Timex Releases A Banger Trio Of Marlin GMTs Priced Below €200; Formex Has A New Mid-Size Essence; Nodus Brings New Colors To The Contrail GMT And The Duality II; Gubely Takes A Big Step Forward

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Come on, Timex, this is a fantastic watch. In fact, it seems to me that we have a great lineup today! I’m happy with it. Also, the Laco giveaway is going wild, so it’s obvious you love the watch and brand. I figured I could do a deep dive into the history of Laco, which ended up being the longest article I ever wrote for the paid subscribers. I hope you enjoy it!

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 Releases A Banger Trio Of Marlin GMTs With Prices Going Below €200

• Formex Introduces A New Mid-Size Case To The Essence Collection With The Space Ghost Model

• Nodus Brings Great New Colors To Two Popular Model Lines, The Contrail GMT And The Duality II

• Gubely Takes A Big Step Forward With The New CH1 Rétrograde

• FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Historical Perspectives: Breaking Boundaries - Frieda Lacher’s Role in Shaping Laco’s Horological Heritage

👂What’s new

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Timex Releases A Banger Trio Of Marlin GMTs With Prices Going Below €200

Oh boy. We know that Timex has been killing it in recent years. Like, really, making some of the most compelling value for money in the market, with some fantastic designs. A lot of this success comes from the fact that they are recreating some of their most successful releases from the years. And there have been many years. One such recreation has been the Marlin, which has developed into a full fledged modern line on the wave of this success. But now, it’s moving away from being just a recreation and doing some cool stuff. And this just might be the coolest. This is the new Marlin Quartz GMT. Even if you hate quartz watches, put that animosity to the side. This is a fantastic looking trio of watches.

All three of these new GMT Marlin watches come in the same case. Made out of stainless steel, they measure 40mm wide and 13mm thick. Two of the cases have a polished silver finish, while one has a pretty extravagant gold colored finish. These are very simple cases, with a lot of vintage inspiration which is reflected in the use of acrylic crystal, which is a better option than mineral glass you would otherwise see Timex use. The acrylic extends all the way to the edges, with a dramatic curve that plays with magnification on the borders like a 60s travel watch would. Water resistance is decent at 50 meters.

So, there are three dial options here. My absolute favorite comes in a stainless steel case, with a blue dial base, paired with gold applied markers, hands and GMT hand that also has a red arrow head. Around the perimeter of this dial, and the other two as well, and sitting between the hour markers is a 24 hour scale with odd numbers. This version has a light blue upper half of that scale. The other stainless steel case is paired with a dark blue dial, steel hardware and a darker upper half. The gold version gets a black dial, gold hardware and a gold bottom half. All three versions have a date aperture at 3 o’clock.

Inside, you wouldn’t expect to find a bland quartz movement, and yeah, it is. But… it keeps price low and still gets you a caller style GMT; meaning you set the 24-hour hand independently. The watches come on either a blue leather strap, a steel colored jubilee-style bracelet or a gold colored one.

The new Timex Marlin Quartz GMT is available now, at a pretty great price. The one with gold hardware — my favorite — is priced at €199, the steel version with steel bracelet is priced at €219, and the gold colored one is priced at €229. See more on the Timex website.

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Formex Introduces A New Mid-Size Case To The Essence Collection With The Space Ghost Model

I think I already mentioned it that the biggest surprise for me at Watches and Wonders this year was Formex. 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. Now, Formex is celebrating their 25th anniversary, and as part of that, they are introducing a new case to the Essence collection measuring 41mm wide, slotting in between the existing 39mm and 43mm. And they’re introducing this new case size as part of the Space Rock editions, which means that this new Essence Space Ghost 41mm gets a meteorite dial.

So, the new case looks very much like the ones we’ve seen before. That means that you’ll instantly recognize the functional bezel screws that connect the inner titanium grade 2 shell to the outside brushed stainless steel with polished chamfered edges, held together with the patented Case Suspension System. I thought this was a gimmick, but the second you put on the watch, it will instantly make it obvious that this is among the most comfortable watches you’ve ever worn, thanks to that suspension system. The watch now measures 41mm wide, 10.6mm thick, with a 46.5mm lug-to-lug, which sound like pretty great dimensions to me. There are sapphire crystals on top and bottom, with a screw down crown on the side — a feat in itself because it has to work with the suspension. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The dial comes from the familiar Muonionalusta meteorite, which means that you will see the well known Widmanstätten pattern. The dial gets a galvanic rhodium plating, making the color shift more to silver, and that’s paired with blued hands and applied indices. Both are filled with BGW9 lume, and at 6 o’clock is a date aperture.

Inside, you’ll find the tried and true Sellita SW200-1, which beats at 4Hz, with a 41 hour power reserve. But it’s not just a plain SW200, as it comes with COSC certification and gets blued screws and a skeletonized rotor. Also new is the bracelet, or rather the clasp. The ones I used in Geneva were certainly among the best in the business, easiest to adjust. The new generation of this micro-adjustable butterfly clasp has three levels — 0mm, 3mm, and 6mm — of adjustment and it can be adjusted without opening the clasp. You can also opt for leather, rubber, or nylon straps which come with carbon fibre deployant clasps offering 7mm of gradual on-the-fly adjustment.

The new Formex Essence Space Ghost 41mm is limited to 150 pieces per year, pre-orders are now open and deliveries begin mid-September. The watch is priced at €2,550 on leather, nylon, or rubber straps, and €2,700 on the steel bracelet, both with my extremely high local taxes included. See more on the Formex website.

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Nodus Brings Great New Colors To Two Popular Model Lines, The Contrail GMT And The Duality II

Over the past few weeks Nodus had some quite different, perhaps experimental, releases. Not bad, just different from what they usually do. There were a couple of black coated watches, a few Nodus LAB watches and then a prototype that is only worn on an expedition. But now, it seems, they are back to their usually scheduled programming, with new versions of their classics — the Contrail GMT and the Duality II.

Starting with the Contrail GMT, which now comes in the Evergreen colorway, it’s familiar and very fresh. The 316L stainless steel case measures 40.5mm wide, 11.8mm thick and has a comfortable 46.6mm lug-to-lug. It is fantastically finished with brushed top parts and polished beveled sides. On top is a bi-directional 48-click bezel, which you know will click perfectly since Nodus has one of the best clicks in the business, with a sapphire bezel insert that’s lumed and a combination of deep forest green and a lighter seafoam green, split into half with a 24-hour scale. That surrounds a box shaped sapphire crystal that has a blue anti-reflective coating on the underside.

The dial gets a brushed green base, with a grey outer ring that holds the minute track, and a slanted color-matched chapter ring for the fixed 24-hour scale. You get large polished indices and hands, both filled with BGW9 lume. The GMT hand is bright yellow and there’s a date aperture at 6 o’clock. Inside, you’ll find the Miyota Cal. 9075 automatic GMT movement. It was the first accessible third-party movement with a flyer-style GMT, meaning that you independently adjust the local hour hand, and it still dominates the market. It beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a stainless steel bracelet that has brushed central links and polished outer links, closed with their proprietary NodeX clasp that has great micro-adjust. The new Contrail GMT Evergreen is on sale right now, priced at $825. You can see it here.

Moving on to the Duality II, which is a continuation of their first compressor-style case. The Duality II comes in a slimmer case than the original, but still measures 40mm wide, but it measures a very comfortable 11.5mm thick, compared to the 13.1mm of the old version. The lug-to-lug sits at 48mm and it has a 20mm lug-width. On top is an expansive box-shaped sapphire crystal with a blue anti-reflective coating on underside. The crystal has a very pronounced dome, extending all the way to the edge of the case. The case has an incredible combination of brushed surfaces and high-polished facets, with a polished thin bezel and two knurled crowns on the side, one to adjust the time and the other to operate the internal bezel. Water resistance is 300 meters.

The new colorway of the Duality II is called Drift Blue with a faded blue matte dial and matching internal bezel, which are paired with nicely finished applied indices with dramatic facets. The same effect be found on the chamfered and highly-dimensional hands, with lume on both. Inside, you’ll find the Miyota 9015 automatic movement. We know this movement very well, with its 4Hz beat rate and a power reserve of 42 hours. Both this movement, and the one in the Contrail GMT, are regulated in house by Nodus to an accuracy of ±8 seconds per day. The watch comes on a steel bracelet with the NodeX clasp. The new Duality II Drift Blue is on sale now, priced at $800. See it on the Nodus website.

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Gubely Takes A Big Step Forward With The New CH1 Rétrograde

Roughly about a year ago, a lifelong watch collector decided to fulfill his ultimate dream and create what he thought was his perfect watch. And the thing is, it was a really, really nice watch even for the rest of us. Which is why they are now continuing the expansion of the lineup, with help of some of the best in the industry. The brand is called Guebly and the new model is called the CH1 Rétrograde, a similar watch to their first one, but with significant steps forward.

The case has been reworked from the original, with help from legendary watch designer Éric Giroud. It’s made out of grade 5 titanium, with a perfect combination of finishings — the majority of the case has a microblasted finish, with polished bevels and perlage. Really beautiful. The case has decent dimensions — it’s just 10.56mm thick, and while the 42mm width sounds significant, the fact that the watch doesn’t have traditional lugs and has a lug-to-lug of 44.32mm, makes it pretty wearable. On top is a domed sapphire crystal, held down with a flat blasted bezel with spiral graining and beautiful polishing on the edges. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The dial looks simple at first, but there are some pretty cool things happening. First, the dial is made out of 925 sterling silver, which then gets hand-applied perlage and hand guilloché patterns and then gets a blue Grand Feu enamel. Around the perimeter you get grade 5 titanium indices, and hands made out of the same material, all coated with blue Super-LumiNova. Then, at 6 o’clock is a retrograde seconds that sweeps across a 120° arc, resetting every 30 seconds, with the 30 seconds engraved into a white gold appliqué with Grand Feu enamel.

Inside, you’ll find the Caliber 21.31, a thoroughly reengineered movement developed by Sylvain Pinaud (Horocraft) and Christophe Beuchat. It’s wound with a 5N gold micro-rotor, and has bridges and plates made entirely from grade 5 titanium. It beats at 4Hz and has a 70 hour power reserve. There are a ton of decorations here, including fine microbeading, perlage, beveling, and straight-graining. The movement has eight inward angles, a double-spiraled ratchet wheel and screws mirror-polished by hand. The watch comes on a blue grained calfskin leather strap featuring a blue rubber lining, with an additional Velcro strap secured by a titanium pin buckle.

The new Guebly CH1 Rétrograde is limited to 80 pieces and while the price is officially upon request, I understand it to hover just under CHF 40,000. The watch is also not on the Guebly website just yet, but should be soon.

FOR WATCH CLUB MEMBERS: Historical Perspectives: Breaking Boundaries - Frieda Lacher’s Role in Shaping Laco’s Horological Heritage

A VERY deep dive into the history of one of Germany's most storied brands. 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

• In an excerpt from The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne, Chris Sweeney tells the story of how Roxie Laybourne, a bird expert at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, pioneered the field of forensic ornithology in the 1970s. Her unique skill—the ability to identify the type of bird from a fragment of a feather—was critical across a range of investigations during her time, from homicides to fatal airplane crashes.

• Going home is always fraught; going home to the place you fled, 50 years after the end of the war that decimated it, is something altogether different. Tony Ho Tran’s family trip to Vietnam—which, coincidentally, took place exactly five decades after the fall of Saigon—sets the stage for him to wrestle with his own upbringing, his parents’ past, and the complicated history so many millions share. It’s part travelog, part family dramedy, and all heart.

• In an abridged excerpt from Patrick Galbraith’s book, Uncommon Ground, we go on a journey to an illegal free party in the West Country. Getting to the location is reminiscent of a treasure hunt, with clues sporadically released down the “party line,” and you will end up hoping to find the party spot as much as Galbraith. Upon arrival—up a mountain—Galbraith deftly sets the scene: Pouring rain. Bizarre characters. Throbbing beat. Come find out why the party isn’t over.

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Vuk