Yema’s New Bronze Skin Diver Slim CMM.20 Duo; Hamilton's Vintage Chronograps; Mido's Red Ocean Star 200C; Pequignet’s Subtle Royale Paris; Bulgari's Tubogas Manchette; Czapek's Sporty Chronograph

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. It’s January and I already have to start adding watches to my favorites of the year. The grey Yema and the Pequignet are very much warming my heart. But to be fair, I do have a thing for French watches.

Also, I want to point out that there are 8 more days to buy the Alpina × TRTS Seastrong Diver Extreme. I reviewed it a couple of weeks ago, if you’re interested. I loved it, despite (or maybe because) the fact it was made by my friends from The Real Time Show.

In this issue

• Yema’s New Bronze Skin Diver Slim CMM.20 Duo Are Sensational Looking Watches

• Hamilton Brings Incredible New Colors To Their Vintage Looking Intra-Matic Chronograph H

• Mido Takes Inspiration From Summer Sunsets For A Red And Black Take On The Ocean Star 200C

• Pequignet’s Subtle Royale Paris Gets A Manual Movement In The 39.5mm Size

• Bulgari Is Still King Of Iconic Jewelry Watches With The New Tubogas Manchette

• Czapek Unveils The Very Sporty Faubourg de Cracovie Crossroads Victory Green Chronograph

• IT’S ABOUT TIME PRESENTS: Audicle Analysis — Has The Atelier Wen Ancestra Changed Consumer Expectations?

👂What’s new

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Yema’s New Bronze Skin Diver Slim CMM.20 Duo Are Sensational Looking Watches

It’s no secret around these parts that I am a huge fan of Yema watches. Their brand story is a great one, with a lot of ups and downs. At one point in the 1960s, they were the bigger exporter in France with more than a 100.000 watches sold. They fell on hard times during the quartz crisis, but have recovered since and are one of the premier French watchmakers these days. With equal respect for their past and looking to the future, they make pretty fantastic watches. Not only do they have a rich catalogue to base their releases on, like the Superman and Skin Diver tool watches of the 1960s, they also have put a lot of money into creating their own movements. More on that later. What we have here is a duo of new Skin Diver Slim watches, done in bronze, equipped with the in-house CMM.20, with one regular and one very cool limited edition.

Both watches come in the same case, made out of bronze, measuring 39mm wide, a pretty cool 10mm thick (ok, that’s without the domed crystal that very much looks like a plexiglass crystal), with a 47mm lug-to-lug. On top is a unidirectional rotating bezel with two different bezel inserts. The non-limited version has a dark green sapphire insert, while the limited edition comes with a wonderfully cool ghost sapphire bezel that gives it a faded look, like you would expect to find on a wrist of a dive instructor in the south of France. Both sapphire bezels give off a vintage bakelite look. On the right side is an oversized screw-down crown, out back is a sapphire caseback and water resistance is 300 meters.

Each version comes with its complementing dial. The non-limited has a deep forest green dial, while the limited edition comes with a dark grey dial. Both colors work sensationally with the bronze case. The rest remains very familiar, with large, gilt outlined, triangular hour markers that hold Arabic numerals at cardinal positions done in one of the best fonts in the watch game. The minute hand is oversized and arrow shaped, while the hour one is pencil shaped. All of lume is done in beige on the grey and white on the green version.

Inside, you’ll find a really lovely movement. It’s the proprietary CMM.20 micro-rotor movement, developed in collaboration with Olivier Mory, and built in Yema’s new factory in Morteau, France, just a few kilometer from the iconic Swiss town of Le Locle. The movement bets at 4Hz and has a 70 hour power reserve from one barrel, wound with a tungsten micro-rotor. It’s regulated to -3/+7 seconds per day. It’s also a great looking movement with black plates. The watches come on grey and green FKM Viton rubber straps that have coffin-shaped cutouts, which has to be an homage to their incredible bracelet that has coffin-shaped links.

The new Skin Diver Slim Bronze duo is available now, with the grey-dial version being limited to just 200 pieces and the green-dial being part of the regular collection. Price for both is set at € 2,249. See more on the Yema website.

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Hamilton Brings Incredible New Colors To Their Vintage Looking Intra-Matic Chronograph H

While the current Intra-Matic Auto Chrono was only released not even ten years ago, you can draw a straight line from this modern chrono Hamilton to the 1960s version which served to house the brand’s first automatic chronograph, the Chrono-Matic, introduced in 1969. While the current watch has brand new internals, the look has very much remained in the 60s. Which means you get a classic racing chronograph even from the new Intra-Matic. Last year, Hamilton updated the collection with three black versions of the Intra-Matic Auto Chrono. Those were pretty decent. Last week, however, Hamilton introduced the Intra-Matic Chronograph H, with three wonderful and very retro-inspired dial colors.

Back when they released the black version, I noted that like many automatic chronographs, this watch comes in a chunky case. That version measured 40mm wide and 14.45mm thick. This new trio, however, comes with a manually wound movement, which would mean that it’s going to be slimmer. Right? Right. But it would have been better if they didn’t even try. Because these new versions in brushed steel cases also measure 40mm wide and 14.3mm thick. So, going from automatic to manual wound saved 0.15mm in thickness. Not cool. On the right side you’ll find the crown and pump-style pushers, and on top is a curved sapphire crystal surrounded by a plain, fixed bezel. Water resistance is 100 meters.

Three dial colors are available on the new trio — Matte Blue, Warm Brown and Hunter Green. They all have a very retro gradient look, with silver subdials, applied markers and hands with beige Super-LumiNova inserts. Around the perimeter is a tachymeter scale. The hands in the subdial and for the chronograph central seconds are black and cream on the brown and green dials, while on the blue version they are orange.

Inside, you’ll find the Calibre H-51 hand-wound chronograph instead of the iconic Calibre 11 that Hamilton used in their past. The movement is based on the Valjoux 7753, but supposedly heavily modified by ETA. It beats at 4Hz and has a 60 hour power reserve. All three watches come on rally-style leather straps in brown, green and tan, with an additional stainless steel mesh bracelet with a folding clasp.

The new Hamilton Intra-Matic Chronograph H trio is available now, as part of the regular collection, priced at €2,295. See more on the Hamilton website.

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Mido Takes Inspiration From Summer Sunsets For A Red And Black Take On The Ocean Star 200C

Mido continues their run of fantastic watch releases. What I like most about this series is that they pay equal attention to their wild releases like the TV shaped Multifort, as they do to their more regular watches, like the Ocean Star 200C. This just might be their most straightforward collection, which is always welcome in the market. The latest Ocean Star 200C watch we’re getting is one with a red bezel and black dial. Not a shabby looking watch.

This Mido Ocean Star 200C has familiar dimensions, and they are quite large. The 200c is their classic mid-2000s diver, before the brand started making smaller watches. The stainless steel case measures 42.5mm wide, 12.3mm thick and it has a 49mm lug-to-lug. It has a a brushed finish and polished bevels. On top is a unidirectional bezel that has a red ceramic insert with a white 60 minute scale, surrounding a box-shaped sapphire crystal. Water resistance is 200 meters.

The C version of the Ocean Star 200 differs in the dial, which has an engraved wave texture, and the same applies to this release. The base of the dial has a combination of matte and gloss black surfaces. You get gilted hour markers and semi-skeletonized hands filled with Super-LumiNov. At 3 o’clock is a day-date window, with white discs inside.

Inside the case is Swatch Group’s Powermatic movement (a.k.a ETA C07.621 or Mido Calibre 80). This evolution of the ubiquitous 2824 now features an antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring, with a regulating organ beating at 3Hz. You get a solid 80-hour power reserve. Somewhat controversially for people who believe that divers can’t be worn on leather, this watch comes on a brown leather strap with white stitching.

The new Mido Ocean Star 200C is part of the regular collection and available now. price is set at CHF 990. See more on the Mido website.

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Pequignet’s Subtle Royale Paris Gets A Manual Movement In The 39.5mm Size

I don’t write about Pequignet much. In fact, I mentioned them just once before, when they released the very cool Concorde Titanium 36mm. And that’s just a shame, because they make some pretty interesting watches. Look at their latest release, for example, this very simple, very good looking Royale Paris Manual 39.5mm, with a small seconds display and a very good looking case and dial combo.

The Royale Paris Manual 39.5mm is a pretty elegant watch. I mean, just look at it. It measures a not-so-tiny 39.5mm wide, 11.5mm thick, with a 47mm lug-to-lug measurement. With the thin bezel surrounding the domed, box-style sapphire crystal, and elongated lugs, it passes off as a a dress watch. But the almost completely satin finish (and polished bevels) give it a much more interesting, somewhat sporty, look. The crown doesn’t screw down, but you still get 50 meters of water resistance.

The graining of the case is carried onto the dial, where the opaline white central part of the dial has a really subtle texture to it. The dial has a wide groove cut around the perimeter, with bevelled indices connecting the two parts of the dial. At 6 o’clock is a small seconds sub-dial with a snailed finish and time is indicated by polished hour and minute hands with TC1 Super-LumiNova inside. The central seconds hand is blue, which is a fantastic touch on an otherwise monochrome dial.

Inside, you’ll find the hand-wound Calibre Royal Manuel movement, beating at 3Hz, with a fantastic 100 hour power reserve. As the name suggests, the movement is manually wound, completing the very elegant package. The movement is finished with Côtes de Genève and perlage. The watch comes on a brown leather strap closed with a pin buckle.

The new Pequignet Royale Paris Manual 39.5mm is available now, priced at €3,900, which is among their more affordable offerings. I like it. See more on the Pequignet website.

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Bulgari Is Still King Of Iconic Jewelry Watches With The New Tubogas Manchette

For years, Bulgari dominated a very niche part of the high end watch segment with their beautiful, architectural and often unbelievably thin Octo Finissimo models. This made me fall in love with Bulgari watches. It’s the Octo Finissimo that drew me to their crazy deep catalogue where I got more familiar with their jewelry watches, some of the best in the world. I sometimes regret having ape-like wrists, because I’ve seen how good a Bulgari Serpenti looks on a man. Now, as part of LVMH Watch Week, they’re releasing another fantastic addition to such a collection, a Tubogas Manchette in yellow gold with incredible stones and an interesting movement.

The Tubogas Manchette, as the french name suggests, is a cuff-style watch that’s hard to describe in terms of regular watch dimensions. The original Tubogas was a flexible, spiralling bracelet used for the Serpenti, and this latest version takes a lot of inspiration from a 1974 model that is much more of a cuff-shape. It’s made out of yellow gold and measures 135mm long, as it winds around your wrist. To make it flexible enough to fit a wide variety of wrists, the Tubogas Manchette places the polished links onto a flexible titanium blade that makes it supple.

But this is not just a series of gold links. It’s so much more. Radiating from to spots, you get sunrays that are set with pavé diamonds, interrupted with a number of colorful gemstones, including rubellites, peridots, amethysts, topazes, and spessartites, each with its own cut. It’s an incredible look. One of the sources of the sunrays is the dial, which sits in a 16mm yellow gold case that slots into the first link of the bracelet. The dial is fully set with pavé diamonds, surrounded by a circle of more diamonds.

Inside, you’ll find their calibre automatic Lady Solotempo BVS 100, a tiny movement that’s made out of 102 pieces, measuring just 3.9mm. It’s a time only movement, which works here, especially with a 50 hour power reserve.

The new Bulgari Tubogas Manchette is priced at €194,000, which seems appropriate for a watch like this. It’s still not up on the Bulgari website, but keep an eye out for it.

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Czapek Unveils The Very Sporty Faubourg de Cracovie Crossroads Victory Green Chronograph

Intuitively, we think of Czapek & Cie as more dressy watches. Sure, the Antarctique is one of the best modern integrated bracelet sports watches, but it’s still a very elegant watch, all things considered. What gets a bit forgotten is that Czapek makes even sportier watches, stuff like their first chronograph, the Faubourg de Cracovie which has been around since 2018. I’m glad Czapek didn’t forget about this model, because the new Faubourg de Cracovie Crossroads Victory Green Chronograph is such a good watch.

This is a very classic chronograph, reflected in its construction and size. The case is made out of polished and brushed stainless steel with a recessed area on the flanks and lugs that has a sandblasted finish. The size is a somewhat expected 41.5mm wide, 13.9mm thick, with a 49mm lug-to-lug. The case looks like it has an asymmetric construction, but that’s because it has chronograph pushers blended with the crown guards, which is always a cool look. On top is a box-style sapphire crystal and out back is a sapphire caseback. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The dial looks cool, but it’s even cooler when you find out what it’s made out of. It’s Alloy 401, a proprietary mix of gold, platinum, palladium, and silver, which is quite something. The dial has Czapek’s Crossroads guilloché pattern deeply engraved into it and then the dial has a PVD coating in what the brand calls Victory Green, with a slight gradient that makes it lighter in the middle. On the periphery you have a black tachymeter scale, while the tri-compax setup has snailed white sub-dials at 3 and 9 o’clock for the 30-minute and 12-hour counters, while at 6 o’clock is just a painted small seconds display with an integrated date aperture and color matched date disc inside.

Inside, you’ll find the automatic calibre SXH3 which Czapek has used in previous versions of the model. It’s developed with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, beating at 5Hz with a decent 65 hour power reserve. The movement is COSC-certified, has anthracite bridges that are sandblasted and diamond-blasted, while the 22k gold rotor is skeletonised and decorated with the Czapek logo. The watch comes on a green Alcantara strap with an additional brown calfskin strap.

The new Czapek Faubourg de Cracovie Crossroads Victory Green Chronograph is limited to 18 pieces, and the cool thing about the Czapek website is that it shows you the currently available stock, which is 15 pieces. Price is set at CHF 32,000, without tax. See more on the Czapek website.

IT’S ABOUT TIME PRESENTS: Audicle Analysis — Has The Atelier Wen Ancestra Changed Consumer Expectations?

I’ve already introduced you to The Real Time Show, the podcast side of the network this newsletter is part of. I told you how Alon, Rob, David and Scarlett have created an incredible audio-archive of the current state of the watch industry, talking to the leaders of some of the biggest watch companies in the world and indies alike.

What you might not know is that they produce audicles, as well. Sort of audio essays that mark important moments in time for the watch industry. Today, we have Rob doing a sort of review of the Atelier Wen Ancestra, and positions it in the broader context. Also, readers of this newsletter get early access to the podcast, so listen to it here:

⏲️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

• In case you haven’t watched any professional sports in the last decade, the firewall between athletics leagues and betting is officially ash. For the latest Harper’s cover story, Jasper Craven looks at his own gambling habits, and heads into the belly of the beast—Las Vegas—to see how the sportsbook explosion has affected Sin City and its visitors. Odds are, you’ll be entertained ... and more than a little worried.

• Byard Duncan had a cluckin’ great idea for weathering his existential dread: serious training with a coop of rubber chickens, one of which he would attempt to throw more than 115 feet, to claim a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. After reading, I wouldn’t challenge Duncan’s throwing arm or his sense of humor.

• For Aeon, Hannah Gould and Georgina Robinson explore emerging practices within the green death care movement—from woodland burial to natural organic reduction to alkaline hydrolysis. While the idea of a gentler return to the earth is desirable to some people, Gould and Robinson argue that the environmental claims from companies in this nascent industry need deeper examination. They ask: “Can we truly hope to die green? Or is it all just greenwashing?”

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

I mean, it’s just incredible what Bugatti is doing. Sure, their regular cars, if you can even call them that, are amazing already. But when they create one-off models, that’s where things get crazy. Take, for example this model dedicated to Ferdinand Karl Piëch, the man who revived the defunct Bugatti brand in the 1990s. Bugatti takes their latest available model, the Chiron, removes everything from it except for the chassis and engine, and builds on it a full recreation of Piëch’s Veyron model. Wild!

Thanks for reading,
Vuk