Seiko Expand Presage Classic Series Inspired By Edo Silk; Cool Updates To Circula's ProFlight; Benjamin James' Scarifour With MOP Dial; Roger Dubuis Celebrates 30 Years; A Complicated VC Overseas

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. The review for the Benjamin James is coming soon, as I just got one in for review, but I’ll just say that this is one might comfortable watch. Very impressed.

In this issue:

• Seiko Expand The Presage Collection With The New Classic Series Inspired By Edo Silk

• Circula Updates Their ProFlight Pilot’s Watch With A Black DLC Option, And A Beautiful Green Dial

• Benjamin James Gives Their Scarifour A Really Nice Ice Blue Mother Of Pearl Dial

• Roger Dubuis Celebrates 30 Years With The Highly Complicated Excalibur Grande Complication

• Vacheron Constantin Introduces First Overseas Minute Repeater With Grand Complication Openface

👂What’s new

1/

Seiko Expand The Presage Collection With The New Classic Series Inspired By Edo Silk

Seiko seems to be in a bit of a restructuring era. Over the past several years, they reshuffled their diver lineups, made tweaks to their entry-level lines including the Seiko 5 Sports, and heavily expanded the Presage line. Now, we’re getting three more watches in the Presage collection, and these are part of the perhaps simples of the Presages, the Classic Series. The three new watches — the SPB521, the SPB523 and the SPB524 — are all styled after traditional Japanese silk from the Edo period.

The new Classic Series Edo Silk models come in round cases that all get Seiko’s super-hard coating and come in either silver or gold colored versions, with brushed and polished finishes. The cases measure 36mm wide, 12.5mm thick, with a 41.4mm lug-to-lug. On top is a domed sapphire crystal, held down with a stepped bezel, and out back is an exhibition caseback. Water resistance remains 100 meters.

Like I noted, there are three versions of the watch, each with its own dial. The SPB521, also called the Ajiro has a super light blue dial; the SPB523, or the Fushi-Iro, gets a light brown gradient; and the SPB524, named also the Shiro-Iro, gets a white dial and a gold toned case. All three versions have a very subtle pattern radiating from the centre, a pattern that’s supposed to look like the pattern of silk. And, a bit surprisingly, it works. You get long and curved applied hour markers that match the color of the case, just like the lance-style hands, and there are not date functions on these three watches.

Inside all three is the automatic 6R51, a relatively new movement for Seiko which beats at 3Hz and has a 72 hour power reserve. And as Seiko does, this movement isn’t the epitome of accuracy, with a claimed accuracy of +25/-15 seconds per day. The watches come on color matched 7-link bracelets with a butterfly-style folding clasp.

The new Seiko Presage Classic series watches go on sale in June of this year and are priced at €990. See more on the Seiko website.

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Circula Updates Their ProFlight Pilot’s Watch With A Black DLC Option, And A Beautiful Green Dial

One of my favorite watches of 2024 was the Circula ProFlight. Made by the family-owned watchmaker from Pforzheim, Germany, it was one of the rare watches that gave us a twist on an otherwise slightly boring watches — the pilots watch. Designed by Swiss star designer Guy Bove, who previously worked as Creative Director for Tag Heuer - where he designed the Autavia Isograph - and IWC, among others, it was a really modern take on the genre. Now, we’re getting two updates. While the original came with an either anthracite or blue dial, we now get an anthracite dial with a black case and a silver case with a spectacular green dial.

On the outside, things remain largely unchanged. The stainless steel case measures 40mm wide, 12mm thick, with a very comfortable 46mm lug-to-lug. The case has a surface hardening layer with scratch resistance up to 1,200 Vickers, and now we have a deep black DLC coating on one of the models. On top is a flat fixed bezel that has a sandblasted finish like most of the case, but the bezel also has a dramatically polished edge that looks great in real life. Water resistance is 150 meters.

The details of the dials remain the same — you still get a deeply snailed base, with a wonderful grained ring on it that holds the hour markers. Those markers are applied Arabic numerals that have a great font and at 12 o’clock is a take on the traditional flieger triangle in a lighter, more dynamic design. The two new dials come in either the familiar anthracite dial, or a green that I instantly fell in love with. Circula is really good with color, and it shows here. It’s got plenty of lume that gives the numerals and hands great visibility in the dark and are all white, unlike previous versions.

Inside, is a very familiar movement, the Sellita SW-200-1, which comes in its Elaboré grade. The movement beats at 28,800vph and has a power reserve of 38 hours. To protect the movement, Circula uses a soft iron cage which makes it anti-magnetic up to 80,000 A/m. The black-cased watch comes on a black nylon canvas strap with a leather interior, while the silver-cased one gets a light grey nylon canvas strap. At an additional price, you can get a scratch-resistant steel bracelet — silver colored ones are available now, and the matching black DLC version is coming this summer.

The new Circula ProFlight versions are available now, priced at €1,029 on strap and €1,199 on the steel bracelet. See more on the Circula website.

3/

Benjamin James Gives Their Scarifour A Really Nice Ice Blue Mother Of Pearl Dial

I’ve been a fan of the Benjamin James Scarifour from the day I saw the first renders. Knowing the dimensions, I had a feeling that it would be a sensational fitting watch, and since I have one in for review right now, I can confirm it’s really, really great. But apart from being a great looking watch, Benjamin James also lucked out with their timing. When Patek Philippe released the Cubitus, the internet was awash with people drawing parallels between their design and already existing watches. People called it a lovechild of the Aquanaut and a Cartier Santos, commentators noted its similarity to a Maen model. And then the New York Times profiled Benjamin James as an alternative to the Cubitus, at a fraction of the price. That launched them into the mainstream. And made it hard for them to keep watches in stock, they sell out fast. Now, we’re getting a new take on the Scarifour, the limited edition Scarifour Ice Blue Mother of Pearl.

On the outside, this Scarifour remains unchanged and really great looking. The square stainless steel case measures 31mm wide and 40mm long, with a great thickness of 8.3mm. The case has an overall brushed surface, with polished details on the bracelet and on the bezel that has eight tiny indents on top. It looks equally as familiar as it does original. Good work on that. On top is a sapphire crystal and on the side you get a squared-off push-pull crown that will get you 50 meters of water resistance.

Then, there’s the new dial. Benjamin James is best known for their Heraldry dials which feature really nice grooved chevron patterns. But this new dial comes as an homage to the sold-out ice blue Scarifour Heraldry dial limited edition. It’s a slice of natural mother of pearl with a really nice milky ice blue color to it. You get applied indices, with a Roman numeral 12 at the top of the dial, paired with polished hands that feature BGW9 Swiss Super-LumiNova.

Inside, you get a choice of movements. If you opt for a mechanical option, you’ll get the hand-wound Sellita SW210-1 b which beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. You can also choose a quartz version which comes with a Swiss Made Ronda 762E that has a 10 year battery life. Oh, and the mechanical version comes with a mineral crystal display window on the caseback. The watch comes on a stainless steel bracelet with brushed outer links and polished central link, closed by a hidden butterfly buckle.

The new Benjamin James Scarifour Ice Blue Mother of Pearl will be available for one week only, limited to 100 pieces per year. If you go to the website, it will tell you that it’s sold out already, but that’s just because they aren’t on sale yet. The watch goes on sale on 21st May, alongside other watches in the Scarifour collection that are currently sold out. The watch is priced at £465 for the quartz and £745 for the manually wound. That’s about €553 and €886 in Euro. See more on the Benjamin James website.

4/

Roger Dubuis Celebrates 30 Years With The Highly Complicated Excalibur Grande Complication

I would have been willing to bet money that the watch brand Roger Dubuis is much older than 30 years. And yet, I would have lost money on that bet, because in 2025, RD is celebrating their exact 30th anniversary. And to do that, they are releasing the Excalibur Grande Complication, only their second such watch in so many years. The last time they made a grand complication was back in 2009, so this is a welcome refresh.

This is not a subtle watch, by any means of how you define subtetly. It comes in a massive 45mm pink gold case with a thickness of 17.45mm, and it certainly looks like a Roger Dubuis, but even more intense. On top is a sapphire crystal which gives you an unobstructed video of the internals, since there’s not much of a dial here. The crystal is held down by a broad notched bezel, on the side are crown guards, and there’s a large pusher on the left side of the case to activate the minute repeater.

There’s no regular dial to look at here, since there’s plenty of skeletonization going on. The most prominent part of the display is surely the bi-retrograde perpetual calendar display which places the weekday scale on the left and the date scale on the right. The month disc sits between 11 and 12 o’clock, accompanied by a small leap year indicator. There’s a titanium cage for a flying tourbillon positioned at 5:30. On the periphery of the dial is a double-surface flange that holds the minute track that’s pointed to by pink gold hour and minute hands.

Inside and powering all of these complications is the RD118 automatic inside, an in-house movement. It beats at 3Hz and has a 60 hour power reserve that is wound with a double micro-rotor, which you don’T see every day. It also features the three important complications — perpetual calendar, minute repeater, and tourbillon — which make it a Grande Complication. The movement has the Poinçon de Genève hallmark, which means you get impeccable decorations and finishings. The watch comes on a three-lug calf leather strap that closes with a pink gold pin buckle.

The new Roger Dubuis Excalibur Grande Complication is limited to 8 pieces and sold only in Roger Dubuis boutiques. Price is on request. See more on the Roger Dubuis website.

5/

Vacheron Constantin Introduces First Overseas Minute Repeater With Grand Complication Openface

Vacheron Constantin had a good Watches and Wonders. Not only did they update a huge chunk of their catalogue, they also introduced the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, the most complicated wristwatch in the world with 41 different complications. VC is good at complications, and does it a lot. The one model that they haven’t used as much for high complications is the Overseas. This is VC’s sporty model that often gets one or two complications, but now for the first time it gets the Grand Complication Openface treatment, meaning that you get a skeletonized dial, minute repeater, a perpetual calendar and a tourbillon.

Being a sporty watch, it comes in a grade 5 titanium case that measures 44.5mm wide and 13.1mm thick. It looks just like you would expect an Overseas to look like, with the characteristic bezel with six cutouts. The watch has a combination of sandblasted, polished and satin brushed finishes. You get sapphire crystals on top and bottom and water resistance is 30 meters.

Being an Openfaced model, there isn’t a dial to speak of. Around the perimeter of the dial is a blue flange with white 60 minute markings, followed by a transparent crystal that holds the white gold hour markers. The same blue can be found on the sub-dial rings for each calendar indication — you get a date 3 o’clock, the day at 9 o’clock, and the month at 12 o’clock. The hands are made out of white gold and filled with lume. Through the dial you can see parts of the movement, and it’s quite the looker.

The movement is the hand-wound calibre 2755 QP. It features a perpetual calendar, minute repeater, tourbillon escapement, and a power reserve indicator on the back. It beats at 18,000vph and has a decent power reserve of 58 hours. As you would expect, the movement has the Geneva Seal. The watch comes on a matching titanium bracelet with a titanium folding clasp. You also get a blue alligator leather and a blue rubber strap.

Very little is known about the availability of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Grand Complication Openface, as the details are reserved for the customers. We know production will be limited and price is available on request. See more on the Vacheron Constantin Website.

⏲️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

• To fellow tourists he met around the world, Jeffery Shuman was a semi-retired developer with a bright smile, an even tan and a fat wallet. In truth, he was a legendary bank robber on the run from the Toronto police and the US Marshals. Inside the rise and fall of the Vaulter Bandit.

• Who knew Donald Trump was a Broadway producer at the age of 23, fresh out of Wharton School? The 1969 play he co-produced was the forgettable “Paris Is Out!”—“a Jewish comedy, of all things, that he thought might be a hit,” Jada Yuan writes. Fifty-five years later, Trump is realizing his rich-kid’s big stage aspirations by taking over the Kennedy Center.

• Could any writer alive bring back the Old West era of gunfighters more vividly than Bryan Burrough? Talk about a perfectly matched writer and subject! This is a fantastic excerpt of Burrough’s forthcoming book, The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

This is a must see, trust me. This dude took 25 Sci-Fi movies and complied them to tell a story of a very bad day in space.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk