Seiko's Night Sky Prospex Alpinist SPB531; Swatch Is Back At It With A New Mission to Earthphase; CIGA Design's New Z Series Hunter; Panerai'S Submersible Marina Militare In Steel And Carbotech

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I really like the Moonswatch, and I’ll defend it for everything it did well. But the shark might have been jumped a while ago.

In this issue

• Seiko Looks To The Night Sky For This New Prospex Alpinist SPB531

• Swatch Is Back At It With Their Snoopy MoonSwatch Mission to Earthphase – Moonshine Gold

• A Design Continues Making Avant-Garde Watches For The Masses With The New Z Series Hunter

• Panerai Releases The Submersible Marina Militare In Steel And Carbotech

• FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Watches You Might Not Have Seen, Week 45: Finding Mecca With Dalil

👂What’s new

1/

Seiko Looks To The Night Sky For This New Prospex Alpinist SPB531

I’m a big fan of the Seiko Alpinist, despite never having owned one. But it’s no secret that it’s been getting a bit long in the tooth. I guess that’s why I liked the SPB513 and SPB515 Seiko released last week, which were more subdued versions of the classic Alpinist. I’m dying to get a new version of the watch. Well, I guess Seiko agrees on that, since they just introduced the Prospex Alpinist Night Sky SPB531. Good news for me, possibly not great news for you, since this is an European exclusive.

Since all that’s new here is the color of the dial, the case is exactly what we love about the legendary SPB121. That means that the case is made out of stainless steel and measures 39.5mm wide, 13.2mm thick and has a 46.4mm lug-to-lug. This is a watch made for being in nature, so it’s mostly brushed with just a few touches of polished surfaces. There’s a regular screw-down crown at 3 o’clock and an additional 4 o’clock crown to operate the internal bezel. On top is a sapphire crystal and you get 200 meters of water resistance.

The new on this watch is the dial, which gets a deep blue brushed finish, which justifies the Night Sky name. You get silver applied hour markers, a combination of Arabic numerals and triangles, as well as those dramatic cathedral-style hour and minute hands. Contrasting the blue of the dial is a gold colored seconds hand. At 3 o’clock is a date aperture with a cyclops above it.

Inside, you’ll find the familiar 6R35 movement, a decently OK movement at this price. It beats at 3Hz and has a really nice 70 hour power reserve. What’s not that great is their stated accuracy of -15/+25 seconds per day. Sure, pretty much every one will be much better than that, but it would be great is Seiko could get this tidied up a bit. The watch comes with two straps, a navy blue leather strap with crocodile embossing and a textured blue nylon strap, both with a steel three-fold clasp.

The new Seiko Prospex Alpinist Night Sky SPB531 goes on sale in September and will be available only in Europe, limited to 3,000 pieces. Price is set at €890. See more on the Seiko website.

2/

Swatch Is Back At It With Their Snoopy MoonSwatch Mission to Earthphase – Moonshine Gold

Oh no, Swatch is restarting its obsession with full moons. Back in 2022, when Swatch launched the Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch, it was an immense hit for the company. They sold a million in less than a year, with people queuing up to get one. But in 2023, someone at Swatch had an idea that was just so bizarre. They released 11 versions of the watch, all the exact same color, just with slightly different central chronograph hands done in gold, all inspired by folk names for full moons. The differences were so minuscule, you would have to zoom in photos to see them. I still don’t understand that entire run. However, it seems like they saw the error of their ways, because ‘24 and ‘25 were full of great releases, some featuring Snoopy, others doing Moon and the cool Earth phase discs, and some great new colors. Well, I spoke too soon, because Swatch is bringing back the Moonshine Gold full moon nonsense, and now it’s just chaotic. The latest release is the Mission to Earthphase – Moonshine Gold, with just everything Swatch did so far crammed into one watch.

Built on the already known Moonphase model, this new variant comes in a 42mm wide and slightly thicker than normal (13.75mm) case made out of bright pink Bioceramic, a material that is made up of two-thirds zirconium oxide ceramic powder, with one-third biosourced material derived from castor oil. Sounds fancy, but feels a lot like plastic. This version gets a blue colored case, with a tachymetre scale on the bezel. On top is the domed plastic crystal and water resistance is 30 meters.

The dial is blue on the outside and white in the middle, which we’ve seen before, and then the rest is just a mix of all the complications we’ve seen before. At 2 o’clock is the moonphase indicator with the double moons done in gold, at 6 o’clock is the running seconds and at 9 o’clock is the earthphase indicator — a very cool complication which shows the phase of the Earth as viewed from the Moon. Beneath that indicator is an illustration of Snoopy and Woodstock, sitting on the surface of the Moon.

As with previous versions, Swatch doesn’t say what movement is inside, but it’s most likely to be a variation of the ETA Caliber G10.962 quartz chronograph moonphase movement. The watch comes on a blue Velcro strap with blue Bioceramic hardware.

The new Mission to Earthphase – Moonshine Gold is quite something. Many people are surprised that Swatch is still doing these, I’m just wondering why stick everything into one watch? This version will only be available on the full moon of this month — Swatch really needs to stop it with this insanity — which means you’ll be able to get it only on August 9, in select stores. Price is set at €385. See more on the Swatch website.

3/

CIGA Design Continues Making Avant-Garde Watches For The Masses With The New Z Series Hunter

There is a very good reason why watches from MB&F, Urwerk and Hautlence command premiums in the market. They are intricately constructed, with thousands of hours of research and development and using cutting edge materials. These watches can easily go above six figures. However, recently, there’s been a crop of (mostly Chinese) brands that have embraced this avant-garde design that the mentioned brands have pioneered, but at a much lower price. Sure, you don’t get the materials and the bells and whistles of the bigger brands, but you get a different and surprising look. And I like that! One such brand is CIGA Design which has made its name with the Blue Planet watch. However, their new collection — the Z Series Hunter Automatic Skeleton — tickles my fancy much more.

Sure, technically, this is a tonneau-shaped case, but it’s so much more. It has an octagonal shape with sharp and angular lines. It’s made out of stainless steel, but a micro-sandblasted finish and a DLC coating add to the futuristic look of the shape, especially with the cage-looking surrounds. It’s quite large, but since it doesn’t have traditional lugs, it should fit in the width of a lot of wrists even measuring 43mm wide, 12.1mm thick and with a 48mm lug-to-lug. There are three colors to the DLC coatign to choose from — silver, black and carbon, which is a nice grey shade. Water resistance is adequate for daily use, 30 meters.

Moving on to the dial, there isn’t much of it. It’s a fully skeletonized movement that’s on display from the front and back. Pretty much the only thing you get other than the movement parts is the angled flange that has green lumed markers at 3, 9, and 12 o’clock, and the skeletonized hands which have the same green lume on its tips.

But that movement that’s on display is quite interesting. Called the CD-07, it’s fully skeletonized in-house movement with a great look that includes hollowed, drilled, and polished chamfered edges, while the 120-degree anchor-shaped rotor and balance wheel have the same satin finish as the case and the bridges. It beats at 4Hz and has a 40 hour power reserve. The watches come on an H-shaped stainless steel bracelet that matches the case and has a hidden clasp.

The new CIGA Design Z Series Hunter Automatic Skeleton is available now and priced at $499. That’s pretty cool. See more on the CIGA Design website.

4/

Panerai Releases The Submersible Marina Militare In Steel And Carbotech

The cult Italian watch brand Panerai has a very strong military link. They made watches for the Royal Italian Navy, as the Egyptian Navy. Since 2022 they even leaned heavily into a collaboration with the US Navy SEALs. But it is their work with the Italian Navy, or the Marina Militare, that is most connected to the brand ethos. Most recently, in April, we saw the Marina Militare get the Experience Edition, which cost north of $60k and came with a three-day military bootcamp. I liked those watches, but they were a bit out of my budget. Now, I’m not saying that the watches we got now are cheap, but they are at least somewhat attainable. These are the new Panerai Submersible Marina Militare PAM01697 and Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech PAM01698, which take inspiration from the Aviazione Navale, the aviation part of the Italian Navy.

Starting off with the PAM01697, it comes in a stainless steel case that measures 44mm wide, 13.3mm thick and has a 53.5mm lug-to-lug, which is quite familiar. Also familiar is the cushion shape, the brushed finish, iconic crown guard and the rotating bezel that we’ve seen before on the Submerisble line. The ceramic insert is done in a grey-green color, with circular silver markers every five minutes. Water resistance is 300 meters.

The dial keeps the shade of the bezel insert going on, but adding a gradient that goes from the greenish-grey in the center to a black on the outside. The markers are circular and metal, matching the ones on the bezel, there’s a small seconds at 9 o’clock and a date aperture with a color matched disc at 3. Inside, you’ll find the familiar P.900 calibre, an automatic that beats at 4Hz and has a 3 day power reserve. The watch comes on a black rubber strap and a second green canvas option in the package as well. This Panerai Submersible Marina Militare PAM01697 is available now and, in a refreshing move, not a limited edition. Less refreshing is the price which is set at €12,100. See it on the brand website.

Then, we have the PAM01698 which keeps a lot from the steel version, but updates the case. It still measures 44mm wide, 13.3mm thick, with a 53.5mm lug-to-lug, and has the same cushion shape. But this one is made out of Carbotech, Panerai’s composite structure of long carbon fibers. Both the case and the bezel are made out of the material, but the dial, the internals and the straps remain the same. The Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech PAM01698 is also available and not a limited edition, priced at €18,900. See more on the Panerai website.

FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Your Next Watch, Week 49: A Rolex and its cheaper alternative; incredible 90s watches; a very cool Gübelin; and the wildest TAG Heuer you'll see today

Watches and the intersection of religion, technology, and design. 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

• Amid the neon-lit swirl of old Las Vegas—a world of strip clubs, silver vaults, and larger-than-life characters—a doomed affair between a casino heir and a savvy dancer erupts into scandal, betrayal, and murder. This gripping true crime tale traces the spectacular rise and fall of Ted Binion, and the notorious trial that transfixed Sin City.

• In the age of TikTok and viral sleuths, a new breed of private investigator is transforming infidelity stakeouts into online spectacle. Meet the women PIs who tail cheaters and share stories for a true-crime obsessed internet, navigating a minefield of public shaming, algorithmic justice, and the personal fallout of exposing secrets in a hyper-connected world.

• As Maine’s moose population faces mounting threats from climate change and relentless winter ticks, biologist Lee Kantar embarks on a data-driven, emotionally fraught battle to save this iconic species. This in-depth exploration traces the rise, fall, and uncertain future of the state’s most emblematic mammal—and the scientist determined to keep them alive against long odds.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Free soloing became a cultural phenomena when Alex Honnold released his documentary of free soloing El Capitan. Before that, it was a niche sport for the craziest among us. But even in free soloing, there are levels of craziness. If climbing up sheer rock cliffs with no rope seems boring, you could always go for speed climbing up sheer rock cliffs with no rope. YouTube just served me a video of Dan Osman racing up Bear’s Reach at Lover’s Leap in 1997. And I just had to google Osman. It will come as no surprise that he died in a fall. What will surprise you is that he fell while using ropes. Although, he wasn’t climbing. He was doing his other passion — rope jumping, falling several hundred feet from a cliff then being caught by a safety rope, for which his record was over 1,000 feet (300 m). Quite the hobby.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk