Timex And Noah's Affordable Ellipse; Mido Rolls Out S1E2 Of The Whimsical TV Big Date; Seiko's Teal SPB545; Favre Leuba's Green Sea Sky; The Everything Longines; Roger Dubuis Celebrates 30 Years

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I’m running to a doctor’s appointment and was deliberating whether to postpone sending the newsletter until later in the evening to include the paid subscribers segments, but I just couldn’t commit to a reasonable time when those would happen. I promise, tomorrow’s issue will be chock full of exclusive paid content (the subscriptions of which will pay for the doctor today, so do jump in on the paid bandwagon if you want to see them tomorrow), but in the meantime, enjoy some really good watches today.

In this issue

• Timex And Noah Team Up Again For A Very Elegant And Affordable Ellipse Watch

• Mido Rolls Out Episode 2 Of Season 1 Of Their Whimsical Multifort TV Big Date

• Seiko Continues Save The Oceans Initiative With A Teal SPB545

• Favre Leuba Adds A Green Dial To The Sporty Sea Sky Revival

• The All-Encompassing Longines Master Chronograph Moonphase Now Comes In Rose Gold

• Roger Dubuis Celebrates 30 Years With The More Restrained Hommage La Placide

👂What’s new

1/

Timex And Noah Team Up Again For A Very Elegant And Affordable Ellipse Watch

A couple of months ago, Timex teamed up with American fashion label Noah to release the Lighthouse Watch. It wasn’t exactly in line with everything else that Timex is re-releasing, but it was an interesting take on a shaped watch, a trend that has seen some resurgence in the past few years. This was the Lighthouse Watch, a sort of unique take on 1970s ellipse-shaped watch. That was obviously a successful watch and the duo is bringing it back, but even better. This is the new Noah X Timex Oval Moon Phase Watch.

It’s quite obvious where the inspiration for this watch comes from. Taking many cues from the Patek Philippe Ellipse, the stainless steel case measures 31mm wide and 35mm tall, with 18mm wide lugs hidden in the case. The case comes in either uncoated steel or with a gold coating, with a polished finish and a small crown on the right side. It’s also 30 meter water resistant.

Gone is the illustration of the lighthouse, which Noah co-founder Brendon Babenzien says has always had a symbolic meaning for him, and instead you get a more traditional dial with more functionality. The base of the dial has an off-white color in both case options, with applied faceted indices and dauphine hands for the hours and minutes. The hardware on the watches matches the color of the case. Around the perimeter is a dotted minute track, at 12 is the Timex logo and above 6 o’clock is the Noah script. But most important, sitting above the hands is a large aperture for the moon phase display, with a blue disc with printed yellow stars and moon. At 6 o’clock is also a date aperture.

Inside, once again, is an unnamed quartz movement, but you won’t really care that much because this is a super simple small watch that can be bought for those few special occasions. Or, you know, worn every day. The watches come on brown or black faux alligator straps.

The new Timex x Noah Oval Moon Phase is available for pre-order exclusively through Noah, with deliveries starting in May 2026. Price is set at €250. See more on the Noah website.

2/

Mido Rolls Out Episode 2 Of Season 1 Of Their Whimsical Multifort TV Big Date

While there are many criticisms one can levy against the Swatch Group, a clear definition of their brands is not one of them. Look at their lineup - Swatch, Omega, Tissot, Longines, Blancpain, Certina or Breguet - and you will see that each of these brands has a very recognisable look. But not just a look, but also a purpose and position in the watch world, with as little overlap in the brands as possible. The one brand where you could, perhaps, say that they haven’t completely sharpened their line could be Mido. There are a few watches that are just a bit plain and boring. But, if Mido were to choose a direction it’s going in, it will have to be unconventional watches. Be it the funky Commander 1959 or the spectacularly complicated Ocean Star Decompression World Timer. One of their best outings into quirky watches is the Multifort TV Big Date, a retro-inspired TV-watch. And, when you’re making quirky watches and have a TV shaped watch, doesn’t it only make sense to go all in with the TV theme? Of course it does. That’s why one of the best releases of last year was the Mido Multifort TV Big Date S01E01, a limited edition named after the “season 01, episode 01” naming convention of TV shows and with a truly why-didn’t-anybody-else-think-of-this dial that features the ever recognizable test screen we used to see on TVs before most people who are reading this were born. Well, we all know what comes after episode 1. This is the new Multifort TV Big Date Special Edition S01E02.

Mido hasn’t messed with the formula much, if at all. The biggest change on the outside comes from the gray PVD coating the case gets. The rest remains the same. That means that it comes in a stainless steel three part case that measures 40mm wide, 11.5mm thick and has a lug-to-lug of 46.85mm. It’s unlike most watches out there in terms of proportions, but it’s easy to get used to. The finishing is a combination of brushed and polished surfaces that make it look less like a gimmick and more like a true watch. On top is a flat sapphire crystal, on the right a prominent crown guards and water resistance is rated at 100 meters.

Moving on to the dial, things look similar, but are actually completely different. Sure, it’s still a TV test image, but with a different pattern, made up of whites, blacks, greys and a selection of colors. But the best thing is, this is a very three dimensional dial, with each of these patterns making up a shape that sticks up into space. Beautiful thing to look at. Being the Big Date it has a huge date aperture at 12 o’clock, which looks very well integrated. Despite the super-busy dial, there are still black and white bar indices at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock and dot indices at the other hours, all filled with Super-LumiNova. Helping, somewhat, with legibility.

Inside is the Mido automatic Caliber 80, also known as the ETA C07.651, also known as the Powermatic 80. It’s the Swatch Group workhorse, beating at 21,600 vph and with the 80 hour power reserve and a big date complication. The movement has a Nivachron balance spring and a rotor that’s decorated with the Mido logo and Côtes de Genève. The watch comes on a 22mm-wide H-link bracelet which has polished central links and a push-button butterfly clasp, and you also get two additional rubber straps in yellow and blue. All of them have quick releases to make them super easy to switch around.

The Mido Multifort TV Big Date S01E01 was a limited edition of 999 pieces, but Episode 2 doesn’t seem to be a limited edition. Smart move Mido. This will move units. Price is set at CHF 1,290. See more on the Mido website.

3/

Seiko Continues Save The Oceans Initiative With A Teal SPB545

Back in 2018, Seiko launched their Save the Ocean initiative with the idea of donating a portion of the sales to marine conservation efforts. Through this program, Seiko collaborates with ocean conservation organizations to fund and support projects such as marine debris removal, polar research, coral reef restoration, and sea turtle protection. So it kind of feels good to buy one of these Seiko watches. The latest to join the program is the Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch “Save the Ocean” Limited Edition SPB545, with a really cool dial.

Being a Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver, you know what to expect. 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. The case measures 40mm wide and 13mm thick. On top is a sapphire crystal surrounded by a dark grey unidirectional dive bezel, and water resistance is an expected 300 meters.

The dial looks like it was plucked right out of a tropical scene. Seiko calls it ‘tranquil teal’ blue, as it’s supposed to evoke the shifting tones of the sea—from shallow turquoise shallows to deeper blue depths. Sure, I just know it looks good. 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, with a white date disc inside. We don’t like that.

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 that has the same hardening coat as the case does and it’s closed with a folding clasp with dive extension.

The Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch “Save the Ocean” Limited Edition SPB545 is, as the name suggests, limited, but 4,000 pieces will be made. The watch goes on sale in December, priced at about €1,400. See more on the Seiko website.

4/

Favre Leuba Adds A Green Dial To The Sporty Sea Sky Revival

It’s easy to forget how devastating the quartz crisis was for the Swiss watch industry. One of the companies that came and went from the forefront of Swiss watchmaking is Favre Leuba, which has actually been around since 1737. The quartz crisis forced the founding family to sell the company in 1985, only to be revived a few years later and stumble again. Last year, for the third time, Favre Leuba announced that they are making another go at it, when they introduced three new collections and 22 new watches. But that was last year. This year, they are focusing on digging further down into each collection. One of the collection that’s getting a couple of updates is the Sea Sky Revival. After an initial black, brown and blue dial versions, we now have what’s likely the best one — green.

The case of the Sea Sky Revival is both retro in its styling and modern in its size. The stainless steel case measures 40mm wide and a substantial 15.3mm thick. The case has a brushed and polished finish, with a notched unidirectional rotating bezel on top with a black ceramic insert that has a 60-min countdown timer. That surrounds a double-domed sapphire crystal and on the side are piston-style pushers and a slightly oversized crown. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The setup remains the same on the dial, but now with a new sunburst green finish. Around the perimeter are tachymetre and telemetre scales printed in white, with three black recessed and snailed counters for the 30 minute counter, 12 hour counter at 6 and a small seconds display at 9 o’clock. The hands are silver, faceted and with a broad arrow on the minutes one. The applied index at noon, the printed indices and the hour and minute hands all have plenty of green glowing lume.

Inside, you’ll find a movement that Favre Leuba designates as the calibre FLC01, which is a top grade La Joux-Perret L112 with some nice decorations that include a heat-blued column wheel, an openworked rose gold PVD rotor and blued screws. It beats at 4Hz and has a 60 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a black leather strap with a steel pin buckle.

The new Favre Leuba Sea Sky Revival is available now, priced at CHF 3,950. See more on the Favre Leuba website.

5/

The All-Encompassing Longines Master Chronograph Moonphase Now Comes In Rose Gold

Sometimes, you want a watch to serve a single function. A three-hander, time-only one. Or a chronograph. But sometimes, you kind of want a watch to have everything. You want the regular hours and minutes, you need a chronograph, but you would also like to have a calendar with a pointer date, as well as day and month indicators. And since you already have that, you need a moonphase and a 24h indicator. Oh, and wrap it all up in gold. Sure, this might be a niche want, but Longines is here to fill that niche, with the rose gold version of their Longines Master Chronograph Moonphase.

The case, as is suggested, is made out of polished 18k rose and it measures 42mm wide, a chunky 14.40mm thick and has a 50mm lug-to-lug. It’s a substantially large case, but did you read all the functions that they crammed inside? Sapphire crystals are on top and bottom. Water resistance is not great at 30 meters, but will you really be checking the moon’s position and timing your pasta while scuba diving?

The dial looks very familiar. Almost identical to the stainless steel version of the watch. You get a silver base with an embossed barleycorn pattern and even without it, it’s pretty busy. Centrally mounted are the blued steel leaf-shaped hour and minute hands, with a blued central chronograph hand. At 12 o’clock is the 30-minute sub-dial that has windows for the day and month indications of the calendar. At 9 o’clock is the small seconds dial with a day-night indicator. At 6 is the 12-hour counter for the chronograph and the moonphase display. Around the perimeter of the dial you’ll find large Arabic numerals and smaller numbers for the date, pointed to with a blued hand. And then around all of that is a flange with the 60 seconds scale.

Inside, you’ll find the Calibre L687.5 which at one point was the Valjoux 7750. But it has since been deeply transformed by ETA, exclusively for Longines, and it has a column-wheel, a free-sprung balance wheel and silicon balance spring. Beats at 4Hz and has a 66 hour power reserve, with a gold coated rotor. The watch comes on a brown alligator strap.

The new Longines Master Chronograph Moonphase in rose gold seems to be available now, priced at €25,800. But hey, if you can settle for stainless steel, the same model can be had for a hair over €4,000. See more on the Longines website.

6/

Roger Dubuis Celebrates 30 Years With The More Restrained Hommage La Placide

For years now, every single time I write about Roger Dubuis, it’s usually a watch from the Excalibur collection that has in it little figures of knights. It’s a cool gimmick, placed into some very nicely made watches, but it was getting a bit repetitive. So, I was very pleased when I opened up their email announcing the celebration of the 30th anniversary that will take the brand back to where it started, with a very classic watch — this is the new Hommage La Placide, a reference to the the Hommage series that started it all, with more restrained designs and some very cool mechanical features.

Instead of the large and angular cases of the Excalibur models, the Hommage La Placide comes in a much more classic case that’s fully round, with a polished finish and brushed sides, measuring a restrained 38mm wide and 11mm thick. On top is a smooth bezel, with a wonderful step to the beveled lugs. Of course, there are sapphire crystals on top and bottom and water resistance is 30 meters.

Thenwe move on to the dial, where things are more Roger Dubuis. You get a blue lacquered main plate with a brushed flange and mother-of-pearl calendar segments for the indications of the day and date. The months and leap year at 12 and the moon at 6 o’clock also sue MOP and the moon is done in gold over aventurine glass. But most importantly, the perpetual calendar has a bi-retrograde display, while retrograde indications are used for the day and date. This is classic RD, and they’ve been using the same module to achieve the effect since the 1990s.

The movement you’ll see inside is the RD14 base calibre, their first in-house automatic movement, that’s paired with the RD72 retrograde module that I mentioned. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a 48 hour power reserve, with hours, minutes, perpetual calendar with day, date, month and leap year with biretrograde display, and a mooonphase function. It has a swan neck regulator and Roger Dubuis balance springs. It’s hand finished to a Poinçon de Genève standard. The watch comes on a blue calf leather strap with a triple folding buckle.

The new Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide Perpetual Calendar is limited to 28 pieces and priced at €115,000, without taxes. See more on the Roger Dubuis 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

• Johnny Young, a self-identified incel from California, became notorious for public harassment and pepper-spray attacks on women, which he recorded and shared online. His disturbing behavior won him a following within incel circles, yet also led to multiple criminal charges and imprisonment. Despite his release, Young remains a symbol of incel-related misogyny and real-world violence, raising urgent concerns about this fringe extremist movement.

• This provocative exploration uncovers the complex, often hidden connections between homosexuality and fascism, confronting a taboo that challenges assumptions about identity and ideology. From Nazi Germany’s Ernst Rohm to contemporary European and British far-right movements, the narrative interrogates how marginalized individuals have sought power through violent, exclusionary politics, raising urgent questions about identity, allegiance, and self-acceptance.

• The Scandies Rose, a 130-foot crab fishing vessel, sank in icy, stormy waters off Alaska’s Sutwik Island on New Year’s Eve 2019. Loaded with 198 crab pots stacked improperly amid worsening icing and extreme local weather, the boat capsized quickly. The National Transportation Safety Board found that inaccurate stability instructions combined with ice accumulation caused the disaster. Two of seven crew survived; five, including captain Gary Cobban Jr. and his son, were lost. The tragedy exposed systemic safety issues in the US fishing industry and prompted calls for stricter regulation in one of the nation’s most hazardous professions.

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When I was a kid I was so hoping that this was going to be the future.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk