Breitling Releases Titanium Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 With Aston Martin F1; IWC And George Russell Team Up; The New Traska Chronograph; Delbana's New Rotonda; A Very Complicated AP Pocket Watch

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Sure, I know that the AP is made for show, but am I wrong for wanting one? Just imagine the women who would swoon when I unpocket a platinum 25mm thick pocket watch…

In this issue

• Breitling Releases Titanium Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 To Celebrate Aston Martin F1 Partnership

• IWC And Mercedes-AMG F1 Driver George Russell Team Up For Two Pilot’s Watches With His Signature Blue

• Industry Darling Traska Introduces Its First Chronograph And It’s Exactly What You Would Expect

• Delbana Begins 95th Anniversary Celebration With A Stylish Update To The Rotonda Collection

• Audemars Piguet Launches One Of Its Most Complicated Watches Ever, The '150th Heritage' Pocket Watch

• FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS Historical Perspectives: Jo Siffert, Jack Heuer, and the First Modern F1 Brand Ambassador Deal

👂What’s new

1/

Breitling Releases Titanium Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 To Celebrate Aston Martin F1 Partnership

Way back in the gaudy 2000s and 2010s, Breitling had the most perfect partnership imaginable. They were very closely tied with Bentley. It was exactly what both brands needed because the Venn diagram of their respective audiences was a circle. I was a kid when those watches were coming out and I still remember how insanely flashy they were. Now, however, they are teaming up with another British brand, but this time one known a bit more for its refinement — Aston Martin. OK, to be fair, they are sponsoring their Formula 1 team, the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. To celebrate the start of this partnership, they are releasing a very cool watch, but I don’t doubt that we will see more of them in the coming months and years. This is the new Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Formula One Team, done in titanium.

On the outside, the dimensions remain the same. And they’re substantial, you know that about the Navitimer already. It measures 43mm wide, 13.69mm thick, with a 49.07mm lug-to-lug. But the navitimer traditionally wears even larger as the sapphire crystal pushes all the way to the edges of the case to give you a view of the internal bezels. This, combined with the weight of the watch, often makes it quite an eventful thing to wear. So, the fact that this Navitimer is done in titanium is just a fantastic twist to an existing legend. Can’t wait to try one on. A few concessions seem to have been made for the titanium case, as I’m pretty certain that the steel version gets a better water resistance than 30 meters.

Since the case is made out of titanium, which is extensively used in Formula 1, it only makes sense that the more F1 tech is used on the dial. And it is. The dial is made out of forged carbon fiber, which has a bit of a green camo pattern that lights up sensationally at night. The markings on the bezel scales are all lumed and you get a tri-compax setup with snailed silver sub-dials. The central chronograph hand is lime green to match the highlight color of the F1 team.

Inside is the in-house caliber 01, an automatic COSC-certified chronometer that has a 70 hour power reserve. The watch has a matte black rotor made out of tungsten, with the Aston Martin Aramco logo. The watch comes on a black textile-textured leather strap with lime-green sides, green leather lining and a titanium folding clasp

The new Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Formula One Team is technically a limited edition, but 1,959 pieces will be made. I wouldn’t exactly call that limited. The watch goes on sale on February 9th when the Aston Martin Aramco F1 car will be officially revealed. Price is set at €10,500. See more on the Breitling website.

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IWC And Mercedes-AMG F1 Driver George Russell Team Up For Two Pilot’s Watches With His Signature Blue

This sure as hell won’t land me in the good graces of a lot of Formula 1 fans, but I am pretty certain that George Russel is the most boring person in the world. The dude is a Formula 1 driver, has a sensationally beautiful girlfriend, is often photographed driving some of the most striking vintage Mercedes models around Monaco, and still… the second I see his face, I fall asleep. Could be his extremely conservative driving style or his constant whining that he should be driver number one in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. So, the moment I saw that he designed two watches with IWC, I clicked away. But I think I might have been wrong. These two new IWC Top Gun watches, a chronograph and time-and-date, are actually not that bad looking, as they pair the black of the Mercedes-AMG livery with Russell’s blue helmet in a very good way.

Starting with the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41, it comes in a black zirconium oxide ceramic case that measures 41mm wide and 11.4mm thick. It’s a simple case with a black Ceratanium crown, domed sapphire crystal and thin bezel around it. Water resistance is 100 meters. The dial gets a matte black finish with indices and Arabic numerals done in Russell’s signature blue. The same blue is used for the lume on the signature hands, and at 3 o’clock is a very discreet date opening with a black date disc inside. The watch is powered by the IWC calibre 32112, a familiar automatic movement that has a pretty great 120 hour power reserve.

Then we have the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 George Russell which is significantly larger at 41.9mm wide and 15.5mm thick. The case is once again made out of black zirconium oxide ceramic, while the pushers and crown are once again made out of Ceratanium. Water resistance is the same at 100 meters, as is the black base for the dial, the blue numerals, indices, and lume on the hands. The sub-dials include the 30-minute elapsed time at 12, the 12 hour one at 9 and the small seconds at 6 o’clock. At 3 o’clock is a day/date aperture. Inside is the automatic calibre 69380 column-wheel chronograph which has a 46 hour power reserve.

Both of the watches come on matching blue rubber straps, closed with Ceratanium pin buckles. Each is limited to 1,063 pieces and they are available now. The IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 George Russell is priced at $8,900, while the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 George Russell is priced at $12,900. See more on the IWC website.

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Industry Darling Traska Introduces Its First Chronograph And It’s Exactly What You Would Expect

There’s a just a few small brands that enjoy the same reverance among watch nerds the way that Traska does. And it’s pretty clear why Traska is so adored. Traska is one of those brands that does things right. Instead of choosing exponential growth at the price of quality and service, they take things slow, cranking out excellently made watches with a couple of interesting treatments. Despite its modernness, Traska still has an air of a tool watch made in the 1960s about it. And now, for the first time in what feels like half a decade, Traska is introducing a new model, the Traska Chronograph. And it embodies everything we love Traska for.

The case of the new Chronograph is made out of stainless steel and, as you would expect, gets Traska’s signature hardening treatment, making it resistant up to 1200 HV on the Vickers’ scale. The dimensions are very interesting — 39mm wide and 46.5mm lug-to-lug make it a super comfortable wear on a lot of wrists. What I was interested most is the thickness, considering the fact that most automatic chronographs are chunky movements. It’s not that bad — 11.8mm thick without the crystal and 13.75mm thick with the huge box style double domed sapphire crystal that stands very proud from the case. The crystal is surrounded by a very good looking tachymeter bezel that’s made out of tungsten. Water resistance is a curious 75 meters.

The grey of the tungsten on the bezel is matched on the very grey dial. The base has a semi-matte finish, with applied hour markers and baton-style hands. You get two sub-dials at 3 and 9 o’clock, with a very unique presentation: the sub-dials are a dark grey with two semi-opaque crystals over them and cutouts with a red needle sticking out of the center used as an indicator. It’s very, very cool. At 6 o’clock is a round and framed date aperture.

Inside the watch is the Seiko NE86 movement which is just a name for the Seiko 8R46A when it’s used in other brands. This means that you get a beat rate of 28,800 bph and 45 hours of power reserve. Traska regulates it in four positions to -10 to +20 seconds a day. The watch comes on a stainless steel fully articulated bracelet that tapers from 21mm to 16mm. It’s closed with a folding clasp that has six micro-adjustment positions.

The new Traska Chronograph goes on sale Sunday, March 1 at 11:00 AM ET, and this will not be an easy watch to get. From what I see, only 300 pieces of this first run will be made, with 100 pieces ready to ship immediately and the rest in mid-late April. Do note that Traska says this on their website: “due to lengthy production times, we do not anticipate any restocks or additional color options in the near future”. See more on the Traska website.

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Delbana Begins 95th Anniversary Celebration With A Stylish Update To The Rotonda Collection

Delbana is one of those brands that I wish was more top of mind for me. Especially when you consider their heritage. While not a household name, the brand has been around for 95 years, which is quite the respectable number. And as part of their celebration, they are updating their existing Rotonda collection with some pretty great new dials giving the watch a very fresh look.

The case of the Rotonda remains largely unchanged, and is just simple enough to not interfere with the new dials. It’s made out of stainless steel, measuring 40mm wide, 11.5mm thick, with a 48mm lug-to-lug. You have a slightly domed sapphire crystal on top, held down with a very thin polished bezel, and out back is a mineral glass caseback to see the movement. Water resistance is 50 meters.

But it’s all about the dials here. They all have the same setup, with a darker matte outer circle that holds applied Arabic numerals that are filled with lume on the even positions and bar markers for the rest. In the center is a vertically brushed circle that’s done in a lighter shade of the same color found on the outside, and that holds the very cool Delbana logo. The hands are silver, syringe shaped and filled with lume, while the seconds hand has a red arrow tip. The colors available in this new version of the Rotonda are black, blue, purple and salmon. At 3 o’clock is a date aperture.

Inside, you’ll find the trusty and often seen Sellita SW200-1. You know it well by now — a solid automatic watch with a 4Hz beat rate and a 40-ish hour power reserve. The watches come on stainless steel bracelets with a butterfly clasp with pushers.

The new Delbana Rotonda collection is available now, as part of the regular collection. Price is set at a decent €825. See more on the Delbana website.

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Audemars Piguet Launches One Of Its Most Complicated Watches Ever, The '150th Heritage' Pocket Watch

We’ve seen a bit of a revival in pocket watches over the past year or so, with brands ranging from Christopher Ward all the way to Parmigiani Fleurier putting out their takes on the most classic of watches. But while those may be usable, everyday, watches, the pocket watch has also historically served as a platform to show off what is possible in the highest levels of watchmaking. And it’s this form that Audemaris Piguet is using to show off for their 150th anniversary. The new 150e Héritage houses the new Calibre 1150, perhaps their most complicated ever made which features the Universal Calendar, a new type of calendar that features a mechanical calendrical calculator that connects solar, lunar and lunisolar cycles on a single display.

To include all of these incredible complications, the watch needs to be large. And a benefit of the pocket watch is that it doesn’t have to fit on a smaller wrist, so you can go larger. This case measures 50mm wide and 23.4mm thick, made out of platinum or white gold, with an oversized crown that has an integrated pusher and a ring to hang the watch from. The crown is surrounded by two other pushers, but more on that later. At 6 o’clock is a hidden pusher that opens the caseback, showing you both the movement and the Universal Calendar. The inside of the caseback doubles as a Supersonnerie sapphire soundboard, enhancing the sound of the repeater. The case is hand-engraved with scenes from Audemars Piguet’s history, including portraits of the founders and the 150-year anniversary emblem.

There are two dials here. The main one is made out of 18-carat white gold, with a blue translucent grand feu enamel on top. The enamel has a star trail motif on the periphery with hand engraved Roman numerals. More hand engraving can be found on the pink gold hands, matching the tourbillon bridge. The split-seconds hand is made out of white gold. On the flip side is a matching dial used for the Universal Calendar, with the same engraved star trails filled with blue enamel and titanium-toned discs.

Then, the movement. It’s the new Calibre 1150, hand wound, beating at 21,600vph, with a 60-hour power reserve. The movement is made out of 1,140 parts, has 47 functions and 30 complications. More functions and complications than you would ever need. Let’s list off a few. You have the Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie and minute repeater, a split-seconds flyback chronograph, with semi-instantaneous minute counter and dragging hours counter, a flying tourbillon, a semi-Gregorian perpetual calendar, accurate until 2399, astronomical moon and precise moon phases and many, many others.

Then, there’s the Universal Calendar which uses the Gregorian calendar only as a reference, and compiles 8 complications and 17 indications, presenting a panoramic view of astronomical and cultural cycles. It shows year, leap years, months, dates and weeks, moon phases and lunisolar dates, solstices and equinoxes as well as nine cultural celebrations derived from solar, lunar and lunisolar calendars: Christmas, Ramadan, Diwali, Easter, Vesak, Rosh Hashanah and Chinese New Year. As for those pushers, the crown-pusher handles winding, bidirectional date correction, time-setting and split-seconds activation. The pusher at 2 o’clock starts and stops the chronograph, selects chiming modes and activates the minute repeater with a pull. The pusher at 4 o’clock resets the flyback chronograph and adjusts the month forwards or backwards. The watch comes on a hand-made platinum chain.

The Audemars Piguet 150e Héritage is currently available only in platinum, with two pieces being made. Later on, the white gold variation will be available. The platinum is priced at CHF 2,500,000, while the white gold versions will cost CHF 2,350,000. This is an incredibly impressive and complicated watch, one that I haven’t even come close to describing to its full. I don’t often do this, but check out Mark Kauzlarich’s reporting at Hodinkee for the full rundown. Otherwise, see more on the AP website.

FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS Historical Perspectives: Jo Siffert, Jack Heuer, and the First Modern F1 Brand Ambassador Deal

How a Swiss privateer, a timing‐obsessed watchmaker, and a handshake in 1968 rewired the grid and watch culture. 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

• Andy Greenberg’s nerve-racking feature for Wired recounts his relationship with Red Bull, a human-trafficking victim forced to work in a cyber-scam compound in Laos, defrauding people of their savings. A tense reporting procedural, Greenberg details Red Bull’s courageous commitment to disrupting exploitation, and his own efforts to determine whether his source can be trusted. A truly hair-rising read.

• You may be familiar with the prisoner uprising at Attica in the ’70s. But unless you were of TV-watching age at the time, you’re likely less familiar with what happened at Massachusetts’ Walpole State Prison in 1973: a massive (and in many ways successful) experiment in self-governance by an incarcerated population. With deep sourcing and a voracious appetite for detail, Lauren Lee White immerses you in an important, oft-forgotten chapter of US history.

• With a newborn, heightened emotions, and some unexpected downtime, Travis M. Andrews embarks on a bleary-eyed movie marathon. Watching with his daughter sleeping on his chest, he starts to find small epiphanies in the unlikeliest of films—from Final Destination to The Hustle. In this funny and tender essay, Andrews shows how welcoming a new life can alter the way you see the world.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

The internet is full of impressive achievements. But this might go down as the achievement of the year. Sure, we can only trust that it tastes the same, but this dude claims to have nailed the exact formula for Coca Cola, one of the closest guarded secrets on the planet. The best thing is, Coke can’t exactly sue him because they never patented the formula. Because patenting the formula would require them to reveal it to the world. What a cool move.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk