Seiko Expands 5 Sports With Two Classic Colorways; Bremont For The Henley Royal Regatta; Tutima's Tennis Themed Watch; The New Maison Boanton Is An Alpine A110 On The Wrist; And Two Surprise APs

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. My favorite watch today is that Maison Boanton. I suggest you go check out their other watches, as well, it’s an interesting brand overall.

In this issue:

• Seiko Expands The 5 Sports SKX Series With Two New Classic Colorways

• Bremont Releases A Supermarine 300M For The Henley Royal Regatta Rowing Race

• Tutima Joins In On Tennis Themed Watches With Their M2 Seven Seas S

• Maison Boanton Takes Gets Inspired By The Legendary Alpine A110

• Audemars Piguet Very, Very Quietly Releases A White Gold Royal Oak Duo With Blue Dials

👂What’s new

1/

Seiko Expands The 5 Sports SKX Series With Two New Classic Colorways

The Seiko SKX007 is one of those classic watches that everyone should own in their life. Unfortunately, Seiko doesn’t make one any more. Sure, you could go out and get a vintage one, there are plenty in very good condition. Or, you could go for a modern interpretation of the classic, the Seiko 5 Sports SKX Series. This particular series was introduced in 2019. And since then, Seiko has been updating the collection with more dials, bezels and, bracelets. Now, we’re getting the SRPL77 and SRPL79, a very classic blue and gilt grey colorway.

Nothing has changed with the dimensions of the watch. The stainless steel case measures 42.5mm wide, 13.9mm thick and has a thanks to the broad and short lugs, you get a very comfortable 46mm lug-to-lug. On top, you still get the Hardlex crystal, which is not ideal. Surrounding the crystal is a slightly thinner bezel that now comes with a black or blue aluminum insert and a 60minute scale. The case has a combination of brushed and polished finishes and the crown still sits at 4 o’clock. It’s also still a push-pull crown, which is OK since you still get 100 meters of water resistance.

Then, there are the two new dials. They both come with sunray brushed finishes with the iconic arrow hands and day-date window. The SRPL77 gets a dark blue colored dial with silver markers and hands, while the SRPL79 gets a dark grey dial with gold colored markers and hands.

Inside the watches, there is no change. You still get the 4R36 automatic that beats at 3Hz and has a 41 hour power reserve. The watches come on the classic Seiko 5 metal bracelet, which is a shame, since they recently showed a new bracelet with slightly rounded links which looked much better.

The new Seiko 5 Sports SKX Series duo goes on sale in August, priced at about €335. See more on the Seiko website here and here.

2/

Bremont Releases A Supermarine 300M For The Henley Royal Regatta Rowing Race

Bremont became the powerhouse it was because of their unapologetic Britishness. Not only was the company founded by British brothers and headquartered in the UK, they also paired up with the British military and a whole range of British sports events. Then, two years ago, they took a very a turn. The redesign of the collection brought into question what the future of the Britishness, but there doesn’t seem to be much reason for worry. Among others, Bremont just released the Supermarine 300M Henley Royal Regatta, celebrating their nine year old partnership with the Henley Royal Regatta, a rowing event held annually on the River Thames in Henley-on-Thames, England, since 1839.

The base of the watch is very familiar, as it takes shape of the regular Supermarine 300M. That means that it’s made out of 904L stainless steel and measures 40mm wide, 12mm thick and has a 49mm lug-to-lug. On top is a sapphire crystal surrounded by a unidirectional rotating bezel that has a blue anodised aluminium insert with a 60 minute scale. Water resistance, as the name suggests, is 300 meters.

The dial comes with a matte white base that’s contrasted with nickel-plated hands and applied indexes. The indexes and hands are filled with white Super-LumiNova, which glows blue. The thing that sets the dial completely apart is the Henley Royal Regatta crest above 6 o’clock.

Inside, you’ll find the BB63-AH movement, which is likely a rebranded Sellita SW300, judging by its 4Hz beat rate and 56 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a stainless steel bracelet that looks very much like a rouleaux bracelet, closed with a clasp that has tool less micro adjust.

The new Bremont Supermarine 300M Henley Royal Regatta is limited to 50 pieces and priced at £3,500. See more on the Bremont website.

3/

Tutima Joins In On Tennis Themed Watches With Their M2 Seven Seas S

This summer we’re getting a lot of tennis themed watches. Just the other day we had the Rado options, and a few weeks before that, a Speake Marin. Now, this Tutima M2 I’m writing about isn’t necessarily a new summer watch. In fact it came out in April, but I’ve only now seen it. And I like it. Based upon the utilitarian case design of a chronograph that was produced for the German Air Force in 1984, the Tutima M2 collection is the brand’s lineup of durable performance-oriented sports watches. Over the years, the M2 lineup has expanded to include a fairly diverse assortment of different models, and while some lean into a highly utilitarian and purpose-built design ethos, others take the core blueprint of the M2 series and turn it into something that can more easily exist in everyday life. Arguably some of the best examples of the latter variety of models are the 40mm versions of the Tutima M2 Seven Seas S that were released at the very end of 2022, which take the underlying design of the brand’s ultra-robust diver and render it in a more compact and refined overall package. This is the base used for this new release, the M2 Seven Seas S Tennis Edition.

The steel case remains largely unchanged - 40.2mm in diameter by 12.5mm thick, and an unknown lug-to-lug, but it has to be short thanks to the integrated bracelet - with really nice brushed and polished finish. On top is sapphire crystal surrounded by a unidirectional bezel that has a finely grained insert and the 60 minute scale done in highly polished relief. While you might brush the dimensions away as too large, they are shockingly compact, because Tutima claims a water resistance of 500 meters.

The dial gets a white base with a very nice triangular pattern pressed into it. The hour markers are applied and filled with lume, just like the silver hands. The seconds hand has a dot near its top, done in bright yellow, like a tennis ball. At 6 o’clock is a date aperture with a white date disc inside.

Inside is the same movement you would get in a regular Seven Seas S, the Tutima Caliber 330. At it’s core, it’s the brand’s version of the popular ETA 2824 or Sellita SW200, and as such, it offers a proven design and the familiar specs of operating at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. The watch comes on a white FKM rubber strap.

The new Tutima M2 Seven Seas S Tennis Edition is limited to 119 pieces. Tutima does not have a webshop and they don’t list MSRP on their website, but many websites list it at €1,900. See more on the Tutima website.

4/

Maison Boanton Takes Gets Inspired By The Legendary Alpine A110

Sometimes, a brand’s website doesn’t tell the whole story of a watch. So you supplement from other sources. Sometimes that story checks out, others it doesn’t. But if it’s a good story, I’ll run with it. For example, I found a forum post about this new Maison Boanton Héritage watch, which instantly made it even more attractive than it is. Maison Boanton is a relatively new brand, one I haven’t written about, and the Héritage is styled after one of my favorite cars of all time — the Alpine A110. And even better, it takes inspiration from both the vintage variant, as well as the modern interpretation of the iconic French sports car.

The case of the Héritage takes on a really nice cushion shape, made out of fully polished stainless steel. The polished stainless steel is also the first connection with the A110, the old one, as it featured beautiful steel bumpers. The case has great measurements — 40mm wide and 10.9mm thick, with a great lug-to-lug of 44.6, thanks to the very short lugs that use screws to hold the strap. On top is a double-domed sapphire crystal that’s surrounded by a chunky, polished and fixed bezel. On the side is a fluted onion crown, giving the whole watch a very vintage look. Out back is a transparent sapphire crystal and water resistance is 50 meters.

Then, there’s the dial, which takes on a much more modern look and continues the A110 link, only now with the present-day car. The base of the dial is a slightly textured blue that looks anodized. Around the very perimeter are tiny dots that serve as hour makers, followed by two lumed half-circles that almost form a circle around the entire dial, save for two breaks at 3 and 9 o’clock. This is a direct quote of the headlights of the new A110. Further towards the center is a dark blue circle along which the brand name sits. The hands are spectacular, roughly brushed and made to look like the spokes of a vintage steering wheel on a race car.

Inside is the automatic La Joux-Perret calibre G100 which beats at 28,800vph and, despite being an alternative to the ETA 2824 and the Sellita SW200, it has a much more impressive power reserve than the competitors of 68 hours. It’s also easy on the eyes, with Côtes de Genève, diamond-beveled edges, rhodium-plated screws polished then heat-blued and solid tungsten rotor with decorative finish. The watch comes on a black alcantara strap that has bright blue stitching.

The new Maison Boanton Héritage is limited to 252 pieces, which is a mighty weird number to limit watches to. Well, that’s the third reference, as the modern A110 in its base trim comes with 252 horsepower. Price is set at €2,625, with tax included. See more on the Maison Boanton website.

 5/

Audemars Piguet Very, Very Quietly Releases A White Gold Royal Oak Duo With Blue Dials

It’s not uncommon for brands to release watch updates and then not really tell anyone about it. This usually happens with brands in the higher price ranges that sell very well, as those have established customers the brand can offer the watches to, without burdening themselves with telling the plebs about it. But inevitably, someone will catch this release within a few days and tell everyone about it. Not so much with this new pair of Royal Oak watches from Audemars Piguet. It took weeks for someone to notice them, and even then, it was only the team over at Monochrome who caught the release. So, special thanks to them! Nothing huge here, just two white gold Royal Oak Selfwinding models, one a regular date model and the other a chronograph, both in white gold and with beautiful smokey dials.

The first of the models is as classic as a Royal Oak can get, the reference 15510. It comes in at 41mm wide and 10.5mm thick, made completely out of white gold, with a white gold bezel on top with the eight signature screws. There are sapphire crystals on top and bottom, and water resistance is 50 meters. The dial gets the chunky grande tapisserie pattern that gets a smokey blue color, from a dark blue at the centre fading to black on the edges. The blue dial is paired with gold applied markers and hands, both filled with lume. At three o’clock, you’ll find a date aperture withe a nicely matched date wheel inside. Inside, you’ll find the in-house calibre 4302 which beats at 4Hz and has a 70 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a white gold bracelet with a folding clasp. Price is set at €68,400 and you can see more on the Audemars Piguet website.

The other watch is a new take on the chronograph reference 26240. Again made out of white gold, measuring the same 41mm wide, but a bit thicker at 12.4mm. Again, you get sapphire crystals on both sides and screw-down pushers on the right side which gives you a 50 meter water resistance. The dial has the same pattern and same color, but now with a white seconds track on the periphery of the dial. It also has a tri-compax setup, with a 12 hour totalizer at 3, a running seconds at 6 and a 30 minute totalizer at 9 o’clock. The date aperture has moved to the 4:30 position. Inside is the calibre 4401, a integrated flyback chronograph movement, again beating at 4Hz, with a 70 hour power reserve. This version also comes on a white gold bracelet with a folding clasp. Priced is set at €81,200, and check out the AP website for more.

Also of note, as Monochrome notes, the watches are now available in Japan only, but should make their way to the rest of the world.

⏲️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

• Growing up in Scarborough during the reign of the Scarborough Rapist, a young girl’s coming of age is shadowed by fear, trauma, and the ordinary banality of evil. In a community haunted by unspeakable violence and collective silence, she reflects on innocence lost, the wounds left behind, and the struggle to reclaim her own story.

• In the 1960s, a generation of British schoolchildren was thrust into a radical experiment: learning to read and write with the strange, 44-character Initial Teaching Alphabet. Decades later, former pupils still grapple with the legacy of an educational gamble that promised clarity but left confusion, frustration, and unanswered questions in its wake.

• When a Phoenix man vanishes from the tiny outpost of Seligman, Arizona, his daughter refuses to let the mystery fade into desert dust. Nineteen years later, tangled secrets, small-town suspicions, and a private investigator’s dogged pursuit converge on a chilling theory: the truth behind Keith King’s disappearance may be buried—literally—beneath the surface.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

The New Hollywood Movement, also known as the American New Wave, has etched its way into the annals of cinematic history after a decade of dominance in the 1970s through the films of the United States. This is a very decent overview of the era.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk