Tudor Releases New Pelagos FXD Chronograph With Cycling Theme; Mühle-Glashütte Puts A Spin On The S.A.R. Rescue-Timer; Naoya Hida's 24-25 Watches Are Stunners; And New From Bravur And H. Moser

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Cycling is a popular sport. And the Giro d’Italia is a famous cycling race. But would you have ever imagined it was so popular, and so closely linked to watches, you would be reading a daily watch newsletter that featured two brand new watches that are Giro themed? So weird, but so welcomed!

In this issue:

• Tudor Releases A Cycling Themed Pelagos FXD Chronograph To Celebrate The Start Of The Giro d’Italia

• Mühle-Glashütte Continues 30th Anniversary Celebration With New S.A.R. Rescue-Timer Edition 1994

• Bravur Continues Their Brilliant Cycling Themed Watch Releases With The Grand Tour - La Corsa Rosa IV

• Naoya Hida Intorduces Their 2024-25 Lineup And, Boy… These Are Some Serious Lookers

• H. Moser & Cie. Teams Up With Alpine F1 Team For A Very Pink Streamliner x Alpine For The Miami GP

Today’s reading time: 11 minutes and 29 seconds

👂What’s new

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Tudor Releases A Cycling Themed Pelagos FXD Chronograph To Celebrate The Start Of The Giro d’Italia

The vast majority of the watch world is conservative. Boring, even. Huge companies work in long timelines and incremental changes, so surprises that don’t come from smaller brands are rare. And yet, last year, Tudor pulled one of the best surprises of the year, releasing a time-only and chronograph version of their already interesting FXD, but now in a fully carbon case and a pretty out-there purple dial to match the team colors of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing America’s Cup team which Tudor sponsors. It was an amazing release and a hint that Tudor might be going a bit deeper on their sports partnerships. Tudor recently took on cycling, as well, and formed the Tudor Pro Cycling Team. It was well known that the team wore a special edition of the Black Bay Chrono Dark as a team watch that will never be available to the public. Well, surprise, surprise: Tudor just released the Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition, which comes just ahead of the start of one of the most famous races in the world, the Giro d’Italia.

A chronograph version of the Tudor FXD doesn’t exist outside the carbon cased Alinghi version, making this a very unique piece and perhaps an indication that Tudor might keep the FXD Chrono as a watch for their sports partnerships. But the Cycling is the same case as the Alinghi, meaning it’s made out of the same carbon composite matte black material and has the same oversized sports watch look with a case that measures 43mm wide, 14.4mm thick and has a lug-to-lug of 53mm. That lug-to-lug measurement doesn’t tell the entire story, as it has fixed lugs that are sculpted downwards helping with wearability.

On top is a fixed bezel with a precision 60-minute scale that surrounds a sapphire crystal, and on the side you’ll find the expected pushers and a titanium crown protected by pointy crown guards. The caseback is also made out of titanium and you get 100 meters of water resistance.

It’s incredible how much of a difference a dial color makes. While the Alinghi version comes with a purple dial, the Cycling version gets a fully black dial that gives it a very sleek look. The black is only interrupted with three red rings - red is the color of the team - on the rehaut that have a tachymeter scale that’s brought down to a more manageable speed for cyclists. Other than that, you still get large white Snowflake hands, blocky hour markers, a date window at 6 o’clock and two sub dials that have red frames.

Inside is the same movement as the Alinghi chrono, the Tudor MT5813. Based on the Breitling B01, it beats at 28,800vph and has a 70 hour power reserve. It has a column-wheel and vertical clutch architecture and it’s COSC certified. The watch comes on single-piece fabric strap.

Thile Tudor says the Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition is a special edition, it is not limited in production and it’s priced at €5,390, the exact same as the Alinghi watch. Oh, and seeing how we got to see the chameleon Black Bay Ceramic on Friday that Tudor makes exclusively for the F1 team the sponsor, maybe we’ll see some sort of that watch making its way to the public. In the meantime, see more abut the Cycling Edition on the Tudor website.

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Mühle-Glashütte Continues 30th Anniversary Celebration With New S.A.R. Rescue-Timer Edition 1994

With a fully circular, very unique covered lugs and extremely dramatic dials, the S.A.R Rescue-Timer made by Mühle-Glashütte became an instant hit way back when it was introduced in 2002. In part because of its looks, but also thanks for its robustness and pretty fair price. It also carried a pretty hardcore name - S.A.R Rescue-Timer - indicating that it can be used in search and rescue mission. It actually has been used a lot by sea rescuers on the North and Baltic Seas. Now, Mühle-Glashütte is celebrating their 30th anniversary (they’ve been around for longer than that, but that’s a story for another time) with a new S.A.R. Rescue-Timer Edition 1994.

The watch comes in the very recognisable case that measures 42mm wide and 13.5mm thick. The case is completely round, with covered lugs that extend outwards to give it that integrated sports watch look. The stainless steel of the case has a black PVD coating, but on top is a pretty nice looking plain blue bezel that’s made out of rubber for added protection of the sapphire crystal. The crown is positioned at 4 o’clock, giving it a unique look. Interestingly, for a watch that’s supposed to be a rugged tool used by sea rescuers in the North Sea, this only has a 100 meter water resistance. The crown does screw down, so I guess it can withstand the surface level gusts of waves.

The dial is delightfully simple, with some very unique features. A black base gets pure white markers which are baton for the hours other than the 3, 6, 9 and 12 positions which get oversized white triangles, all of which are made out of luminous material. The baton markers also get small double digit numerals to mark the 5-minute increments which also turn the 55 marker into 155 to mark the number of watches made, as well as 155 years of watchmaking in Glashütte. There’s a bizarre date window at 4 o’clock with a fully circular cyclops over it, but you know what? I kind of like its quirkiness.

Inside is a movement that might seem like an ordinary Sellita SW 200, but it’s actually been heavily modified by Sellita for Mühle-Glashütte, and I’m not just talking about a new rotor. The movement gets Mühle’s woodpecker neck regulation, a device that the brand came up with to improve the shock resistance of the calibre. You still get a movement that beats at 4Hz and has a power reserve of about 40 hours. The watch comes on a blue rubber strap that matches the blue rubber bezel with a black DLC steel folding clasp and extension.

The new Mühle-Glashütte S.A.R. Rescue-Timer Edition 1994 is available now and limited to 155 pieces. Price is set at €2,500. See more on the Mühle-Glashütte website.

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Bravur Continues Their Brilliant Cycling Themed Watch Releases With The Grand Tour - La Corsa Rosa IV

Well, this is interesting. Cycling is a popular sport. And the Giro d’Italia, the legendary raced that kicked off yesterday, is likely the second most famous cycle race in the world after the Tour de France. Popular, sure. But are the sport and race so popular that they seem to be crux of today’s edition? Not only did Tudor release their Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition mentioned above just in time to celebrate the start of the Giro d’Italia, but we’re also getting a new Bravur The Grand Tour - La Corsa Rosa IV dedicated to the same race.

While this was Tudor’s first outing into the world of the Giro d’Italia, Bravur has been here before. Three times. Last year, I wrote about the La Corsa Rosa III, and now we’re getting part four of this watch named after the legendary race. The watch comes in the same stainless steel case as the previous version, only now you can get it in either untreated steel or with a black PVD coat. The case measures 38.2mm wide, 14.4mm thick and with a lug-to-lug of 46.3mm. I like those dimensions. On top is a domed sapphire crystal, out back is a flat one. The one on the back has an engraved checkered flag pattern surrounding it, while the one on the front has a pronounced curve to it that breaks up the dial when viewed from the side for a vintage feel. The overall finish of the case is brushed with a highly polished bezel. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The dial is usually where Bravur is always the best, ant the La Corsa Rosa IV is no different. A very rough alsphalt-like textured ring over a smooth surface in black serves as the base into which three bright pink subdials are sunken in to. Interestingly, the three pink subdials, which are a nod to the “la maglia rosa” - the pink jersey that the race leader wears - all have different shades of pink. No explanation is given for this, but using my imagination and guessing skills, I would say this reflects the paling of the jersey as the race goes on. But it could also be a stylistic choice. What do I know. Along the dial are awesome looking applied pill shaped indices, and the dial is surrounded by a rehaut that has a 60 minute scale. Embedded within the minute track is an inverted "race number" 13. This subtle reference pays homage to the longstanding tradition where the rider assigned the number 13 in a race wears it inverted on the back of their jersey, to ward off misfortune.

Inside is the very familiar Sellita SW 511B chronograph caliber, which has up to 62 hours of power reserve and can be seen through the exhibition case back. It’s been decorated with Cotes de Geneve striping, rhodium plating, and blued screws. The watch comes on a very vintage-like black perforated leather strap, or you can opt for a black FKM rubber strap or Milanese mesh.

The new Bravur The Grand Tour - La Corsa Rosa IV is available for order now at a price of €2,550. See more on the Bravur website.

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Naoya Hida Intorduces Their 2024-25 Lineup And, Boy… These Are Some Serious Lookers

While it might seem like Naoya Hida & Co. has been making watches for decades, the Japanese indie was only launched in 2018. It’s incredible. But they are perhaps best known for their minimalist approach and lacquered dial. Well, now they’re unveiling their lineup for 2024 and 2025 that’s taking some chances and people will surely love them. However, do keep in mind that these are hand made watches, severely limited and, consequently, quite pricy.

First up is the new Type 5A, Naoya Hida’s take on the legendary Art Deco reverso-type watch. It doesn’t flip like the JLC Reverso, but it does carry the same ammount of elegance. Measuring 26mm wide, 9.1mm thick and with a 43.5mm lug-to-lug, it’s all about craftsmanship with polished and brushed surfaces on the case. The dial gets a grainy texture and a a silver color, which isn’t surprising seeing as it’s made out of German silver. The indices are carved into the dial and filled with black lacquer, there’s a small seconds at 6 o’clock and the 18KWG white gold dauphine hands look sharp enough to cut yourself just by looking at them. Out back you can see the newly designed rectangular hand-wound movement Cal. 2524SS which beats at 21,600vph and has a 38 hour power reserve. This one will be made in 10 pieces between 2024 and 2025 and it’s priced at $21,300 without tax. See more of it here.

Moving on to more traditional NH Type 3B-1 which will take your breath away. The case is as simple as you can get in that most perfect sense. It measures 37mm wide, it’s made out of stainless steel and features a striking polished bezel made out of rose gold. The dial is once again made out of German Silver with deeply engraved Roman numerals that are filled with lacquer. The gold feuille minute hand is manually bent at the very tip to ever so slightly hover over the minute scale. The Type 3B-1 is Naoya Hida’s moonphase, so you get the indicator at 6 o’clock and in this version the disc of the moonphase is made out lapis lazuli with an engraved solid-gold moon. It’s pwoered by the Cal. 3021LU hand wound movement. Only five of these will be made in the upcoming two years and they are priced at $27,000. There are more pictures here, make sure you check out that minute hand.

And last we have the NH Type 1D-2 and the NH Type 1D-3. These are essentially the same but with different approaches to case decoration. They both come in a 37mm wide solid 18K yellow gold case but while the NH Type 1D-2 has smooth sides, the NH Type 1D-3 has a mesmerising wave pattern engraved on the flanks. They both have German silver dials with carved Breguet numerals filled with lacquer and a chapter ring with round minute markers that are made out of 18k yellow gold. Inside the watches is the Cal. 3019SS hand wound movement with a small seconds at 9 o’clock and a power reserve of 45 hours. Five of the Type 1D-2 will be made and only three of the Type 1D-3. The Type 1D-2 is priced at 41,100 and the Type 1D-3 will set you back 56,700. Good luck with getting any of these, as you will have to enter a raffle to get a chance to buy one. The raffle is organised by the Hong Kong retailer The Armoury and you can enter it on their website. You can do so between May 16 – 18, ending at 11:59 p.m. HKT.

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H. Moser & Cie. Teams Up With Alpine F1 Team For A Very Pink Streamliner x Alpine For The Miami GP

Oh, no, not another pink Giro d’Italia themed watch? Don’t worry. This is a pink Formula 1 themed watch. Following the departure of Bell & Ross as the sponsor of the BWT Alpine F1 Team, the space was filled for this season by H. Moser & Cie., a brand that is actually perfect for a partnership with such a technically advanced sport as Formula 1, especially with their sports watches. To mark the start of this partnership and the very attractive 2024 Miami Grand Prix, H. Moser is releasing a new, very limited, edition of the Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton.

Housed in the familiar Streamliner case, the watch measures 42.3mm wide and 11 mm thick. It’s a plump case that’s almost a squarecicle, but most rational people would describe it as cushion shaped. Helping add to the strange shape is the fact that it doesn’t have lugs at all, instead the rubber strap integrates directly into the case. It’s a sporty thing that has 120 meters of water resistance and a domed sapphire crystal on top.

But the dial is what’s it’s all about. Wanting to show off the cylindrical tourbillon movement, the dial of this Streamliner is almost completely skeletonised, with just a domed dial at the 12 o’clock position of the watch that shows the time. We’ve seen this before in other colors, but here it’s rendered in a hot pink, the livery color that Alpine used in Miami yesterday. This pink is finely contrasted with blued hands. Interestingly, there’s no Moser brand name on the front of the watch, only on the openworked gold rotor and the polished caseback.

Inside is the manufacture HMC 811 skeletonised calibre which beats at 21,600vph and has a 74 hour power reserve. Looking at the watch, the movement looks like it’s missing as you can practically see right through the watch with very few thin bridges obstructing your view. It really is something. The rubber strap the watch comes on is the same bright pink as the Alpine livery.

The Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine in pink is limited to just 20 pieces and can be purchased only on Moser’s website for an expectedly hart palpitating CHF 89,900. See more on the Moser website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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A review of the Cartier Tank Américaine In Platinum With A Salmon Art Deco Dial

2/

Hands on with the three new and complicated Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Collection watches

3/

A review of the Singer Reimagined Divetrack ref. SR401

⚙️Watch Worthy

A look at an off beat, less known watch you might actually like

The Kollokium Projekt 01 is still the best looking watch of last year

The dial, on the other hand, is entirely new. We’ve all seen dials with depth and texture, but this is beyond that. 468 cylindrical markers in 6 heights and diameters are hand placed on the matte black dial and the tip of each is hand-painted with orange-glowing Super-LumiNova. The cylinders are arranged in a way that they rise up and widen at each hour and recede in between. If you ever played with a pinscreen toy, that’s probably what came to mind first. From the side, the dial looks like a megalopolis with a never-ending sea of enormous buildings (when I had this on, my son would ask me to “show him the city”).

Read the whole review on A Blog To Watch

⏲️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

• Jerry Seinfeld believes movies are over. And yet, you might have noticed that he just made a new movie. The billionaire comedian could be doing anything with his time and talent, so why did he direct a movie about Pop-Tarts? In a candid conversation with GQ, Seinfeld explains all that—as well as his role in making that instantly-legendary Curb finale, and his sense that people misunderstood his own show’s notorious ending.

• An anthropologist takes us on a journey “down the line” to explore what freediving can teach us about ourselves and kinship with the sea.

• Plenty of ski towns run on the labor of year-rounders, the folks who actually live in the places most only visit. But not many ski towns are like Big Sky, Montana, where the average house runs $2.5 million and billionaires flock to private resorts in the mountains. Nick Bowlin reports from the land that time forgot—and private-equity firms bought—to tell the story of a 21st-century company town.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

It’s Anthony Bourdain rewatch season, and since his videos are now the only thing I see in my YouTube feed, I figured I should share some with you. This is a great video to start with.

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-Vuk