Seiko Evolves Prospex GMT With More WR And Micro-Adjust; New Union Glashütte Noramis Date Sport And Chrono Sport; A Retro Sci-Fi Mr Jones; Massena And Raúl Pagès Team Up; A Stunning Arnold & Son

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Sorry for being a bit late today, May 1st is a holiday in Croatia and we love to spend it in nature. Today was a spectacularly beautiful day, so I couldn’t resist staying out longer with the dog and family, hence the tardiness.

Also, you might want to catch up on part three of the three-part series on Indian watchmaking. I put a lot of research into it, so check it out if you’re interested.

In this issue:

• Seiko Evolves The Prospex Diver GMT With Better Water Resistance And A Micro-Adjust Clasp

• Union Glashütte Releases New Versions Of The Noramis Date Sport And Noramis Chronograph Sport

• Mr Jones Goes All Retro Sci-Fi In Their Latest Rocket Adorned Model Called Continuum

• Massena LAB And Raúl Pagès Team Up For The Third Time With The Noctograph

• Arnold & Son’s New Constant Force Tourbillon 11 Is Inspired By Legendary Creations

👂What’s new

1/

Seiko Evolves The Prospex Diver GMT With Better Water Resistance And A Micro-Adjust Clasp

A couple of years ago, Seiko launched a watch inspired by the 1968 Hi-Beat 300m diver and gave it a GMT movement, a surprising first for a Seiko diver. It was a great looking watch, but people pointed out two major downsides — it had less water resistance than the original from more than 50 years its senior, and used the same impractical clasp while so many other brands moved forward. A couple of weeks ago, Seiko introduced a new version of the Prospex Diver which fixes these downsides, and now the updates are coming to the GMT model. This is the new Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver GMT SPB519.

Like most Prospex Divers, this new one is a chunky watch, but not oversized to be unwearable. The stainless steel case measures 42mm wide, 13.3mm thick and has a 48.6mm lug-to-lug. The case has brushed top surfaces and huge polished chamfers on the sides, and the entire surface has a hard coating. On top is a sapphire crystal, surrounded by a unidirectional bezel that has a blue ceramic insert with a fully graduated 60 minute scale, and the crown sits at 4 o’clock. This is the new Prospex case which has 300 meters of water resistance, which is surely a welcome upgrade.

The dial is another story. While the case looks like the previous release, the SPB519 ditches the wave pattern in favor of a sunray-brushed silver-white dial. That’s surrounded by a flange that has a very discreet 24h scale. The applied markers get a lot of lume, just like the faceted hands. The central 24h hand is red and there’s a date aperture at 4:30.

Inside, you’ll still find the calibre 6R54, beating at 3Hz and with a 72 hour power reserve. Seiko claims accuracy of +25 to -15 seconds per day, but these results are usually much, much better. The watch comes on a 3-link bracelet that now has the new micro-adjustment system on the clasp. Finally.

The new Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver GMT 300m SPB519 is part of the regular collection and goes on sale in June. Price is set at a controversial €1,900. See more on the Seiko website.

2/

Union Glashütte Releases New Versions Of The Noramis Date Sport And Noramis Chronograph Sport

Glashütte is an amazing place. The population of the German town is just under 6,700 people. And yet, there are 10 active watchmakers there at the moment. One of them is Union Glashütte. While not a powerhouse of the town, they are owned by the Swatch Group and they make some exceptionally nice retro-inspired watches. Take, for example, the Noramis line, which builds great looking and capable divers, that look like they just fell out of the 1960s. Unless, of course, it’s the Sport version. That’s a very cool combination of classic and modern looks. Now, Union Glashütte is updating both the Noramis Chronograph Sport and Noramis Date Sport.

Starting with the simpler of the two watches, the Noramis Date Sport comes in a stainless steel case that measures 42mm wide and 12.85mm thick. There are sapphire crystals on top and bottom, and on top is a fluted rotating bezel with a black ceramic diving scale insert. Water resistance is 200 meters. The dial has a beautiful blue gradient from a deep blue in the middle to a black on the outskirts. The hour markers are arrowhead-shaped and nickel plated, filled with lume, and more lume can be found on the hands. There’s a date aperture at 3.

Inside is the calibre UNG-07.SI, an automatic that shares a lot of Swatch Group components, including a silicon balance spring. It beats at 4Hz, has a 60 hour power reserve and indexless regulation. The watch comes on a stainless steel bracelet with a double-folding clasp. The new Noramis Date Sport is available now, priced at €2,550. See more on the Union Glashütte website.

Then, we have the new Noramis Chronograph Sport which also has a stainless steel case, but slightly larger at 43mm wide and 15.82mm thick. Overall, this case has an almost identical look to the Date Sport, with the addition of pushers on the right side of the case. Water resistance remains 200 meters. Even the dial looks very much like the Date Sport, with the same gradient look, but now with snailed sub-dials at 3 o’clock for the minutes and 9 o’clock for the running seconds. The Chrono hides the date aperture expertly in the running seconds sub-dial. Inside is the automatic UNG-27.S2 based on the Valjoux 7750. It has a silicon balance spring, beats at 4Hz and has a 65 hour power reserve. Price is set at €3,750. See more on the UG website.

3/

Mr Jones Goes All Retro Sci-Fi In Their Latest Rocket Adorned Model Called Continuum

Mr Jones watches will always be interesting. Some of them have a profound message, some are dizzyingly complicated and some just have a cool vibe to them. I’m going to say that their latest release, the Continuum, sits firmly in that last category. Sure, it has a funky way of showing time. But it’s also very cool.

On the outside, this will be very familiar. You already know the case. It’s that instantly recognisable Mr Jones case with a round body and spindly lugs. It measures 37mm wide with a 47mm lug to lug and has a 50 meter water resistance. The polished case gives it an almost dark appearance, depending on your surroundings. On top is a sapphire crystal. The watch is mounted on a 18mm wide strap, in this case a grey silicone strap. Water resistance is 50 meters. Oh, and after quite a few quartz-powered movements, this release gets a Chinese automatic, the TY2709.

The new dial is designed by Jacqueline Colley, an award-winning illustrator and pattern designer based in East London, recognised for her distinctive colour palette of pastels and bright tones. With the Continuum, she uses those colors to render a very 50s-inspired outer space scene. Transporting its wearer to another planet filled with shooting stars, aliens and an ever transforming kaleidoscopic wormhole.

To tell the time, you look at the hour through the circular window of the rocket and the colourful meteor will mark the minutes as it orbits the watch face.

Discussing the inspiration behind her design, Jacqueline said: “This watch is a love letter to retro-futurism: with bold graphics, candy colours, and that sense that in space, there’s no such thing as up or down. There’s something magical about how space bends time and perspective, and I wanted to reflect that playful weirdness; a pop culture galaxy where anything goes.”

Mr Jones seems to be moving away from regular limited editions and replacing it the much superior timed editions. The Mr Jones Continuum goes on sale tomorrow Friday 2nd May at 8am BST and will be available for 24 hours. All orders placed in that window will get a watch. Price is set at €295. The watch is not up on the Mr Jones website, you’ll find it there tomorrow.

4/

Massena LAB And Raúl Pagès Team Up For The Third Time With The Noctograph

Almost exactly a year ago, Massena LAB, the design studio founded by watch industry persona William Massena, teamed up with Raúl Pagès, the winner of the first LVMH Watch Prize, to create a special watch inspired by the Observatory-grade Patek Philippe Ref. 2458, for Phillips auction house. A month later, the two teamed up again, for the Absinthe, and it seemed like the two were going to keep going. It took them a year, but they’re back at it. This is the Noctograph.

Built on the same case as the previous versions, the watch has a very classic Calatrava case that’s made out of stainless steel and measures 38.5mm wide and 10mm thick. The sides of the case are brushed, while the tops a polished, and you get sapphire crystals on both top and bottom. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The dial is a bit of a departure from the Absinthe, but it still keeps the minimalist charm. The dial has a vertically brushed dark blue/grey base, onto which a radially brushed chapter ring plated with rhodium is placed. The outer section of the ring has a black railroad track for the minutes, while the inner part has larger segments showing the hours. There’s a recessed small seconds sub-dial at 6. All the hands are leaf-shaped, silver on the hour and minutes, and blued on the sub-dial.

Inside, you’ll find the caliber M660, a manual-winding movement based on a movement made by AMT Manufacture, Sellita’s high-end production. The movement beats at 4Hz, has a 60 hour power reserve and is decorated with large Geneva stripes, thin perlage as well as hand-chamfered plates and bridges. The watch comes on a grey leather strap.

The new Noctograph by Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès is available for order now, limited to 99 pieces and priced at $8,875. See more on the Massena LAB website.

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Arnold & Son’s New Constant Force Tourbillon 11 Is Inspired By Legendary Creations

If there are two watchmakers that deserve a tribute paid to them, then it is certainly Abraham-Louis Breguet and John Arnold. It was Arnold’s marine chronometer no. 11 that inspired Breguet to create the first tourbillon. And it’s exactly those two that Arnold & Son is paying homage to with their new Constant Force Tourbillon 11.

The watch is housed in a yellow gold case that measures 41.5mm wide and 13.7mm thick. It has a domed sapphire crystal and a flat sapphire caseback. The watch is as simple as can get, with simple lugs, a fixed bezel and a flat crown on the right side. It even has some water resistance — 30 meters.

The dial is made out of beautiful Grand Feu enamel, with two openings. One is for the constant force mechanism and the other for the white opal sub-dial with black Roman numerals. The opal sub-dial is concave and placed at an angle to enhance legibility. The constant force mechanism features a flame-blued anchor-shaped deadbeat seconds hand, and the opal sub-dial has beautiful arrow-shaped hour and minute hands, also blued.

So, what is the constant force mechanism? It’s designed to smooth out the energy delivered by the two barrels, preventing excessive or insufficient torque from affecting the oscillations of the balance in the tourbillon cage. The movement it’s attached to is the manual-winding A&S5219. Through the caseback, you can see the one-minute tourbillon, held by a thin, polished, rounded bridge with a variable inertia balance. The T-shaped retaining spring is inspired by Breguet’s para-chute shock protection system. The twin barrels give you 100 hours of power reserve. The movement is hand-finished with blued screws and golden, grained and bevelled barrel and tourbillon bridges, there is a new hand-engraved text that reads: “To the revered memory of John Arnold and Abraham-Louis Breguet. Friends in their time, legendary watchmakers always.”

The new Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon 11 is limited to 11 pieces and priced at CHF 129,800. See more on the Arnold & Son website.

SPECIAL FEATURE: The Next Chapter — Indian Watches for a Global Generation

I’ve teamed up with the very fine folks over at Bangalore Watch Company to bring you a three-part series on Indian watchmaking, from the British occupation and the invention of the JLC Reverso, through homebrew mass production, the rise of the Mumbai special, all the way to the modern rise of Indian brands.

Today, I’m publishing part three, on how Bangalore Watch Company is ushering a brand new era for the local watch scene. 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

• This story has it all—Minecraft fraud, moronic criminals, and a glimpse at the terrifying potential of an organized online mob.

• A fascinating study of the 50-year debate surrounding a single photograph, the Napalm Girl, a part of a fascinating Vietnam War (or American War) package from The Verge, the unlikeliest of sources.

• Elizabeth Gilbert captures Hank Williams III at his dynastic peak in this 2010 feature. At that point he was still on a Nashville record label, which, of course, he hated, and was touring the heartland in a bus. But drugs, booze, sex, and hard living have so corroded him that not even early death seems to want him.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

The Criterion Closet just might be heaven on Earth.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk