Cartier Releases Santos In Titanium; An Orange Dial Oris Big Crown Pointer Date; A Unique Cherry Doxa SUB 250; March LA.B's Small Seconds Mansart; New Vianney Halter; LV Brings Back The Monterey

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Sorry for the late dispatch, I’m overwhelmed with work. Also, everybody say hi to my wife Ana if you bump into her because she fell off a bike and likely broke her arm. I say likely because she refuses to go to hospital. So, the sending schedule might be all over the place over the next few days as we navigate that as well.

KIND OF IMPORTANT: I’m looking for someone to help me out with building up the ad side of this newsletter. If you think this is you, drop me a note

In this issue

• Cartier Fixes Biggest Gripe With Santos By Doing The Whole Case In Brushed Titanium; And Adds Lume

• Oris And Swiss Strap Maker Release A Really Nice Big Crown Pointer Date

• Doxa Celebrates Ahmed Seddiqi 75th Anniversary With A Very Special Cherry Red SUB 250

• March LA.B Releases A Small Seconds Variant Of Their Mansart Collection

• Vianney Halter Teams Up With The Limited Edition UK And The Horophile For The Reality of Time

• Louis Vuitton Brings Back Their First Watch, The Monterey

• SPECIAL FEATURE: The Serica 1174 Parade: Minimalism, Revival, and the New Shape of Watch Authenticity

👂What’s new

1/

Cartier Fixes Biggest Gripe With Santos By Doing The Whole Case In Brushed Titanium; And Adds Lume

I’m not a huge fan of the Cartier Santos de Cartier. I get its significance, I even like the looks, I just never saw myself as a Santos owner. Also, I was never a huge fan of titanium, although this sentiment is changing and I’m warming up to the material. So, imagine my surprise when I saw what Cartier just released and I instantly fell in love. Yeah, it’s a Cartier Santos de Cartier in titanium. This looks absolutely sensational, and with a fully blasted finish, it fixes one of the biggest gripes people had with the Santos — the bezel being a scratch magnet. Oh, and they’re really embracing the idea of a sports watch not just with a titanium case, but also with a new black dial with lumed numerals.

But let’s deal with the titanium version first. It comes in the large size of the Santos de Cartier, which means that it measures 39.8mm wide, 9.38mm thick and with a 47.5mm lug-to-lug. So, not exactly huge. The new titanium case, as well as the bracelet, have a sandblasted finish. Sure, there are mirror polished surfaces on screws of the case and bracelet and on the case facets, but with the majority being blasted it completely changes the nature of the watch, giving it a much sportier look. And so many people complained about their polished bezels getting easily scratched, the blasted finish should help here. Not a lot of scratches will happen here, because Cartier is using Grade 5 Extra Low Interstitial titanium which has has fewer interstitial elements like oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and iron, and is known for increased hardness. Water resistance remains 100 meters.

The dial is painted in a matte silver opaline color and is largely unchanged. You get the familiar Roman numerals, blued sword hands, and date at 6 o’clock. Also unchanged are the internals, as you get the caliber 1847 MC which beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. Like I said, it comes on a titanium sandblasted bracelet, but there’s one drawback — this bracelet doesn’t come with the SmartLink adjustment system which allows for tool-less link removal.

While the titanium is surely the star, Cartier also released another large size Santos de Cartier. That one is very familiar, as it comes in the same steel case we’ve seen before, with the same polished bezel, but with some changes to the dial. Sure, we’ve seen a black dial with white Roman numerals, but this one comes with lumed numerals, which is another step towards a sporty Santos. I like this.

The new Cartier Santos de Cartier Titanium will be available in November, and I think the same applies to the lumed version as well. Price is set at €9,000 for the steel with lume version, while the titanium version is priced at €11,400. More info will be available on the Cartier website.

2/

Oris And Swiss Strap Maker Release A Really Nice Big Crown Pointer Date

Hey, this is a bit of a surprise to me — if they keep things going as they are, Oris might end up making some of my favorite watches of this year. They absolutely ravaged Geneva Watch Days with two funky and colorful watches, and did a few limited editions spread out through the months. Their new limited edition, made with Cervo Volante, a Swiss company producing sustainably sourced and vegetable-tanned deer leather straps, just might be my favorite this year. Built on the legendary Big Crown Pointer Date, it gets a fantastic brown-orange dial and a nice strap to boot.

This collaboration comes in the larger of the Big Crown Pointer Date models, which means that the stainless steel case measures 40mm wide and 12.2mm thick. The case has a mix of brushed and polished surfaces, including brushed lugs and polished flanks. On top is a domed sapphire crystal, surrounded by a coin-edged bezel. On the side is an oversized crown. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The dial color really is striking and I would love to see it up close. It starts with a bright orange in the center and then has a gradient to a darker shade of brown-red on the edges. A perfect autumn watch. The rest of the details remain familiar. You get Arabic numerals, cathedral-style hands and a pointer date hand with a forrest green tip.

Inside, you’ll find the Oris 754 calibre, which is a rebranded Sellita SW 200-1 with a pointer date function. It’s modified to have a red Oris rotor, beats at 4Hz and has a 41 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a mahogany brown deer hide strap by Cervo Volante and you get a deer hide travel pouch.

The new Oris x Cervo Volante is available now and it doesn’t seem to be a limited edition. Price is set at CHF 2,250. See more on the Oris website.

3/

Doxa Celebrates Ahmed Seddiqi 75th Anniversary With A Very Special Cherry Red SUB 250

Doxa has had a good relationship with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, UAE’s leading luxury watch retailer. They came out with a couple of limited editions together, so it’s no surprise that they are joining in on the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the store. They’re doing this with a limited edition Doxa SUB 250 with a really nice cherry red dial. But that’s not all. The SUB 250 has been absent from the Doxa lineup up until recently, when it was brought back as the SUB 250 GMT. That makes this SUB 250 the only non-GMT version of the SUB 250.

The case is recognizable Doxa, made out of a solid block of stainless steel, it measures 40mm wide, 11.95mm thick, with a 42.9mm length and maintains the iconic cushion shape. On top is a flat sapphire crystal surrounded by a metal unidirectional rotating bezel that has a no-decompression scale here done in black Eastern Arabic numerals. The crown screws down to get you to the 250 meters of water resistance.

The dial really is beautiful on this edition. It has a deep, deep shade of cherry red, with a sunray brushing and gold colored hardware that’s a really beautiful contrast. The hands, the markers and the square box on the seconds hand are all filled with tan lume. More Eastern Arabic numerals can be found in the 3 o’clock date aperture.

Inside, you’ll find the familiar and sturdy Sellita SW300 movement, beating at 4Hz, with a 56 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a stainless-steel beads-of-rice bracelet with a folding clasp and dive extension, and you get an additional black FKM rubber strap, also with an extension.

The new Doxa SUB 250 Ahmed Seddiqi 75th Anniversary Limited Edition is limited to 75 pieces, available exclusively at Ahmed Seddiqi boutiques and priced at AED 12,000, or about €2,800. See more on the Seddiqi website.

4/

March LA.B Releases A Small Seconds Variant Of Their Mansart Collection

March LA.B is a curious company. Technically, they are based in Los Angeles and Biarritz, an unlikely pairing, and take a huge amount of inspiration from Paris, like for their Mansart collection which is inspired by Place Vendôme. That’s one interesting thing. The other is their use of shaped cases, a wonderful combination of curved squares and sharp facets. But despite their quirks, there’s no denying that they make some pretty fantastic watches. Now, they’re updating the compact Mansart collection with a new automatic movement and a small seconds display. This is the new March LA.B Mansart Small Second.

While the case of the new Mansart keeps the octagonal construction and the multi-faceted finish with a stepped bezel, it the Mansart comes in a more compact size than the other March LA.B collections. This one measures 35mm wide, 11mm thick and 39mm long, so pretty compact. The crown sits at 4 o’clock with a protrusion in the case that makes it stand out. The case has brushed and polished finishes, with a gold plated option on the Golden Hour model. On top is a flat sapphire crystal, while out back is a green-tinted sapphire. Water resistance is 50 meters.

There are three dial/case setups to the ne Mansart colelction, but they all have the same striped pattern and a new off-centred small seconds sub-dial in the same shape as the case. First is the Graal edition which comes with a dark green dial, next is the Shelter edition, with a silvery-white dial and last is the Golden Hour edition, with a gold plated case and with a light gold dial. But check this out, this is fantastic. The Golden Hour is delivered with an additional dial, packaged alongside the watch, in green. So, if the mood suits you, you can pop down to you watch repair shop and have them swap out the dials. Wild!

Inside, you’ll find the La Joux-Perret calibre G121 automatic. It’s based on the G100, but adds the small seconds, beating at 4Hz and with a 68 hour power reserve. The watches can be had on either steel bracelets or alligator leather straps.

The new March LA.B Mansart Small Second is available now, as part of the regular collection, priced at €1,817 for the steel versions and €3,120 (I assume that this is with my crazy high taxes). See more on the March LA.B website.

5/

Vianney Halter Teams Up With The Limited Edition UK And The Horophile For The Reality of Time

Vianney Halter is the dad of high-end steampunk watchmaking, but we haven’t seen him do many of these watches that made him famous lately. I, for one, miss him a bit. Especially the very cool Classic collection that came with a porthole-like case and rivets on the bezel. Well, Halter is bringing the watch back, in collaboration with The Limited Edition and The Horophile. This is the new The Limited Edition UK X Vianney Halter Reality of Time.

The case looks very familiar because we’ve seen that before. Only now, it’s made out of matte finished titanium, with a flat bezel on top with polished rose gold rivets and a rose gold crown. The case measures 39mm wide and 11.85, including a domed sapphire crystal. Without the crystal, the case measures just 8.2mm thick, which is very cool. Water resistance is 30 meters.

More titanium can be found on the dial, where it’s covered in an anthracite color. The centre of the dial has a micro-blasted finish, with a brushed periphery. Around that you’ll find a chapter ring that holds painted numerals with a pretty cool font. The centre of the dial holds the Vianney Halter logo.

Inside, you’ll find the VH122 automatic which beats at 21,600vph and has a 56 power reserve. The movement has a very cool “mystery” rotor; a patented innovation which employs a sapphire disc with hidden weight around its edge whose rotation is practically invisible, and means that the view of the mechanism is completely unobstructed. The watch comes on a dark grey calfskin strap and titanium pin buckle.

The new The Limited Edition UK X Vianney Halter Reality of Time is a limited edition of 20 pieces and priced at CHF 79,000. See more on The Limited Edition website.

6/

Louis Vuitton Brings Back Their First Watch, The Monterey

Louis Vuitton’s primary product aren’t watches, of course. And if you were to live by the adage that you shouldn’t buy your watches from the people who make your bags/shirts/underwear, then you would have missed out on quite a wild horological ride. Do not make the mistake of calling LV watches fashion watches because they’ve always had a very interesting approach to watchmaking. It all started in the late 1980s, when LV released the Montre LV 1 and LV2, which led them to the Tambour and now a collection of high end, well made watches with fantastic movements. Those first watches, the Montre LV 1 and LV2, which were nicknamed Monterey, were designed by famed Italian architect Gae Aulenti, became cult icons so it comes as no surprise that Louis Vuitton is remaking them. This is the new Louis Vuitton Monterey.

This is a true blast from the past, as the case is a direct continuation of the original watch. That means you get the same pebble-shaped case of the original, made out of 18k yellow gold with a fully polished finish, measuring 39mm wide and 12.2mm thick. On top is a sapphire crystal, the crown with a clou de Paris pattern sits at 12 o’clock and out back is a special caseback that integrates the straps for a lug-less look. I was sure LV wasn’t going to give a water resistance because… come on, look at it. But, surprisingly, you get 50 meters of water resistance. Nice.

The dial has a white enamel base, with two railroad tracks — a red on the outside and blue on the inside — on it also done in stamped grand feu enamel, which is quite the technical feat. Between the two railroad tracks is a full 12 hours worth of numerals. The hands are just as cool, done in red and could be described as skeletonized syringe hands. I prefer to call these paperclip hands. The seconds hand is heat blued.

Inside is perhaps the biggest change. The original LV models came with quartz movement, while the new Monterey gets an automatic developed and made by LV’s watchmaker, La Fabrique du Temps. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a 45 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a simple black leather strap, closed with a gold pin.

The new Louis Vuitton Monterey is, unfortunately, a limited release of 188 pieces and priced quite aggressively at €56,000. Both of those are a shame because LV could have made a significant dent in the market with this at a lower price. See more on the Louis Vuitton website.

SPECIAL FEATURE: The Serica 8315 GMT: Navigating Travel, Time, and Timeless Design

Airports are noisy places. The smell of burnt coffee mixes with distant announcements calling flights to gates. Electronic displays flicker endless city names: London, Marrakech, Tokyo, Buenos Aires. Travelers pass through, each carrying stories, plans, and questions about where they belong in this vast world. On the wrist of one traveler glints a watch: the Serica 8315 GMT. It’s a modest watch, stainless steel, 39 millimeters in diameter, with a simple maroon dial spared of any branding or date. Its bezel shows day and night indications through a sharp brown-and-white contrast.

This watch says a lot about the user and the times we live in. It is a tool for those crossing borders, a nod to vintage style, and an example of modern minimalism. More than just telling time, it embodies the ways travel, nostalgia, and simplicity shape how people view themselves and the world today. This essay explores how the Serica 8315 GMT illustrates the crossroads of global travel culture, retro revival, and minimalism as design philosophies and lifestyles. Each theme—travel as cultural exchange and identity formation, retro as emotional memory and style, minimalism as a mindful rejection of excess—is deeply meaningful on its own. Together, they highlight a broader cultural moment. This watch acts as a case study that grounds these ideas in a concrete object, reflecting how cultural trends influence and are influenced by everyday possessions.

Travel today is more than a journey from point A to B. It’s about cultural exchange, self-transformation, and increasingly, media influence. The broadening availability of air travel expanded horizons globally but also created new questions about identity and place. Who are we when we are abroad? How does crossing borders change us?

Mark Twain put it simply: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” The act of seeing different cultures firsthand breaks down stereotypes and fosters empathy. Maya Angelou similarly stated: “...all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die... if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” Travel humanizes the “other” and helps people see common humanity despite cultural differences.

Read the rest of this essay here.

⏲️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

• Every film franchise has devoted fans. But it takes a special kind of horror aficionado to spend Labor Day weekend where a Friday the 13th movie was filmed—and where a man dressed as slasher icon Jason Voorhees roams the grounds with a machete. Pat Cassels is one of those aficionados. For Oxford American, he unpacks his pilgrimage to the darker corner of the psyche.

• In this adaptation from his forthcoming book, The Web Beneath the Waves: The Fragile Cables That Connect our World, Samanth Subramanian reflects on the massive volcanic eruption in January 2022 that ripped apart the one internet cable leading into Tonga. The country was suddenly cut off from the world and thrown into chaos—proving just how dependent we are on these “fragile cables.”

• A quietly devastating account of Jon Ganz’s disappearance in the Missouri Ozarks, this narrative unravels a story of personal redemption, marital loyalty, and psychological collapse, as a former convict obsessed with AI falls into delusion and vanishes. It’s a haunting examination of trauma, technology’s psychological risks, and the precarious boundaries between hope, madness, and loss.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Brock is a great guy and a subscriber to the newsletter. I really like his very calm approach to pretty much any topic he covers. I also owe him an email. So sorry about that Brock, I’m writing it right now. Go subscribe to his channel.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk