Certina's New DS-X GMT With Great Summer Colors And Flyer GMT; Seiko's Urushi Presage; Vulcain's Skindiver Nautique GMT; Cartier's European Exclusive Platinum Tank Américaine; RM's Le Mans Tribute

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I’m traveling around a bit, so bear with me if there are any issues in publishing. But shouldn’t happen.

In this issue:

• Certina Introduces Brand New DS-X GMT Collection With Some Fantastic Summer Colors And Flyer GMT

• Seiko’s New Presage Classic Series Craftsmanship Has A Deep Urushi Lacquer Dial

• Vulcain Adds A GMT Complication To Their Sleek Skindiver Nautique

• Cartier Releases An European Exclusive Tank Américaine in Platinum

• Richard Mille Takes Inspiration From Le Mans For The New RM 30-01

👂What’s new

1/

Certina Introduces Brand New DS-X GMT Collection With Some Fantastic Summer Colors And Flyer GMT

OK, it’s been obvious for a few weeks now that this is going to be the summer of brightly colored watches. But it seems that this push for bright colors — blues, greens, oranges and yellows — is mostly driven by two types of brands: microbrands that don’t exactly reach a wide audience and high end brands that, again, aren’t exactly available to everyone. Well, here’s one that’s aimed at the masses, not just because of their production numbers and distribution methods, but also for its pretty fantastic price. Swatch Group’s Certina just introduced the new DS-X GMT collection with three great colorways and equipped with a flyer-style GMT.

The case of the new DS-X GMT is as classic as a diver can get, made out of stainless steel and measuring 41mm wide, 12.15mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 48.2mm On top is a sapphire crystal, surrounded by a bi-directional bezel that has a two-tone aluminum insert with a 24 hour scale. The bezel color choice is red and black, green and black and, the best of the bunch — a light blue and orange. On the outside of the dive bezel is an independent friction-fit bidirectional compass bezel, which is not something you see every day. The case uses Certina’s DS concept which a series of shock absorbers and seals to make their watches extra robust. Water resistance is 200 meters.

There are two dial options — a sunburst brushed grey version which comes with the black-and-red and black-and-green bezel, and a stark white which is a great contrast to the blue and orange dial. The trapezoid applied markers are outlined in silver on the grey dials and black on the white dial, filled with lume, and the hour and minute hands get a lot of lume in them. The seconds hand has a round pip, while the GMT hands are matched to the color of the bezels, which means that the white dial version gets a great orange hand.

Inside, quite the surprise. It’s the ETA F06.865 quartz movement. But not just any quartz movement, it’s a flyer GMT quartz movement, which allows you to quick set the time on the hour hand as the local time. It may be a bit controversial, but I’ll go ahead and say that this is the perfect movement for a summer watch. The white dial version comes on a blue rubber strap while the grey dial versions come on either a metal bracelet or a green or black strap.

The new Certina DS-X GMT is available now, priced at €570 on rubber and €595 on the bracelet. See more on the Certina website.

2/

Seiko’s New Presage Classic Series Craftsmanship Has A Deep Urushi Lacquer Dial

The cool thing about being a watch brand the size of Seiko is that you can have as many collections and series as you want. In fact, you can even segment deeper and introduce sub-collections for varying needs. Such is the case with Presage. They have the Pressage Classic for the most classic of watches, Cocktail Time for the more quirky ones, Sharp Edge for the angular cases, Style 60 for the retro inspired watches… Within the Presage line, they also have the Craftsmanship Series which are all very elegant and simple watches, but ones that show off the best of Japanese crafts. The latest addition to the collection is the sister-watch Seiko Presage SPB495 that has a white enamel dial, the new Presage Classic Series Craftsmanship Urushi SPB499.

While the Presage Craftsmanship Series keeps things classy looking, the dimensions are more… sporty? The steel case measures 40.2mm wide, 12.1mm thick and with a 48mm lug-to-lug. It has a brushed and polished surface, with an additional hard coat on top. The plain bezel holds down a sapphire crystal and water resistance is good at 100 meters.

But the case is secondary in the Craftsmanship series, as it’s all about the dial, this one rendered in black urushi lacquer. The depth of the dial is achieved through repeated layerings and polishing, until perfect. The black is contrasted with gilt tracks and printings, as well as leaf hands in gold, but also with a really cool grained finish. There’s a sub-dial at 6, but it might drive you a bit wild as it’s a 24 hour sub-dial that doesn’t show a second time zone. It’s pegged to the main time zone and can serve as a day/night indicator, I guess.

Inside is the not-often-used 6R5H which beats at 21,600vph and has a 72 hour power reserve. Seiko claims accuracy of -15/+25 seconds per day. The watch comes on a black leather strap, closed by a three-fold clasp.

The Seiko Presage Classic Series Craftsmanship Urushi SPB499 goes on sale some time in July, at a price of €1,750. See more on the Seiko website.

3/

Vulcain Adds A GMT Complication To Their Sleek Skindiver Nautique

Sure, Vulcain is best known for the watches a number of presidents wore, or for their absolutely fantastic Cricket Nautical, one of the best mechanical alarm watches you can get. But they have always been linked to a nautical theme. So it came as no surpirse last year when they used the Vulcain Nautique of the 1960s to introduce a new diver, the Skindiver Nautique 38mm. And since, Vulcain has been going strong on expanding the collection. First we got some additional colors. Then they released a couple of fantastic chronographs. Now, as one would expect, we’re getting the Skindiver Nautique GMT.

The Skindiver Nautique GMT, interestingly, keeps the exact same dimensions as the non GMT version. That means that it’s 38mm wide, which is no surprise, but it also measures the same 12.2mm thickness, which is just cool. The stainless steel case is largely brushed, with polished bevels on the edges. On top is a domed sapphire crystal, surrounded by a bi-directional bezel that has a black ceramic insert and an engraved 24 hour scale. water resistance remains the same at 200 meters.

The dial comes in only one base color — black, but you do get a choice of whether you want white or tan colored lume on the circular hour markers and hands. The hands are baton shaped and faceted, while the GMT hand gets a red and lumed arrow at its tip.

Inside, you’ll find the Soprod C125 GMT movement which beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. The watch can be had on either Vulcain’s single flat link bracelet or on a black tropic rubber strap.

The new Vulcain Skindiver GMT is available now, priced at CHF 1,890 on rubber and CHF 2,150 on the bracelet. See more on the Vulcain website.

4/

Cartier Releases An European Exclusive Tank Américaine in Platinum

The Tank, the Santos, the Pasha… There is no shortage of iconic watches from Cartier. But the Cariter Tank must be the most significant watch they have ever created. It is so influential, in fact, that every single iteration of the watch has become a cult classic. And there are many iterations. There is the Tank Normale, the original that was introduced 1919 and inspired by tanks used in World War I for the first time, but we also got the Tank Cintrée, Tank Louis Cartier, Tank Française and the Tank Américaine, to name a few. And today we have a new Américaine with an European exclusive that comes in very low numbers and a very nice platinum case.

The Américaine was re-released in 2023, keeping close to the roots of the 1989 model, with a pronounced curve to the watch which makes it wrap around your wrist. This version comes in a platinum case that measures 24.4mm wide, just 8.6mm thick and with a 44.4mm length. The case has polished top surfaces, with brushed sides and lugs. On the side is an eight-sided crown which gets a faceted ruby cabochon to hint at the platinum material of the case. You also have 30 meters of water resistance, just enough to wash your hands. carefully.

This exclusive version gets a special dial, one obviously inspired by Art Deco. The entire dial is rendered in shades of blue, with alternating shades creating a three dimensional effect to the dial. The dial has also been driven to its minimum, with no hour or minute markers, except for the 12 and 6 Roman numerals. The silver sword hands remain unchanged.

Inside, you’ll find the automatic calibre 1899 which beats at 4Hz and has a 40 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a matte blue alligator leather strap.

The new Cartier Tank Américaine is available only in Europe, limited to 120 pieces and priced at €26,500. It’s still not up on the Cartier website, but should be soon.

 5/

Richard Mille Takes Inspiration From Le Mans For The New RM 30-01

Find me a more divisive watch brand than Richard Mille and I’ll give you a gold star. Not an actual star and definitely not made out of gold. It’s a gold star sticker I give to my kid when she does her chores, because that’s how much confidence I have in your possibility to find a brand that will make watches that look as good and as bad as RM. Just the other day we had the RM65-01 Selfwinding Split-seconds Chronograph LeBron James which was quite the clown show. Today, we have the Richard Mille RM 30-01 Le Mans Classic which looks fantastic. Despite still having all the downsides of Richard Mille.

On the outside, you get the classic tonneau shaped case, which has some quite interesting measurements. The 42mm width and 49.9mm length are not extreme at all, but what kills it is the humongous 17.59mm thickness. The front and back are made out of brushed titanium and held down with screws, while the midcase is made out of green Quartz TPT, matching the green rubber strap the watch comes on. On the right side is a single pusher and a crown that has an orange rubber guard. Water resistance is 50 meters.

While the case is pretty standard stuff, the dial is also very familiar, taking inspiration from the famous Le Mans track in France. Around the perimeter of the dial is a green flange with a seconds track with green and orange hour markers. To match the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, the movement is modified to have a 24-hour counter with a green 16-zone to mark the start time of the race; there is a “clutch engagement indicator” at 11 o’clock to show whether the self-winding system’s rotor is operated in the winding phase or is disengaged; there is a function selector at 3 o’clock; and a digital date display. But the most prominent part of the dial is the power reserve indicator that spans the dial from the centre all the way to 10 o’clock and then back to noon, with alternating green orange and red colors that represent the various states of wind and the corresponding torque delivery.

Inside is the Calibre RMAR2 which is visible through the dial, with the skeletonized baseplate and bridges made out of 90% grade 5 titanium, 6% aluminum, and 4% vanadium. When the power reserve is full, the rotor declutches to prevent more winding. The clutch engagement indicator at 11 o'clock shows the owner whether the rotor is operating in the winding phase (on) or is disengaged (off). The pusher at the 2 o'clock position allows the user to choose the crown function between hand-setting, date-setting, or winding. The power reserve is 55 hours.

The new Richard Mille RM 30-01 Le Mans Classic is limited to 150 pieces and priced at CHF 220,000. Let me just note that that’s revenue of CHF 33 million on just one watch. See more on the Richard Mille website.

⏲️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

• In this very readable (and very depressing) dispatch for New York, Reeves Wiedeman describes how Kyoto has been completely overrun by tourists: geisha-hunting, polyester-kimono-wearing foreigners that have landed in the city to seek “all the TikTok stuff.” The bulk of these travelers are clueless, roaming the streets as if in Disneyland, unaware of their surroundings.

• In this short read, which is part of Dwell’s 25th anniversary package, Stassa Edwards recalls the 2010s internet—when “nearly every popular niche Tumblr blog was turned into a book”—and how Zach Klein’s escapist photographs at Cabin Porn helped fuel an off-the-grid cabin and tiny house phenomenon. Klein, previously a Dwell CEO, discusses this period, when he himself lived in a picturesque cabin in upstate New York, and why the fantasy of getting offline and living simply in the woods appeals to so many people.

• Romeo and Juliet—the only Central Park coyotes—have a love story that defies the odds. Romeo made it through the urban jungle to the park in 2019, and Juliet traveled there, possibly from the Bronx, in early 2023. Her arrival means Romeo’s solo survivalist story has the chance to turn into a family tale. But no pups have arrived yet, and photographers David Lei and Jacqueline Emery are keen to investigate why. A lovely piece about a shift in an urban ecosystem, complete with beautiful photographs.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

OK, bear with me, because this is interesting. Henry Johnson is a movie that came out on digital about a month ago. Looks interesting. But it’s also the first David Mamet written and directed movie since 2008. That’s a long time to not make a movie. It’s also based on his play, so you know it will likely be decent.

But on another note… that movie Mamet made in 2008. It’s called Redbelt and it’s about a martial artist whose broken dojo window leads him to take down an underground ring of fight-fixers. If that doesn’t sound weird enough for a freaking David Mamet movie, listen to this. It starts Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tim freaking Allen in his only non-comedic role (what?!), the MMA fighter Randy Couture, the legendary magician Ricky Jay and has cameos from Jennifer Grey, the boxer Ray Boom Boom Mancini, and Ed O’Neil. I have no words.

And just a note for my dad: Henry Johnson is on Plex, so check it out. Redbelt is, as well…

Thanks for reading,
Vuk