> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.itsabouttime.email/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Panerai Releases Their Most Important Watch In Decades; New Watches From Seiko, Micromilspec; Favre Leuba And Ulysse Nardin - URL: https://www.itsabouttime.email/panera/ - Published: 2026-09-23T17:35:28.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-23T17:35:28.000Z - Author: Vuk Radic - Tags: Daily newsletter Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Call me crazy, but I really think the new Panerai is a fantastic watch. This could be a turning point for the brand. In case you just got one of these emails and don't know where I've been for the past month, [you can read the whole story here](https://www.itsabouttime.email/where-did-its-about-time-disappear/). --- ****Help me RUN It's About Time** I write this newsletter on my own, and paid subscribers are what keep it running. If you'd like to support it, you'll also get The Caseback, a weekend magazine with longer writing, every Sunday. ****The paid subscription is discounted for just a few more days, so get it now.** [Support IAT ](https://www.itsabouttime.email/annual-its-about-time-is-back-discount) --- ## 👂What’s new ### 1/ Panerai Releases A 42mm Fully Specced Luminor, Their Most Important Watch In Decades ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/98/15/981552fd-1b67-4d3c-8ad7-fc38a52bf9fb/content/images/2026/09/Luminor-42mm-1-2.jpg) When Panerai started selling to the public in 1993, the Luminor ref. 5218-201/A was one of the two watches in the catalogue. It measured 44mm, already down from the 47mm military cases. And it's kind of what people imagine when they think of Panerai – the proto-Panerai, so to say. The brand has since gone through ups and downs, endured a lot of ridicule and a fair share of embarrassments. And while I can easily pull off the 47 Luminor, a lot of people struggle even with the smaller 44mm variant, despite these watches traditionally wearing much smaller than the numbers might suggest. Sure, Panerai made smaller versions of the same shape, with the iconic flip down crown guard, but these had a lot of unnecessary and ridiculous concessions, like a water resistance of 50 meters. Silly. Now, however, Panerai is releasing a 42mm variant of the Luminor, one that's fully capable (in three variants: PAM01710 in black, PAM01711 in green and PAM01714 in blue with a blacked-out case) and, most surprisingly, quite interestingly priced. This just might be the most important watch Panerai released in a decade. The case is 42mm wide and 13.8mm thick, in brushed and polished steel for the black and green models and matte black DLC for the blue. I know, this still sounds like a massive watch to a lot of you, but hear me out. There's two things you should consider. First: the cushion shape and relatively stubby lugs make Luminors wear much smaller... I wish we had an official lug-to-lug measurement. Second, and way more important: a Luminor must have a lot of presence on a wrist. That's the whole point. 13.8mm is also a lot of thickness, but on top is a heavily domed sapphire crystal, so that has to take up a lot of that thickness. The Luminor basics are all here: sloped bezel, squared-off flanks, the crown-locking bridge on the right. Then we have the water resistance: 500 meters. That's more like it. Sure, I know this is a reference to the old ref. 5218-201/A, but I would have loved to see a sandwich dial here. Instead, you get large printed numerals and markers in beige Super-LumiNova on a grained matte dial, black sword hands with lume inserts, a recessed small seconds at nine, and that's the lot. The "L Swiss Made L" signature at six marks the switch from tritium to Super-LumiNova. I assume that a sandwich dial will come later, for sure. There are three dial color options – black, green and blue for the black DLC case. Inside is the Panerai calibre P.980, built on a ValFleurier base. It's automatic, runs at 4Hz, holds 72 hours from a single barrel and hacks when you pull the crown. It's sad that we need to point that out, but this is Panerai, so you never know. Each model comes on a color-matched canvas strap with a trapezoidal steel pin buckle, DLC-coated on the PAM01714. Now, the price. I've gotten numb to Panerai pricing, as they are know to release a relatively unremarkable watch and priced it at close to €10,000\. For no good reason. Well, this one is much more reasonable. The Panerai Luminor 42 PAM01710 and PAM01711 are priced at €6,500, and the PAM01714 at €7,500\. All three join the permanent collection. I think this will be a massive hit for the brand. See [more photos here](https://www.itsabouttime.email/panerai-releases-a-42mm-fully-specced-luminor-their-most-important-watch-in-decades/) and the watches [on the Panerai website](https://www.panerai.com/hr/en//search/selections/luminor-42-panerai?ref=itsabouttime.email). ### 2/ Seiko Brings Gray Ceramic To The Astron GPS Solar Dual Time Chronograph ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/98/15/981552fd-1b67-4d3c-8ad7-fc38a52bf9fb/content/images/2026/09/Seiko-Astron-HAB008-and-HAB007-1-2.png) Seiko's Astron line exists for people who want the most accurate, least fussy watch possible and don't care whether a mainspring is involved. The newest pair, the HAB007 and HAB008, don't change how that works. But they do introduce some new materials. Namely, gray ceramic, a first for the collection. The case is made out of titanium, 43.24mm wide and 13.4mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 50mm. That is a lot of watch, and titanium helps a bit with being wearable. The ceramic appears on the bezel, the crown cap and the center links of the bracelet. The bezel's outer edge is grooved in line with the hour markers. The HAB007 uses standard gray titanium for a fully monochrome look. The HAB008 gets a near-black super-hard coating on the titanium, which makes the ceramic stand out more. There's a sapphire crystal on top, a titanium caseback, and 100 meters of water resistance. Both dials have a vertical texture that keeps the muted colors from going flat. Sub-dials sit at 6, 9 and 12 o'clock. It is busy, as Astron dials tend to be, since it has to deal with a chronograph, dual time, day, date, power reserve and GPS indications. The HAB008 adds blue accents against its dark case. Hands and markers use Lumibrite. Inside is Seiko calibre 5X83, the GPS Solar movement introduced in 2024\. It syncs with satellites up to twice a day, covers 38 time zones, and lets you swap between local and home time with one function. Without a signal it is accurate to ±15 seconds per month, and the perpetual calendar runs correctly until 2100\. The chronograph measures to 1/5 of a second, up to 12 hours, and a full charge gives a 6-month power reserve. The bracelet is integrated titanium with those ceramic center links and a folding clasp. The Seiko Astron GPS Solar Dual Time Chronograph is available now, priced at €3,000 for the HAB007 and €3,200 for the HAB008\. See [more photos here](https://www.itsabouttime.email/seiko-brings-gray-ceramic-to-the-astron-gps-solar-dual-time-chronograph/) and the watches [on the Seiko website](https://www.seikowatches.com/global-en/watchfinder?new=true&brand=Astron&ref=itsabouttime.email). ### 3/ Micromilspec Scales Down And Uses A Fascinating Movement With The Titanium Fieldmaster ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/98/15/981552fd-1b67-4d3c-8ad7-fc38a52bf9fb/content/images/2026/09/Micromilspec_Fieldmaster_1-1.jpg) A few years ago you couldn't buy a Micromilspec unless you were in the military. And not just the military in general, you would need to be in a unit that commissioned a watch from Micromilspec. They only made custom watches for military units. So when they opened up their Milgraph model to civilians, people went crazy for their releases, all of which sell out instantly. We've seen a couple of really nice watches come from Micromilspec, but this latest one is something pretty special. The Fieldmaster, their take on the field watch, is smaller than their usual 42mm size, and it replaces the usual Sellita and La Joux-Perret movements with something much more interesting. It also came out while the newsletter was offline, so I hate to say it, but it's already sold out. I still want to tell you about it, because this is a very, very cool watch. So keep an eye on Micromilspec. The case is made out of Grade 5 titanium, and it's 40mm wide and 11.2mm thick, with either microblasted finish or with a black Gunpowder DLC. It keeps the angular, near-integrated shape of the rest of the lineup. The strap and bracelet attach flush to the case and drop down, so it should wear better than the lug-to-lug of 50.3mm suggests. There's sapphire crystals front and back, with anti-reflective coating on the front, and water resistance is 200 meters. The dial is grained matte black, a texture Micromilspec has used since the first Milgraph, and perfectly simple. The hour and minute hands are oversized. The indices are Lumicast, solid ceramic blocks with Super-LumiNova mixed through them instead of painted on. Small seconds sit at 6\. At 3 is the brand's three-day date window, showing yesterday, today and tomorrow. This just might be the most conventional dial Micromilspec has made, and probably the easiest to read. What's inside just could be the most interesting thing about this watch. They're using the Horage K3, from the Swiss independent that is one of the few smaller companies making its own movements. It's automatic, beats at 3.5Hz and has a 100-hour power reserve. With a silicon escapement and hairspring, it's rated to resist 15,000 gauss. There's a power reserve indicator, but it's on the movement side, visible only through the caseback, which I adore. You can get the Fieldmaster on an integrated textured rubber strap in black, orange, white or sand with a titanium tang buckle, or on an integrated Grade 5 titanium bracelet with a folding clasp. OK, I said that the Micromilspec Fieldmaster is sold out, and it is, but it isn't a limited edition. Production is capped at 75 pieces per variant per year, which means this will come back on sale next year. Price is set at €2,755 on rubber and €3,400 on the bracelet. That's a big jump from the Dualtimer, but the K3 is a big step up from a Sellita and I say it's worth it. See [more photos here](https://www.itsabouttime.email/micromilspec-scales-down-and-uses-a-fascinating-movement-with-the-titanium-fieldmaster/) and the watch [on the Micromilspec website](https://www.micromilspec.com/products/fieldmaster-watch?ref=itsabouttime.email). ### 4/ Favre Leuba And Jean Rousseau Team Up For Three Strap-Led Limited Edition Deep Raiders ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/98/15/981552fd-1b67-4d3c-8ad7-fc38a52bf9fb/content/images/2026/09/favre-leuba-deep-raider-revival-jean-russeau-1-1.jpg) There are plenty of watch brands that will point out that their straps are made exclusively for them by a strap maker. But I can't exactly think of a limited edition watch made in collaboration with a strap maker. Which is a shame, because it's a very obvious source of collaboration. It makes sense. Just look at Favre Leuba's Deep Raider Revival made in collaboration with the legendary French strap maker Jean Rousseau. There's three variants and they all have pretty great strap. As you would expect. Since the collab is based on the new straps, the watches themselves don't change much if at all. The steel cases measure 39mm wide and 12.75mm thick, a sensible size for a diver, especially one with 300 meters of water resistance. On top is a sapphire crystal, surrounded by unidirectional 60-minute bezel. The dial is grey sunray-brushed with beige indices and hands, which might be just a bit too fauxtina for me. Each variant gets its own color for the seconds hand and for the hourglass logo between 10 and 11 o'clock, matched to its strap. Lume is Super-LumiNova, and there's a round date aperture between 4 and 5 o'clock. Inside is the FLD01, basically the La Joux-Perret G100, beating at 4Hz, with a 68-hour power reserve. Then, there are the Jean Rousseau straps. The black calf version has a grained texture, light-brown stitching and black accents on the dial, with a leather hide engraved on the caseback. The brown strap is recycled fabric with beige flecks and dark-brown stitching, and its caseback shows the Earth. The beige rubber is the one to get if you plan to actually swim with this dive watch, and its caseback carries a car tire, because... well, you get it. All three close with a steel folding clasp. The Favre Leuba Deep Raider Revival Jean Rousseau is limited to 33 pieces per version, 99 in total, priced at €2,700 each. That's the same price as the standard Deep Raider Revival on a steel bracelet. See [more photos here](https://www.itsabouttime.email/favre-leuba-and-jean-rousseau-team-up-for-three-strap-led-limited-edition-deep-raiders/) and the watches [on the Favre Leuba website](https://www.favreleuba.com/collections/deep-raider-revival?ref=itsabouttime.email). ### 5/ Ulysse Nardin Continues 25 Years Of Freak Celebration With First Enamel and Guilloché Dials ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/98/15/981552fd-1b67-4d3c-8ad7-fc38a52bf9fb/content/images/2026/09/Ulysse-Nardin-Freak-One-Guilloche-Freak-One-Blue-Enamel-1-1.jpg) Ulysse Nardin launched Ludwig Oechslin's Freak in 2001 with no dial, no conventional hands and no crown, just a movement that spins around and tells the time by doing so. The Freak is the watch that made silicon escapements normal and was a radical departure in how watches should be designed. The Freak One, launched in 2023, is the closest modern version to that original, and it now serves as a platform to celebrate 25 years of this very important watch. UN is doing it with two versions, both firsts for the Freak one – a blue enamel and a sand colored guilloché. The case is made out of titanium, 44mm wide and 13.3mm thick, satin-brushed and sandblasted. There's still no crown for this watch, which is incredibly cool. You release a lock at six o'clock and turn the bidirectional bezel to set the time, and you wind the watch through the caseback. The bezel has been reshaped to match the smoother one on the Super Freak. You get sapphire crystals front and back, and water resistance is 30 meters, which is low but won't matter to anyone buying this. Then, there's the very cool dial. Or, rather, the barrel cover in its place, a disc that turns once every 12 hours and carries a V-shaped hour pointer, with lumed indices on the suspended chapter ring. On the Blue Enamel, that disc is white gold with a sunray guilloché pattern under translucent blue enamel, fired by Donzé Cadrans, Ulysse Nardin's in-house enameller. The Guilloché version uses a sand-colored disc with a diamond pattern and no enamel. In both cases the pattern is cut by hand into a master plate, which then becomes a steel die used to stamp the discs. That's a sensible way to do it at this scale, but it is stamping, a must note at this price. Minutes are indicated by the movement itself, a flying carrousel with no upper bridge that rotates once an hour over the decoration. Inside is the calibre UN-240, an in-house automatic with 229 components running at 3Hz, with a 90-hour power reserve. Winding comes from the Grinder system, a four-bladed rotor, and the escape wheel and anchor use DIAMonSil, Ulysse Nardin's diamond-coated silicon. Both watches come on an integrated textured rubber strap with a titanium deployant buckle. The Ulysse Nardin Freak One Blue Enamel is priced at CHF 73,000 and the Freak One Guilloché at CHF 65,000\. Each is limited to 99 pieces. See [more photos here](https://www.itsabouttime.email/ulysse-nardin-continues-25-years-of-freak-celebration-with-first-enamel-and-guilloche-dials/) and the watches [on the Ulysse Nardin website](https://www.ulysse-nardin.com/en-eu/watches/freak/2403-500le-3ae-blue-3a?ref=itsabouttime.email). --- ****Help me RUN It's About Time** I write this newsletter on my own, and paid subscribers are what keep it running. If you'd like to support it, you'll also get The Caseback, a weekend magazine with longer writing, every Sunday. ****The paid subscription is discounted for just a few more days, so get it now.** [Support IAT ](https://www.itsabouttime.email/annual-its-about-time-is-back-discount) --- ## ⚙️Watch Worthy - [A review of the Movado Heritage Kingmatic](https://www.ablogtowatch.com/movado-heritage-kingmatic-watch-review-a-historic-brand-plays-catch-up/?ref=itsabouttime.email) - [Hands on with the Tudor Northflag](https://monochrome-watches.com/tudor-northflag-gmt-2026-return-review-price/?ref=itsabouttime.email) - [A review of the Bremont Terra Nova 35mm Jumping Hour](https://wornandwound.com/hands-on-impressions-of-the-new-bremont-terra-nova-35mm-jumping-hour-watches/?ref=itsabouttime.email) --- ## ⏲️End links - Just a few years ago, Jos Leijdekkers was a gangster in Antwerp, working for a major drug lord. Today he’s the most powerful man in Sierra Leone, which he’s single-handedly turned into a crucial port in the transatlantic cocaine trade. European authorities haven’t been able to track him down. Can a journalist? Alexander Clapp details Leijdekkers’s remarkable, violent rise to power, [while looking for the man himself](https://www.economist.com/interactive/1843/2026/09/18/cocaine-trafficking-sierra-leone??ref=itsabouttime.email). - What does it mean to live in a disappearing place? For Pioneer Works’ Broadcast, Brad Bolman, a professor of history and environmental studies at Tulane University, writes about New Orleans, the shifting borders between land and sea, and the political and economic forces that continue to shape the [city’s fate in a time of climate catastrophe](https://pioneerworks.org/broadcast/wet-places-nola-brad-bolman-oceans?ref=itsabouttime.email). - In this story for MIT Technology Review, Sara Harrison explores the field of social robotics and the growing use of robot companions as therapy for autistic and other neurodivergent kids. These playful machines show promise: Research suggests that they can help children practice social skills and offer something overworked therapists and exhausted parents can’t—a patient companion, available 24/7\. But Harrison also reports on their limitations and risks. Does this approach truly work? What about all the data gathered on the child? And what happens when a robot friend suddenly stops working and “dies”? A fascinating and unsettling look at tech that has [moved into the most intimate corners of a family’s home](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/17/1141568/moxie-when-kids-robot-best-friend-dies/?ref=itsabouttime.email). --- 👀Watch this I love videos like these. You know you do too. You imagine you'll quit your job and leave civilization to go out and build something like this. But we won't. We can watch others do it, though. --- Thanks for reading Vuk P.S. If you have any questions, suggestions, gripes or anything else, just reply to this email. It comes straight to me and I try responding to everyone.