, but the brand is still saying goodbye to the Mark 1 version of the F77. Recently we got the four stone dial versions and now we’re getting one of the very last versions. And it’s fitting that it’s done in collaboration with Ace Jewelers. One of my favorite versions of the F77 was the Amsterdam themed version the two brands did together a year or so ago. This one is much subtler and a fitting sendoff.

These being the v1 models, they are the slightly larger cases. But don’t worry, they still have pretty great proportions. The steel cases measure 37mm wide, 11.65mm thick and with a 45mm lug-to-lug. The case has a great vertically brushed finish with polished facets and polished sides. On top is a domed sapphire crystal with a Genta-esque octagonal bezel with exposed (and aligned) screws (well, bolts, but you know what I mean). Water resistance is 100 meters.

The dial keeps things super simple. Gone is the basket-weave texture that the F77 was well known for, and the base is much sleeker, with a slightly dramatic gradient blue dial going from a lighter blue in the middle all the way to black on the edges. That’s paired with applied silver markers and simple silver hands with strips of lume in them.

Just like all the other F77 watches, this one gets the Soprod P024 automatic movement. This is Soprod’s version of the legendary ETA 2824, which means it beats at 28,800 vph and has a 38 hour power reserve. It also comes on the integrated stainless steel bracelet that the entire collection is known for.

The new Ace X Nivada Grenchen F77 Midnight Blue, the last of the v1 series, is limited to 50 pieces and they are available now. Price is set at €1,420. See more on the Ace Jewelers website.

3/

TAG Heuer Releases Senna-Themed Duo Ahead Of Brazil Grand Prix

While Rolex served as the main timing sponsor of the Formula 1 race series, we didn’t exactly get that many F1 themed Rolexes. If any at all. But that’s how Rolex does things. TAG Heuer, on the other hand, decided to have a lot more fun as a sponsor. And that includes a bunch of special edition releases that are racing inspired and tied into Formula 1. This new one, or rather the latest duo, is special on several levels. Ayrton Senna is considered one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, whose genius was cut short after a fatal crash in Italy in 1994. The two new watches, based on the Formula 1 Chronograph, are both dedicated to the legendary Senna. This is special as it comes just ahead of the Brazil Grand Prix, which would have been Senna’s home race, and it also echoes Senna’s brand ambassadorship from the 90s, as he was a TAG Heuer ambassador.

There are two watches released now, one automatic and one quartz, both in very similar cases. The automatic comes in a titanium case with a black DLC coating, measuring 44mm wide, 14.1mm thick and it actually has a pretty decent lug-to-lug of 47.3mm thanks to relatively flat lugs. On the side is a black crown is a yellow strip and on top is a forged carbon fibre bezel with Senna’s logo. Out back is a closed caseback, engraved with an iconic image of Senna’s eyes through his helmet. The quartz version comes in a stainless steel case, which is equally as chunky, measuring 43mm wide, 12.4mm thick and with a longer 48.2mm lug-to-lug. This one gets yellow on the pushers and an aluminium bezel insert with the same Senna logo. Both versions have 200 meters of water resistance.

The dials are also very similar, with sunray brushed black bases with a yellow, green and blue motif in the 6 o’clock subdials, mimicking the colors of the Brazilian flag, often used on Senna’s helmets. The central chronograph hand on both is lacquered yellow. The quartz version has a traditional tri-compax layout, while the mechanical version has counters at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock, with the Senna “S” logo in the running seconds at 9 o’clock.

Inside the mechanical version you’ll find the familiar Valjoux 7750-based Calibre 16 that has a 42 hour power reserve with a 4Hz beat rate. The quartz version has an unnamed quartz movement that has a 3 year battery reserve. The automatic comes on a yellow rubber strap with a black DLC coated pin buckle. That’s OK. But the quuartz version comes on that spectacular steel bracelet with y-shaped links that was super popular with TAG Heuer in the 1990s. A lot of people hate it. I love it. Plus, it was also on the watches that Senna used to wear.

The new TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph x Senna 2025 Collection goes on sale ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix, but will be available worldwide. The automatic is part of the regular collection, while the quartz version will be limited to 3,000 pieces. Price is set at CHF 2,550 on the quartz and CHF 5,550 on the automatic. See more on the TAG Heuer website.

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Louis Erard Goes Pop Culture With An Astro-Boy Themed 2340

When I was a kid, my dad used to own a comic book store. That meant that every few months, hundreds of boxes of books, t-shirts, posters, and collectibles would come pouring in and as he and his partners were diligently trying to put everything away, I was there to just ransack everything first and find the coolest stuff. Some of the coolest stuff that I remember from that time are mugs and t-shirts with Astro Boy on them. Astro Boy is an android superhero created by the legendary Osamu Tezuka, the man who practically invented manga. Now, the kings of collaborations, Louis Erard have licensed the character and applied it to their brand new integrated sports watch, the 2340.

It hasn’t even been a month since the release of the 2340, so you might remember the details. The case of the 2340 is made out of both titanium (used on the midcase) and steel (the lugs, bezel and caseback), and since it measures 40mm wide and just 8.95mm thick, with a short length of 41.5mm thanks to the lack of protruding lugs, it should be a breeze to wear. The case is cushion shaped, with the titanium case middle getting a vertically brushed finish and all the steel parts getting a bright polish. More polished details can be found on the gadroons on the corners of the case that give some detail to the sides. Water resistance is a surprisingly low 50 meters.

All of the new stuff happens on the dial, which is made out of many layers giving it a huge amount of depth. Astro Boy is often depicted flying around in a swoosh pattern, which is replicated here on the dial, where he is rendered in color between 3 and 6 o’clock, and his plume of smoke going all the way to 11. While Astro Boy is done in color, the rest is done in a monochrome grey, including the futuristic cityscape and the villain. Very cool. There are no hour markers, just a minute track on the periphery and quite simple hands.

Inside, you’ll find the familiar and respected Sellita SW300-1 automatic which is key to getting such a thin profile. It beats at 4Hz and has a 56 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a brand new inteagrated bracelet that has a very nice taper and is made out of brushed titanium outer links and oblong, polished steel centre links. For such a nice bracelet, it’s a shame they didn’t include two key components — a quick release system and a micro adjust in the clasp. Not cool.

The new Louis Erard x Astro Boy is a limited edition of 178 pieces, available now, priced at CHF 3,900, without tax. It’s worth noting that this is CHF 1,000 more than the regular 2340. See more on the Louis Erard website.

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Lebois & Co Releases Their Dressy Option, The Heritage Small Seconds Collection

Tom van Wijlick is a Dutch entrepreneur with a seemingly simple idea that drives his business decisions - make incredibly cool, vintage-inspired, watches that sell for an accessible price and meet pretty much every demand the market has. And he’s doing good. One of the brands he owns, Airain, is developing new models in close collaboration with its fanbase and the other, Lebois & Co. is recreating some of the best designs of the past. Actually, that’s not true. Lebois has been making a wide range of watches, from modern to avant-garde, and only a couple of years ago did they launch their Heritage Chronograph which thrust them into the limelight of vintage-revival. Riding on that success, Lebois & Co. is now releasing the new Heritage Small Seconds collection.

While this is a simpler take on vintage-inspired watches than their usual chronographs, it actually comes in a very similar case. to the chronographs. In fact, it’s made out of the same stainless steel, with the same brushed surfaces and polished accents, with a double domed sapphire crystal on top. It also has the same width as the chronographs, 38.7mm, but it’s much thinner at 10.5mm. And that’s including the domed crystal. Water resistance is 50 meters.

There are three models available. First is called Baton, with a sunray brushed blue dial that has, you guessed it, applied baton-style markers and alternating Arabic numerals. Next up is Script, with a matte white dial and applied Breguet-style numerals. Last is the Numeral, which has a matte black dial, printed Arabic numerals, and a graduated railroad minute track. All three share the same leaf-shaped hands and a snailed small seconds display at 6 o’clock.

Inside, Lebois keeps things simple. While they call the movement the calibre LC-350, it’s actually based on the small seconds version of the SW300, the Sellita SW360-1. It beats at 4Hz and has a 56 hour power reserve with COSC certification. The watches all come on a very cool retro Fixoflex stretch bracelet and a leather strap.

The Lebois & Co. Heritage Small Seconds is available for pre-order right now until 28 November, with each model limited to 100 pieces. The watches ship in Spring 2026. Price is set at €2,200. See more on the Lebois & Co. website.

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Parmigiani Fleurier Teams Up With The Forty First Foundation For A UT Longhorn Special Edition

Parmigiani Fleurier makes some truly incredible watches. A lot of them could be considered dress watches, if you will. But where I like them the most is creating luxury sports watches in the Tonda PF collection. The collection is not that old, just about five years, and it’s already grown to impressive widths, with new additions joining the collection every few weeks. It also has some pretty interesting special editions. And obviously some pretty unexpected special editions, like this Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Longhorn Limited Edition made in collaboration with The Forty First Foundation, to honor the The University of Texas at Austin football team, the Longhorns. Weird. But so cool.

Built on the larger of the two Tonda PF Chronographs, this watch is available in stainless steel or 18kt rose gold, measuring 42mm wide and 12.9mm thick. The case has teardrop lugs, a sapphire crystal on top and bottom, with a knurled bezel on top, with brushed and polished finishes all over. On one side are square pushers and an oversized crown, while on the other side is an engraving of the Longhorn logo. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The dial is fantastic. It features the same pattern on it as the rest of the PF Sport line, meaning a clou triangulaire, and it has a warm silvery color to it. This is contrasted with taupe-like colored sub-dials at 3, 6 and 9. Unfortunately, the horizontally placed 4:30 date is back, the only thing ruining the dial. The color used on the numerals, the hour markers and on the tips of the skeletonized hands are done in burnt orange lume, the color of the Longhorns.

Inside, you’ll find the high-frequency chronograph powered by the automatic calibre PF070, made in-house with help from sister company Vaucher Manufacture. It beats at 5Hz, has a 65 hour power reserve and is COSC certified. The watches come on metal-matching bracelets and with two hand-stitched rubber straps in Tufo and Burnt Orange colors created only for this edition.

The new Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Longhorn Limited Edition is limited to 40 pieces in steel and 10 in rose gold. The only way to get one is to contact The Forty First Foundation and make your reservation. See more on the Parmigiani Fleurier website.

FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS Watch School Wednesday: Understanding The Geneva Stopwork And Solving The Mainspring Paradox

Engineering accuracy by deliberately restricting power. Read it here.

FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS Your Next Watch, Week 58: Two Great Omegas; A Rare Sinn; The Best Tennis Watch; And A Ghostly Tudor Submariner

We continue with our exploration of watches we shouldn't spend our money on, but most likely will. Read it here. 

⏲️End links

A bunch of links that might or might not have something to do with watches. One thing’s for sure - they’re interesting

• A quiet town with a changing face: Hillsdale, New York, home to 1,800 people mostly white, older, and affluent, is attracting Manhattanites seeking respite. But beneath this peaceful veneer, a haunting story unfolds—the complex, fraught aftermath when a trusted nanny turns into a tenant from hell, challenging notions of hospitality, trust, and protection in the idyllic countryside.

• In recent years, national identity in Britain has hardened. A struggling economy is somehow being blamed on asylum seekers—a fraction of one percent of the population—even as a bureaucratic system traps them in limbo for years. In his essay for New Lines, Tam Hussein visits one of Britain’s asylum hotels, where residents are made to feel increasingly unwelcome. An immigrant himself, Hussein reflects on how belonging in Britain has become increasingly conditional.

• The power of monuments, J Wortham writes, can be subtle: “So much of it comes from their ability to disappear into the landscape and obfuscate the truth of their meaning.” Wortham, whose account of their survivalist training was another favorite read of 2025, details a years-long effort by artists and curators to transform a collection of decommissioned American monuments, reframing them to grant new understanding of our history. Throughout, Wortham draws on their own experiences with monuments to Confederate military leaders, some of which appear radically altered—and, with nowhere to disappear, their truths plainly exposed.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

The 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald is just around the corner and it should be marked by Gordon Lightfoot’s The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Here, it’s performed by the picking prodigy Billy Strings just a couple of days ago. And it’s good.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk