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  • A Jam-Packed News Edition - People Go Crazy For The New Christopher Ward, Unimatic Releases Their Cheapest Watch, Longines Celebrates Secretariat And A Hamilton Pilot Chrono Goes Blue

A Jam-Packed News Edition - People Go Crazy For The New Christopher Ward, Unimatic Releases Their Cheapest Watch, Longines Celebrates Secretariat And A Hamilton Pilot Chrono Goes Blue

The CW The Twelve comes in steel and titanium and is almost flawless

Author

Vuk Radic
April 28, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 24 minutes

Hey friends, welcome It’s About Time. I had a very busy day yesterday so I messed up. I wrote the newsletter early morning, scheduled everything to send and then went on with my chores. What I didn’t notice while out and about that Christopher Ward has introduced a new watch. And judging by the number of warnings I got, reminding me I missed this release, I’m guessing this will be a huge watch.

Anyways, to make up for this, I’m doing a more in-depth writeup on the CW today, but I’m also stuffing this edition to the gills with news. This might be our second longest edition ever. I hope it makes up a bit for missing the big thing yesterday and gives you something to read over the weekend.

In this issue:

  • Cristopher Ward does their take on an integrated bracelet

  • The Unimatic UT4-B is quartz, rugged and cheapest to date

  • Longines celebrates most famous race of the Kentucky Derby

  • Hamilton Updates Aviation Converter Auto Chrono With A Blue Dial

  • Have you ever seen a watch with a radiator shape?

  • Japanese Indie Watchmaker Naoya Hida Launches The 36mm Type 4A Collection

  • And… invite your friends to win a Seiko Alpinist

Today’s reading time: 12 minutes and 48 seconds

Everybody needs a green faced watch in their life. That’s why we have a new giveaway - it’s the Seiko SPB121J1, aka the Seiko Alpinist in a wonderful shade of green. In fact, we’re giving away two of them!
All you have to do is click the button below and have five of your friends subscribe. Both you and one of your friends will be eligible to win one of the watches
We only have two conditions when entering this giveaway - invite 5 of your friends to subscribe and live somewhere were you can buy the Alpinist, so we can get this for you and ship it to your address. That’s it!

👂What’s new

1/ 

What is a watch brand, any brand, at any price point, to do when they see a trend passing them by right under their nose? The trend is integrated bracelet steel sports watches and the brand that’s seeing everyone make millions off of those is Christopher Ward. All the way from the AP Royal Oak, to the lowly Tissot PRX, everybody seems to have one of these watches. Yesterday, Christopher Ward announced their entry into this space with The Twelve.

Since everybody has already done an integrated bracelet steel sports watch, it’s almost impossible to come out with one that will be wholly original. So CW went the other way and said - let’s make it look like ALL of them. Look at the new Christopher Ward The Twelve long enough and you will see in it the Royal Oak, the Vacheron Overseas, the IWC Ingenieur, the Tissot PRX, the Girrard-Perregaux Laureato and maybe most of all, the Czapek Antarctique.

It’s all of those, and none of those. It is in it’s essence a CW watch. A dodecagonal polished and brushed bezel sits on a 40mm wide case. The bevels on the shoulders of the case and the crown guards have been polished. These match nicely with the bevels on the links of the bracelet. Each link is made out of one piece of steel, and all of them are connected with screws. For sizing purposes, there are ten removable links, four of which are half links. This is a nice touch since most bracelets of this type come with one, two, or no half links at all, and The Twelve does not get an adjustable buckle.

You can get the watch in stainless steel or titanium, and each gets a different movement. The stainless steel one comes with an élaboré-grade SW200-1 automatic movement. It’s advertised to run between +20 and -20 seconds per day with a power reserve of 38 hours. The titanium version of The Twelve comes with an élaboré-grade Sellita SW300-1 automatic movement. This one is a COSC-certified chronometer and, therefore, is regulated to run between +6 and -4 seconds per day. It also has an extended power reserve of 56 hours. And because the SW300-1 movement is slightly thinner, the case of the titanium version is too. At 9.95mm from top to bottom, the stainless steel case is still quite thin, but the titanium case is only 8.95mm.

The dial on this watch is a piece of work. Look at it deeply enough, and you’ll see that the textured pattern of the dial is made out of numerous tiny Christopher Ward logos. The stainless steel version of the watch will be available with light Glacier Blue, darker Nordic Blue, Basalt Grey, or Arctic White dials. The titanium versions will feature Astral Blue or Nebula Purple dials.

Then there’s the price. The stainless steel version of The Twelve will cost £850 / US$995 / €1,095 on a rubber strap and £1,050 / US$1,225 / €1,350 on the integrated bracelet. The titanium is £1,225 / US$1,375 / €1,595 on a rubber strap and £1,595 / US$1,825 / €2,075 on the bracelet. Slightly above the PRX and way below anything else, the Christopher Ward The Twelve just might be the best affordable watch of the year.

2/

Unimatic Watches have a tendency of selling out within hours, if not minutes, of release, so sorry if this happens by the time you read this. But it’s understandable why this happens. Their military-inspired minimalist watches are affordable, decently built and the brand often has interesting collaborations, so it’s no wonder they sell out that fast.

With their new version of the Unimatic Typo 4, the UT4-B, Unimatic has gone fully rugged, with military-grade toughness, 360° drop protection, sleek design, and their lowest price yet. A price so low you might want to get the watch just for the kick of it. If it weren’t limited to just 300 pieces.

The UT4-B draws from a previously released limited edition field watch by Unimatic – the UT4-AA – which introduced the slimmer 12.05mm profile with a 40mm diameter and the 360° protection system to a quartz movement within the brand's catalog for the first time. But the UT4-B is a far cry from a reissue of a previous model and maintains its own unique identity. The UT4-B forgoes the minimalism of other Unimatic watches when it comes to the dial, and uses sans serif Arabic numerals.

The UT4-B uses a new construction method that consists of a shell made of a special blend of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material that holds the movement and dial atop a protective ring that protects it from shock. That’s why it passed the U.S. military standard 360° degree drop protection, which means dropping it 26 times on all sides and angles. The UT4-B therefore gets a MIL-SPEC certification - MIL-STD 810 H Proc IV "Transit drop" to be specific.

And the movement that the TPU protects is the Seiko VH31 quartz movement. You can look down on it, but if you want mechanical resistance, you have to go with quarts. It’s interesting that Unimatic is pushing this resistance in their promo materials by only featuring the UT4-B during golf play, the exact scenario where you would want a rugged quartz watch to withstand the high vibrations of golf games.

Coming in at EUR 400, the UT4-B represents one of Unimatic's most affordable and wearable timepieces to date. To make it an even better bargain, the UT4-B ships with a Unimatic’s Pelican-like waterproof Tough Case that holds two watches and retails for EUR75.

Again, there’s only 300 of them for sale, so go for it if you’re interested.

3/

50 years ago, Secretariat, widely considered the greatest racehorse in history, set a record at the Kentucky Derby. It ran the mile and a quarter in 1:59.4., a speed record that has still not been broken.

To commemorate this race, Longines, the official timekeeper of the Kentucky Derby is releasing a limited edition watch. They are using the Master Collection Chronograph as the basis and introducing gold and blue elements - the colors of the race’s logo. But they use these colors very subtly.

The blue is used sparingly, only on the minute track, which creates a sector-dial effect and visually shrinks the size of the watch, giving it a more tactile appearance. The gold is even more understated, found only on the logo and the polished ring for the sunken registers. These small design changes are crucial in transforming the look of the watch, resulting in a livelier piece than the regular production models.

Inside the “Kentucky Derby” is the L889 automatic movement, likely based on the ETA 2892, and topped with a chronograph module. This combination results in a slim watch that stands just 11.7mm tall, which is quite thin for a chronograph wristwatch and creates an elegant aspect ratio against the 40mm case.

The limited edition of the “Kentucky Derby” is priced sensibly and accessibly. It’s $3,400, which is a 10% premium over the regular Master Collection Chrongoraph. However, it will not only be limited in numbers - only 50 will be made - but also in geographic availability - the only place to get one is at Davis Jewelers, located in Kentucky.

4/

Previously available in black and a couple of limited editions, the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Converter Auto Chrono is now available in blue.

It’s a beast of a watch. 44mm in diameter, 52mm lug to lug and 14.6mm thick. In this packaging you get 100m resistance and a chronograph, along with all the other bells and whistles a good pilots watch should have, the most prominent of which is a slide rule insert within the polished bezel. A slide rule has always been a backup instrument of sorts for pilots. You can use ti to calculate a conversion between kilometres and miles, Fahrenheit to Celsius, basic multiplication, as well as percentages. The dial, in it varying shades and gradients of blue, also includes a tachymeter, chronometer totalisers, and a day/date display.

Powering the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Converter Auto Chrono is the calibre H-21-Si, which under the Swatch Group umbrella is an upgraded ETA 7750 with a silicon balance spring for anti-magnetism and reliability. It boasts a 60 hour power reserve and a smooth 4Hz beat rate. It’s available either with a brown leather strap in a vintage style, or a stainless-steel bracelet.

You can get the watch now for CHF 1,995.00 if you get it on the strap or CHF 2,075.00 on the steel bracelet.

5/

We’ve seen all kinds of watch cases. Besides the more regular ones like round and square, there are those shaped as pillows, televisions and UFOs. However, have you ever seen a watch case in the shape of an automobile’s radiator? Depancel makes one, and it looks crazier than you would imagine.

Depancel stands for Delage, Panhard, and Facel Vega, three prestigious French carmakers of the past. It’s a young French brand inspired by cars and founded in 2018, making this year their 5th anniversary that they want to celebrate with a fresh take on its signature case, the brand’s best-selling watch, a.k.a the Serie-R, with this new metallic blue limited edition.

This watch is a new take on the [Re]Naissance Watch, a model launched in 2019 via a Kickstarter campaign. The distinctive design of this model put the brand on the map. The style lives on with the Serie-R, which remains true to the original geometry first seen in 2019, a case shaped like the radiator grille of a vintage car.

While the dimensions of 43mm x 36mm, keep in mind that the Tag Heuer Monaco measures 39 × 39mm. Square watches always take up more space on the wrist, making the Depancel’s 43mm absolutley huge. But then again, it’s shaped like a radiator of a car. What do you expect it to be?

The dial is the main element to differentiate this five-year limited edition from other members of the collection. Once again, automotive inspirations abound. The centre part features a fine radiator grille texture. The dial’s metallic, brushed blue base is enlivened by several orange and white accents on the hands and applied makers. Finally, despite the presence of two sub-counters, this watch isn’t a chronograph but a calendar piece that displays the date in a window at 6 o’clock and the weekday and month, respectively, at 9 and 3 o’clock.

Inside the case of this Serie-R 5th Anniversary Limited Edition, Depancel went for a reliable yet accessible movement, the Miyota 9122. This anniversary model is presented on an embossed blue leather strap with orange stitching and, as a discreet reference to the brand’s origin, a small French flag (a signature found on all straps). A metal bracelet is also an option for an additional 100 euros.

The Depancel Serie-R 5th Anniversary Limited Edition will be made in 300 pieces and goes on sale May 8th at a price of EUR 795.

6/

Mr Jones Watches is a British brand that has been around since 2007, and in has carved out a niche that is really occupied by them and them alone - specializing in “unusual watches that tell a story.” Most of the story is told on the dials, with unique artwork and visual puns, as well as unusual ways to tell the time.

One of their more popular watches is called “A perfectly useless afternoon,” and it takes a bird’s eye view of a pool scene, with a figure lounging and floating peacefully across its surface. The figure rotates around the dial, with their leg pointing to the correct hour. Minutes are read through the pool’s only other occupant, a rubber duck at the dial’s perimeter.

Up until now, the watch was powered by a quartz movement, and now it gets the STP1-11 automatic caliber, a solid movement that is used in watches made by Zodiac, Serica, and other brands.

It’s a super fun watch that everybody should own. And you can, as it costs only $550. So maybe instead of getting that PRX that everyone else has, get something a bit wilder.

7/

The Paris-based Serica has quickly become a favorite among watch lovers and it achieved this status with watches like the 5303 dive watch which was a very unique looking dive watch rooted in history while also being very modern. Now, Serica is updating the watch with a new, slimmer and better, movement.

The Serica 5303 features a 39mm stainless steel case that is 12.2mm thick, 46.5mm from lug to lug, and water resistant to 300 meters. The “twisted” lugs, look and feel great. Overall, the case features a nice mix of brushed and polished parts that perfectly emphasize its sculpture. It has plenty of character, just like the dial and bezel, but they balance each other out perfectly.

It features a stainless steel twin-scale bezel with a ceramic insert indicating minutes and a stainless steel ring indicating hours. Because of the two scales, the watch gets a greater purpose than a typical dive watch. It not only allows you to time elapsed minutes by aligning the lume dot with the minute hand but also time elapsed hours by aligning the lume dot with the hour hand. An additional function is timing a 15-minute countdown by aligning the lume dot on your target time. Finally, you can use the bezel to set a second time zone on the 12-hour scale.

You can get it with three different dials and bezel combinations. The first is a fully black enameled dial with white printing and vintage-looking lume. Second, there is a white enameled dial with a black outer ring and black printing with a hint of red and the same beige lume. The third version comes with a midnight-blue enameled dial with a white minute track, handset, and hour markers. Its hands and hour markers are filled with light green lume, adding even more color to the watch. The dark blue dial is combined with a spectacular light “crystal blue” ceramic insert for a unique color combination.

Another unique feature of the 5303 is its stylish mesh bracelet. It tapers from 20mm to 16mm and connects to the case using a fitted end link. The bracelet has tons of character and uses a pressure clip to fasten into the indentations on the underside of the mesh.

These are all the unchanged parts of the watch. What’s new today with the 5303 is a new movement - the Soprod M100 caliber. This new movement is thinner, which led Serica to choose to modify the construction of the case and include a soft iron cage around the movement to improve its magnetism resistance. Additionally, the new movement comes with a Grand Chronomètre certification.

This movement update has increased the price of the watch. The new Serica 5303 will cost €1,490 (including tax), compared to the €1,290 of the old version.

8/

Since launching in 2018, Naoya Hida & Co. has gained a loyal following of enthusiasts. Now, it's announced the next addition to its collection, the NH Type 4A and Type 4A-1. The fourth series stays true to the brand's goal of blending vintage aesthetics with modern technology, just in a smaller, sportier package.

The Type 4A and Type 4A-1 both have stainless steel cases measuring 36mm in diameter, 43mm lug-to-lug, and 11mm thick. The dial has a similar aesthetic to previous Naoya Hida watches, featuring sans-serif Arabic numerals that are carved into the dial. The Type 4A features a German silver dial, while the Type 4A-I has a German silver dial that's been treated with DLC and turned a dark grey. The hour and minute hands are sharp and diamond-shaped.

The Fourth Series is powered by Naoya Hida's existing caliber 3020SC, which uses the Valjoux 7750's architecture as its base. It's a manual-wind movement with 45 hours of power reserve. Both watches are priced around $23,000. While they aren't limited, Naoya Hida says production will be limited: about 15 Type 4A pieces and about 20 Type 4A-1 pieces will be produced in 2023-2024.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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⚙️Watch Worthy

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

Asaoka-san was the first non-Western member of the AHCI, the Association of Independent Watchmakers, and is one of only two Japanese along with Masahiro Kikuno. Known for very low production numbers and handcrafted watches, the sensei of small-scale high horology in Japan is self-taught, a staggering feat. With watches such as the Tsunami, Project T tourbillon, and Chronograph, Hajime Asaoka had only produced 18 watches by 2018, so we’re talking very limited quantities here. The new Tourbillon Noir, a 37mm model still deeply inspired by Art Deco, is coming this year

⏲️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

  • Sometimes an boring subject - like kids trying to play games on their school issued laptops - can be fascinating if the article is written well enough. Luckily, this one from Vice about kids playing games on their school issued laptops is fantastic.

  • You know someone’s the best chess player in the world — and possibly ever — when they don’t even both to defend their world title for the fifth time. Magnus Carlsen has long been a phenomenon on the 64 squares, and David Hill does a masterful job tying together the current moment, chess’ bizarre new cultural primacy, and some surprisingly accessible chess analysis.

  • Wouldn’t we all want to live longer? At Wired, Matt Reynolds suggests that increasing human longevity could possibly be related to extending our “healthspan” — the length of time we enjoy relatively good health before we become frail and more likely to suffer serious consequences from falls.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

As I said many times, the Watchfinder & Co. just might be the best watch YouTuber out there. And they got their hands on the new Cristopher Ward The Twelve, so enjoy the crazy macro shots they pull off. Also, pretty bold of them to claim that this is the best sub $1000 watch ever made. It just might be.

💵Pre-loved precision

Buy and sell your watches. Think of this section like old school classifieds - i don’t guarantee anything except that a bunch of people will see your ad and I’ll put the buyer and seller in touch. Want to advertise your watch? Contact us 

Want to sell your watch to a community of passionate horologists? Reach out to us and we’ll put your ad up. $15 per listing without photos, $25 with photos. 10 available slots per day, discounts for multiple slots.

Everybody needs a green faced watch in their life. That’s why we have a new giveaway - it’s the Seiko SPB121J1, aka the Seiko Alpinist in a wonderful shade of green. In fact, we’re giving away two of them!
All you have to do is click the button below and have five of your friends subscribe. Both you and one of your friends will be eligible to win one of the watches
We only have two conditions when entering this giveaway - invite 5 of your friends to subscribe and live somewhere were you can buy the Alpinist, so we can get this for you and ship it to your address. That’s it!

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