Seiko’s Celebrates 60th Year Of First Diver With Three Prospex; Alpina Adds Titanium To The Alpiner Extreme; Eberhard Releases The Contodat; H. Moser & Cie.'s Frozen Dials On Streamliner Flyback

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Today’s edition is a very interesting example of inconsistent pricing in modern watchmaking. I won’t put any brands on blast, but just look at the prices and you’ll see what I mean.

In this issue:

• Seiko’s Celebrates Diver 60th Anniversary With Three New Versions Of Their Popular Prospex

• Alpina Adds Titanium To Their Sportiest Watch, The Alpiner Extreme Automatic, For The First Time

• Eberhard Releases The Contodat, A 70s-Inspired Integrated Chrono And Time-And-Date Sports Watch

• H. Moser & Cie. Adds Frozen Dials To The Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic

👂What’s new

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Seiko’s Celebrates Diver 60th Anniversary With Three New Versions Of Their Popular Prospex

Seiko is in a bit of a jam these days. They still have a grasp on the lower end of the price range in watches — despite Citizen moving into this territory strongly — but on the other end of the spectrum, they’ve faced a lot of criticism. Where they once made a bunch of really solid and well priced divers, these days their prices have crept up without bringing that much extra value. The movements can still be questionable, and Seiko really knows how to mess up a bracelet. So, in time to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their first ever dive watch, Seiko is now releasing the Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver 60th Anniversary, Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT 60th Anniversary and the hardcore Prospex Marinemaster ‘Shinkai’ 60th Anniversary 600m Saturation Diver. All of these watches go on sale in July.

Starting with the Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver 60th Anniversary, it’s a tribute to the very first Seiko diver, with the slight h-shape to the blunt lugs, a brushed finish with polished facets. Of course, it comes in a much beefier case, one that measures 40mm wide and 13mm thick. On top is a sapphire crystal surrounded by a dark grey unidirectional dive bezel. The dial looks pretty cool, fully silver with deep grooves that represent waves in an ocean. That’s paired with silver bar indexes, silver hands and a date window at 4:30. Inside, you’ll find the 6R55 automatic movement that beats at 3Hz and has a 72 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a three-link stainless steel bracelet. The SPB511 is a limited edition, just limited to 6,000 pieces and priced at $1,400. See it on the Seiko website.

Then, we have the Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver GMT 60th Anniversary, which is very similar to the 1965 Heritage Diver, but also very different. It comes in a different case measuring 42mm wide and 13.3mm thick, with the same brushed and polished finish. The crown on this one is moved to the 4 o’clock position, but water resistance is still firm at 300 meters. On top is a sapphire crystal, surrounded by a blue unidirectional dive bezel. Moving on to the dial, it features the exact same wave pattern on the dial, only now it’s a deep blue, and the entire thing is surrounded by a rehaut that features a 24-hour scale. Since this is a GMT model, it has a fourth hand to indicate the second time zone, and that’s done in bright yellow to stand out from the blue. The watch is powered by the Seiko calibre 6R54 which beats at 3Hz and has the same 72 hour power reserve. The SPB509 also comes on a stainless steel bracelet, is also limited to 6,000 pieces and priced at $1,750. See it here.

Last, we have the Prospex Marinemaster ‘Shinkai’ 60th Anniversary 600m Saturation Diver. This beastly watch ups the size from the other two to 45.4mm wide and 16mm thick. It’s made out of titanium, equipped with a helium release valve and can go down to 600 meters. The bezel on this one is black and features an oversized 60 minute scale. The dial also features a wave pattern, but much less pronounced than the previous two watches, and it comes in a dark blue that has a gradient towards a slightly lighter shade towards the center. The “Shinkai” name comes from the Japanese word for the deep sea, which is why the dial is as dark as it is. Inside, you’ll find the very decent 8L45 movement that beats at 4Hz, has the same 72 hour power reserve and gets much improved accuracy of +10/-5 seconds per day. The SLA081 is a limited edition watch, much more so than the other two, as only 600 will be made. Price is set at $5,600, which some have reported to be the most expensive Prospex you can get today. My cursory google search seems to confirm this fact. See more of the watch on the Seiko website.

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Alpina Adds Titanium To Their Sportiest Watch, The Alpiner Extreme Automatic, For The First Time

It seems that Alpina has hit its stride as they have had a couple of months of nearly flawless releases. Whether it’s their chunky, hard-core sports watch, the Alpiner Extreme, or something more classic, they’ve been putting out some really amazing pieces. But it’s perhaps the Alpiner Extreme in particular which has gotten the most attention, with Alpina expanding the collection in all directions. You can now get them in a variety of sizes (34mm, 39mm and 41mm) and a variety of dials. The one thing that hasn’t seen much variety are the materials. It was only a matter of time, however. We’re now getting a new 39mm Alpiner Extreme Automatic, one done in titanium, for the first time.

While the case of this Alpiner Extreme Automatic is new, thanks to the use of titanium, it looks very familiar. It measures 39mm wide and 11.5mm thick, and thanks to the signature cushion shape and integrated bracelet, it has a very compact length of just about 40.5mm. They used Grade 2 titanium which is softer than Grade 5, but also easier to polish. You get vertical brushing on the top sides of the case, including the flat bezel with six exposed screws, and then polished chamfers on both the case and the bezel. On the side you still get a rubberized screw-down crown and 200 meters of water resistance.

The dial matches the case in color, but also features Alpina’s signature triangle motif pattern all over. You get applied and polished hour makers filled with lume, and more lume on the alpha-style hands. The silver seconds hand has a red triangular counterweight.

Inside is the same AL-525 automatic movement as the other models, which is a slightly modified Sellita SW200. The modification comes in the form of a black asymmetrical rotor, while the movement keeps its 4Hz beat rate and 38 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a grade 2 titanium bracelet that has brushed H-links with neat polishing on the sides.

The new 39mm Alpina Alpiner Extreme Automatic Titanium is available now, as part of the regular collection. Price is set at €2,495. See more on the Alpina website.

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Eberhard Releases The Contodat, A 70s-Inspired Integrated Chrono And Time-And-Date Sports Watch

Despite being founded in 1887 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Eberhard & Co. is kind of only known in the most enthusiast of watch circles. Which is a shame, because they make some pretty interesting stuff. Their latest release is a revival of a 1970s model, a sports watch with an integrated bracelet in two formats — a time-and-date and a chronograph. This is the new Contodat collection.

First, what the two watches share — the case. They both come in a 39mm wide stainless steel case that’s 11.3mm thick in the time-and-date configuration and 13.9mm in the chronograph one. Both have vertical satin-brushed surfaces, a really nice looking polished bezel and bevel running along the case flanks. On top of both is a domed sapphire crystal, and both come on integrated steel bracelets that have polished central links and what Eberhard calls the “2CLICK folding clasp”, which is a push-to-open clasp. I’m not sure if the clasps have any micro adjust. Water resistance on both is 100 meters.

Now, for the differences. First, the simpler of the two, the Contodat Automatic. It comes with four dial color options — blue, green, silver and grey sunray-brushed — with a small seconds display at 9 o’clock and a framed date window at three. Around the perimeter is a snailed track with Arabic numerals and on the dial are applied indices and baton hands treated with lume. Inside, you’ll find the Sellita SW290-1, a small seconds variant of the ubiquitous SW200. It beats at 4Hz, with a 41 hour power reserve.

The Contodat Chronographe comes in three color options — blue, green and silver sunray brushed. The blue and green get color matched sub-dials with a silver ring, while the silver version gets blue snailed dials. It’s a bi-compax setup with a 30-minute sub-dial at 3 o’clock, running seconds at 9 and a date window at 6. Around the perimeters is a snailed tachymeter scale and as a tribute to the 1970s model, the central chronograph seconds hand, the area between noon and 240 on the tachymeter scale and three sections on the 30-minute chronograph counter are all highlighted in a bright orange. Inside, you’ll find the Sellita SW510 BH that beats at 4Hz and has a 58 hour power reserve.

The new Eberhard Contodat is on sale now, priced at €2,940 for the Automatic and €3,970 for the Chronograph. See more on the Eberhard website.

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H. Moser & Cie. Adds Frozen Dials To The Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic

Despite being made in just 100 pieces and just before the pandemic, the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner, a luxury sports watch elements with an unusually fluid shape, was a huge hit for the brand. Since January 2020, the Streamliner has evolved into a collection with time-only, tourbillon and perpetual calendar models. Their latest Streamliner comes in the form of a Flyback Chronograph, but now with a frosted dial.

There are two case materials to choose from — 5N red gold or steel — but both have the same size. The cases measure 42.3mm wide and 14.2mm thick, with a heavily domed sapphire crystal on top. The case has radial brushing on top and polished sides, including a polished crown at 4 o’clock and polished pushers. The watch comes with a 120 meter “dynamic water resistance”, which means that the flyback function can be activated underwater.

Fumé dials are kind of Moser’s thing, and these two are made even more attractive with the use of a frosted finish. Midnight Blue fumé (in red gold) or Matrix Green fumé (in steel) with frosted finish dials start with hand engraving and then stamping the brass plates, before a tinted lacquer is applied. In keeping with Moser’s minimalist design tenets, the Streamliner relays the elapsed times of the chronograph on two scales, meaning there are no sub-dials. The red and white outer track on the dial measures the seconds, while the inner track counts the elapsed minutes. The hands match the case material and have Globolight inserts, a ceramic-based material containing Super-LumiNova.

Inside the watch is the meticulously complex calibre HMC 907 developed by movement maker Agenhor, now one of H. Moser’s partner companies (MELB Group). This automatic column-wheel chronograph has an innovative horizontal friction wheel, and the power reserve has been increased to 72 hours. The steel watch comes with a matching steel bracelet, while the red gold comes on a black integrated rubber bracelet.

The new H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Chronograph 'Frozen' are available now, as part of the regular lineup and priced at $51,700 for the steel and $68,200 for the red gold. See more on the Moser 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

• In this extract from Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness by Sir David Attenborough, who is turning 99 this week, and Colin Butfield, Attenborough reflects on favourite moments from his incredible career. After so many decades immersed in natural history, it is no surprise these recollections are special and beautiful. There are also some welcome hints at optimism: Attenborough is hopeful that the future may still be bright. We can only hope.

• I have very fond memories of Skype. When I was in school, it was the only way to stay in touch with my parents and friend on another continent, all for free. That was a huge leap. Yesterday, Microsoft ended its life. In this playfully designed Rest of World feature, longtime users reflect on how Skype became a lifeline.

• VR Clubbing has exploded since Covid-19 lockdowns, with enthusiasts doing drugs and finding friends and love in an inclusive environment. But some say the convenience is making it harder to control their vices. Wired goes inside the world of hardcore VR ravers

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

In the depths of YouTube you can find some pretty amazing documentaries. LIke this one on the world of racing int eh time of playboys.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk