Omega Revamps The Planet Ocean With More Angles And Polishes; echo/neutra's Black And Tan Dials On 1956 GMT; Jack Mason's Ti Strat-o-timer Diver GMT; Black And White Elkas; A Whacky Orange Angelus

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I swear I was going to send the letter on time today, but then Cloudfare went down and took with it half the internet. Which meant I could wait for the release of the new Planet Oceans. It’s an easy bet, but I’m betting this will be the most controversial release of the year. Fight amongst yourselves!

In this issue

• Omega Completely Revamps The Planet Ocean Collection With A More Angular And Polished Look

• Echo Neutra Adds Pretty Great Black And Tan Variants Of The 1956 GMT

• Jack Mason Does Their Great Strat-o-timer In Titanium And As A Diver GMT

• Elka Shows Of Their Artsy Side With The S Series Monochrome Editions

• Angelus Gives Us Their Whacky Flying Tourbillon Titanium In Orange

👂What’s new

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Omega Completely Revamps The Planet Ocean Collection With A More Angular And Polished Look

Before I even properly knew what an Omega — let alone a proper quality watch — even was, my face was pressed into the windows of Munich watch shops looking at one watch — the Omega Planet Ocean with an orange bezel and orange strap. I was in love with that thing. Since, I’ve owned, and still own, many Omegas, but for some reason, that one remained out of my grasp. I think I outgrew it a bit, with its chunky case and overall weird proportions on my wrist. But it still remains an important and formative watch for me. So it’s been kind of a bummer to not see it significantly change since 2016, despite getting two generations in the ten years of existence then. Now, however, we’re getting an update. And boy what an update it is. Omega has been teasing it for days, and the second I saw them change their logo to orange, I knew it was the new PO. What I didn’t know is that it was a brand new Planet Ocean. A brand new watch. The fourth generation gets an angular case, deletes the controversial helium escape valve, gets a new bracelet and plenty of polished surfaces. This one is going to be controversial and I can’t wait to see what people have to say.

The Planet Ocean has always been a very classic diver for Omega, despite the large size, with the instantly recognizable lyre lugs, a round case, a diving bezel in great colors and that unmistakable HEV sticking out at 10 o’clock. The 2025 Seamaster Planet Ocean is completely different. Lyre lugs? Gone. Rounded surfaces? Out the window. The HEV? Don’t even think about it. But you know what did happen? The watch got smaller, and that’s not something you often hear from Omega. The previous version of the PO measured 43.5mm wide and more than 16mm thick. This new one measures 42mm wide and just 13.8mm thick, which is even more impressive when you consider that they keep the 600 meter water resistance.

To do that, and to get rid of the HEV, the Planet ocean has an inner titanium ring internal to the bezel that makes it extra resistant to pressure and, supposedly, helps with helium buildup. You see, for years, Omega convinced us that HEVs that jut out at 10 o’clock are a necessity because if we do go saturation diving after work, our watches will disintegrate on our wrists. Now, finally, construction methods have caught up with the demands of deep sea diving and no HEV is needed any more. On top is a flat sapphire crystal surrounded by a serrated unidirectional rotating bezel with an oversized ceramic insert and a fully graduated 60 minute scale. The bezels come in black, blue and orange, and visually, orange is still my favorite. But wait a bit and you’ll see how irrationally angry the orange will make you.

The case is still made out of stainless steel but so much has changed that when I saw a leak of the watch and it was a wrist roll video, I thought I was looking at a Zenith Defy Revival. There are sharp edges everywhere, but most notably on the lugs, which give it an almost integrated bracelet look. I would love to know what the lug-to-lug on this is. But if you look at the Omega website at the lug-to-lug measurement, it just says “No”. Thanks. But most controversially, while the case has brushed tops and sides, the extremely broad chamfers are highly, highly polished. I like it. But I can see the problem with it.

The dials, while different, haven’t changed as radically as the case. They are all mate black with the signature arrow tipped hands, trapezoidal applied indexes and Arabic numerals at cardinal points that are now open worked. In what has to be a personal favor to me, Omega has removed the date completely from the watch, and I herby thank them. There are slight changes depending on which bezel you choose — the orange bezel is paired with Arabic numerals in matte orange, the black bezel gets rhodium plated numerals and the blue bezel gets matte white numerals.

Inside, don’t expect anything revolutionary. It uses their calibre 8912 automatic that has a Co-Axial escapement, beating at 4Hz, with a 60 hour power reserve. It has a rare function for a non GMT movement in which you get to jump the hour hand without stopping the movement, which is practical when changing time zones. It is, of course Master Chronometer certified. And now, on to the thing that will likely drive the most people mad — the bracelet. First, you can get them on black or orange rubber straps. But you can get them on a bracelet as well. First, the good news. It’s a very flat bracelet making it look very thin on wrist. And that’s about it when it comes to good news. First, it’s closed with a classic foldover clasp with a diver extension, but no micro-adjust. This should bring immeasurable shame on the house of Omega that in 2025 we don’t get micro-adjust. But what’s even wilder for a tool watch, the outer links are brushed, while the inner links, as well as the whole inner surface of the clasp, gets the highest of polishes that I assume will be scratched by dust landing on it as soon as you put on. I assume a lot of people will complain about this, but I like it when a brand makes a decision like that, scratches be damned.

The new generation Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean is, of course, part of the permanent collection. The price will be almost infuriating as the rest of the details I mentioned. It’s not about the hike in price, which, of course, happened, but the one price difference that just seems like Omega is trolling. You see, if you want a PO on rubber in black or blue, it will cost you €8,300. But if you want the same PO on rubber in orange, that’s €8,600. What in the world… Same watch, just a slightly different color. I would have found it less of a troll if they just priced it at €8,600 in all colors. If you want the bracelet, the black and blue are €9,000, while the orange is €9,200. A I know I went on several rants here, and that I haven’t seen it live, but I think I like this watch. I think I like it a lot. See more on the Omega website.

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Echo Neutra Adds Pretty Great Black And Tan Variants Of The 1956 GMT

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. That was good. But what’s also good is that they are back to their cool sports and tool watches. The latest to get an update, the first significant one in two years, comes in the 1956 GMT collection.

You know this case from previous 1956 collections, and it’s about as great as you would expect from a brand that is now well established in the market. Made out of stainless steel, it measures 40mm wide, 11.9mm wide and has a comfortable 46mm lug-to-lug. That’s particularly curious because when you see the watch it looks to have long lugs and cold stick past the wrist. Instead, the lugs are fairly thin and angular, just giving them an illusion of length. On top is an ultra domed sapphire crystal, surrounded by one of the coolest bezels in the industry. They are bidirectional with 48 clicks, with a 24 hour scale rendered on it, split into two colors — a darker blue with orange and a lighter blue with a red. Both of those colors have a very vintage vibe. But the best part of the bezel, the truly vintage inspired one, is a domed sapphire crystal on the bezel that make the thing look like old bakelite bezels. Water resistance is a decent 100 meters.

Then there’s the dials, which come in two versions - a black, and a tan. The dials are very minimalist in design, making them very legible and with beautiful Arabic numerals. The handset is treated with old radium Super-LumiNova and the GMT is rendered in a very bright red with an arrow on top.

Inside, you’ll find the trusty Sellita SW330-2 movement which beats at 4Hz and has a 56 hour power reserve. The watches come on black tropical straps, an additional vintage-style leather strap or a mesh strap. You can also opt for an additional stainless steel bracelet.

The new echo/neutra 1956 GMT is available for pre-order now, with deliveries starting November 28th. Price is set at a pretty good €1,290 on leather or mesh bracelet, or at €1,340 on stainless steel. See more on the echo/neutra website.

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Jack Mason Does Their Great Strat-o-timer In Titanium And As A Diver GMT

Jack Mason is having a couple of really, really good months. I’ve always known of Jack Mason, just didn’t give them a second look. Boy, was I wrong. While they have great stuff, today’s focus is on new variants of the Strat-o-timer which has been around for some two of three years. It was a really good sports watch that quickly expanded with numerous colors and functions. Now, however, we’re getting a very interesting new version — the Strat-o-timer Titanium Diver GMT. That’s a combination I can get behind.

At a glance, not much has changed on this Strat-o-timer, but grab one and you’ll see the difference. The case is now made out of grade 2 titanium, but measures the same 40mm wide. Thickness is a manageable 13mm, while the lug-to-lug is 47mm. The case has a fully brushed finish and on top is a sapphire crystal. That’s surrounded by a unidirectional bezel. That’s a bit curious, right? A GMT would make good use of a bi-directional 24-bezel, right? Well, this is a diver as well, so on top is a uni-directional bezel with a 60 minute scale. That’s engraved into a sapphire insert that’s available in either blue or black. Water resistance is 200 meters.

Right now, we’re getting two versions of the dial, both matching the bezels, meaning blue or black. And both have orange details all over. The shape of the hands remains unchanged from the non-GMT version, but here, of course, you get a bright orange 24-hour partially skeletonized hand. That one points to the 24-hour scale that’s printed in between the applied hour markers. At 6 o’clock is a round date aperture, and everything has plenty of bright blue-emitting BGW9 Super-LumiNova.

Inside is the very familiar Miyota 9075, which allows the wearer to jump the local hour hand, meaning that it’s a “true” or flyer-style GMT movement. It beats at 28,800 vph, 4Hz and has a power reserve of about 42 hours. Jack Mason also regulates them in house to +/-5 seconds per day. The watches come on Jubilee-style bracelets that we’ve seen before, just made out of Grade 2 titanium, and with a micro adjust system.

The new Jack Mason Strat-o-timer Titanium Diver GMT is available now, priced at $1,399. See more on the Jack Mason website.

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Elka Shows Of Their Artsy Side With The S Series Monochrome Editions

I was standing near the Elka Watch Co. stand in Geneva in April when I overheard someone say that those dials are works of art. And they really are. When you see a completely mark-less, perfectly brushed Elka dial for the first time, you’re taken aback. So, it’s kind of fitting that they are becoming a part of an art exhibition. From November 4 to December 10, 2025, at the Espace Diorama in Geneva, legendary black and white photographer photographer Christian Coigny will be holding a show in which Elka will participate with their two, or rather four, new S Series Monochrome Editions, paying homage to black and white.

On the outside, this is the same Elka S Series we’ve seen before, with a very elegant case and now available in both of their sizes. There’s the larger one that measures 40.8mm wide and 10.80mm thick, but thanks to nifty lug placement it measures just 46.5mm from lug-to-lug and sits very nicely on wrist. The smaller one comes in at 36mm wide, 10.5mm thick and with a very compact 41.10mm lug-to-lug. On top is the now signature domed sapphire crystal and almost invisible bezel, making for a watch that’s really all dial. Water resistance is mediocre at best at 30 meters, but trust me, you won’t care.

The dials are, once again, despite being devoid of all color. Or including all color. Depending how you want to define black and white. There’s nothing here to take away from the starkness of both editions, and you get the signature leaf-shaped hands, and minimal wording.

Inside both is the La Joux-Perret G100, which has proven to be somewhat loud, mostly due to its fast-turning rotor, but is a really nice alternative to the ETA 2824 clones. It has the same 4Hz beat rate as the clones, but offers a much, much better power reserve of 68 hours. The watches come on matching black and white straps.

The new Elka S Series Monochrome Editions is limited to 100 pieces in each color and are available for pre-sale during the Coigny exhibition. The watches are priced at CHF 1,855, regardless of size or color. See more on the Elka website.

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Angelus Gives Us Their Whacky Flying Tourbillon Titanium In Orange

It might not be a household name today, but Angelus has been making watches since 1891 and were particularly known for their chronographs. The company went way for a while and came back in 2015, revived by La Joux-Perret. Angelus today makes contemporary, well-made sports watches that are dripping in nostalgia. But it was just a matter of time before they stepped into something more modern. And now we got it just a few months ago, when they used the Chronodate case to release the openworked Flying Tourbillon Titanium Blue Edition. Now, we’re getting a new version, this one in a fantastic orange color.

So, since the watch is based on the Chronodate, we know what it’s all about. It measures 42.5mm wide and 11.45mm thick. It’s a multi-part case that has a carbon composite core that’s surrounded by a titanium case middle. The watch has very angled lugs, which surely helps with the wareability. It is also has a very dramatic notched bezel on top that makes it look almost like a cog. There’s also plenty of brushed surfaces on the entire case. Water resistance is not great for a sports watch, only 30 meters.

Since it’s an openworked watch, there is no dial. Instead you get a flange on the periphery that used to hold Arabic numerals, but now holds pill shaped hour makers made out of lumed blocks. The rest is a combination of intricate orange and antracite PVD treated bridges that wind across the front of the watch. At 9 o’clock is a small seconds sub-dial and the polished hands and numerals are filled with lume.

The movement you see through the dial, and the caseback, is the calibre A-310, a manually wound mechanical movement incorporating a one-minute flying tourbillon. It beats at 4Hz and has a 60 hour power reserve from the large barrel you can see at 1 o’clock. The watch comes on a brushed single-link titanium bracelet with an additional black alligator strap and orange rubber strap.

The new Angelus Flying Tourbillon Titanium Orange is limited to 25 pieces and priced at CHF 47,000. See more on the Angelus website.

⏲️End links

A bunch of links that might or might not have something to do with watches. One thing’s for sure - they’re interesting

• “The real spectacle that draws us here,” David Foster Wallace wrote of the Illinois State Fair, “is us.” Of course, Wallace took the 15,000-word scenic route before reaching his epiphany. For Michael Adno, a longtime fan of the Sarasota County Agricultural Fair, communion is the starting place. Over nine days, Adno observes his hometown fair at a vulnerable moment, its temporary workers and doughnut burger stands flanked by anti-immigrant rhetoric and Trump-related merchandise. His essay honors the quiet vulnerabilities that brings people together.

• Jenny Erpenbeck was born in East Berlin, and grew up among post-war ruins that gradually disappeared from the landscape following the reunification of Germany. Those ruins, writes Robert Rubsam, “taught her the virtue of unproductive places and idle things, of empty spaces, left open for her to wander them and to ask: How did I get here, and how did all of this?” For The Baffler, Rubsam considers our varied relationships with ruins, exploring ways in which they vivify the histories we inherit.

• Heidi Pett’s 1843 Magazine story transports us to the sunny Syrian coast, a place that some Syrians, especially those from the Sunni cities that rose up against the Assad regime, could not freely visit during the war. Pett’s dispatch, alongside vibrant photographs by Gabriel Ferneini, captures families and children enjoying the sea—some for the very first time. Together, Pett’s words and Ferneini’s images hint at a tentative but meaningful new chapter of freedom.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

OK, I’m a bit heavy on the car content lately, but hear me out. Just like with watches, there’s a running list of cars that I would love to own. One of them, very close to the top of the list, is a Fiat Panda. I can’t list that many cars that I like more than a Fiat Panda. It’s perfect.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk