Timex World Time 1972 In Blue And Brown; echo/neutra's White Rivanera; The Elegant Benrus Type 1; Bovet Celebrates Decade Of The Simple 19Thirty; Moritz Grossmann Adds Colorful Guilloché Dials GMT

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. That Benrus is very interesting. I talked to the folks from the brand in Geneva and they told me very interesting things are coming!

In this issue

• Timex Brings Blues And Browns To The Funky World Time 1972 Reissue

• Echo/neutra Releases A White Version Of Their Pretty Radical Rivanera Model

• Benrus Brings A Bit Of Elegance To Their Milspec Design With The Type 1 M1

• Bovet Celebrates A Decade Of Their Fairly Simple 19Thirty With A Colorful Trio

• Moritz Grossmann Adds Colorful Guilloché Dials To Their GMT Models

👂What’s new

1/

Timex Brings Blues And Browns To The Funky World Time 1972 Reissue

Timex, it seems, is fantastic at two things - digging through their catalogue to find amazing watches to reissue and making cheap watches. Two years ago, they introduced the Timex World Time 1972 Reissue, which might not have been their biggest seller ever, but always had a soft spot in my heart. I’m a huge fan of 1970s watches, and this is the epitome of 70s cool. The first version came out in black and white and now we’re getting new colors — an expected blue and a very appropriate brown.

The World Time 1972’s design is taken from a 1972 Timex simple called the Model 41. According to their website, the Model 41 had an electric movement and it looks like there were several Model 41s out there - all of them with a date, but not all world timers. And when Timex does a reissue, they remain faithful to the old watch. That’s the case here. It has the same barrel shaped case measuring 39mm wide and 12mm thick. The case has polished sides with a circular brushed top and lugs. On top is a domed acrylic crystal that has an oversized rotating city bezel around it. You’ll notice that it has a much cleaner look than most city bezels, despite having 24 cities on it. That’s because Timex paired up the cities that are on the exact same distance from GMT but in opposite directions of time zones. Only, issues start popping up when you dive deep into it. First, there are cities all over the place, nowhere near the zones we have today. That’s because a lot of time zones changed in 1972. But even worse, London and GMT are offset by one hour. Starting 1968, England embarked on an experiment to maintain a GMT+1 setting year-round, but the House of Commons put an end to it in 1971. That’s the consequence of this being a direct recreations — it’s faithful to the original, just not very useful at all.

The dials of the Reissue are tuxedo-style, with a minute ring, hour ring and central ring, all in their respective colors. On the outside are either blue or light brown, followed by a cream or black ring, with the central section having the same color as the outside. The pencil hands are white, filled with lume and the central seconds hand is bright red. Inside, you’ll find an unnamed by Timex quartz movement, but these are usually just fine. The watches come on color matched SB Foot Tanning Company leather straps.

The Timex World Time 1972 Reissue duo is available now, priced at €179. See more on the Timex website.

2/

Echo/neutra Releases A White Version Of Their Pretty Radical Rivanera Model

All of a sudden, we are seeing shaped watches everywhere. By shaped watches, I mean non-round watches. We’re getting square stuff, rectangular watches and a lot of asymmetrical cases. This trend started as a few drops here and there, and then we got a barrage of these watches. But among the first was the echo/neutra Rivanera, released in October 2024. it’s also the one that stuck in my mind the most, because it was the most radical step. echo/neutra is an Italian indie known for making great looking 60s-inspired watches and one of the most impressive moon phase watches on the market. The Rivanera was a huge departure from their usual look — much smaller than anything they did before, art-deco indluenced and unlike pretty much anything on the market. And it was a huge hit for the brand. Now, echo/neutra is updating that original, with a new white dial.

The outside of the watch remains unchanged, and they still reflect a vintage piece — 27mm wide, with a 40mm lug-to-lug, and an incredible 5.5mm thin. 5.9 mm with the crystal. But this is no vintage watch. It is deeply modern. Not only is the watch made out of Grade 5 titanium, it gets a very rough sandblasted finish. All of this gives the case a very sporty anthracite look. On top of that, the case has dramatic and polished beveled edges. Water resistance is not spectacular at 30 meters, but who cares.

While the original came with an either black or grey dial, this new version gets a white dial which, when you think about it, is weird that it wasn’t included in the launch editions. It just makes so much sense. The railroad minute track on the perimeter comes in white, as is the 6 o’clock small seconds display. The hands are also black, and the minute hand is a simple pencil shape, while the hour has a little flair with its Breguet shape.

To keep things super thin, Echo/Neutra put the hand-wound ETA 7001 caliber inside, which beats at 21,600 vph and has a decent power reserve of 42 hours. There’s a very nice circular cutout on the back that shows off the movement, which is a good thing because it looks fine. This Rivanera comes on a dark green horween shell cordovan strap, with an additional black Alpine calf leather.

The new echo/neutra Rivanera in white is available now, with the price remaining exactly the same at €1,490. See more on the echo/neutra website.

3/

Benrus Brings A Bit Of Elegance To Their Milspec Design With The Type 1 M1

The Benrus story is a really cool one, and I will likely tell it soon. But most people know Benrus as the maker of some of the best military watches in history, watches worn by U.S. soldiers during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. In fact, the Benrus Type 1 MIL-SPEC is perhaps one of the most recognizable military watches of the 1970s. But Benrus now sells watches to the general public and what they have done is a very interesting move, one I would love to see from more makers of milspec watches. They’ve used the rugged military-inspired case and given it a dial that’s the exact opposite. This is the Benrus Type 1 M1.

The case on the new Benrus just gives the vibe of its previous more tool-like versions, but it’s in fact a bit more refined. While the MIL-SPEC version gets a blasted case for more scratch resistance, the Type 1 M1 comes in a brushed case that has polished bevels. The case measures quite large, at 41.5mm wide and 13mm thick, but a lot of that width comes from the asymmetrical construction that makes up the crown guards. On top is a double-domed sapphire crystal with dual anti-reflective coating, and it’s surrounded by a 60-click brushed stainless steel unidirectional bezel that has a black ceramic insert and tan numerals for the 60 minute scale. Water resistance is a very pleasant 200 meters.

But more a more obvious indicator than the case that this is not a MIL-SPEC watch is the dial. It doesn’t come in a utilitarian black or white, but rather a sunray brushed champagne color. It also has writing on the dial, which you won’t see on the MIL-SPEC version, the Benrus logo below 12 and “200M 660FT Automatic” text above 6 o’clock. The hour markers are applied and, just like the hands, outlined in black with cream lume in both.

Inside, a bit of a surprise. A positive one. Benrus is still using ETA movements, and you get the ETA 2892 automatic which beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. You can see the movement through the caseback, even though it’s not a looker. The watch comes on a tan fabric strap that matches the dial nicely.

The new Benrus Type 1 M1 is available now and priced at CHF 1,758, without tax. See more on the Benrus website.

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Bovet Celebrates A Decade Of Their Fairly Simple 19Thirty With A Colorful Trio

I just looked over all of the Bovet watches I’ve ever written about in this newsletter, and every single one is some sort of high-horology complication with a crazy look. So I’m kind of used to seeing wild watches from them. But they also make time-only watches. Just don’t call them regular. Or boring. This is the Bovet 19Thirty and they are marking 10 years of the model line with three new dial options.

The 19Thirty is styled, and named, after the last Bovet pocket watch made in the 1930s, and you can see the style inspiration instantly as it shares with the pocket watch a bow and crown at noon. Bovet calls this case the Fleurier and it measures 42mm wide and a svelte 9.05mm thick. I can’t find a lug-to-lug, but I expect it to be quite substantial with everything that’s going on at the top of the case. The bow at the top has rounded steel tips and it articulates, while the crown has a sapphire cabochon. There are sapphire crystals on top and bottom, and you also get 30 meters of water resistance.

Then, if the case wasn’t strange enough, we have the dial. It’s a very minimalist setup, with the hour and minute hands are offset towards 12 o’clock, with oversized cursive Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock and baton indices. Even more minimalist is the small seconds at 6 o’clock, which has five markers on its bottom track and a simple long stick hand. Below 3 o’clock is an arched power reserve indicator. There are three colors to choose from — an olive green, a dark blue and a black with glitter “queen of trees” lacquer.

Inside, you’ll find the in-house manual-winding calibre 15BM04 which beats at 3Hz and has a pretty great 7 day power reserve. Finishings include perlage on the mainplate, Geneva stripes on the bridges and blued screws. The watch comes on either an alligator or rubber strap.

The new Bovet 19Thirty Tenth Anniversary is available now, doesn’t seem to be limited and it’s priced at CHF 21,000, without tax. See more on the Bovet website.

 5/

Moritz Grossmann Adds Colorful Guilloché Dials To Their GMT Models

Located in the same town of Glashütte as Union Glashütte, Moritz Grossman is a brand that was revived in 2008 by Christine Hutter from a watchmaking manufacture that died out in 1855 when its eponymous founder died. Since its relaunch, Mortiz Grossmann has been making very germanic watches, reserved in their style, but advanced in construction. Well, it’s not all black and white dials at Moritz Grossman, because their GMT model just got hand-guilloché in a pair of very summery colors.

This new GMT pair comes in a polished stainless steel case that measures 41mm wide and 11.85mm thick. The watch has two white gold crowns, one at the traditional 3 o’clock position, and the other at 10 o’clock. The one at 10 is used to adjust the second time zone in one hour jumping increments, without affecting the time on the main dial, while the crown at 3 has that trick Moritz Grossman stop-mechanism function. You pull out the crown and it snaps back to the original position, instead of remaining pulled out. But, the act of pulling it out hacks the movement and allows you to set the time. When you’re done, hit the pusher at 4 o’clock and it will restart the movement. Very cool.

The dials on this turn an otherwise serious watch into something much more fun, with a guilloché pattern that’s done by hand on a rose lathe machine. The silver base gets either a pale-ish green or a bright orange coat applied on top. On the periphery are surrounded by a white 24-hour track, separated from the dial with a silver track that holds engraved dots colored black for the minute track. The second time zone is indicated with a small arrow that travels around the dial almost invisibly. Also very cool. At 6 o’clock is a small seconds sub-dial.

Inside, you’ll find the manually wound in-house calibre 100.8 which beats at 2.5Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. The 2/3 plate is made out of untreated German silver, hand engraved and with polished bevels. The movement’s architecture is inspired by 19th-century German watchmaking, highlighted by components such as the hand-engraved balance cock and white sapphires set in gold chatons. The watches come on black alligator straps.

The new Moritz Grossmann GMT Guilloché models are limited to just eight pieces per color and priced at €62,800. See more on the Moritz Grossmann 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

• Sam Myers explores the depressingly common practice of rural US exotic pet auctions, which offer a diverse range of animals, including kangaroos, zebras, foxes, and reptiles. These animals require specialized care—obviously—which is often not provided at their new homes in America’s heartland. While some animals are regulated, many are not, and Myers spotlights a tragically under‐examined wildlife marketplace.

• A lonely accountant with a taste for online fantasy spins a web of deception that stretches from university boardrooms to cam girl chatrooms. When millions are embezzled to fund the ultimate “girlfriend experience,” love, lies, and luxury collide—until the truth unravels, leaving shattered lives and a trail of lawsuits in its wake.

• A young father’s overdose in a Rutland, Vermont motel sparks a gripping investigation that unravels a heroin pipeline stretching from the Bronx to small-town New England. As the FLOW brand of heroin claims lives and devastates families, a determined prosecutor with Vermont roots helps trace the deadly supply chain, exposing a world where addiction, violence, and justice collide—and where the scars of the opioid crisis linger long after the courtroom victories.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

William Roger Reaves is a former pilot, boat captain, and prolific drug smuggler. He was an associate of Barry Seal (played by Tom Cruise in "American Made") and flew from Colombia to the US for the Medellín cartel. Reaves claims to have ferried 20-ton loads of cocaine and marijuana over a career spanning several decades. He speaks with Business Insider about meeting Pablo Escobar, working with Barry Seal and Howard Marks (aka Mr. Nice), and how drugs can pass international borders.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk

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