Orient’s Pretty Wacky World Map; Spinnaker And Seconde/Seconde's New Phantoms; MeisterSinger's Aventurine; Aera's Pink M-1; Parmigiani's Toric Petite Seconde Duo; Hublot And Arsham Are At It Again

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In this issue

• Orient’s Latest 75th Anniversary Watch Is The Pretty Wacky World Map

• Spinnaker And Seconde/Seconde Keep To Tradition And Release Another Fantastic Halloween Watch

• MeisterSinger Adds A Sparkly Aventurine Dial To The One-Handed Pangea

• Aera Brings An Unexpected Salmon Pink Dial Inspired By Desert Cammo To The M-1

• Parmigiani Fleurier Releases The Toric Petite Seconde In Rose Gold And Platinum

• Hublot And Daniel Arsham Team Up Again For A Droplet Inspired MP-17 MECA-10

• FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Watch School Wednesday: The Evolution of Watch Regulation Systems

👂What’s new

1/

Orient’s Latest 75th Anniversary Watch Is The Pretty Wacky World Map

Sometimes, I find a watch I like so much, I don’t want it to get lost in the day-to-day stream of new watches. So I keep it on my list of watches to write about for days on end, and it gets pushed forward day by day. Well, this is one such watch and it’s been on my list since Geneva Watch Days, a month ago. But I think it is worth it. Orient is celebrating their 75th anniversary this year, so they’re doing an entire Revival collection in which they bring back some of their most iconic watches. One such watch is this one, the one I’ve been pushing back so far, the new Orient Revival World Map 75th Anniversary. This isn’t the first time that Orient has brought back the World Map, as they did the same four years ago, with a similar case, but without the sensational dial of this new release.

The new World Map draws a lot of inspiration from the World Diver, a watch Orient made in the 1970s, so do expect a lot of vintage inspiration here, despite the substantial size. The case is made out of stainless steel, tonneau shaped and with hooded lugs for a very obvious 70s look. The case measures 43.5mm wide, 13.9mm thick, which is certainly substantial, but the fact that the lug-to-lug is 46mm makes it wearable. The case has two crowns, one at 3 to set the time, and one at 4 o’clock to operate the internal bezel. On top is a domed mineral crystal, and the crowns and bezels have a gold colored treatment. The crowns don’t screw down, but you still get 200 meters of water resistance.

But the case, while cool, is way less interesting than the dial. Sure, it’s busy, but it’s also my favorite type of dial. The previous World Map revival featured a map of the world done in a simple black line, this one does the same, but with a lot of color. The base — or, rather, the oceans — are done in dark blue and light blue rings, while the continents are done in a very cool combination of white, yellow, and orange. For all the map nerds, the map is rendered in a azimuthal equidistant projection from the North Pole, a projection in which the points on the map are at proportionally correct distances from the center point. You might recognize it as the map that appears on the UN map and in YouTube videos made by insane people who think that the existence of azimuthal equidistant projection proves a flat earth. The maps is surrounded by a 24-hour scale, and since there is no fourth hand here, you use the ring for quick referencing other time zones. At 3 o’clock is a day/date display with white discs and red fonts for the weekends.

Inside, you’ll find the in-house caliber F6922, an automatic that beats at 3Hz and has a 40 hour power reserve. It’s not particularly accurate at +25/-15 seconds per day, but it will keep on ticking. The watch comes on a stainless steel bracelet that closes with a folding deployant clasp.

The new Orient Revival World Map is limited to 1,500 pieces and priced at €473. I love this thing. See more on the Orient website.

2/

Spinnaker And Seconde/Seconde Keep To Tradition And Release Another Fantastic Halloween Watch

Halloween season two years ago gave us one of the best watch releases and certainly the best collaboration we’ve seen last year. And it was actually a big surprise, considering the two parties that were collaborating. On one side was Spinnaker, a brand that made interesting watches that built a cult following with their homage watches and were just expanding into more creative territory. On the other hand was seconde/seconde/, the infamous Parisian watch modifier that would sell his soul for a good pun or wordplay. The issue with seconde/seconde/ was that he was taking on way too many projects, with sometimes new ones announced week after week and his puns became weaker and weaker. However… the collaboration between the two was pure genius. Titled Fleuss 40 Automatic 50 Phantoms, featuring 50 tiny phantoms on the dial as a party of the 50 Fathoms was just spectacular. It sold out instantly, came back a few weeks later and sold out again. It was an instant cult hit. Then, a year later, the two joined forces again for the Fleuss 40 Automatic Seconde/Seconde/ Phantom Classic and Phantom No App. And now, for the third year in a row, Spinnaker and Seconde/Seconde/ are coming together again for the 47+3 Phantoms SP-5170 Fleuss Automatic Seconde/Seconde/.

This year, we’re getting a slightly different watch. Gone is the spoof of the legendary Blancpain, and in its place we’re getting a pretty interesting new creation. Still based on the Fleuss Automatic, it is now available in two sizes. The Phantom Steel model comes in a steel case that measures 40mm wide and 12.5mm thick, while the Phantom White measures 43mm wide and 13.5mm thick. The biggest change on the outside is surely the pretty wild, wavy, sunray-brushed bezel. Not something that you see every day, but it’s spookily cool. On top is a sapphire crystal and water resistance is 150 meters.

Then, the dials. Previous editions featured 50 tiny lumed phantoms on the dial, but the name of this one — 47+3 Phantoms — gives away the pun. This one has 47 phantoms on the dial, with three others hidden on the flanks of the case, underside of the lugs, and on the rotor. Cool. Both dials have grained grey bases with white and light yellow phantoms floating over the dial. And like previous editions, the phantoms are fantastically lumed.

Inside, two different movements. The 40mm uses the Miyota 9015 which beats at 4Hz and has a power reserve of 42 hours, while the 43mm uses the Seiko NH35 beating at 3Hz, with a 41 hour power reserve. The watches come on a stainless steel bracelet with na additional white nylon strap.

The new Spinnaker 47+3 Phantoms SP-5170 Fleuss Automatic Seconde/Seconde/ goes on sale 17th October, 6:30 am, with the first batch being limited to 1,050 of the 40mm model and 1,150 of the 43mm. The 43mm version is priced at $475, while the smaller version is priced at $525. The slightly odd thing is that Spinnaker also announced a second batch, which will not be limited in number, but rather a timed release. See more on the Spinnaker website.

3/

MeisterSinger Adds A Sparkly Aventurine Dial To The One-Handed Pangea

I love it when new MeisterSinger watches come out, as it’s always fun to see how many complications they can implement while keeping things super minimalist and using just one hand to tell the time. This time, no complications, but we do get a really nice aventurine dial in the new Pangaea Aventurine.

The watch comes in the same case that was used for the previous Pangea models, meaning it’s stainless steel, 40mm wide and 10.5mm thick. The case is fully polished and on top is a domed sapphire crystal. On the side is an oversized tapering crown that doesn’t screw down, limiting water resistance to 50 meters.

The novelty is the dial which is made out of aventurine glass which has a deep blue color and a sparkly effect from hundreds of small metallic inclusions. That’s paired with gold printed numerals with a fantastic font, and instead of the usual 5-minute line markers, fine dots are used to signify the passage of time. Being a MeisterSinger, you only get one hand, and it’s done in a bright white color.

Inside, you won’t find a unique movement. Instead, it’s a simple but reliable Sellita SW-200. This automatic movement beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. The central rotor is customized with the MeisterSinger logo. The watch comes on a cognac colored cow hide leather strap.

The new MeisterSinger Pangaea Aventurine is available now and is part of the permanent collection, priced at €2,990. See more on the MeisterSinger website.

4/

Aera Brings An Unexpected Salmon Pink Dial Inspired By Desert Cammo To The M-1

The market is flooded with recreations of all sorts of vintage watches. And recreations of the Dirty Dozen, the watches commissioned by the UK Ministry of War from 12 manufacturers at the tail end of World War II, have to be among the most recreated. Some approach the recreation as a 1:1 copy, while others try to modernize the design. The UK-based microbrand Aera has their own take on this classic, a much more modern one. They introduced the M-1 collection last year and now it’s getting a very groovy Dune colorway, a dirty pink that’s inspired by SAS desert camouflage.

The M1 has a very round case, almost pebble-like, with straight and wide lugs. Dimensions are pretty great: 39mm wide, 13.14mm thick and a 47.6mm lug-to-lug. The case has a circular satin brushing. On top is a domed sapphire crystal, with a rounded unmarked bezel. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The setup of the dial remains the same, but the color draws some pretty fantastic inspiration. The pink is a direct quote of a color from late 1960s British SAS Land Rovers, painted that color to better fit into desert environments. The dial is dish shaped and with oversized white Arabic numerals done in block lume. On the edge of the dial is a railway minute track and at 6 o’clock is a small seconds display.

Inside, no surprises. It’s the Sellita SW216-1, part of the trusty and reliable SW200 family, only manual wound. It beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve that comes with the Elabore grade of the movement, including better accuracy. The watch comes on an integrated strap in Charcoal Grey suede and you get a choice of an additional strap.

The Aera M-1 Dune is available for purchase now, priced at £1,600. See more on the Aera website.

5/

Parmigiani Fleurier Releases The Toric Petite Seconde In Rose Gold And Platinum

The Toric was the first watch put out by Parmigiani Fleurier, so it only makes sense that it holds a special place in the company’s lineup. Despite the many, and very interesting, developments of new collections, it’s still a big thing when they update the Toric, even when the updates are small and evolutionary, not revolutionary. Just like we have here, an evolution of the revamped Toric collection from last year. These are the new Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour and Rose Gold Dune, and boy are they cool.

There are two materials to choose from with these new releases — 950 platinum or 18k rose gold, both fully polished — and they come in cases of the same size, measuring 40.6mm wide and 8.8mm thick, with short lugs that lends to a better wearing experience. On top is a sapphire crystal surrounded by a thin knurled bezel in a matching material. This is Parmigiani Fleurier’s dress watch, so a 30 meter water resistance is expected.

Each of the case materials gets its own dial, even though they look mighty similar. The platinum case gets a dial made out solid white gold and painted in a salmon color, with white gold polished hands and applied markers. The 18k rose gold model gets a solid gold dial with a hand finished grained surface, paired with rose gold hardware. Both dials, obviously, have a small seconds display at 6 o’clock.

Inside, you’ll find the in-house Calibre PF780 which beats at 4Hz and has a 60 hour power reserve. And it’s quite the sight. It has 18k rose gold bridges and plates, decorated with Côtes de Fleurier and polished bevels, twin barrels and a regulating organ held in place by an openworked, transversal polished steel bridge. The rose gold version comes on a sand-coloured nubuck alligator leather strap, while the platinum comes on a Akoya Grey hand-stitched nubuck alligator leather strap.

The new Parmigiani Toric Petite Seconde Platinum Golden Hour and Rose Gold Dune are part of the permanent collection priced at CHF 47,000 for the gold version and CHF 54,000 for the platinum version. See more on the Parmigiani Fleurier website.

6/

Hublot And Daniel Arsham Team Up Again For A Droplet Inspired MP-17 MECA-10

While at a lunch during a visit to the Frieze Art Fair in London five years ago, I heard someone give the best description of contemporary art superstar Daniel Arsham. “He is Jeff Koons for hypebeasts,” they said and couldn’t be more spot on. While ha has made some interesting pieces, the majority of his work is ever constant pursuit of money and fame, with less and less substance behind the art the more he creates, turning his art into a commodity. And don’t get me started on his fans. One could even say that he is the Hublot equivalent of the art world. That wouldn’t exactly be fair because unlike Arsham, Hublot has made truly fantastic watches. But they have also released watches that lack substance at outrageous prices. And I would bet money that the Venn diagram of Arsham patrons and Hublot owners is nearing a circle. So it’s basically the perfect partnership, which they showed last year with the MP-16 Droplet mechanical pocket watch. For this year’s collaboration, we have the Hublot MP-17 MECA-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire with a dial opening that’s supposed to mimic a droplet splash.

I won’t say that the case and crystal construction of this watch isn’t interesting, but I can with certainty say that it’s not for everyone. The case measures 42mm wide and 15.35mm thick, and it’s made out of polished and microblasted titanium. That doesn’t mean that it is a combination of the two textures. Instead, the entire case is both polished and microblasted, giving it a textured finish that has a shiny look. It’s interesting. Even more interesting is the oversized sapphire crystal bezel that has been given a texture with laser engraving. The bezel would have just been a chunk of opaque sapphire crystal — with exposed screws — had it not been cut out in an irregular pattern to expose the dial underneath. Arsham and Hublot say this is supposed to mimic a slash of a water droplet, and it’s reminiscent of Arsham’s work with concrete in which he digs irregular holes in pop-culture objects. So, yeah…

Everything on the dial side is subject to the irregular opening and follows it exactly. Look at the flange that holds the minute scale, for example — it traces the edge of the strange opening. But there’s not much of a dial other than that. What you do see is the openworked MECA-10 movement with central hours and minutes, a small seconds subdial and big-eye style power reserve indicator, all highlighted with green Super-LumiNova.

Despite all the flack Hublot will catch, inside is a really good movement, the manual-wound in-house HUB1205, which has pretty incredible finishings, including sating brushings on the parallel bridges and hand chamfering. The movement features regular stuff like a silicon escape wheel, and beats at a relatively standard 21,600 vph, but the real treat comes from the 2 skeletonized barrels mounted in series. These give you 240 hours of power reserve. The watch comes on a Charmille‑grained black rubber strap decorated with Arsham’s monogram, closed by a titanium deployant.

The new Hublot MP-17 MECA-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire is limited to 99 pieces and priced at $69,000 (nice). See more on the Hublot website.

FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Your Next Watch, Week 56: A Ingenieur That Raises Eyebrows; An Incredible Movado Story; An Investment Advice; And A Future New Nivada

We continue with our exploration of watches we shouldn't spend our money on, but most likely will. 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

• A shadowy wave of expertly executed heists starting in 2010 targeted Chinese art looted during imperial conflicts, striking European museums with near-military precision. This campaign mirrors China's undeniable urge to reclaim national pride through recovering lost treasures, aided by billionaires and state actors alike. The story trails stolen relics from Stockholm to Fontainebleau amid rising cultural and geopolitical tensions.

• Industrial design shapes how consumers experience and connect with electronics, blending art and function to create intuitive, attractive products. Once vibrant and diverse, modern consumer electronics have grown increasingly uniform—flat, minimalist slabs lacking distinctive style or tactile feedback. This shift risks making devices visually and experientially dull, sparking longing for more engaging, textured user interfaces inspired by past design eras.

• The dramatic story of George Bachiashvili, a former aide to Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, reveals a high-stakes clash blending cryptocurrency, political power, and coercion. Once a trusted ally in Georgia’s ruling elite, Bachiashvili now faces imprisonment and brutal threats after a billion-dollar Bitcoin dispute, underscoring the risks of crypto in geopolitics.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Chinese cars are really getting ridiculous.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk