Longines' Crisp White Dial 39mm Legend Diver; Marathon Uses Color For First Time On Navigator; New Kurono Tokyo; Fears Is Adventure Ready; Bulgari And Gübelin Release Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Day

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. It’s been a super busy week, I’m glad it’s over, and I’m off to dinner with the wife. But in the meantime, how cool is that Fears?

In this issue:

• Longines Gives Their 39mm Legend Diver A Crisp White Dial

• Marathon Uses Color For The First Time In The Navigator 'Blue Yonder' Limited Edition

• The New Blue Kurono Tokyo 2025 Jubilee Sensu EOL Will Be The Last Of Its Kind

• Fears Is Adventure Ready With The EXPERIMENTAL 01 And The Brunswick 40 “Odyssey Edition”

• Bulgari Teams Up With Gübelin For A Special Edition Of The Fantastic Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days

👂What’s new

1/

Longines Gives Their 39mm Legend Diver A Crisp White Dial

Ever since it first came out in 2007, I’ve loved the Longines Legend Diver. It was one of the first watches on the market that heavily dipped into the vintage look, replicating as truthfully as possible the 1959 Super-Compressor Longines Diver ref. 7042. It was a large watch at 42mm (with an additional, more feminine 36mm option, added later), but it fit my Shrek-sized arms quite well. It wasn’t until 2023 that Longines finally expanded that collection by adding a 39mm version which came in blue or black. Since then Longines released the 39mm version in a couple of different colors, but one color was missing — white. Well, here we go, this is the new 39mm Longines Legend Diver in white.

On the outside, things remain the same. The case measures 39mm wide, 12.7mm thick and has a 47mm lug-to-lug, with a brushed and polished finish to the stainless steel. Since it has a Super-Compressor style case you get two crowns on the right side, one to set the time and the other to operate the internal bezel. On top is a boxed-shape sapphire crystal, and on the caseback is an embossed scuba diver. Water resistance is 300 meters.

As far as the dial is concerned, the basics reman the same. You get a fully graduated rotating internal bezel, matching the dial color, slightly raised numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock coated with Super-LumiNova, along with segmented indices every five minutes. The hour hand is arrow shaped, the minutes pencil shaped, both rhodium plated and filled with lume. The only new thing here, of course is the white dial. It’s a rather flat white, which is perfectly contrasted with the black markers and the slightly green lume.

Inside is the L888.6 automatic, which beats at 25,200vph (3.5Hz) and has a 72 hour power reserve. The movement has a silicon balance spring and is COSC certified. The watches come on a beads-of-rice steel bracelet with a double-safety folding clasp and micro-adjustment holes.

The new wite Longines Legend Diver 39mm is not limited and is part of the regular collection. Price is set at €3,800. See more on the Longines website.

2/

Marathon Uses Color For The First Time In The Navigator 'Blue Yonder' Limited Edition

Historical quotes sound really cool, but are often misattributed or misquoted. For example, there’s very little evidence that Henry Ford ever said that his Model T can “come in any color the customer wants, as long as it’s black”. While it’s pretty sure he never said it, it’s often repeated because it tells you so much you need to know about Ford and his invention, the assembly line. Using just black, which is an easy color to apply, Ford could cut down on time needed for painting, making his operation more efficient. But this is easily disprovable, as Model T cars were sold in red, grey, green and black. But you know one place you would never find color? A Marathon watch. These rugged and tough tool watches always came in either black or white. Well, no more, as Marathon is just releasing the Navigator “Blue Yonder” which features blue details. OK, sure, it’s not neon green, but any color is a big deal for Marathon.

Built on the navigator, it comes in a familiar 316L stainless steel brushed case that measures 41mm wide, 11mm thick and has a 48mm lug-to-lug. It’s a very recognizable case that has an asymmetrical construction that serves as a guard for the fairly small crown. The “Blue Yonder”, taken from the opening line in the official U.S. Air Force song, pays homage to the U.S. Air Force and the skies they operate in, and that inspiration is reflected in the color. The deep blue first appears on the really nice matte aluminum bezel insert with a 12 hour scale done in white. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The same dark shade of blue continues onto the dial, which is otherwise a standard Navigator dial. That means that you get the signature tritium gas tube for lume that doesn’t require external light charge, not just on the hour markers, but also on the syringe-style hands. All of the tubes emit green light, except for the one at 12 o’clock which glows orange. You get a date aperture with a white date disc at 4:30.

This is a true tool watch, and such, it’s equipped with the Swiss ETA F06.412 quartz movement. It features HeavyDrive-PreciDrive technology, which provides enhanced shock protection and it is accurate to ±10 seconds per year, which is the best in Marathon's lineup. The watch comes on a navy blue rubber strap, matching the color of the bezel and dial.

The new Marathon SSNAV-D Blue Yonder is limited to 500 pieces and is priced at $1,200. See more on the Marathon website, but keep in mind it likely won’t take you to the product page, as Marathon has different websites for different regions, so it might redirect you to your local website.

3/

The New Blue Kurono Tokyo 2025 Jubilee Sensu EOL Will Be The Last Of Its Kind

There’s no denying the power of Kurono Tokyo, a more affordable brand headed by Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka who has made a name for himself with high-end watches. Under the Kurono Tokyo name, Asaoka has released a number of very cool chronographs and Urushi lacquered dial models that all sell out instantly. Building on the very well received Sensu NOS special project with a guilloche-like dial and new-old-stock movements, Kurono is now launching the Jubilee Sensu EOL. That additions to the Sensu name tell us two things — the watch is celebrating Asaoka’s 60th diamond jubilee and they have end-of-life movements. What are those, you’ll ask, and I’ll tell you to give me a moment to check.

The watch comes in a case that’s very much the same as the one used for the Sensu NOS, which means it measures 38mm wide, 11.2mm thick and has a 45.6mm lug-to-lug. The stainless steel case has a polished finish and on top is a box-shaped sapphire crystal. New for this model is a black onyx cabochon in the crown, paying homage to its creator. Water resistance is 50 meters.

Even the dial keeps it similar to the NOS model, but with a new color. The base gets a ice blue metallic color, painted over a stamped guilloche dial that also has a new chrysanthemum wave pattern in the centre of the dial. At 9 o’clock is a power reserve indicator that has a folding fan texture to it. The numerals are executed in black Kanji and the polished steel hands have hand-bent tips to curve around the edge of the dial.

What’s all new are the movements. While the NOS used new-old-stock movements by Miyota, the EOL is using end-of-life movements and are a send off for the calibre 9133 which Miyota is discontinuing. Only a limited number of movements have been made available, without the possibility to access more, and Kurono Tokyo insisted on these movements as they are equipped with the power reserve function. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a 40 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a black leather strap.

Like so many Kurono Tokyo watches, there’s a process to getting one. There will be two order windows open, both on May 22nd, one at 11AM Japan time, and the later at 11PM Japan time. In-store previews and preorders will be possible starting yesterday, May 15th at Kurono Tokyo boutiques in Aoyama and Shanghai. All orders made in those time windows will be delivered to customers. Price is set at $2,230, without taxes. See more on the Kurono website.

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Fears Is Adventure Ready With The EXPERIMENTAL 01 And The Brunswick 40 “Odyssey Edition”

Despite its cushion shape and short lugs that might remind you of a famous dive watch from Italy, Fears has never been associated with making outright sports watches. But then again, the British never do anything in an outright sporty way, do they? Look at tennis and rugby players… they are dressed better than most people you see walking the streets. Jaguar’s race cars were always the best looking thing on track. So, for Fears to build a sports-exploration watch on the base of the Brunswick is exactly what we would expect. They are now launching the Experimental 01, a watch built for Angus Collins for his Great British Odyssey world record attempt, along with a limited edition Commemorative Brunswick 40 ‘Odyssey Edition’.

Starting with the Experimental 01, it will be worn by extreme endurance athlete Angus Collins who is attempting to become the first person in history to solo row around the entirety of the Great British mainland. The event will raise £250,000 in support of men experiencing suicidal crises, and it will see Collins rowing 18 hour days for 60 days to complete the task. And for that Fears built up its Brunswick to turn it into their “first tool watch since the 1970s”. It has the familiar cushion shape, measuring 40mm wide and 11.06mm thick. Other than a fully satin case, which is supposed to cut down on sun reflections, this watch gets a number of other upgrades that help it get ready for the adventure — laser welded fixed lugs to replace spring bars that might fail and an upgraded 300 meter water resistance.

The dial also gets modified to be more adapt for its use. It’s done in an ultra contrastign way for easy viewing, with an special anti-glare ‘orange peel’ texture with a white matte varnish and blue PVD treated applied hour markers and hands, filled with X2 Super-LumiNova. It comes on an elastic stripe and undergoes Fears Precision Time Testing, which is a really cool thing. Fears selected 25 new La Joux-Perret G101 movements, tested them over a period of days to determine the five most accurate. This cream of the crop was then further regulated for a week to increase their accuracy in all positions as much as possible. They were then further tested over a period of weeks by being attached to ‘mule’ watches worn by the Fears team with detailed accounts of their daily activity. The result is 0/+1 second a day accuracy.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to buy the Experimental 01. What you will be able to buy is the limited edition Brunswick 40 ‘Odyssey Edition’, which is quite familiar to the Experimental 01 and released to commemorate Collins’ Great British Odyssey. But it’s also a bit more suited for civilian use. The case has the same proportions, but it features regular lugs and a combination of brushed and polished surfaces. You also get a caseback engraved with the British mainland and Angus’ route.

The dial is extremely similar to the Experimental 01, but now without the blue and red insignia above 6 o’clock and slightly less color on the nuemrals. Also, it uses X1 Super-LumiNova. But otherwise, it’s pretty much the same. Inside, you’ll find the same La Joux-Perret G101 movement, but it doesn’t go through Fears Precision Time Testing. It also comes on two straps, a Elasticated Strap from Erika’s Originals to match the Experimental 01 and a Delugs textured rubber strap with a new Fears x Delugs leaf-spring deployant clasp.

The new Fears Brunswick 40 ‘Odyssey Edition’ is available for pre-order now, with deliveries starting in late July, and total numbers limited to 100 pieces. Price is set at £3,550, with taxes included. See more on the Fears website.

5/

Bulgari Teams Up With Gübelin For A Special Edition Of The Fantastic Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days

There’s really no way to ruin a Bulgari Octo Finissimo. It’s one of the best looking watches ever made. You can only make it better, as is evident in this new release from Bulgari, the new Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days made in partnership with the Swiss family-owned watch retailer Gübelin.

The watch comes in a familiar case, made out of sandblasted titanium, measuring 40mm wide and a pretty fantastic 5.95mm thick. It’s the same case with multiple facets and a fixed bezel on top that holds the sapphire crystal down. There’s a sapphire crystal on the back, as well, and the titanium crown on the side has a black ceramic insert. And despite its delicate thinness and certain non-sportiness, you still get the tiniest of water resistance — 30 meters.

Being the skeleton model, there is no dial, but rather layers of matte grey openworked bridges that make up both the movement and the dial. Around the perimeter is a thin matte grey minute track with white markings, and between 7 and 8 o’clock is a small seconds hand which also incorporates a power reserve indicator. As part of the partnership, setting the watch apart from the regular Skeleton 8 Day, this version gets bright blue painted hour markers, the 12 numeral, parts of the small seconds dial and the centrally mounted hour and minute hands.

Inside, and visible from front and back, is the manually wound calibre BVL 199 SK. It beats at 3Hz and thanks to the huge barrel that sits between noon and 2 o’clock, you get 8 days, or 192 hours, of power reserve. That’s cool. The watch comes on a single-link matching titanium bracelet with the same satin finish as the rest of the case, and closing with a triple-blade folding clasp.

The new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days is on sale now, exclusively at Gübelin and it’s priced at CHF 27,900. See more on the Gübelin 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

• The more I dive into these various obsessions, be they films, cars, watches or music, and meeting more people who like the same things I like, the more I’m interested in how it all started for them. What their gateway into the obsession was. This piece in Point Magazine deals with the same thing, just in the world of books. What was that one book that started it all for you?

• An underdressed reporter journeys across icy, barren Greenland—and into Trump’s bored, nineteenth-century brain. The conclusion is: real men steal countries. Oh, and this article has one of the best illustrations I’ve seen in a while.

• With Ballot Measure 110 in 2020, Oregon decriminalized possession of small amounts of hard drugs like fentanyl and meth. The idea was to emulate programs in Portugal and France that had successfully reduced overdoses and public drug use. Four years later, it was clear decriminalization had not worked, more people were overdosing in the streets, and the measure was repealed. For Rolling Stone, Jason Motlagh spoke with business owners, treatment workers, harm reduction specialists, addicts and more to report on life in Portland after the repeal of Ballot Measure 110.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Between late December 1989 and late January 1990, the United States launched Operation Just Cause to invade Panama and oust the formerly CIA-supported military dictator Manuel Noriega. As the sun rose on December 20th, multiple U.S. Special Operations units initiated strategic attacks throughout the country against Panama’s Defense Forces and Noriega’s personal property. Of particular priority was the retrieval of a man code-named “Precious Cargo.” This would be the task of America’s Delta Force in a mission known as Operation Acid Gambit...

Thanks for reading,
Vuk