Big Seiko Day: A New 1968 Seiko 5 Inspired LE And Three Funky SKX Sports Watches, Ulysse Nardin’s Two New Divers In Azure And Vero Offers Their Entry For The Great Summer Watch

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time where it seems like Seiko puts out new watches at least three times a week.

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In this issue:

• New 1968 Seiko 5 Inspired Limited Edition And Three Funky SKX Sports Style Watches

• Ulysse Nardin’s New Diver Net Azure And Diver X Skeleton Azure

• Bangalore Watch Company Celebrates India’s Moon Missions

• Vero And Worn & Wound Have An Entry For The Great Summer Watch

• Rudis Sylva Radically Simplifies Harmonious Oscillator It’s Still Very, Very Expensive

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 28 seconds

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👂What’s new

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A Huge Seiko Day: Here’s A New 1968 Seiko 5 Inspired Limited Edition And Three Funky SKX Sports Style Watches

Seiko is celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Seiko 5 Sports watch. It’s a legendary affordable and robust watch, the start of many collections and an instant trigger for memories of childhood. To celebrate the anniversary, Seiko is looking back into its childhood, back to the original Seiko 5 Sports, and uses the five key characteristic of the collection - an automatic movement; a day-date display in a single aperture at 3 o’clock; water-resistance; a recessed crown at 4 o’clock; and a robust steel case and bracelet or strap - to reissue this versatile timepiece.

The limited-edition watch Seiko is launching now is pretty much the exact same watch. A 39.5mm brushed tonneau-shaped steel case, 12.5mm thick, signature half-moon scalloped areas at noon and 6 o’clock and a crown tucked into the case. The respect of the original dial is carried over to the dial as well. The black dial has a silver peripheral track and the same applied bar indices treated with Lumibrite, just like the hands. Almost identical to the 1968 model, the original Seiko 5 logo is transferred in silver at noon, the day and date window uses a very similar frame to the original, the baton-style hour and minute hands are treated with Lumibrite and the lollipop central seconds hand is red.

Inside the watch is Seiko’s automatic 4R36 calibre, an in-house movement that has long proved its reliability and sturdiness and has a 41 hour power reserve. The Seiko 5 Sports 55th Anniversary Limited Edition SRPK17 is numbered on the caseback out of 15,555 that will be produced and will be available in July 2023 at Seiko Boutiques and select partners worldwide. It’s priced at EUR 410.

But there are more tributes to be seen today. The ‘68 Seiko 5 Sports inspired a number of models over the years, but perhaps the most iconic line was the SKX, Seiko’s line-up of affordable bulletproof dive watches that now appear in the brand’s newly restructured collection in the SKX Sports Style segment. Although the three models pick up on the vibrant colour schemes of 1969 Seiko 5 Sports models, they are housed in the legendary SKX case with crown and guards at 4 o’clock and the unidirectional rotating bezel. The 100m water-resistant case measures 42.5mm, has a thickness of 13.4mm, features a see-through caseback to view Seiko’s automatic 4R36 calibre and is fitted with a three-link stainless steel bracelet.

Apart from the obvious colour variations on the dial, all three models have different bezels and flanges. The SRPK09 has a silver dial combined with a black and silver unidirectional rotating bezel the SRPK13 has a black dial and bezel with red and silver markings and a sloping flange in blue and green, while the loudest model is the orange SRPK11 with its black bezel, two-tone orange and black flange and a thick black band traversing the dial from 3 to 9 o’clock.

The three new and colourful references are not limited in production and will be available at Seiko Boutiques and retail partners worldwide in September 2023. The retail price is EUR 350.

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Ulysse Nardin Celebrates World Ocean Day With Two New Divers - Net Azure And Diver X Skeleton Azure

June 8th is World Ocean Day and to mark this occasion, Ulysse Nardin is introducing a new azure colorway to the Diver Net and Diver X Skeleton models. UN has for years maintained a very strong stance towards preserving the environment with the use of recycled and upcycled materials, and these two timepieces follow this concept in a non-limited addition to the brand’s catalog.

The Diver Net Azure is a 44mm wide and 14.81mm thick watch that’s made of 95% recycled stainless steel. The side case and case back ring are made of 60% Nylo and 40% Carbonium, just like the bezel. Since it’s a diver, the 300 meter water resistance is expected. The watch has a domed sapphire crystal and underneath it a black sand-blasted dial. On the dial is a huge Azure X that frames the power reserve at 12 and running seconds at 6. Inside the watch is the UN-118 Manufacture caliber, an automatic with 50 jewels, a Silicon balance spring, and a DiamonSil escapement wheel and anchor.

Then there’s the Diver X Skeleton Azure. Just as big, but chunkier at 15.7mm, the watch has a DLC coated titanium case and an x-shaped skeleton dial with polished and satin finishes. At 12 o’clock you can see the Carbonium barrel cover of the UN-372 Manufacture caliber and an oversized silicon balance wheel is situated at 6. Both watches come with azure-blue rubber straps.

The Diver Net Azure will retail at €12,700, and the Diver X Skeleton Azure for €26,800.

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Indian Microbrand Bangalore Watch Company Releases Apogee Manzinus & Earthshine To Celebrate India’s Unmanned Moon Missions

Bangalore Watch Company has carved out a very interesting niche. The Bangalore-based indie brand is focusing on celebrating notable achievements from India. Recent examples include the MACH 1 which focused on the Indian Air Force MiG 21 and Cover Drive which highlighted India’s most popular sport, Cricket. Now, they are focusing on space with the Apogee collection that celebrates India’s space program and the focus is on two unmanned moon missions – Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2.

The original Apogee watches launched in 2019 with titanium cases, but the new Manzinus and Earthshine models use stainless steel with a ceramic outer layer of Cerakote. Both cases are 40mm in diameter and 12mm thick, with the main difference between the two being color - Manzinus is white and Earthshine is grey. There are two knurled crowns at 2 and 4 o’clock – the former screws down and rotates an internal bezel, while the latter (push/pull) adjusts the time and date.

The two watches also have dials that differ in color - brown on Earthsine and black on Manzinus. While Earthshine is very true to the original Apogee watch, with a round date window at 6 o’clock, Manzinus has a 9mm disc in lieu of the date of the Muonionalusta meteorite. Inside the watch is a standard grade Sellita SW200-1 automatic. Both versions of the watch come with color matching leather straps.

The Earthshine retails for USD 1,100, while the Manzinus is USD 1,470. Not cheap for a microbrand you might not have heard of before, but also consider that you get a Cerasteel case and interesting design.

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American Indie Brand Vero Teams Up With Worn & Wound To Offer Up Their Entry For A Great Summer Watch

ADPT, a subsidiary of Worn&Wound that makes straps, watches and accessories, is known for making colorful and playful all-purpose watches. Vero, a US-based microbrand, is known for making rugged tool watches. Mash them together and you get the crazy Vero Workhorse Chronograph - huge, bold and ready for the summer. This will be a polarizing watch, for sure.

The steel case measures 44.5mm wide and 13.5mm thick, but this size is only appropriate for a watch so boldly colored. It gets a bright aqua blue Cerakote treatment finished with flecks of white and bright yellow bezel guards that the brand calls bullhorns. The same blue can be found on the dial and the running-seconds sub-register at 9 o’clock, while the hour and minute hands are painted in brighter blue to contrast with and match the dial. Lastly, the internal rotating bezel shows an alternation of red and blue accents, and the seconds hand as well as the bumpers holding the Cerakoted shroud in place are painted in bright yellow

The standard controls are on the left case side while the crown at two o'clock rotates the internal timing bezel. Inside is the Miyota 62S1 quartz chronograph movement, which offers 1/4 second resolution and a 60-minute maximum measure for the chronograph. This is is basically a chronograph diver, something also possible thanks to the 120m depth rating. To complete the package, the crystal is sapphire, and the Workhorse comes on a white nylon strap with a Velcro closure.

The Vero x ADPT Workhorse is limited to just 100 units and at the time of writing there are still pieces available on the Worn&Wound store and you can get one if you like it for $499.

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Rudis Sylva Radically Simplifies The Harmonious Oscillator With The RS 23, It’s Still Very, Very Expensive

A small independent watchmaker located in the Swiss village of Les Bois, Rudis Sylva recently unveiled its latest creation. What sets Rudis Sylva apart is its Harmonious Oscillator. The brand now introduces the RS23, featuring a simpler version of this unique oscillator, now without a rotating carriage. This simplification also brings down the price significantly. But it’s still an outrageously priced watch.

Truly unique in its kind, the Rudis Sylva Harmonious Oscillator comprises of two balance wheels. As a rule, watchmakers avoid any potential stress on a balance wheel for it to breathe freely. In this case, the two balances are toothed and thus mechanically interlinked. The first balance is driven by the escapement, and in turn, it drives the second balance, rotating it in the opposite direction, but with the same amplitude while each hairspring breathes in an opposite way. The underlying idea is that these constantly opposed balances ensure immediate mutual correction of the potential negative effects of gravity.

Unlike previous versions of the Rudis Sylva Harmonious Oscillator, the regulator is not placed in a rotating carriage. This has allowed building the movement architecture in a symmetrical way with twin barrels creating a counterpoint to the balance wheels. And instead of an off-centred hour and minute display, we have a central indication of the hours, minutes and seconds. A stop-second mechanism allows for precise settings. It beats at a frequency of 3Hz and it boasts a 70h power reserve.

The beauty of a movement is housed in a 44mm titanium or pink gold case that has no bezel and a domed sapphire crystal to show of the movement as much as possible. The watch comes on an alligator strap with a pin buckle.

The Rudis Sylva Harmonious Oscillator RS 23 is released in two limited editions of 8 pieces in titanium and 8 pieces in pink gold. The price is set at CHF 80,000 in titanium and CHF 90,000 in 18k pink gold. A crazy price, yes, but consider the fact that the more complicated Harmonious Oscillator RS16 is priced at CHF 250,000.

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Record Breaking Omega Turns Out To Be Frankenwatch Planted By Former Head of Omega Museum In Shocking Insider Scam

For a couple of days now the internet has been talking about an explosive report from the Neue Zürcher Zeitung which claims that the tropical Omega Speedmaster CK2915 that fetched 3.3 million US dollars at auction, obliterating records for the most expensive Omega ever sold, is, in fact a Frankenwatch. A watch put together out of mostly original parts to create the perfect CK2915 so that it would fetch the highest price.

However, those who follow the brilliant Joze Pereztroika over at Perezcope, have already known there is something seriously wrong with this watch since April. Now that the scheme to sell a fake watch has unraveled, the truth of what happened, or at least what we know so far, is so deeply shocking that it will likely bring huge changes to not only how watches are auctioned and authenticated, but also to manufacturer’s museums and their hunt for important vintage watches.

According to an Omega statement, “as it stands at present, there are three former employees (among them the former Head of OMEGA Museum and Brand Heritage), who have admitted to the run of events when confronted during an OMEGA internal investigation, which is active and ongoing”. Let that sink in. Three Omega insiders conspired to create a watch that the head of Omega Museum would end up bidding on at the record price.

Fratello writes that “although the three former Omega employees were not the sellers of the watch, they did play a role in modifying the Speedmaster to become a “perfect” reference CK2915. The Speedmaster CK2915 was assembled from various partially authentic parts. The three former Omega employees participated in this process, intending to create the most exciting CK2915, a watch that the Omega Museum would definitely need.”

This is an absolutely bonkers story. Please head on over to the Fratello article to learn more about it and how it will affect not just the prices of Speedmasters, but also the entire industry. And definitely head on over to the Perezcop to read how the fake Omega can be identified.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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A review of the Longitude from the Belgian brand Gavox

2/

Hands-On with the new Nezumi Aviera - a GMT that turns up the tool volume

3/

Monochrome gets their hands on the BOLDR Pokemon collection sold only in Singapore, Thailand or Hong Kong

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Cincinnati Concourse continues the brand’s commitment to local history

The Cincinnati Watch Co. Concourse is perhaps the most faithful recreation of a clock in a wristwatch (an admittedly niche market). The 38mm stainless steel case is likely to be divisive: blocky without mitigation, it is the result of taking the concourse clock and getting as close to it as possible. The clock featured a cushion bezel with a bowed square around it. This was translated to the wrist perfectly, with alternating brushed and polished surfaces distinguishing the different facets of the design.

⏲️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

• The other day someone in the subreddit r/Watches asked for a couple of watches to be identified. Turns out, they all belong to a Brazilian TV pastor and they were all multi dozen thousand dollar watches. That, and the death of the guy who basically invented TV pastors who turn into multi-millionaires, reminded me of this article from Vanity Fair about a New York pastor and his every intense and very public fall from grace.

• Hear me out, this one is weird. But there’s nothing better than a well written article about something you don’t care about at all. Expand your horizons with this piece on why feral cats are one of the worst invasive species and horrible for the environment.

• You may not expect that a chain restaurant known for performative griddlework would inspire intense self-reflection, but that’s part of what makes Jaya Saxena’s piece about training to be a teppanyaki chef such a lovely surprise. Come for the onion volcano, stay for the many other layers Saxena peels back.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Remember how I complained a couple of days ago that Vice went downhill, just in time for their bakrupcy. Turns out, they still produce some amazing stuff. Like this doc in which photojournalist Lou Dematteis recounts photographing the capture of U.S. mercenary Eugene Hasenfus after his cargo plane was shot down in the Nicaraguan countryside. Lou's photograph, along with reporting from his colleagues on the ground, exposed how the American government, including the CIA, was illegally using funds made from selling arms to Iran to secretly fund the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. This became known as the Iran-Contra affair and the resulting scandal led to the conviction and resignation of several Reagan Administration officials, most notably Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North.

💵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 

• LOOKING TO BUY: One of our readers is looking to purchase three very specific watches: an Islander ISL-133 Mother of Pearl, a Sinn 556 Mother of Pearl or a Zelos 300m GMT Mosaic Mother of Pearl. If you’re selling any of these, reach out to us and we’ll put you in touch

• FOR SALE: Longines Heritage Skin Diver, box and papers. €1400. Reach out to us and we’ll put you in touch

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