Serica Bring Back Tuxedo Dial; Formex Essence Ceramica Meteorite; Peren Adds A Chrono; Sartory Billard's Guilloché Dial; Massena And Raúl Pagès Team Up Again; Parmigiani's Wonderful Pocket Watch

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I love days like this where it’s all smaller brands, but each and every one is fantastic!

In this issue

• Serica Bring Back Their Fantastic Tuxedo Dial On The Ref. 6190 TXD

• Formex Equips The Essence Ceramica Dark Matter With A Meteorite Dial

• Peren Expands Their Collection To Include A Delightfully Retro Chronograph

• Sartory Billard Makes An Incredible Blue Guilloché Dial For Exquisite Timepieces

• Massena LAB And Raúl Pagès Team Up Again To Celebrate 30 Years Of TimeZone

• Parmigiani Fleurier Continues Michel Parmigiani Birthday Celebration With Wonderful Pocket Watch

👂What’s new

1/

Serica Bring Back Their Fantastic Tuxedo Dial On The Ref. 6190 TXD

For years now, the French independent brand Serica has been creating something pretty special. They somehow manage to create retro designed watches unlike anything you’ve seen before, almost if they exist in a parallel universe and are referencing historical watches on a slightly different timeline. And for years, all of their watches so far have been rugged tool watches — divers, field watches and GMTs. They stepped away from the genre for just a second to introduce the Parade, their spectacular dress watch. But now they’re back, with the Ref. 6190 TXD, the long-awaited return of their Tuxedo dial.

The 6190 is Serica’s take on the field watch, and it’s one of my absolute favorites on the market. It’s a stainless steel case that measures 37.7mm wide, 10.4mm thick and has a 46.5mm lug-to-lug. It has wonderful twisted lugs, a double domed sapphire crystal, surrounded by a broad brushed bezel that has a polished sloped edge and a discreet crown on the right side. Water resistance is 200 meters.

Then we have the new dial, which has has a combination of black discs on the periphery and in the center, with a taupe-beige colored sector in between them. This type of dial is often nicknamed a Tuxedo dial, for pretty obvious reasons. You get hand-applied hour markers with Super-LumiNova C3, while the hands are brushed and also filled with lume.

Inside, you’ll find the SoProd M100 automatic movement and you’ll have a tough time finding such a thin automatic watch at any price point, let alone one this low. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve and has Côtes de Genève finishing. The watch comes on Serica’s fantastic stainless steel Bonklip bracelet.

The new Serica 6190 TXD goes on sale December 12th at 4PM CET and will be limited to 150 pieces. Price is set at €1,190. See more on the Serica website.

2/

Formex Equips The Essence Ceramica Dark Matter With A Meteorite Dial

I’m getting a bit boring with my fawning over Formex, but my 180 on the brand was just that strong at Watches and Wonders. It was the first time that I have had a chance to handle a Formex watch and it completely changed my impression of the entire brand. Before W&W, I thought of Formex as a decent looking, well built brand with a couple of interesting quirks, but it did little for me on the emotional level. The moment I held one in my hand, I realized how incredibly cool these watches are. I’m grateful for that. 2025 is a big year for the brand, as they are celebrating 25 years, and they recently introduced a new mid-sized 41mm case to the sporty Essence collection. Just two months ago, we got the 41mm Essence Ceramica in full ceramic with some groovy dials and now we get the same case, but with a meteorite dial. This is the new Formex Essence Ceramica Dark Matter.

The case is the same as the recently introduced models, which means that it measures 41mm wide and 11.2mm thick, with a fairly compact 46.2mm lug-to-lug. The case is made out of black zirconium oxide ceramic, which is supposed to be light and scratch resistant, and has a brushed finish with diamond-polished bevels. The case has their patented Case Suspension System which allows the centre of the case to flex a bit, for ultimate comfort, but that’s even more impressive when you figure out that the crown has to flex with the central part. Water resistance is 100 meters.

While the current collection features CNC-machined horizontal grooves on the dial, this one comes with a very dramatic slice of Muonionalusta meteorite that has a dark-nickel treatment to match the dark case. You get applied gun-metal indices and hands with brushed and polished facets filled with Super-LumiNova BGW9 and at 6 o’clock is a bevelled date window with a black disc inside.

Inside is the recently introduced to the collection Soprod Newton P092, developed by Soprod for Formex. It beats at 4Hz, a 44 hour power reserve, a construction that makes it more resistant to shocks and vibrations and it’s COSC certified. The watch comes on a matching ceramic bracelet which have a really, really cool micro-adjustment system that allows for adjustments without removing the watch.

The new Formex Essence Ceramica Dark Matter is limited in production to 100 pieces per year and available for preorder right now. Deliveries are expected in mid-January and price is set at €‌5,650, with my 25% VAT included. See more on the Formex website.

3/

Peren Expands Their Collection To Include A Delightfully Retro Chronograph

When I first wrote about Peren, it was about their Regia Automatic 39, a fairly conventional looking watch from a small Swiss brand that had an interesting story. It was inspired by the Sarmizegetusa Regia, one of the most precise ancient calendars, known as the Stonehenge of Transylvania. Quite a quirky thing, that was. But I haven’t heard from them in a while. Well, just recently, they released the Peren One, their first chronograph. And while this doesn’t have the weird story behind it, it has a very interesting 80s integrated style. It’s obvious that Peren knows how to make a watch.

The case of the watch is made out of three pieces of stainless steel and measures 40.6mm wide and 12mm thick, with a 46mm lug-to-lug. There aren’t any lugs here, as the bracelet connects directly to the flat part of the case. On top is a flat sapphire crystal, held down with a wide and unmarked bezel. The case has a brushed and bead-blasted finish, with hand polished details, mostly on the bevels. The pushers on the right side are rectangular and the crown screws down in order to give you the promised 200 meter water resistance.

The dial has an anthracite flat finish with applied markers made out of Globolight, a mix of ceramic and Super-LumiNova. Around the perimeter is a white minute track with orange details at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock. This is a bi-compax setup dial, with recessed sub-dials — 60-minute counter at 9 o’clock and the dreaded 24-hour indicator at 3 o’clock, which tells you what movement is inside.

And what’s inside is the Seiko VK64. It’s a well known combination of quartz movement for the time-telling side of the watch and a mechanical chronograph. I really want to love this movement, but that 24-hour indicator will be the death of me. The watch comes on a stainless steel bracelet with a push-button butterfly clasp. From what I can tell, it doesn’t have micro-adjust.

The new Peren One is, curiously, limited to 1,111 numbered pieces and available for preorder now. Price is set at CHF 569, without tax, during the preorder window, after which it goes up to CHF 693. Delivery is expected to start in January of next year. See more on the Peren website.

4/

Sartory Billard Makes An Incredible Blue Guilloché Dial For Exquisite Timepieces

A cursory glance at the Sartory Billard website will show you that they make a wide variety of watches, most of which are a combination of retro-avant-garde styles and centuries old craftsmanship. Pretty much every single one of their watches is show stopper, something that needs to be deeply examined to understand all of its nuances. Most of them are bespoke pieces that can be customized to your exact liking. But they also have the Editions Collection, which would be best described as their prêt-à-porter collection. These are available right away, at much lower prices. And the latest watch in this collection is the pretty incredible SB04-E Exquisite Blue Guilloché, made in collaboration with Florida-based retailer Exquisite Timepieces

The SB04-E is the continuation of the discontinued SB04 model and you can see it. The case is made out stainless steel and measure 39.5mm wide and 10.3mm thick. The base of the case is brushed with polished bevels and polished bezel. On top is a sapphire crystal and water resistance is 100 meters.

But then, there’s the dials, which what this watch is all about. It’s made in-house, with CNC machines, which makes it easier for Sartory Billard to create multiple intricate guilloché patterns. On the outside is a new pattern designed to reflect light, and is finished with a blue gradient finish that transitions from a deep navy on the outside to a light blue towards the center, where it meets the central disc which is white, finished with a wave pattern radiating out the centre. The chapter ring is made of sapphire, with the printed and applied indices applied to it, in order to not interrupt the guilloché pattern. The even-numbered indices, just like the hands, are diamond-cut and polished, while the odd-numbered indices and outer minute track are pad-printed. The hands are then filled with BGW9 Super-LumiNova.

Inside, you’ll find the La Joux-Perret G101, which is becoming an increasingly more popular alternative to the ETA 2824 clones. It’s an interesting movement that beats at 4Hz and has a much more modern power reserve of 68 hours, while the ETAs and Sellitas hover at about 38 hours. The watch comes on a stainless-steel bracelet with alternating brushed and polished links as well as a white integrated rubber strap.

The new SB04-E Exquisite Blue Guilloché is a limited edition of 25 pieces and available only through Exquisite Timepieces. Price is set at $6,400. See more on the Exquisite Timepieces website.

5/

Massena LAB And Raúl Pagès Team Up Again To Celebrate 30 Years Of TimeZone

The duo of Massena LAB, a design studio led by William Massena — former Managing Director of TimeZone.com, this will become relevant in a minute — and Raúl Pagès, the winner of the first LVMH Watch Prize are teaming up again, but this time for a bit of a personal reason for at least one of them. I think this is their fourth collaboration, and the watch is the TZ30 by Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès and it marks the 30th anniversary of TimeZone.

On the outside, the new TZ30 looks very much like the Absinthe model we’ve seen from the duo. The stainless steel, Calatrava-style, case measures 38.5mm wide and just 10mm thick, making for a very dressy watch. The case has smooth, polished lugs and a matching smooth bezel surrounding a sapphire crystal on top. It’s an incredibly simple case, which is by design so that the dial could take over all the attention. Out back is a transparent caseback engraved with a tribute to TimeZone’s 30th anniversary.

The dial is vertical brushed and is painted a really nice indigo blue with a gradient to a darker blue on the edges. You get applied polished markers and there’s a snailed small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock and a circular inscription “Observatory Precision” at 3 o’clock to offer balance on the dial. It’s also a reference to the Patek Philippe Ref. 2458, a one-off built for J.B. Champion in 1952. The hands are leaf shaped and polished.

Inside is the proprietary caliber developed by Raúl Pagès for Massena LAB called the M690, a manually wound movement built on the AMT Manufacture AMT6600 but then heavily improved. Pagès oversses the hand finishing and decoration of every movement, including a plate adorned with Côtes de Genève finishing and meticulously hand-chamfered plates and bridges. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a 60 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a brown handmade Italian calfskin strap.

The new Massena LAB & Raúl Pagès TZ30 is limited to 30 pieces, priced at $9,900. See more on the Massena LAB website.

6/

Parmigiani Fleurier Continues Michel Parmigiani Birthday Celebration With Wonderful Pocket Watch

I’m just a bit late with the news on this watch, as Parmigiani Fleurier traditionally release special watches to celebrate Michel Parmigiani’s birthday on December 2nd. But even if I were years late, it’s still worth writing about because it’s an incredible creation. Parmigiani, the brand, has a tradition of celebrating its founder’s birthday with very special watches. And this year being his 75th birthday, it’s extra special — a stunning La Ravenale Minute Repeater pocket watch powered by a restored minute repeater calibre from the 1920s, a nod to Parmigiani’s start as a watch restorer.

There’s really nothing regular about this pocket watch, so I’ll just start listing all the cool stuff. It’s made out of 18k white gold and measures 51.8mm wide and a relatively slim 13.1mm thick. There is so much Art Deco inspiration that I don’t know where to start. The case is engraved with a geometric pattern, and at the top of the case is the chain anchor that protects the crown a bit, with both that mechanism and the crown being set with blue sapphires. Flip the watch over and enjoy one of the most beautiful movement hinged covers you’ll ever see. Taking inspiration from a Madagascar palm, the cover is hand engraved with a fractal pattern that’s inlaid with iridescent opal and light green jade marquetry. Truly incredible. Do not forget that this is a minute repeater, so it has a well integrated slide into the case that’s barely visible.

The dial is the most serene and subdued part of this watch. it’s also made out of white gold and gets an engraved palm motifs instead of Parmigiani’s signature grain d’orge guilloché. That’s covered by a blue-teal PVD coating, paired with white gold indices, oval PF cartouche and delta-shaped openworked hands.

What’s inside is even more impressive. It’s an original 1920s ultra-thin minute repeater movement signed Ed. Koehn, Genève, and numbered 78708. it Comes from Michel Parmigiani’s personal collection and has been restored by PF's Atelier de Restauration, which took months. The movement has a minute repeater on 2 gongs with symmetrical hammers, and hand-engraved and bevelled bridges and mainplate. Being a pocket watch, it comes on a chain, a special 18k white gold chain with hexagonal and oval links.

The new Parmigiani Fleurier La Ravenalle is a piece unique and price is, of course, available on request. See more on the Parmigiani website.

FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS Watch School Wednesday: Enamel in Modern Watchmaking

Exposing the Marketing Myth Behind Two Fundamentally Different Dial Technologies. Read it here.

⏲️End links

A bunch of links that might or might not have something to do with watches. One thing’s for sure - they’re interesting

• In Macy's crumbling Santaland, a vermin-infested Christmas maze, broken actors don fake beards for $11/hour, channeling myth amid clawing cats and gun-toting drunks. Billy swaps vodka for light beer; Bob rises from Santa to exec, then crashes into rage-fueled exile. Yet each swears: in one tear-soaked lap, they became Santa — real magic amid the corporate grind.​

• In New Mexico's dusty border scrub, a mysterious Texas huckster pitches Project Jupiter: $165 billion AI data-center colossus—bigger than the Interstate Highway System—promising jobs and riches to a desperate county. Amid arsenic-tainted water fears, secret NDAs, and a gas-guzzling microgrid dodge, locals cry foul as shovels break ground before the ink dries.

• Olivia Nuzzi flees a tabloid-torching affair with RFK Jr.—now Trump's health czar—to California's cliffs, chasing Didion-esque redemption in American Canto. Amid Pacific crashes and fire-scorched skies, she half-confesses a soul-eroding obsession with liars and power, but her memoir tells nothing, gazing into the political abyss without flinching.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Located in the middle of the vast waters of the Pacific Ocean and appearing just as a tiny dot on the map, it’s the smallest independent republic. Nauru is the most inaccessible country. Hardly 200 people make their way to this country each year. Until recently, the locals on this isolated island had so much wealth that they didn't even know what to do with it. Once rich in phosphate deposits in 1975, Nauru became the country with the highest GDP per capita in the World.

Today, however, in these destroyed lands where no fruits and vegetables can grow, processed and fatty foods have become the norm. Nauru is recognized by the World Obesity Federation as the world's most obese country, with around 60% of its citizens are obese. The World Health Organisation also reports that Nauru has the highest cigarette consumption rate in the world. What a wild story

Thanks for reading,
Vuk