Grand Seiko Releases Titanium And Gold Tentagraph; Echo/Neutra Introduces The New Averau 42; Depancel Launches Autosport Line; Swan & Edgar's Great Looking Horizons; Gerald Genta's Minute Repeater

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In this issue

• Grand Seiko Releases The Titanium And Gold Sunrise Tentagraph Limited Edition SLGC006

• Echo/Neutra Introduces The New Averau 42 Collection With A Ceramic-Titanium Case And Two Setups

• Depancel Launches Brand New Racing-Themed Autosport Collection

• Swan & Edgar Pivots With A Duo Of Fantastic Looking Battle Of Britain-Inspired Watches

• Gerald Genta Releases What Could Be The Ultimate Minute Repeater

👂What’s new

1/

Grand Seiko Releases The Titanium And Gold Sunrise Tentagraph Limited Edition SLGC006

I feel like the Grand Seiko Tentagraph has been around for decades now, but the reality is that Grand Seiko’s first-ever mechanical chronograph was released just two years ago. Sure, Grand Seiko made chronographs earlier, but those were all Spring Drive movements. Being so young, there isn’t much of a lineup of variants in the Tentagraph family — I think there might be three or four of them. So, it’s always good to see another mechanical chronograph from GS. This is the new Grand Seiko Sunrise Tentagraph Limited Edition SLGC006.

The other day I commended Grand Seiko for releasing a watch that wasn’t weirdly thick, but we’re getting back to oversized watches here. Only, on the Tentagraph, it works, since it’s a true sports watch. The case, part of the Evolution 9 family, measures 43.2mm wide, a chubby 15.3mm thick, with a 51.5mm lug-to-lug. It’s clearly a large watch, but it’s also made out of Grand Seiko’s proprietary High-Intensity titanium, so it should be light on the writs. But the titanium is paired, a bit surprisingly, with 18k rose gold details. Gold is used for the crown, the pushers and the bezel, which has a black ceramic insert with a tachymeter scale. Of course, the watch comes with brushed and Zaratsu polished finishes, on top is a box-shaped sapphire crystal and water resistance is 100 meters.

Then, of course, we have the dial. And like a Grand Seiko is known to do, it’s inspired by nature. This one by the sunrise over Mt. Iwate. The ridges of the mountain bathing in the sun are used as inspiration for the deeply grooved sunray pattern, and the color of the base is a light pink gold shade, paired with brown sub-dials for the chronograph, and a different, copper colored one, for the running seconds. All the hands and applied markers are plated in rose gold.

Inside, you’ll find the Calibre 9SC5, which based on the familiar high-frequency Calibre 9SA5, with a chrono module on top. It beats at 5Hz and thanks to a double barrel construction it has a 72 hour power reserve. The movement also has the Dual Impulse Escapement with a free-sprung balance, which gives you an accuracy of +5 to -3 seconds per day. The watch comes on a matching titanium bracelet with a three-fold clasp and, no surprise, no micro adjust.

The new Grand Seiko Sunrise Tentagraph Limited Edition SLGC006 goes on sale in October and will be limited to 300 pieces. Price is set at €23,000. See more on the Grand Seiko website.

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Echo/Neutra Introduces The New Averau 42 Collection With A Ceramic-Titanium Case And Two Setups

For a couple of years now, the Italian independent brand echo/neutra has been making pretty great sports watches inspired by the Dolomite mountain range. Then late last year, they kind of broke the sports-watch streak and broke the internet along the way, with the release of the Rivanera, a radically angular small dress watch that was an instant hit. Now, they’re slowly moving back to their roots with interesting sports watches. And their latest release hits close to my heart, as I’ve been on an appreciation run of neo-vintage sports watches. This is the new Averau 42 with some interesting materials used.

There are two different takes on the Averau 42, but they both share the same case construction that echo/neutra calls TiFrame construction. The cases have an internal titanium case that holds the movement, while the outside is made out of black ceramic that makes it virtually scratch proof. Both watches have a an oversized uncoated knurled crown on the right side, with the chrongoraph having pushers above it and below. The two cases have similar sizes. The Automatic 3 Hands measures 42mm wide, just 10.5mm thick and with a 51.5mm lug-to-lug. The Automatic Chronograph keeps the 42mm width and 51.5mm lug-to-lug, but grows in thickness to 14.6mm. Both versions have domed sapphire crystals on top, plain black bezels and water resistance of 100 meters.

Both dials also have a similar setup, with a matte black base and white markings. The Automatic 3 Hands is obviously the simpler of the two, with large lumed hour markers at the cardinal positions and white hashes and numerals elsewhere. The black hands have white lume painted top halfs, while the black central seconds hand has a red tip. It’s all very much stealth here. Then, there’s the much busier chronograph that still keeps the stealthy and very much airplane instrument look.

The Automatic 3 Hands has the very familiar Sellita SW200 caliber inside, beating at 4Hz, with a 40ish power reserve. The Automatic Chronograph gets an equally familiar Sellita SW510B, beating at 4Hz, with a 56 hour power reserve. There are three choices of straps, all of them black — a fabric nato, a vegan leather and a ballistic nylon one.

The new echo/neutra Averau 42 collection is available for pre-order now, with shipping starting September 26. Price is set at €1.970 for the Automatic Chronograph and a pretty great €970 for the Automatic 3 Hands. See more on the echo/neutra website.

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Depancel Launches Brand New Racing-Themed Autosport Collection

I first noticed Depancel when they launched their Serie-R collection, an unusualy shaped sports watch that obviously took a lot of inspiration from the history of automobiles. And ever since they, I’ve been delighted with pretty much everything they do. And what they do, be it a pilot’s watch, a chronograph or a diver, all boils down to a deep appreciation of 60s and 70s style, with a lot of racing lore around it. Now, they’re building up on their Allure line, which is a round sports chrono(like) watch, with a new collection they’re calling Autosport. And as the name might suggest, this is an automotive-derived sports watch with a classic look and some great colors.

The case of the Autosport is made out of stainless steel and measures 39mm wide, 12.6mm thick and with a 46mm lug-to-lug. The case has a very classic look with what appear to be very slender and long lugs, but which aren’t really, since it has a quite comfortable lug-to-lug. On top is a double domed sapphire crystal, surrounded by a thin, polished, bezel. On the right side is an angular crown with a colored strip down the middle which matches the central seconds hand. Above that is a single pusher that looks like it’s a chronograph monopusher, but is actually there to adjust the month on the triple calendar display. On the other side of the case is a plaque that has the number of the watch. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The dials have a very classic design and they come in three colors, each signifying racing heritage of a particular country. The silver, paired with an orange central seconds hand, pays tribute to German racing; the blue, also with an orange hand, is a nod to French racing teams; while the British Racing Green dial, with a yellow central hand, pays homage to English racing cars. All three dials have brushed circular and vertical metallic finish inspired by vintage racing gauges, as well as applied indices filled with old radium lume for a creamy look. You get two black sub-dials with months at 3 o’clock and days at 9 o’clock, as well as a date aperture at 6 o’clock.

Inside, you’ll find the Miyota 9122, which is not a movement we see all that often, which is a shame because it’s super interesting to have this calendar setup. It still beats at 4hz and has 40 hours of power reserve, just like all 9-series Miyota movements. The watches come on a choice of brown or black leather straps, which can have either a perforated look or a more interesting horizontal striping, with a choice of a pin buckle or a deployant.

The new Depancel Autosport collection is available now, priced at €750. See more on the Depancel website.

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Swan & Edgar Pivots With A Duo Of Fantastic Looking Battle Of Britain-Inspired Watches

Swan & Edgar is not a household name in the circles the majority of watch enthusiasts hang around in. The story behind the brand is incredible, and I’ll tell it soon. For years, and up to today, Swan and Edgar made fairly affordable watches with some choice designs. And they did it well. But brand owner James Field seems to have always wanted a bit more… serious. That’s why Swan & Edgar is now launching their brand new collection, something that turns Swan & Edgar into a fully fledged microbrand. The new Horizon collection is inspired by the Battle of Britain with some very deep references to British history.

The Horizon collection comes in a simple but good looking case. It’s made out of stainless steel, and measures a pretty good 39.5mm wide and 11.3mm thick. On top is a double domed sapphire crystal, surrounded by a fixed sloped bezel. On the side is thin crown and out back is a closed caseback with a sandblasted finish that has a polished 3D silhouette of the White Cliffs of Dover, a major inspiration for the watch, as you’ll see in a bit. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The Battle of Britan was fought int he skies above the White Cliffs of Dover during the summer of 1940, with the Cliffs forming Britain’s front line as the RAF rose to defend the nation against the German Luftwaffe. And it’s the blue sea and white cliffs that served as inspiration for the two versions of the Horizons. First, there’s the Blue Enamel version which gets a beautiful blue fumé enamel dial, elevated over a chalk-white base. There are no markings on the dial, other than the gold plated triangle at 12 o’clock. The 12, as well as the date numerals shifting daily through yellow, red, and blue, are inspired by a really cool RAF sector clock that was used to plot enemy aircraft and coordinate defensive strategies. The same gold plated triangle and military inspired 12 numeral can be found on the Mineral Musou version. That one has a natural white quartz stone dial that hovers over a Musou Black base, which absorbs 99.4% of visible light. It has the same lack of markers, cycling colored date wheel and the triangle at 12.

Inside, you’ll find the very well known and reliable Miyota 9015 automatic movement. It beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. The cool thing is that the entire watch is assembled by Horologium in the UK, and the company also regulates the movement for better precision. The watches come on integrated Italian suede leather straps, light grey on the Blue Enamel and anthracite on the Mineral Musou, closed with a steel buckle.

The pre-orders for the Swan & Edgar Horizon collection open on Monday, 6th October 2025 at 3:00 PM UK time, priced at £795. The first 150 customers will receive an exclusive Horizon launch coin, specially designed to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, and the initial run of watches will be 300 in total. See more on the Swan & Edgar website.

 5/

Gerald Genta Releases What Could Be The Ultimate Minute Repeater

When he wasn’t defining the entire watch industry with design icons like the Patek nautilus and the AP Royal Oak, Gérald Genta led his own eponymous brand since 1969. This is the place where he was free to explore his creativity to its limits, with some wild watches as a result. However, the brand was sold to Bulgari, where it stagnated, only to be sold to LVMH two years ago. The conglomerate since announced they will revive the brand as part of their high-end manufacture La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, and they have been making some really nice watches. However, what we have new from them, the Gérald Genta Minute Repeater, just might be the nicest watch they’ve made to date.

As we move forward in time, so does our reaching back to the past for inspiration. While over the past decade designers have looked at the 60s and 70s for interesting designs, this is slowly moving to the 80s and 90s. And this Gérald Genta Minute Repeater is very much a late 80s, early 90s watch. The watch has a cushioned square 18k yellow gold case that measures 40mm wide and just 9.6mm thick. The finish is a combination of brushing and polishing, with double gardoons that Genta loved to use so much. The crown is set with a black onyx cabochon and on the left side is a quite traditional trigger for the minute repeater.

The dial is just as elegant as the case. The base is polished black onyx, with a white railroad minute track around the perimeter. There’s a fantastic play of shapes here as the outer side of the track follows the squared circle shape of the case, while the inner side is fully round. On such a simple dial, it has quite an impact. Other than that, you get yellow gold, rounded and polished applied markers and hour and minute hands, as well as the Gérald Genta at 12 o’clock.

Inside, you’ll find a hand-wound movement developed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. It’s based on the calibre GG-002 that the brand used for their 2023 Only Watch, and it beats at 3Hz with an 80 hour power reserve. The hammers and gongs are black polished, the inertia wheel is octagonal and it’s overall a nice looking package. The watch comes on a black leather strap.

The new Gérald Genta Minute Repeater will be limited to 10 pieces per year, and the price is on request. However, from what I read online, it will be north of CHF 300,000. See more on the Gerald Genta 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

• Eastern Kentucky suffered devastating floods in 2022 and 2023. Not long after, residents reported encountering goblins, mysterious beings who, account after account, were reported to resemble Dobby, the house elf from Harry Potter. Lora Eli Smith, who worked on crisis response with the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, reports for Oxford American.

• Twenty-five years ago, on the first day of spring, the members of Gelitin, an Austrian art collective, removed a window from the North Tower of the World Trade Center, extended a narrow balcony, and then emerged, 91 stories above the city. Hardly anyone noticed; the Times didn’t report on the incident until more than a year after, and a friend of the group denied it had taken place. The headline here hardly does justice to Kyle MacNeill’s feature, which is by turns a gripping procedural and a consideration of the fate of an artistic act—a messy, ambitious, controversial one—overwhelmed, a year later, by an atrocity committed at the same site.

• The latest issue of Harper’s offers more tenderhearted stories about more approachable creatures—namely, Tao Lin’s 8,000-word memoir about his three cats. And yet I was enthralled by Nathaniel Rich’s dispatch from the Louisiana Nutria Rodeo, which holds the answer to just about every question one would think to ask about the state’s invasive, Jack Russell-sized rodent. Come for the hunt, to see who bags the biggest rat! Stay for the cook-off, to find out who can improve on Paul Prudhomme’s “nutria popcorn” recipe! But when the Nutria Toss begins, you may want to take a few steps back.

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One video you have to watch today

Woah, this looks really, really good.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk