The Citizen With Indigo Paper Dial; Farr & Swit Drop Vol. 2 Mix Tape; Paulin Creates Perfect Graduation Watch; Schwarz Etienne's 1902 With Power Reserve Indicator; Last Biver Carillon Tourbillon

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Have a nice weekend, I know I will! That’s all for this week. 

In this issue:

• The Citizen Celebrates 30 Years With A Wonderful Hand-Dyed Indigo Tosa Washi Paper Dial

• Farr & Swit Drop Vol. 2 Of The Retro Digital Mix Tape, Now With New Colors

• Paulin Creates The Perfect Graduation Watch In Partnership With The Glasgow School of Art

• Schwarz Etienne Adds A Power Reserve Indicator To The 1902 Line With The Réserve de Marche

• Biver Announces The Last Variants Of Its Inaugural Model, The Carillon Tourbillon

👂What’s new

1/

The Citizen Celebrates 30 Years With A Wonderful Hand-Dyed Indigo Tosa Washi Paper Dial

While Citizen has been having a hell of a run in the past few years, easily moving into spaces left empty by Seiko, I would argue that they have made the longest strides in their high-end watchmaking, with The Citizen. Sure, it’s one of the more clumsy naming schemes in the watch world, but think of The Citizen as Citizen’s Grand Seiko. The high-end collection was launched in 1995 and while they make pretty impressive mechanical movements for it, it’s their quartz movements that are truly impressive. Now, The Citizen is celebrating 30 years with a sensational hand-dyed indigo Tosa washi paper dial created using the Murakumo shibori technique.

This is a very wearable everyday watch, with a round body, beveled lugs, chamfered edges and an overall brushed surface with polished details. It measures 38.3mm wide and 12.2mm thick. The case is made out of Citizen’s Super Titanium which gets their Duratect hardness coating that gives it a dark grey finish. Water resistance is 100 meters.

But as nice as the case is, it’s all about the dial over here. Washi paper has long been used for paper screens in Japan to bring natural light into living spaces, making it the ideal material for Eco-Drive watch dials. The washi paper on the dial was hand-dyed using a traditional technique known as natural lye fermentation dyeing, or Murakumo shibori. It produces cloud-like patterns through delicate compression and dyeing, and it also means that each dial is completely unique. You also get beautiful hands with polished bevels, faceted hour markers, a date aperture 3 o’clock and The Citizen Eagle above 6 o’clock, all done in silver.

Inside, you’ll find the calibre A060, which near the top of the line of Citizen high accuracy quartz movements. It’s accurate to 5 seconds per year and also features a perpetual calendar accurate to the year 2100. It also uses the natural transparency of paper on the dial to let light in and charge the battery. Speaking of the battery, a full charge will get you a run time of 18 months. The watch comes on a blue crocodile leather strap with a folding clasp.

The new The Citizen 30th Anniversary limited edition will be made in just 300 pieces and it’s priced at $3,300. It goes on sale in August. See more on the Citizen website.

2/

Farr & Swit Drop Vol. 2 Of The Retro Digital Mix Tape, Now With New Colors

One of the funnest watches released last year could be yours for $34.99. Or, $59.99 for the pair. Which is not something you get to say every year. It was the Retro Digital - Mix Tape Vol. 1 duo from Farr + Swit, a Chicago-based brand that’s very into the 80s. If it wasn’t clear in their Solar Chrono release which looked like it fell right out of Tron, it was made certain with the release of the Mix Tape which was, you guessed it, styled after an actual mix tape. Earlier this year we got the Mix Tape Vol. 1 B Side and now, it’s time for the Mix Tape Vol. 2 with the same setup, just new colors.

Just like Vol. 1, this watch comes in the form that will remind a lot of you of the first Casio models that you wore as a kid, both in look and in dimensions. The plastic case measures 35mm wide (37mm with buttons), 8.5mm thick and has a 38mm lug-to-lug. The first four watches came in a clear case with a clear strap, a translucent blue with a black strap, and a translucent purple/pink with a matching strap. But Vol. 2 seems to be a step from the 80s into the late 90s. In the late 90s, I was a young teen browsing the internet on my lime green iMac and listening to music on my translucent orange JVC MiniDisc player. And the latest colorway reminds me very much of that era — it’s a turquoise transparent case paired with a black strap, and the same translucent orange of my MiniDisc player paired with a transparent case.

There are three buttons on the case, all unmarked, which operate the functions of the watch. While side B featured a controversial negative display, this one brings back the more traditional positive display which has a light background with dark text over it. The display is surrounded by a graphic that evokes the look of a blank cassette tape with a hand-written label. Water resistance is 50 meters. The watch is powered by a Chinese-made quartz movement, and the 18mm wide lugs seem to be compatible with Timex Q straps.

The price hasn’t changed at all, meaning that you can get one for $34.99 or opt for both with a $10 discount, meaning you will pay $59.99. See more on the Farr + Swit website.

3/

Paulin Creates The Perfect Graduation Watch In Partnership With The Glasgow School of Art

The Scottish watch industry is going through a bit of a renaissance these past few years. And at the crest of the new wave sit anOrdain, known for their beautiful and affordable enamel dial pieces, and their sister brand Paulin, known for their quirky designs, and great prices. But while we might have known Paulin previously for their cool and colorful dials, over the past few months the brand has made a strong push for artist collaborations. We had the 70s cool Crystal Zapata collaboration, and the more abstract John Nicol piece uniques. Now, we’re getting something a bit more special. Paulin teamed up with the Communication Design department of the Glasgow School of Art to create a graduation watch. The final design came from fourth-year student Beth Law, and it’s such a great looking thing. And best of all, it’s available to everyone.

Based on the smaller of the Paulin models, which is a 1970s-style C-shaped case. It measures 35mm wide, just 8.2mm thick and has super short lugs which give it a L2L measurement of a tiny 40mm. On top is a vintage-style Hesalite box-crystal. The case has a brushed finish on the flat surfaces and polished facets. Water resistance is 50 meters.

Keeping with the monochrome theme, the dial comes in a brushed rhodium with the numbers printed in a clear gloss lacquer, which varies in contrast in different lights. But those numerals you get are absolutely beautiful, designed to look like they are made out of ribbon. The hour hand is black, the minute silver and you get a choice of color for the seconds hand — either white or pink.

Inside, you’ll find the Swiss-made ETA F06 quartz movement which has a 68 month hour power reserve. Not much more to say here. The watch comes on Paulin’s Milanese strap.

The new GSA Modul watches are available to everyone, not just to GSA graduates, although they will receive a discount. The watches are built to order, with all orders received by August 15 delivered by the end of the year. Price is set at €599,05. See more on the Paulin website.

4/

Schwarz Etienne Adds A Power Reserve Indicator To The 1902 Line With The Réserve de Marche

If the name Schwarz Etienne sounds familiar but you can’t exactly recall seeing one of their watches, you’re not having issues with your memory. It’s more the fact that you’re recalling some of their movement. You see, Schwarz Etienne is best known as a movement manufacture. But they’re also very good at making watches. Like, really good. For their latest release, they are advancing their 1902 Small Seconds model with the addition of a power reserve indicator. This is the new Schwarz Etienne 1902 Réserve de Marche.

The new model comes in a case made out of Grade 5 titanium, with satin-brushed and polished finishes and measures 39mm wide and 10.9mm thick. You get sapphire crystal front and back, a polished bezel on top, a fluted crown on the right side and a 50 meter water resistance.

There are two dial options, one silver and one that looks very much salmon, but Schwarz Etienne corrects us that it’s actually 4N gold colored. The layout of the dial looks familiar, with a a sunken central section that has a grained finish, and a chapter ring around it with raised black numerals at 4, 8, 10 and 11 o’clock. The rest of the hours are marked with applied and faceted rhodium-plated indexes, while both version also get an opaline outer minute track and Lancine-shaped hands. At 6 o’clock is a small seconds dial which, along with all the other details, makes it look like the previous 1902 Small Seconds model if it weren’t for the large power reserve indicator at 2 o’clock.

Inside is the calibre MSE 311.00, an in-house movement. Unlike the movement that powers the small seconds, this one doesn’t have a micro-rotor but is instead hand wound. The movement beats at 3Hz and has twin barrels for a power reserve of 120 hours. Decorations include a sandblasted and rhodium-plated mainplate with polished bevels and tone-on-tone engravings, Côtes de Genève on the bridges and satin and diamond-drop textures on the ratchet wheels. The silver dial version gets a black rubber-lined alligator leather strap, while the gold colroed one gets a brown one.

The new Schwarz Etienne 1902 Réserve de Marche is part of the regular collection and priced at CHF 19,500 without tax. See more on the Schwarz Etienne website.

 5/

Biver Announces The Last Variants Of Its Inaugural Model, The Carillon Tourbillon

When it was used as the flagship inaugural model to launch the Biver watch brand two years ago, the Calibre JCB-001-B was met with mixed reactions. Many believe that the Biver Carillon Tourbillon was way too modern, had a controversial look and was introduced at a simply ridiculous price for a new brand — CHF 520,000 — despite being headed by Biver. Since then, Biver toned it down a bit, introducing a plethora of models in the five figure range and established a well regarded brand. Now, they are announcing the Biver Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series, a goodbye model to the model that started it all.

There are two case options for the Signature Series, either titanium or a very interesting combination of titanium and 18-karat rose gold. They both have the same footprint, measuring 42mm wide and 13.7mm thick. It’s a simple round case with a pusher to activate the chiming mechanism on the left side, sapphire crystal on top and bottom, as well as a fixed domed bezel on top — done either in titanium or 18-karat rose gold. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The dials on the two watches have identical setups, but with different materials. One is done in karat white gold and titanium, while the other is done in 18-karat rose gold and titanium. The materials are set up in circles that alternate not just in material, but also in finishing between vertical brushing and circular brushing. You get applied white gold chemin de fer markers and matching hands.

The movement was created by their in-house movement constructor, François Perez, with help from Le Cercle des Horlogers. It’s called the calibre JCB-001-B and features hours, minutes, a hidden tourbillon and a minute repeater that has been upgraded with a carillon, using three hammers to chime instead of two. It’s wound by a micro rotor and it has a 72 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a really nice looking bracelet done in either titanium or titanium and rose gold bracelet, with five square links and a titanium folding clasp that has micro adjust.

The new Biver Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series is limited to 5 pieces of the two-tone, 2 of the titanium. Price is set at CHF 475,000. See more on the Biver 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

• A retired FBI agent and a notorious hit man, bound by decades of unfinished business, reunite in a Louisiana prison—unraveling a web of corruption, unsolved murder, and Southern secrets. As old adversaries confront the ghosts of Shreveport, a confession emerges that may finally crack Louisiana’s most infamous cold case.

• As the FDA faces a political and existential crisis, its leaders and watchdogs battle waves of mass firings, public mistrust, and a new administration eager to dismantle decades of regulatory safeguards. Inside a besieged agency, the struggle to protect American health becomes a fight for its very survival—while the line between science and politics blurs like never before.

• A Bay Area family, squeezed by high costs and restless for change, chases Italy’s “€1 house” dream—lured by visions of sunlit villages and affordable reinvention. But as they navigate ghost towns, tangled bureaucracy, and questions of belonging, their search reveals a deeper truth: sometimes, the sweetest life is the one you already have, if you’re lucky enough to see it.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

If there’s one magical place on earth I would love to visit but most likely won’t get the chance, it’s the headquarters of Criterion, the publisher of the finest movie physical media in the world. More specifically, I would love to grab a few movies from their closet. They let their more famous guests pick their favorite movies, and it’s always good to see who picks what. Let’s see what David Cronenberg picked.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk