Longines Shrinks Pilot Duo; A Seiko Speedtimer Made For A Grand Tour; Norqain's Purple Wild One Skeleton; A Swimming Jacques Bianchi; Hermès H08 In Titanium Returns; Pierre Gasly's H. Moser & Cie.

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In this issue

• Longines Shrinks Down Their Pilot’s Duo, The Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback

• The Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Motoring Edition Is Perfect For Your European Grand Tour

• Norqain Adds A Purple Haze To Their Wild One Skeleton 42mm

• Jacques Bianchi Teams Up With Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille Elite Swim Club For A Special JB200

• Hermès Brings Back The H08 In Titanium With Signature Brand Colors

• The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Tourbillon, Made With F1 Driver Pierre Gasly

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

• FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Watches You Might Not Have Seen, Week 50: The Wonderful Dancing Hands Of The Seiko 8M35 Yacht Timer

👂What’s new

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Longines Shrinks Down Their Pilot’s Duo, The Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback

This is a very personal impression, but I always found the pilot’s watches in the Longines Spirit collection to be a very good combination of historical inspiration with modern touches that help the watches not feel like mere historical reenactment. While the flieger recreations are full-blown recreatsions, the Longines Spirit pilot’s watches always seemed to sidestep that trap. And if there was one thing that you could hold against the watches that they might have been too large for smaller wrists. Well, guess what… Longines just shrunk down these pilots watches, and these are the new and more compact Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback.

Starting with the simple time-only Spirit Pilot, it comes in a new case size that joins an already expansive lineup, including 37mm, 40mm and 42mm. The enw case measures 39mm wide, 11.5mm thick and has a 47.20mm lug-to-lug, which is a significant 2mm less than the 40mm version. The case has a brushed finish with polished bevels, on the side is a screw-down crown and you get 100 meters of water resistance.

While the case is brand new, the dial hasn’t been ignored either and is now much more simplified. You get a two-layer dial with cutouts around the markers, and a matte black dial. You get applied numerals, logo and all the tracks done in gold tones for a vintage feel. What’s brand new is the lack of the date aperture, as well as the 5-star logo, and a new and simpler minute scale on the periphery. Inside, however, there are not changes. You still get the calibre L888.4, an evolution of the ETA 2892. It beats at 3-5Hz and has a 72 hour power reserve, with a COSC certification. The watch comes on either a 3-link steel bracelet, a green rubber strap or a brown leather strap. The bracelet and leather come with folding clasps that have micro-adjust. These are part of the regular collection, priced at €2,600 on rubber, €2,700 on leather and €2,950 on steel. See more on the Longines website. 

Movin to the Spirit Pilot Flyback, this one is even more welcomed than the three-hander, as it fixes the 42mm diameter and whopping 16.5mm thickness of the existing collection. The new version comes in a stainless steel case that measures 39.5mm wide, with a decent 47.4mm lug-to-lug, but also vastly improved thickness of 13.4mm. On top is a rotating bezel with a shiny black ceramic insert that has a countdown timer, surrounding a box-shaped sapphire crystal. The crown on this one doesn’t screw down, but you still get 100 meters of water resistance.

The dial continues the improvements from the Spirit Pilot — a matte black base, no date, no 5-star logo, gilt hands, markers, logos and tracks. It’s a bi-compax setup with a 30 minute totalizer and a running seconds. Inside is the calibre L792.4, a modified Valjoux 7750. But it’s also a reason why they managed to cut down on that thickness — while the larger variant is an automatic chronograph, this one is hand wound. It has a column wheel, flyback function and a silicon hairspring. It beats at 4Hz and has a 68 hour power reserve, and a COSC certification. The watch is available on a brown leather strap or a stainless steel bracelet, both with micro-adjustable folding clasp. Price is set at €5,150 on leather and €5,400 on steel. See more on the Longines website.

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The Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Motoring Edition Is Perfect For Your European Grand Tour

Late last year, Seiko introduced in short succession a duo of fantastic Prospex Speedtimers. First was the SSC937, an EU exclusive, and the globally available SSC953. They came in a beautiful blue and stunning red dial respectively and I think I argued at the time that the Prospex Speedtimer might be a really cool and unexpected platform for Seiko to be more courageous with. And it’s happening. Just a few months ago we got a pretty fantastic lavander dial SSC955, created for this year’s World Athletics Championships in Japan. Now, we have the SSC813 Motoring Edition which gets an unusual shade of cream.

Again, Seiko is using the smaller of the chronograph cases here. That means the steel case measures 39mm wide, 13.3mm wide and with a very decent 45.5mm lug-to-lug measurement. It has circular-brushed top surfaces and a high-polished case band, with a fixed stainless steel bezel with a tachymeter scale engraved into it. The crystal is sapphire and the lugs curve down slightly. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The color on the dial is obviously inspired by pastel cream colors on European cars from the 1960s, with a sunray finish. Seiko claims that the sub-dials are black, but I’ve seen a couple of photos of the watch and they range from a dark lavander to a light grey. Never did they look black. Speaking of, those sub-dials — running seconds at 9 o’clock, a 60-minute chronograph register at 6 o’clock, and a 24-hour (AM/PM) indicator at 3 o’clock — they are solar cells that charge the watch. A neat trick is hidden in the 6 o’clock subdial which also serves as the power reserve indicator, with an “E” for empty and an “F” for fully charged, if the chronograph is not running. The hour and minute hands, as well as the central chrono hand, are silver and filled with cream lume. The only thing spoiling the great look of this watch is the date aperture with a black date wheel at a bit after 4 o’clock.

Inside is the solar-powered quartz V192 movement. Sure, a mechanical movement might have been much more attractive, but can you really complaing that much? You get 6 months of power reserve in complete darkness, accuracy of + / - 15 seconds per month and is super durable. The watch comes on a three-row stainless steel bracelet with polished center links and brushed outer links.

The new Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph SSC813 Motoring Edition goes on sale in November, limited to 2,700 pieces and they will be available only in Europe. I couldn’t confirm the exact price, but it should be about €840. See more on the Seiko website.

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Norqain Adds A Purple Haze To Their Wild One Skeleton 42mm

Over the last few months, maybe even a year or so, Norqain has been focusing on expanding their collections with new — and smaller — sizes, materials and colors. Just when you thought they might have forgotten their classics, like the Wild One Skeleton in 42mm. Well, they haven’t, because they just introduced the watch in purple.

The new Norqain Wild One Skeleton 42mm Purple comes in the case that has put the brand on the map. It’s a complicated case with 25 components, with a titanium core that protects the movement, a Norteq outer case (Norteq being a super-light, ultra-resistant, proprietary carbon fibre composite) and rubber shock absorbers that make the case resistant to shocks of 5,000g. The Norteq case remains black on this version, while the rubber shock absorbers take on the new purple color. Water resistance is 200 meters.

The dial is gone, since this is a skeletonized model, but around the periphery is a purple flange and black sloping track which has a minute track and faceted diamond-cut indices attached to it. The hands are skeletonized and have light purple Super-LumiNova inserts in their tips. The seconds hand has a white lume filled arrow head framed in purple.

Inside, you’ll find the NB08S calibre, which is just a regular Sellita SW200 movement that beats at 4Hz and has a 41 hour power reserve. It’s also COSC certified. The watch comes on a purple mesh-style rubber strap.

The new Wild One Skeleton Purple is limited to 400 pieces and available now. Price is set at €5,550. See more on the Norqain website.

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Jacques Bianchi Teams Up With Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille Elite Swim Club For A Special JB200

Jacques Bianchi might not be a household name, but people have been slowly falling in love with them. The company was started in Marseille back in the 1980s and launched with their JB200, which was a quartz dive watch at one time issued to combat divers of the French Navy. The brand struggled and went under, only to be revived recently. In 2021 the brand launched a Kickstarter campaign for the reissue JB200, a classic looking diver that raised almost €800,000. Since then they have put out a couple of very cool dive models, and I’ve loved every one I’ve seen. Now, they are teaming up with the Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille, an elite swim club based in Marseille, which is something that you could find in a place like Marseille.

The new Jacques Bianchi JB 200 Cercle is based on the JB 200 Maxi Dial, and hasn’t changed much on the outside. It’s a stainless steel chunky thing that measures 42mm wide, 13.3mm thick and has a 47mm lug-to-lug. JB has become somewhat notorious for their use of destro configurations where they place the crown and guards on the left side. However, this version gets a traditional crown on the right side. On top is a flat sapphire crystal and 60-click unidirectional bezel with a black aluminum insert that has a lumed 60 minute scale. Water resistance is 200 meters.

The dial looks familiar but is also the main canvas for the collaboration. You get a blue base with white circles, rectangles and a triangle for oversized markers, with a white 60 minute scale on the periphery with yellow numerals at 5 minute intervals. More yellow can be found on the all yellow seconds hand. At 6 o’clock is a date aperture, above which sits an illustration of a seagull, a symbol of the Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille.

Inside is the Soprod P024 automatic movement. This is another clone of the ETA 2824, which means that you get a beat rate of 28,800vph and has a 38 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a blue tropic-style strap.

The JB 200 Cercle is a limited edition of 150 individually numbered pieces and available now. Price is set at €1,079, without tax. See more on the Jacques Bianchi website.

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Hermès Brings Back The H08 In Titanium With Signature Brand Colors

I have a bit of a soft spot for the Hermès H08. It’s a very cool sports watch from a brand you would never expect to make such a laid back sports watch. It hasn’t been around very long, only since about 2012, but in that time we’ve seen it in many material iterations. Steel, gold and even a very interesting braided glass fibre composite. But the best version, the one that always suited it best, was titanium, a material that was missing from the collection for a while. Well, I didn’t notice that about a month ago, Hermès brought back the H08 in titanium with two slightly differing colorways and I’m glad it happened.

On the outside, this is a very familiar watch. The cushion-shaped case measures 39mm x 39mm, with a number of very intricate finishes, and curves that turn a very simple shape into something interesting. The titanium midcase has a satin brushed finish, with a sunray brushed bezel on top and miror polished bevels. The titanium bezel shows up on one of the references, while the other one has a black ceramic bezel. They both look really nice. It’s also a sports watch, so you get 100 meters of water resistance.

Like I said, there are two references, and they differ not just in the bezel material, but also the Arabic numerals and hands. Both versions get a grained base with a circular-brushed track that holds a small date window at 4:30. the version with the titanium bezel gets silver-coloured hands and numerals with white lume, as well as an orange tipped seconds hand, while the version with the black ceramic bezel gets numerals and hands in Hermès Bleu Saint-Cyr, also done in lilac blue.

Inside, you’ll find a really nice Vaucher-made automatic calibre H1837. It beats at 4Hz and has a 50 hour power reserve. The movement has the brand’s signature H pattern all over the rotor and bridges. The full titanium model comes on a titanium bracelet that has mirror-polished central links, an orange or blue abysse textured rubber strap and blue or black textile straps, all with titanium folding buckles. The ceramic bezel version comes with a dark grey or bleu Saint-Cyr rubber strap.

The new Hermès H08 models are available now, as part of the regular collection, with prices ranging from €6,900 to €7,900, mostly depending on the strap you choose. See more on the Hermès website.

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The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Tourbillon, Made With F1 Driver Pierre Gasly

Pretty much every single Formula 1 team over the past 20 or 30 years has had a good watch sponsorships. Some of these partnerships, like the one between Ferrari and Hublot or Mercedes and IWC, have resulted in some pretty interesting watches. But I think an argument could be made that the collaboration between the Alpine F1 team and H. Moser & Cie. will go down as one of the greatest collaborations in the industry. I talked a bit with the brand in Geneva about the their collaboration and it was cool to hear that they don’t just make F1 themed special editions, but they go beyond that. For example, the recently released Mechanics Edition of the Streamliner is used by the management of the Alpine team to send message to the garage in real time, during the race, displaying critical info and announcing pit stop. That’s coo. The most recent collaboration comes in the form of the Streamliner Tourbillon Pierre Gasly, just ahead of the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix.

The Streamliner case is very familiar. Made out of heavily brushed 18k rose gold, measuring 40mm wide and 12.1mm thick, it’s instantly recognizable for the Art Deco inspired look that has a cushion-shaped design, swooping lines, complete lack of lugs and a tightly integrated bracelet. On top is a slightly domed sapphire crystal and the watch gets a respectable 120m water resistance rating.

The dial is just as recognizable as the case. It has a beautiful sunray-brushed fumé effect, now in brown that fades from a light center to a dark chocolate on the edges. All of the very cool Streamliner tricks are present here, as well: the clear lacquered logo, the gold hour markers and the incredibly cool luminous Globolight inserts that extend from the shorter gold hour and minute hands. Instead of the marker at 10 o’clock, you get a baguette-cut ruby, representing number 10 under which Pierre Gasly drives.

Inside, you’ll find the calibre HMC 805, an automatic movement that has a double-hairspring flying tourbillon, visible through the dial at 6 o’clock. It beats at 3Hz and has a 72 hour power reserve. The fact that the tourbillon has two hairsprings instead of one, which helps improve its accuracy. The watch can be had on either a brown rubber strap or a full gold bracelet.

The new H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Tourbillon Pierre Gasly is available now, with the version on the rubber strap being limited to 100 pieces, priced at CHF 79,000, without tax. The version on the gold strap is limited to just 10 pieces — again, Gasly’s number — and priced at CHF 119,000, also without VAT. See more on the Moser website.

SPECIAL FEATURE: The Serica 5303: French Heritage and Modern Mastery in the Dive Watch Tradition

The story of the modern dive watch can’t be told without France. Long before Switzerland became the center of watchmaking, workshops in Paris and Besançon were already shaping the craft. From the 16th century onward, French watchmakers combined function and design in a way that set them apart. Abraham-Louis Breguet’s tourbillon and Cartier’s Tank are milestones, not just of horology, but of culture—examples of how French design has always fused practicality with style.

From the 17th century onward, French makers blended craft with art. Abraham-Louis Breguet’s tourbillon remains a symbol of innovation, but also of elegance. Cartier’s Tank turned the wristwatch into a style icon, proof that in Paris, design mattered as much as mechanics. Even during periods of war and economic struggle, French brands left their mark. LIP became a sign of resistance during World War II. Yema produced robust divers and chronographs that were worn both in service and in everyday life. These weren’t just tools; they were watches that told stories, tied to moments of history and culture.

Among France’s contributions, none has proven more lasting than the dive watch.

The dive watch owes much of its DNA to military need. In the mid-20th century, the French Navy required reliable equipment for divers working under harsh and dangerous conditions. Their missions demanded timepieces that could resist salt water, shocks, and magnetic interference, while still being clear to read at a glance. This pressure drove innovation. The rotating bezel was perfected to time dives. Screw-down crowns and reinforced cases made watches water-tight. Anti-magnetic shielding ensured accuracy near sensitive equipment. Brightly luminous dials made sure the watch could be read in total darkness. Many of these features, now standard across the watch industry, were first developed to meet the demands of military divers.

Read the rest of this essay here.

FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Historical Perspectives: The Little Known Story of Swatch’s Run at Reinventing the Automobile

What happens when the mastermind behind Swatch tries to change how we drive. Read it 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

• “The book business may be centred in New York, but the logic is pure Las Vegas.” In this essay at The Walrus, Tajja Isen examines the modern publishing industry, the sales “track” metric that can make or break an author’s career, and how it’s harder than ever for writers to sell books right now, unless they “scream commercial” or are guaranteed blockbusters. Isen discusses debuts; book advances; the trickle-down effects on smaller presses; and the impact on the entire literary ecosystem, including readers.

• What “the internet” means to us today is vastly different from what it meant 20 years ago—let alone in 1990, when Tim Berners-Lee dreamed up HTML, URLs, and the rest of the web’s architecture. Now, the father of the web is trying to restore the internet to its founding spirit of openness. Is he too late? Is such a thing even possible? Julian Lucas isn’t sure, but his profile of Berners-Lee at least reminds us what we’ve lost, and what’s at stake.

• Artificial intelligence is permeating every facet of our lives. Health care is no exception. As they once did by scouring WebMD, people are turning to ChatGPT to diagnose themselves. But doctors are using the technology too. Dhruv Khullar examines where the line between help and harm lies when it comes to incorporating large language models into medicine

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Never, ever, would I even consider rock climbing. As I get older I get more uncomfortable at heights. But that doesn’t mean it’s not an absolute pleasure to see Honnold climb.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk