Omega's New Teal Aqua Terras With Ceramic Bezels; Seiko Pays Homage To Initial D; Selten Puts Out Dial Of The Year; Glashütte Original Continues Exploration Of Colors With Groovy Purple And Lime

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. That Selten dial is driving me crazy. Look at it!

Also, don’t forget about the Laco giveaway!

In this issue

• Omega Introduces Teal Dial Aqua Terras In 38mm And 41mm With New Ceramic Bezels

• Seiko Pays Homage To The Manga/Anime That Brought Drifting To The World, Initial D, And The Iconic Toyota In It

• Selten Teams Up With Watch Ho & Co. Collector Club For A Mesmerizing Guilloche Tahitian Black MoP Dial

• Glashütte Original Continues Their Exploration Of Bright Colors On The Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date

• FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Watch School Wednesday: Diameter is just one part of the size, look at the lug-to-lug for a perfect fit

👂What’s new

1/

Omega Introduces Teal Dial Aqua Terras In 38mm And 41mm With New Ceramic Bezels

I kind of had to do a double take with this new release from Omega, and it’s the one thing that annoys me the most with the Aqua Terra collection, along with it looking a bit bland. Right around the end of the year, Omega added a turquoise dial to the Aqua Terra 150m Shades. So, when I got the email from Omega that they are coming out with this today, I was sure it was the exact same watch. Alas, it wasn’t the exact same watch, because this is not part of the Shades collection, and this one gets a black ceramic bezel, which is a new thing for Aqua Terra. But are you seeing why I’m not impressed with these watches, or is it just me? Anyway, these are the new Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise in 38mm and 41mm.

Made out of stainless, the case remains largely unchanged. This means that the smaller one measures 38mm wide, 12.36mm thick and has a 45mm lug-to-lug, while the larger one measures 41mm wide, 13.26mm thick and has a 48mm lug-to-lug. The case has lyre lugs, a polished finish and a screw-down crown which gets you 150 meters of water resistance. New on this case is the black, brushed ceramic bezel on top which holds down the sapphire crystal. Various other AT collections used a ceramic bezel, but it never appeared on the regular Aqua Terra.

The dial, if I’m not mistaken, is exactly identical to the all-steel versions from last year. That means that they are turquoise, with a gradient from lighter in the center to darker on the periphery. The darker color on the edge works well with the dark grey PVD-coated triangular indices and hands, both filled with lume. Both versions also have date apertures, the regular trapezoid kind found on other AT watches, with a dark grey surround and a black date disc.

Inside the smaller version you’ll find the calibre 8800 which beats at 4Hz and has a 55 hour power reserve from a single barrel, while the calibre 8900 in the larger one gets twin barrels that give you 60 hours of power reserve. Both are, of course, Master Chronometer-certified by METAS, and have a co-axial escapement and a silicon hairspring. The watches come on integrated black rubber straps with turquoise stitching, closed with steel folding clasps.

The new Seamaster Aqua Terra Turquoise with ceramic bezels duo is available now, as part of the regular collection. Price is set at €7,000, regardless of size. See more on the Omega website.

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Seiko Pays Homage To The Manga/Anime That Brought Drifting To The World, Initial D, And The Iconic Toyota In It

Seiko has been on a roll with interesting collaborations. Recently, they did a bunch of watches with Datsun, technically a car brand that doesn’t exist anymore. Then, a few days later, they released an actual collaboration with Pepsi, making them the official Pepsi GMT. Now, we’re getting something a bit more niche. Their latest watch is the Seiko X Initial D 30th Anniversary and I’m fishing for details here, so bear with me. It’s obviously an homage to the cult manga and anime Initial D which follows Takumi Fujiwara, the teenage son of a tofu shop owner who drives a panda-colored Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno, mostly sideways. Initial D turned the AE86 into a racing legend and was one of the first depictions of drifting that broke into mainstream culture, first in Japan and later in the U.S.

Like I said, details are not all that available because this is a Japanese market release, something I’m not very proficient in. What I do know is that this comes in a stainless steel case that measures 39.8mm wide, 12.8mm thick, with a 47mm lug-to-lug. On the side is a protected crown, flanked by piston style pushers. On top is a Hardlex crystal, surrounded by a fixed metal bezel that has an engraved black Tachymeter scale. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The dial is instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever seen the Initial D AE86, as it has the exact same paint scheme. The lower third of the dial is black, with the top two thirds are white. The two smaller sub-dials at 3 and 9 o’clock are painted black and made to look like instruments in a car cluster, while the larger sub-dial at 6 o’clock has a red seconds hand and the Initial D logo. The date sits at 4:30, but is actually quite well integrated. Right above it, you get Japanese text that references the Fujiwara Tofu Shop where Takumi works.

Inside, you’ll find Seiko’s Cal. 8T63 movement, which is essentially the Seiko only version of the VK63 mecaquartz. You get a three year batter life for the quartz timekeeping and a mechanical chronograph. The watch comes on a three-link stainless steel bracelet.

This will be a tough one to get. The new Seiko X Initial D 30th Anniversary is limited to 1995 pieces, which marks the year that the Initial D manga first came out, and from what I gather, will be available only in Japan. And I think it goes on sale in January of 2026, but I couldn’t find it on the Seiko website. The only place I could find it, is on Japan Select, a store that specializes in sourcing Japanese market watches to the rest of the world. So check it out there.

3/

Selten Teams Up With Watch Ho & Co. Collector Club For A Mesmerizing Guilloche Tahitian Black MoP Dial

Selten has been making some ways in the industry with their consistent approach to design, interesting dials and great prices. However, yesterday, they unveiled their collaboration with Watch Ho & Co., a Hong Kong-based watch community and club, which is celebrating its second anniversary. This watch takes their approach to dial work to a whole new level, with the use of black Tahitian mother-of-pearl that has been engraved with an incredible pattern, creating depth unlike any you’re likely to see at this price point. This is the new Watch Ho & Co. x Selten Jui.

The case is fairly simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s not beautiful. Made out of 316L stainless steel, it measures 39mm wide, 9.95mm thick and has a 45.5mm lug-to-lug. On top is a domed sapphire crystal, surrounded by a stepped bezel and an interesting combination of brushed and polished surfaces. The lugs got more attention than you would expect, with a slight horned look. Out back is an exhibition caseback, and water resistance is 100 meters.

Then, we have the dial, which is truly incredible. First, you don’t see much of natural black Tahitian mother-of-pearl, that has a natural iridescence with shades of green, red, blue, purple and pink. But Selten then goes and engraves a CNC guilloché-style pattern that is supposed to mimic armor worn by ancient Chinese warriors. The pattern looks like intertwined triangles that creates an incredible 3D effect. That’s paired with skeletonized sword hands and a chapter ring that has dots for hour markers.

Inside, you’ll find the tried, true and accessible Miyota 9039, an automatic that beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. This version has a custom rotor that marks the second anniversary of the Watch Ho & Co.. The watch comes on a tan HasNoBounds hand-stitched French Epsom leather strap with a green goatskin lining.

The new Watch Ho & Co. x Selten Jui is limited, but not in numbers but with a sale window. It went on sale at 11PM HKT yesterday, August 13, and it will be available for only 72 hours. So hurry up if you want one. The price is pretty great, at $1,099. See more on the Selten website.

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Glashütte Original Continues Their Exploration Of Bright Colors On The Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date

Watches hailing from Glashütte, including those made by Glashütte Original, have always put the utmost importance on functionality and precision. Watches made in this legendary German town are the pinnacle of watchmaking, a serious affair, with movements that rival and in cases surpass their Swiss counterparts. It’s all very teutonic. And here comes Glashütte Original saying hold my beer, I’ve got a fantastic mechanical watch, but stuffed in a funky, retro, colorful, textured and fun package. That’s what the Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date is all about — textures, wild colors and something that’s very much not expected from a serious German brand. Last year, just about this time, we got the Swimming Pool and Watermelon editions, which came with two pretty self explanatory and great dials. This year, we’re getting a continuation of that great duo, with the dials now in purple “Plasma” and lime green “Fusion”.

This is, as the name of the collection suggests, a 70s inspired design, with a very retro square shape that was very popular in that decade. Made out of stainless steel, the watch measures 40×40mm, with a thickness of 14.1mm. The case is brushed, with a polished bezel on top, and integrated lugs. Water resistance is 100 meters and you get square pushers surrounding the pointy crown guards.

The dials share the same architecture — a bi-compax setup with a small seconds subdial, a 30-minute timer, along with the iconic panorama date at 6 o’clock and a very nicely integrated 12-hour timer at 12 o’clock. The markers are applied, polished and filled with lume, as are the hands. Then there are the colors. Plasma gets the perfect shade of purple, while Fusion has a bright lime green dial. Both are paired with black sub-dials and date wheel.

Inside both watches is the Calibre 37-02. It’s an in-house designed movement that is a column wheel automatic flyback chronograph, which you can see through the caseback and see the traditional Glashütte stripe finishing. You get a beat rate of 4Hz and a 70 hour power reserve. The watches can be had on either a stainless steel bracelet or a rubber strap.

Both new Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date models are limited to 100 pieces each and are available now. On rubber one will set you back €16,400, while the steel version is priced at €17,600. See more on the Glashütte Original website.

5/

Your Chance To Win This Absolute Bomb Of A Watch From Laco

Here we go. Like I promised you last month, I’m teaming up with Laco to celebrate their 100th year anniversary. As part of their celebration, they showed a very special watch, the Laco Frieda. There’s only one catch. You can’t buy one. Instead, Laco is giving away 100 pieces of this special edition watch in their “100 Years – 100 Days – 100 Watches” campaign. And you can get one here. The rules are simple — scroll down to the end of the newsletter, where you’ll find a referral window that says “Share It’s About Time”. Invite your friends to subscribe to the newsletter and for every subscriber you bring, you’ll get a “ticket” that enters you in a draw to win the watch.

This is the first time I’m doing a giveaway with this referral program, so if there are any hiccups and something doesn’t work, let me know and we’ll sort it out asap. The giveaway is open until August 25th, after which I’ll use a random email selector to find the winner and Laco will ship your brand new watch to you! Good luck.

Now, for a bit of info on thw atch. Laco typically names its models after cities or geographical features, but this model breaks tradition. For a good reason, as it’s named after the co-founder, Frieda Lacher. It’s a familiar watch but with a dial that makes it extremely beautiful. The watch comes in a stainless steel case that measure 39mm wide, 11.55mm thick and with a 46.5mm lug-to-lug. The case has a beautiful matte finish and on the side, you’ll find an engraving that reads “Laco 1925-2025”, while the caseback has an engraving of its unique number out of 100. On the opposite side you’ll find the signature deeply grooved onion-shaped crown. Water resistance is 50 meters.

Then, there’s the dial. It’s a classic Type A flieger, which has just the minute track along the edge of the dial and big numerals for the hours. The minute track and numerals are printed in white lume, while the sword-shaped hands are done in black, with white lume inside. But the star here is the base of the dial. Rendered in Laco’s signature red color, it has a sandy texture which makes it very special.

Inside, you’ll find the Laco S2 movement, which is essentially the Miyota 82S0. The movement beats at 21,600vph and has a 42 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a grey leather strap with red stitching.

Again, scroll down to the end of the email where you’ll find the share button and get to sharing!

FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Watches You Might Not Have Seen, Week 47: The First - And Only- Volkswagen Design Watch, Made With Fortis

What an incredible futuristic thing to have on your wrist. 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

• Over the course of three weeks in May, Allan Brooks came to believe the future of the world rested in his hands—after he discovered a novel mathematical forumla. His cheerleader? ChatGPT. While the recent GPT-5 release is said to tone down sychophancy, prolonged conversations with chatbots can enter dangerous patterns, affecting mental health. Kashmir Hill and Dylan Freedman analyze the fascinating transcript between Brooks and the chatbot, looking at what happens when you fall far down the rabbit hole, into a world of delusion.

• It’s slimy, slippery work done under the cover of darkness in an industry that’s worth $200 million (CAD) to the Canadian economy. Follow Inori Roy into the worm picking fields of Ontario, Canada as she learns the history and practice of harvesting nightcrawlers from the ground up.

• Two sisters grew up with a mother lost in delusions. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent years in and out of psychiatric facilities. Then, after undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma, she regained her sanity. Rachel Aviv asks how this happened and what the answer presages for the future of psychiatry. She also considers, with great compassion, how a family rebuilds from a such a profound experience.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

The story of Nicholas Rossi/Arthur Knight is incredible. He was accused of rape in Utah but managed to avoid any charges because he died in 2020. Only, he didn’t die and he faked his death, as he was found in Scotland where he tried convincing the court that the fact that he had a different haircut, a three piece suit, rolled around in a wheelchair and used a ridiculous accent was enough proof that he was a different person. You’ll get laugh after laugh from this.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk