The Nivada Antarctic Glacier Is Revival Perfected; Tissot Hints At 38mm PRX; A California Dial Alpina Alpiner Extreme 39mm; Two Wild RL Turquoise American Westerns; Hautlence's Series 3 Sphere

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. OK, things are moving with fixing my pinched nerve. I thank you all for your patience, I finally got some serious doctors scheduled to look at it and decide for or against surgery. I’m just hoping it gets fixed soon. Also, to remind you, I’m not asking for any special help, but if you were planing on getting a paid subscription to the newsletter, you getting it sooner rather than later will help offset a bit of the medical cost. I have some cool things coming in the longform pipeline!

In this issue

• The New Nivada Grenchen Antarctic Glacier Collection Is Vintage Revival Perfected

• Are the New Tissot PRX In Full-Titanium Or Damascus Steel Cases Hinting At A 38mm Steel Version?

• The Latest Alpina Alpiner Extreme Automatic 39mm Gets Two California Dials

• Ralph Lauren Adds Turquoise Dials To Their Iconic American Western Watch Collection In Silver And Gold

• Hautlence Continues Developing Their Out Of This World Sphere Model, Now In Its Third, Smaller, Iteration

👂What’s new

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The New Nivada Grenchen Antarctic Glacier Collection Is Vintage Revival Perfected

In the 1950s, Admiral Richard E. Byrd led mankind’s first permanent mission to Antarctica. On his wrist was a Nivada watch, one that was later released to the public under the name Antarctic. It was a big hit for the brand, as an elegant watch that was capable of exploring the world around us, at least until it went under as a victim of the quartz crisis. But Nivada Grenchen has since been revived with one mission at its core — to bring back some of the most iconic designs from the storied past of the brand.

However, some revivals are more significant than others. And the revival of the Antarctic Glacier will certainly be the most significant watch they bring back this year, mostly because of how the whole affair serendipitously happened. As Nivada tells us, it’s CEO Guillaume Laidet was visiting Cenic Watches, the Swiss atelier of master restorer Nicolas Huissoud. Among countless treasures of time, he discovered 18 original Nivada Antarctic Glacier dials, beautifully aged yet perfectly preserved, along with 18 vintage ETA 2783 movements. You know what that meant. Nivada Grenchen is coming out with new versions of the Antarctic Glacier in three very cool setups — a super-limited version that uses the original dial and movement, a faithful recreation in size but with modern internals, and a larger option for a more modern setup, but still with the vintage look.

Let’s start with the original that carries a bunch of history inside it. It comes in a stainless steel case that measures 35mm wide and 11.8mm thick, with brushed and polished finishes. The case has very interesting scalloped lugs that give it an almost lyre-lug look, while on top is a domed sapphire crystal. Water resistance is 50 meters. The dial inside is the original dial with beautiful patina, with a central silver disc that has a vertical brushed finish, surrounded by a dark grey minute track, applied hour markers with lume, the same that can be found in the hands. Out back is an open caseback that shows off the full glory of the original movement that was found in the old Antarctic Glacier, the vintage ETA 2783 Automatic. It’s manually wound and truly a sight to behold. The watch can be had on a number of different straps. This is, of course, a very limited edition. Only 18 pieces will be made and the price is set at $2,500, which is actually reasonable for an actual piece of history.

Moving on to what Nivada Grenchen calls the Antarctic Glacier Regular 35mm, and you would be excused if you mistook one for the other. The case is virtually the same, with the same 35mm width and 11.8mm thickness, same domed sapphire crystal, same 50 meter water resistance. That means that what you get different is the dial, but even that is very similar. It has the same brushed silver dial with dark grey minute track and applied indexes. Out back this time is a closed caseback with a gold medallion that features a penguin on it. That’s because inside you won’t find a special movement, but rather a regular manual winding Soprod P054. Well, actually, it’s not that regular. I couldn’t exactly find any info on it… Go figure. Also, a number of straps is available and price is set at $1,095.

Last, we have an option for the rest of us with giant wrists. Again, it all looks very much familiar, just a bit enlarged. The stainless steel case, with the same scalloped lugs, measures 38mm wide and 12mm thick. It’s still brushed and polished, with the domed sapphire crystal on top and a fixed brushed steel bezel. Only now, with the larger size, you get 100 meters of water resistance. It has the same brushed silver dial with dark grey minute track and applied indexes. Out back is a closed caseback with an embossment of a US research base in Antarctica. Inside is the much more common Soprod P024 automatic which has been showing up lately more and more as an ETA-2824/Sellita SW200 alternative. It beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. Again, a plethora or carrying options are available with pricing starts at $1,095. All of the watches go on sale on November 13th at 4PM CET, and you can register your interest on the Nivada Grenchen website.

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Are the New Tissot PRX In Full-Titanium Or Damascus Steel Cases Hinting At A 38mm Steel Version?

What do you do when you’re four years into a historic run of fantastic releases that have all proven to be the biggest hit that your company has ever had? I would have some fun. And it seems that Tissot is doing the same thing with their PRX, as they just released three versions with some very interesting materials — two versions in titanium and one in Damascus steel. We’ve seen these materials used in the larger 40mm versions, so this 38mm version is a very welcome introduction. But as you’re reading this, have you noticed something interesting? The steel versions of the PRX currently come in 40mm, which is too large for a lot of people, while the 35mm might be too small. So, a possible hint at a 38mm steel version would be very cool.

Starting off with the two new titanium models, they measure 38mm wide and 10.98mm thick, and you kind of know the rest. They come with brushed cases, a polished bezel on top, with matching brushed titanium integrated bracelets. The exact same measurements are used for the case that’s made out of Damascus steel but that one doesn’t come with the matching bracelet. The cool thing about the Damascus steel case is that it comes with a Damascus bezel. Both versions come with sapphire crystals front and back, as well as 100 meters of water resistance.

When it comes to the dials, the titanium and Damascus differ. The titanium version keeps the signature waffle pattern dial and has a choice of colors — anthracite or dark blue. The anthracite is particularly cool because it give the watch a very monochromatic look. The anthracite has rose-gold-colored hands, indexes, and a matching date frame, while the blue one does everything in steel. The Damascus version, on the other hand, has a full Damascus dial that matches the case, matched with silver colored hardware.

Inside both is the ubiquitous Swatch Group’s Powermatic 80, beating at 21,600vph and with a 80 hour power reserve. You know it, you love it. The titanium versions come on titanium bracelets, while the Damascus comes on a black leather strap.

The new titanium and Damascus versions of the PRX measuring 38mm wide are avaialble now, priced at €875 for the titanium and €1,075 for the Damascus. See more on the PRX website.

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The Latest Alpina Alpiner Extreme Automatic 39mm Gets Two California Dials

Yesterday, I wrote about a very cool Panerai with a California dial and someone on Reddit reminded me of the absolutely best nickname for the California dial, one that features Roman numerals on one half and Arabic on the other — Mullet dials. Come on! How good is that. Because these really are the business in front, party in the back of the watch world, and likely the closest that my wife will ever allow me to get close to having a mullet. The latest watch to get one such a dial is the Alpina Alpiner Extreme. While we’ve seen the model use the California dial in its larger case, this is the first time that it comes to the smaller 39mm case, and in two colors.

The new stainless steel case measures 39mm wide, has a thickness of 11.5mm and a length (of the case, not the lug-to-lug) of 40.5mm. But I wouldn’t worry that the lug-to-lug is much longer, as it’s fitted with super short, angular, brushed lugs. On top is a flat sapphire crystal surrounded by a round bezel with six exposed screws. The case has a combination of vertical and circular brushing, with a few polished bevels. The screw down crown has a rubber grip which matches one of the three dial colors and water resistance sits at 200 meters.

The dials have a very slight texture to them, available in two colors — green or brown — both with a slight gradient effect that’s lighter in the center and darker on the outside. The markings are printed in beige lume, the same that can be found on the alpha-style hands. At 12 o’clock is an inverted triangle, while rectangles are used at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. The top part of the dial uses Roman numerals, while the bottom is Arabic. At 3 o’clock is a date aperture.

Inside is the same AL-525 automatic movement as the larger model, 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 watches come on black rubber straps.

The Alpiner Extreme Automatic 39mm California is available now, priced at €1,695. See more on the Alpina website.

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Ralph Lauren Adds Turquoise Dials To Their Iconic American Western Watch Collection In Silver And Gold

Never buy your watches from the same people who sell you your underwear. Right? Sure, I will 100% agree with that statement. Except when it’s not true. For example, I’m partial to Ralph Lauren underwear. And at the same time, they make some very cool watches. There’s a reason from that saying from the beginning, and that’s because brands like Armani and Hugo Boss have been known to license their name to Chinese factories to crank out cheap quartz watches and sell for many, many, unfair multiples. And while there are other fashion brands that do some serious watchmaking, I’ve always been a fan of the watches put out by Ralph Lauren. For a while there, they outsourced their production to the Richemont Group, but recently they brought their watchmaking back in house, or as in house as can get at the moment. Their Safari watch is very cool, and anything that they do with their Bear icon is an instant sell for me. But they also have a more ambitious watch in their catalogue — The American Western Watch Collection. These are truly something to behold, with intricate engravings, pure Americana. Now, RL is introducing two new American Western Watches, one in sterling silver and one in 18k gold, both with Turquoise dials.

These are super-striking cases and there’s no two ways about it — you’ll either love them or hate them. The cases are cushion shaped, measuring 42mm wide and 10.6mm thick, and come in two substantial materials, either antiqued sterling silver or 18k gold. But that’s not enough. They are engraved with organic motifs traditional to Western craftsmanship, and they really do look incredible. I can count on perhaps one hand watches that I’ve seen with this level of engraving. And each is done by hand, so they vary slightly one from another. Again, it’s not for everyone.

The aesthetic of the American Western Watch Collection is very much inspired by vintage Native American jewelry and concho belts that have long been an inspiration for Ralph Lauren. That’s why the truly incredible turquoise dials make perfect sense, as they are so often used in Southwestern jewelry. The dials are paired with extremely interesting numerals — Arabic on the cardinal points and Roman on the rest, with a slight patina to all of them. I can’t help myself but like them.

Inside, you won’t find a quartz movement or a run-of-the-mill Sellita. Instead, the movement is called the caliber RL514. It’s an automatic movement made for RL by Piaget, beating at 3Hz, with a 40 hour power reserve. Despite a closed caseback, the movement is decorated with Geneva stripes and perlage. The watches come on brown and leather straps hand-tooled in Texas and burnished in Italy. Beautiful.

The new Ralph Lauren American Western Watch duo with Turquoise dials is available now, priced at €31,000 for the silver version and €47,000 for the gold version. I love that these watches exist. I don’t think the watches are on the Ralph Lauren website yet, but you can see the American Western Watch Collection here.

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Hautlence Continues Developing Their Out Of This World Sphere Model, Now In Its Third, Smaller, Iteration

Just by looking at photos, Hautlence watches might be either one of those Chinese novelty watches that mess with the way they display time and sell for a few hundred euros, or a meticulously crafter work of art that costs as much as a small apartment in my city. They are, of course, the latter, and it’s actually quite clear on many of their watches. For example, the Sphere line, which uses a truly unique rotating sphere to tell the time. You really haven’t seen something from anyone else. Now, we’re getting Series 3 of the Sphere and it gets a slightly smaller footprint.

You know what you’re looking at as soon as you see a Hautlence watch. They are perhaps best known for their TV-shaped cases that measure large and are large. Well, they used to measure large. The Series 2 came in at 50.8mm wide and 43mm tall. The Series 3 shrinks down this significantly. It now measures 45mm wide and 37mm tall. Curiously, thickness has increased. The Series 2 measured 15.6mm thick with the crystal and 11.6mm thick without. The Series 3 is about the same thickness without the box shape sapphire crystal at 11.5mm, but it’s a substantial 17.4mm thick with. I tried one on in Geneva, and you really don’t notice the thickness that much as the majority is transparent. Add to that the fact that the satin brushed and polished case is made out of Grade 5 titanium and things are good. Despite the futuristic looks, that cary with it often a delicate construction, this watch has a 100 meter water resistance, which is great.

Like the Series 1 and 2, the Series 3 has a two-part dial. On the left is a titanium sphere coated in purple with engraved numerals filled with Super-LumiNova which is actually a jump-hour display that you can see working through openings in the sphere. On the right is a retrograde minutes display which has a satin-finished grade 5 titanium minute hand with purple PVD and filled with white Super-LumiNova. The white minute track on the base of the dial is made from Globolight, the chunky lume material, and glows a cool blue.

The Series 3 comes with a new, but still similar movement. It’s the hand-wound calibre A82 that beats at 21,600vph and has a 72 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a purple suede strap closed with a titanium folding clasp.

The new Hautlence Sphere Series 3 in purple is a limited edition of 28 pieces, priced at CHF 69,000. See more on the Hautlenece website.

⏲️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

• This in-depth exploration delves into the chilling life and mind of John Wayne Gacy, America's convicted serial killer of 33 boys. The account reveals his disturbing childhood, manipulative adult life, and time on death row, capturing his complex personality and relentless denial. A harrowing portrait of evil intertwined with moments of human reflection.

• Los Alamos National Laboratory is the United States' critical hub for producing nuclear bomb plutonium cores known as pits, operating within a nearly 50-year-old facility facing serious infrastructure and safety challenges. Despite federal mandates to boost pit production to meet nuclear arsenal modernization goals, progress has been slow and plagued by contamination incidents and equipment failures. Renovations are ongoing alongside production, with intense scrutiny from government officials. The lab remains essential as production at other sites like Savannah River faces long delays amid rising global nuclear tensions.

• DeepSeek has become an essential healthcare companion for many in China’s overburdened medical system. For a kidney transplant patient, it offers not only personalized medical advice but also empathy and constant availability. While its guidance has sometimes been flawed, the bot fills gaps left by rushed doctors, transforming how vulnerable patients navigate treatment and emotional support.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

If you get a chance, watch the entire Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction because there was a hell of a lot of good music played and some pretty emotional speeches given. However, this version of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun is just killer.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk