Timex Beams Us Back To The 1970s With The Time Machine Reissue; Maurice Lacroix Releases Sporty Aikonic Collection; Chronoswiss Celebrates 30 Years Of Opus; Armin Strom's Mirrored Force Resonance

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I’m in southern Croatia where the weather is beautiful and the Internet is horrible, so good luck to me sending these out.

The Laco giveaway is going on for another 5 days, the rules are simple:

If you want to participate in the Laco giveaway, the rules are simple. Just scroll down to the end of the newsletter where you’ll find a large share button. Use that to invite your friends to subscribe to the newsletter and every referral gets you a ticket to enter the raffle. The more subscribers you bring, the higher the chance of winning is.

In this issue

• Timex Beams Us Back To The 1970s With The Q 1972 Time Machine Reissue

• Maurice Lacroix Releases The New And Very Sporty Aikonic Collection With Ceramic Bezels

• Chronoswiss Is Celebrating 30 Years Of Their Legendary Opus With A Purple Rain Variant

• Armin Strom Releases The Mirrored Force Resonance in Rose Gold With A Black Guilloche Dial

• Your Chance To Win This Absolute Bomb Of A Watch From Laco

👂What’s new

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Timex Beams Us Back To The 1970s With The Q 1972 Time Machine Reissue

Another day, another Timex reissue. Are you tired of them already? I don’t think I am. Especially since I have another one lined up for later in the week. I’m loving everything they are doing, and you’ll have to bear with me! New today is a duo of Q Timex 1972 "Time Machine" Reissues and they’re just getting more and more fun.

These are pretty dramatic watches, with helmet-shaped cases which are always attention-grabbing. They measure a rather conventional 39mm wide, but a whopping 15mm thick. And since it’s immediately obvious that this is a quartz watch, that entire thickness is taken up by a stylistic choice over a movement’s need for space. So, that’s quite the statement. You can get the case in silver or gold colored, with an acrylic crystal on top, which is becoming a thing with these Timex re-releases. I appreciate it because I’m a fan of acrylic in general, but I also think it’s a better alternative to mineral glass for its resistance to shatter and easy polish options. Water resistance is a standard 50 meters.

But it’s the dials where Timex took it a step forward. You can get a really nice blue sunray brushed version, one that has applied markers in silver and silver hands, or you can opt for something a bit more special, especially at this price. Timex will sell you this watch with a genuine tiger’s eye dial with gold colored markers and hands. Both versions have dial apertures at 3 o’clock.

Inside, you get a quartz movement. And honestly, with a Timex, do you care which one it is as long as it ticks? I don’t, but I might be weird that way. The watches come on great color matched bracelets that could, maybe, be described as a horizontal coffin-style. Whatever it is, I like the look of it. Quality wise, I suspect it’s on the level of other Timex bracelets.

The new Q Timex 1972 "Time Machine" Reissues are available now, priced at €249 for the silver and €279 for the gold version. See more on the Timex website.

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Maurice Lacroix Releases The New And Very Sporty Aikonic Collection With Ceramic Bezels

Someone with less regard for brand history and a bit more cynicism than me would say that the Maurice Lacroix Aikon is just a budget version of the AP Royal Oak. But just the fact that it has an integrated bracelet, a slightly angular case and a patterned dial don’t make a Royal Oak knock off. The Aikon has carved out an interesting niche for itself in the past wight years, from a fun quartz alternative to high-luxury integrated bracelet sports watches into a huge collection that will now give you pretty much anything you’d like. And sure, the watch we have today is a brand new collection with a new name, but it’s quite clear that this new collection — the Aikonic (I just love their puns) — is part of the Aikon range, just more sporty.

The case of the new Aikonic models looks very familiar, right? It’s the Aikon case, with a couple of changes that make it more sporty. It’s a wide watch at 43mm, but the fact that it measures just 11mm thick and has a short length thanks to the integrated bracelet construction. On top is the familiar Aikon fixed bezel with the six arms holding it down, but now made out of ceramic. You get a choice of black, white or blue, but there’s also an option to get a black case with a black ceramic bezel. More matching ceramic is found on the crown. Water resistance is 100 meters.

While there are four case and bezel options, there is just one dial option, which is an interesting approach. But at least that one option is a very sporty one. It’s made out of carbon fiber, with all of the fibers running vertically, creating a black and grey pattern I haven’t seen before on carbon dials. All four versions also have rhodium-plated faceted hands and indices, but there’s also a fifth version which pairs a black bezel with light blue hands and indices. There’s a date aperture at 3 o’clock, with a color matched date wheel.

Inside, you’ll find the ML1000, which is a new movement for Maurice Lacroix. It’s an automatic movement developed for them by Soprod, beating at 4Hz, with a 60 hour power reserve. It’s decently decorated with Côtes de Genève, perlage, blued screws, and circular graining. The watches come on black, dark blue or light blue rubber straps that have black or white textured nylon inserts for quite a sporty look.

The new Maurice Lacroix Aikonic is on sale now, priced at CHF 2,950. See more on the Maurice Lacroix website.

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Chronoswiss Is Celebrating 30 Years Of Their Legendary Opus With A Purple Rain Variant

While it wasn’t the start of the company, that happened a bit more than a decade prior, the introduction of the Opus, the first serially produced self-winding skeletonized chronograph, was a huge moment in the history of German-founded, Swiss-based Chronoswiss. From then, we got dozens of Opus models, including those in signature Chronoswiss colors. The launch of the Opus happened 30 years ago in 1995, and the company is now celebrating that with the limited edition Opus Purple Rain.

Like many other Chronoswiss watches, this one is also made out of Grade 5 titanium which offsets its significant size of 41mm wide and 14.8mm thick. It has an incredibly cool purple CVD coating on every surface. It’s really not something you see every day. On top is a knurled fixed bezel that holds down the domed sapphire crystal and on the side is an oversized onion crown. Water resistance is an unexpected 100 meters.

The dial is a direct homage to the original, keeping the classic Opus layout. That means that you get a small seconds at 9 o’clock, 30-minute counter at 12, 12-hour counter at 6, and date subdial at 3, all sitting over a completely openworked movement. All of the bridges over the movement have galvanic black bridges with an ultraviolet CVD-coated framework, and all of the dials sitting above the bridges are done in the same purple. You get Rhodium-plated Breguet-style hands and white printed scales to tell the time.

Inside, you’ll find the Chronoswiss calibre C.741S, which is actually a modified ETA Valjoux 7750. But when I say modified, I mean heavily modified. Obviously, the entire movement is skeletonized, has those galvanic black bridges, but then it also has a finished escape wheel and pallet lever, and a skeletonised purple CVD-coated rotor with Côtes de Genève. It keeps the 4Hz beat rate of the original movement and has a 46 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a very cool UV-reactive leather strap which is white indoors and turns purple when exposed to UV light.

The new Chronoswiss Purple Rain is limited to 30 pieces and priced at €16,200. See more on the Chronoswiss website.

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Armin Strom Releases The Mirrored Force Resonance in Rose Gold With A Black Guilloche Dial

The resonance in the name of the new watch from Armin Strom, the Mirrored Force Resonance doesn’t refer to a sound a watch might make, like in a chiming watch. But any confusion might be excused because resonance is a term originally derived from the field of acoustics. It occurs when two close vibrating frequencies synchronize, mutually absorbing each other’s energy and eventually arriving at the same frequency. It is also one of the most elusive phenomena in watchmaking, one that Armin Strom is very well known for making use of. It was Armin Strom co-founders Serge Michel and master watchmaker Claude Greisler who invented a way of connecting two independent balance wheels to have them synchronize, as a way of protecting from gravity, temperature and motion disruptions. This system was first introduced in 2016, and further refined with the Mirrored Force Resonance in 2022. Now, following an icy-blue dial version — the first Mirrored Force Resonance that had a guilloché dial — we’re getting a new version that comes in rose gold with a black guilloché dial

The watch comes in a 18K rose gold case that measures 43mm wide, 11.5mm thick, with a 49.60mm lug-to-lug. The case has polished tops of lugs, beautiful polished facets and a polished plain fixed bezel, while the sides of the watch have a vertically brushed finish. On top is a domed sapphire crystal that extends all the way to the edges, while out back is a flat sapphire crystal. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The setup on the dial remains exactly the same, but with new colors and finishes. That means that time is told on an off-center dial, which now has a sunray guilloché pattern done using a hand-operated rose engine lathe. It also gets a new color, a slightly lighter black, paired with beveled indices and hands done in rose gold, and surrounded by a black minute track. But the more interesting part of the dial can be found to the left of the time-telling dial, where you can see the resonance mechanism, two balance wheels oscillating in opposite directions, connected by Armin Strom’s patented resonance clutch spring. It’s cool to have this on the front of the watch as you can see the resonance in action.

Through the caseback, you can see the manually wound Caliber ARF21, which beats at 3.5Hz and has a 48 hour power reserve. It has two independent oscillators, each equipped with its own balance wheel and hairspring, synchronized via the brand’s patented clutch spring. To show this off, the movement has twin seconds counters, which can be reset with the pusher at 2. You will then get to witness them synchronize once again. The watch comes on a dark grey Alcantara strap with grey stitching and a rose gold pin buckle.

The new Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Rose Gold is limited to just 15 pieces and priced at CHF 88,000. See more on the Armin Strom website.

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Your Chance To Win This Absolute Bomb Of A Watch From Laco

Here we go. Like I promised you last month, I’m teaming up with Laco to celebrate their 100th year anniversary. As part of their celebration, they showed a very special watch, the Laco Frieda. There’s only one catch. You can’t buy one. Instead, Laco is giving away 100 pieces of this special edition watch in their “100 Years – 100 Days – 100 Watches” campaign. And you can get one here. The rules are simple — scroll down to the end of the newsletter, where you’ll find a referral window that says “Share It’s About Time”. Invite your friends to subscribe to the newsletter and for every subscriber you bring, you’ll get a “ticket” that enters you in a draw to win the watch.

This is the first time I’m doing a giveaway with this referral program, so if there are any hiccups and something doesn’t work, let me know and we’ll sort it out asap. The giveaway is open until August 25th, after which I’ll use a random email selector to find the winner and Laco will ship your brand new watch to you! Good luck.

Now, for a bit of info on thw atch. Laco typically names its models after cities or geographical features, but this model breaks tradition. For a good reason, as it’s named after the co-founder, Frieda Lacher. It’s a familiar watch but with a dial that makes it extremely beautiful. The watch comes in a stainless steel case that measure 39mm wide, 11.55mm thick and with a 46.5mm lug-to-lug. The case has a beautiful matte finish and on the side, you’ll find an engraving that reads “Laco 1925-2025”, while the caseback has an engraving of its unique number out of 100. On the opposite side you’ll find the signature deeply grooved onion-shaped crown. Water resistance is 50 meters.

Then, there’s the dial. It’s a classic Type A flieger, which has just the minute track along the edge of the dial and big numerals for the hours. The minute track and numerals are printed in white lume, while the sword-shaped hands are done in black, with white lume inside. But the star here is the base of the dial. Rendered in Laco’s signature red color, it has a sandy texture which makes it very special.

Inside, you’ll find the Laco S2 movement, which is essentially the Miyota 82S0. The movement beats at 21,600vph and has a 42 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a grey leather strap with red stitching.

Again, scroll down to the end of the email where you’ll find the share button and get to sharing!

FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Watch School Wednesday: Clear Choices - Navigating Watch Crystal Shapes and Materials

The Essential Differences in Crystal Shapes, Strength, and Cost. 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

• A chance encounter between an eccentric British inventor and Harry Houdini spirals into a daring chapter of World War II history, blending ingenious escape gadgets, POW ingenuity, and the hidden role of Monopoly in wartime survival. This incredible story tells how a magician’s wager and fantastical board games became lifelines behind enemy lines, forever altering the art of escape.

• The Intercept has obtained a cache of secret documents detailing the inner workings of the U.S. military’s assassination program in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The documents, provided by a whistleblower, offer an unprecedented glimpse into Obama’s drone wars.

• Over two decades, Ian Rogers amassed an arsenal of more than 50 firearms, some of them illegal. In the weeks surrounding January 6, 2021, Rogers and a friend discussed plans to target the California Democratic Party headquarters. They were arrested, and Rogers pleaded guilty to conspiracy and weapons charges, for which he was sentenced to nine years in prison. Documents from his trial include text messages referenced Red Dawn and a “White Privilege Card.” Mike Spies unfolds Rogers’s story alongside the recent history of the National Rifle Association, drawing on internal marketing documents and interviews with former influencers to understand how the NRA sees its audience. “From this vantage, it remains the case that Ian Rogers committed crimes,” Spies writes, “but it is also true that he is a fall guy for an industry that knows its best customers.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Siebe Vanhee has long dreamed of making the first free ascent of the legendary climb Riders on the Storm, in Patagonia, Chile. In 2024 he teamed up with Nico Favresse and Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll for an epic 18-day attempt. The biggest question mark is pitch 17 - a spectacular line through thin cracks and a blank face that's never been free climbed. An incredible video.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk