Zenith's Meteorite Dial Chronomaster Sport; Mido Adds A Chronograph To Multifort TV; Bell & Ross Works With French Flight Demonstration Unit; Armin Strom's New Tribute 1; A New Arnold & Son Duo

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. This will be very strange in the next week to 10 days. I have about 4 dozen new watches to go through in short time, Geneva Watch Days is this week — which means I’ll be traveling to Geneva — and I have a meeting every half hour for 10 hours a day scheduled between Wednesday and Sunday. So do excuse weird timings, missed releases any other mishaps. I will do my best to catch you up on everything that’s happening at Geneva Watch Days over on Instagram. Also, if you’re in Geneva, hit me up for a beer. Or come find me at the Grand Duke every evening.

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In this issue

• Zenith Releases A Sleek Meteorite Dial Version Of The Chronomaster Sport

• Mido Adds A Chronograph To The Already Cool Multifort TV Collection

• Bell & Ross Unveils The BR-03 Chrono Rafale Solo Display With The French Flight Demonstration Unit

• Armin Strom Gives Their Simplest Tribute 1 A Beautiful Sandy-Colored Dial

• Arnold & Son Updates Their Very Cool DSTB 42 With New Mint Green & Ascot Blue Dials

👂What’s new

1/

Zenith Releases A Sleek Meteorite Dial Version Of The Chronomaster Sport

Last year was a fantastic year for Zenith. They added some great colors to the Chronomaster Sport line, released the first Titanium Chronomaster Sport, unveiled the new High Beat El Primero Tourbillon movement in the Defy Skyline and a couple of really fantastic looking divers. But perhaps the best release of the year was the incredible Chronomaster Triple Calendar. This year, however, they haven’t had that many groundbreaking releases. It’s been more of a steady and subdued string of releases. For their latest, we’re getting something a bit nicer — this is the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport Meteorite, once a Japan-exclusive model, now available everywhere.

The watch comes in the very familiar Chronomaster Sport case, which means it’s made out of stainless steel, and measures 41mm wide, 13.6mm thick and has a 47mm lug-to-lug. On top is a lack ceramic bezel which has a 1/10th second graduation. There are sapphire crystals on top and bottom and water resistance is decent for a chronograph without screw down pushers - 100 meters.

All of that is fairly familiar, but what’s new is the dial which has a surprisingly colorful approach to meteorite. Ok, there are no bright shades here, but it’s still a variation in color. The base of the dial is a meteorite with the recognizable Widmanstätten pattern, but these are paired with with the three differently colored sub-dials. While the original Chronomaster Sport is known for its silver, grey and blue sub-dials, this meteorite version gets a gradient from white to dark grey. The markers and hands remain unchanged, as does the 4:30 date position.

Inside is the El Primero 3600 which uses the 36,000vph (5Hz) operating frequency to display time with a tenth of a second accuracy and a buttery smooth seconds hand. Yet, despite this higher operating frequency, Zenith manages to squeeze out 60 hours of power reserve from the watch. The watch comes on a three-link steel bracelet with polished central links and an additional black rubber strap.

The Zenith Chronomaster Sport Meteorite is now part of the regular collection, priced at €18,300. See more on the Zenith website.

2/

Mido Adds A Chronograph To The Already Cool Multifort TV Collection

Release by release, the Multifort collection from Mido is becoming one of the more interesting watch collections from a mainstream brand. While their regular round Multifort watches have gotten a number of fantastic renditions in various colors and stages of skeletonizations, I will argue that their Multifort TV collection is one of the best bangs for your buck in the market. You get watches with a very unique 70s inspired case at a pretty unbeatable price and in various sizes and complications. Now, Mido is releasing a new Multifort TV chronograph collection to round out the collection even more.

Built on the Big Date case, this is the largest Multifort TV you can buy. It makes sense because it has to house the chronograph movement. The stainless steel case measures 42mm wide, 14.4mm thick and it’s 41.20mm long from the top of the bezel to the bottom of the bezel. On top is the signature Multifort TV bezel, surrounding the flat sapphire crystal, while the entire case gets brushed and polished finishes. Water resistance is 100 meters, thanks to the screw-down crown.

There are two dial options, either a blue dial with a subtle gradient, or a grey dial that fades to black on the edges. The blue dial is paired with polished steel hands and white markings, while the grey dial comes with black hands with Super-LumiNova and yellow markings. Both dials have horizontal grooves, raised hour markers and a framed date window at the horrible 4:30 position, with an even worse white date disc on the blue dial and a black on the grey dial. The three sub-dials have a squared circle shape to match the shape of the dial

Inside, you’ll find the Mido Calibre 60, based on the ETA A05.231 automatic, in turn based on the Valjoux 7750, but with choice upgrades. One of the major upgrades is the 60 hour power reserve. The watches come on a stainless steel bracelet with polished centre links, closed with a folding clasp. You also get either a blue or black synthetic fabric strap.

The new Multifort TV Chronograph is available now, priced at €2,490. See more on the Mido website.

3/

Bell & Ross Unveils The BR-03 Chrono Rafale Solo Display With The French Flight Demonstration Unit

For years, Bell & Ross has been solidifying their design language rooted in airplane instruments. Their circles within square cases, with screws in the corners, look almost exactly like airplane instruments. So, it only makes sense that Bell & Ross would partner with the Rafale Solo Display, the official flight demonstration program of the French Air and Space Force. Together, they’re launching a limited edition chronograph, the BR-03 Chrono Rafale Solo Display, which has a very clear connection to not just aviation, but also the Dassault Rafale, France’s most advance fighter jet.

The case on this watch is very familiar, as it’s based on the BR-03 model. That means that the square case still measures 42mm across only this one isn’t made out of stainless steel. Instead, it comes in a microblasted black ceramic case. You still get the round bezel on top holding down a flat crystal, as well as the screws in each of the corners. On the side you get titanium pushers that have a black PVD coat, engraved with an orange Start and a yellow Reset. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The dial continues the aviation theme. Not only with the silhouette of the Rafale jet above 6 o’clock, but also by the yellow dotted line, reminiscent of markings found on flight instruments, that surrounds the date window at 6 o’clock. Otherwise, you get a black base that has large Arabic numerals filled with Super-LumiNova X1 that glows a cool green. Both the central chronograph seconds hand and the 30-minute counter hand are rendered in bright orange and you have a bi-compax setup with a 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock and a small-seconds subdial at 3 o’clock.

Inside, no surprises. It’s the calibre BR-CAL.301, which is a reworked ETA 2894-2. It beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. The watch comes with two straps, a black rubber strap and a black synthetic fabric strap.

The new Bell & Ross BR-03 Chrono Rafale Solo Display is limited to 500 pieces and priced at €6,300. See more on the Bell & Ross website.

4/

Armin Strom Gives Their Simplest Tribute 1 A Beautiful Sandy-Colored Dial

If you could expect one thing from Armin Strom, then it would be for them to make fantastically complicated and wild looking watches. It’s evident from all the wild watches of theirs that I have been writing about over the past few months. And yet, one of their more popular models, introduced in 2021, is the Tribute 1, a surprisingly simple, much smaller, watch that still carried on the Armin Strom design language but in an almost dressy package. This latest iteration of the Tribute 1, Sandstein, might be the most elegant to date. The Sandstein takes inspiration from the Burgdorf sandstone from Armin Strom’s hometown in the canton of Bern, Switzerland, and gives it a sand-colored dial with a wonderful grain to it.

While most Armin Strom watches are really imposing on the wrist and call out for attention, the Tribute 1 measures just 38mm wide and 9.38mm thick, with a 44.35mm lug-to-lug. The stainless steel case has a brushed finish, with sapphire crystals on top and bottom. Water resistance is 100 meters.

While much more subdued, dare one say almost dressy, version of an Armin Strom, it still keeps the recognisable details of the brand - an offset dial, barrel, and larger dial plate. The new dial has a frosted and sandy dial base, with a off-centred sand-toned dial in the top left that’s used to tell the time. This smaller dial has a a grain d’orge guilloché pattern and Roman numerals, pointed to with polished, rhodium-plated hands.

Inside the watches is the brand’s in-house movement called the AMW21, with 21 standing for 21-jewels. The regulating system contains a flat hairspring with a variable-inertia balance wheel and brass barrel bridge. The 100-hour power reserve results from the large barrel, and the movement ticks away at a 3.5Hz (25,200vph) frequency. Just like in every other Armin Strom timepiece, this movement has hand finishing throughout, with hand-bevelled bridges with polished and matte surfaces, black-polished screws, Geneva stripes and circular graining. The watch comes on a sand colored Alcantara strap with off-white stitching, closed with a steel folding clasp.

The new Tribute 1 Sandstein is limited to 50 pieces and priced at CHF 22,000. See more on the Armin Strom website.

5/

Arnold & Son Updates Their Very Cool DSTB 42 With New Mint Green & Ascot Blue Dials

When you first get into watches, you will want to learn how to distinguish between a quartz and mechanical movement on first glance. And people will tell you it’s easy - the second hand on a mechanical movement sweeps and on a quartz movement it ticks second by second. It’s easy, that is, until you get into the highest of ends of watchmaking. That’s because some of the best watchmakers in the world put in tremendous efforts to create what is called the true-beat, also known as a dead-beat, second — a second that ticks second by second, just like a quartz movement. One of the prettiest to include this complication comes from Arnold & Son, in the form of the DSTB 42. The DSTB stands for Dial Side True Beat and it’s a stunning watch. Now, the brand is updating the collection with two colors, Mint Green and Ascot Blue, available in red gold or platinum cases.

The watches come in one of two cases, made out of either 18k red gold or 950 platinum. About two years ago, Arnold & Son reduced the size of the DSTB case size from 44mm to 42mm. The cases keep that diameter, paired with a 12.95mm thickness, a lot of which is used up by the domed sapphire crystal which extends all the way to the edges of the case. The crystal needs to be domed to hold the numerous bridges on the dial side. On the side of the case is a flat crown, and the whole thing is pretty simple. The case is also 30 meter water resistant.

Moving on to the dial, new are the colors. The red gold version comes with a crips Mint Green dial, while the Ascot Blue dial comes in the platinum case, and both have a textured finish. Other than the colors, everything else is pretty familiar. At the bottom right of the dial is a small dial that indicates the hours and minutes. The base of that dial is done in white opal, with black Roman numerals and blued hands. In the upper left are three-dimensional gold bridges and a large lever with an anchor-shaped counterpoise that controls the large second hand that beats once per second.

Inside is the self-winding A&S6203 calibre which runs at 4 Hz and its power reserve is of 55 hours. The two Arnold & Son DSTB 42mm come on either dark blue or dark green alligator leather strap.

The new Arnold & Son DSTB 42mm are very limited, with only 18 pieces of each being made. Price is set at CHF 42,700 in red gold or CHF 54,600 in platinum, including VAT. See more on the Arnold & Son 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

• Resurfacing from the Aeon archive, Katherine Harvey’s 2018 essay marked her first in-depth exploration of medieval sex—a journey that later blossomed into her book, “The Fires of Lust.” This upfront piece studies medieval Europe’s startlingly frank approach to the dangers of sex. Too much sex was dangerous, and too little sex could outright kill you. Quite the ride!

• For The Atlantic, Nancy Walecki remembers her father, Fred Walecki, who as owner of Westwood Music, sold instruments to the likes of David Crosby, Graham Nash, Bernie Leadon, all musicians who birthed the California Sound of the ’60s and ’70s. Walecki wasn’t just a salesman; he was considered a matchmaker who took pride in pairing each player with the perfect instrument. Chris Hillman, a founding member of The Byrds, described Westwood Music as “‘the hardware store’ of the L.A. music scene.”

• A. Kendra Greene beautifully reflects on the generations of families growing up in California, our changing climate and way of life, and the experiences and memories that shape us and which we carry within our bodies, wherever we go.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Billy Zane playing Marlon Brando is certainly the craziest thing you’ll see today. The movie looks great!

Thanks for reading,
Vuk