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  • Breitling Revamps Entire Avenger Collection, Yema Shows Off Brand New In-House Movement In Bronze Superman, Mr Jones Throws A House Party, New Watches From Polo And New Brand Löbner

Breitling Revamps Entire Avenger Collection, Yema Shows Off Brand New In-House Movement In Bronze Superman, Mr Jones Throws A House Party, New Watches From Polo And New Brand Löbner

Yema is turning into a true French powerhouse and has outgrown the microbrand moniker with a brand new in-house movement

Author

Vuk Radic
November 02, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 22 minutes

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. For many, the new Breitlings will be a disappointment. I, personally, love that green Chronograph on a green strap.

I you like this newsletter, you might consider supporting it directly through Patreon. If you were subscribed, you could have already read my lengthy piece on Only Watch and it potentially being the biggest scam of the watch world. Other subscriber-only articles include the Completely Sterile Secret Watches Of MACV-SOG and my choice of 11 vintage Heuer watches that would make the perfect basis for new TAG Heuer recreations, including a possible MoonSwatch type watch that could actually break the internet.

In this issue:

  • Breitling Revamps Entire Avenger Collection with B01 Chronograph and GMT Models

  • Yema Shows Off Brand-New Manufacture Movement With A Limited Edition Bronze Superman

  • Mr Jones Captures The Chaos Of A House Party Perfectly On Their New Party-Themed Dial

  • Polo Ralph Lauren Launches Two New Polo Bear Watches

  • New German Brand Löbner Launches With Great Looking Steelracer & Rocketman Chronographs

Today’s reading time: 11 minutes and 39 seconds

👂What’s new

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In it’s original format, released more than 20 years ago, the Breitling Avenger could have been easily mistaken for a Chronomat. Sure, they were obviously different, but the Avenger always carried the stigma of a more rugged Chronomat. Now, Breitling is introducing a completely new line of Avenger watches, one that easily stands on its own while still being a rough and tumble watch that matches its original intention of being a watch for fighter pilots. The new collection is pretty huge, with four Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 models, two stealthy Night Mission chronographs, a 44mm GMT, and two slightly smaller 42mm Automatic models, so enough with my babbling, let’s get on with it.

Let’s start with what is probably the best watch of the lineup, the Avenger B01 Chronograph 44. It comes in a new 44mm brushed stainless steel case that is 15.2mm thick and has a 53mm lug-to-lug measurement. Sure, it’s a huge watch, but is intended to be a tool watch for (fighter) pilots. And I love that despite the overall trend of going smaller, Breitling, for the most part, stuck with their sizes. You also get sapphire crystals on top and bottom, with a 300 meter water resistance.

It’s nice to have the display caseback, so you can see the in-house Breitling 01 (B01) movement. It’s COSC certified and has a 70 hour power reserve, with very smooth chronograph action. The watches come on a choice of a military leather strap with a folding pin buckle or a three-row stainless steel bracelet with a micro-adjustable folding clasp.

There are four versions of the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44, different in dial colors - blue, green (love it!), black, and beige. The time is told with stick hands, the chronograph seconds hand is red-tippped, and the chrono is operated with newly designed rectangular pushers.

Then there’s the Avenger B01 Chronograph Night Mission. It’s the exact same watch as the B01 Chronograph 44, but it uses black ceramic instead of steel. It comes with two different dials, a black carbon one and a highly-contrasted yellow dial with black subdials. The case and bezel are ceramic, while the case back, crown, pushers and buckle are crafted in solid titanium. You can get this watch on either a black or yellow strap.

Last of the 44 versions is the Avenger Automatic GMT 44 which is surely the biggest dissapointement of the bunch and a clearly missed opportunity. In a world where pretty much every single brand offers amazing flyer GMT complications, this Breitling GMT uses the COSC-certified Breitling caliber 32. Sounds fancy, but it’s based on the ETA 2893-2. While there is nothing wrong with that movement, it is often found in much more affordable pieces like the Christopher Ward GMT, Hamilton Jazzmaster GMT and a bunch of GMT models from Steinhart. It’s also what you would call a caller GMT, meaning that the quick adjustment advances the 24-hour hand rather than the 12-hour hand. It also has a 42 hour power reserve. Since Breitling often works with Kenissi, they might have done something with the MT5652 GMT that Kenissi makes for the Tudor Black Bay Pro and Black Bay GMT.

The GMT comes in a steel case that has the same width and lug-to-lug, but it’s slightly slimmer at 12.05mm. It comes with either a black or a blue dial with a black or blue military leather strap with a folding pin buckle.

Lastly, there’s the Avenger Automatic 42 which comes in a stainless steel case that measures 42mm wide, 12.15mm thick and has a 51.21mm lug-to-lug. It can be had with a black, blue, or khaki-green dial. All of them are rather straightforward three-handers. Inside this version is another slight disappointment: the COSC-certified Breitling caliber 17 based on the ETA 2824-2 which as 38 hours of power reserve. The watch comes on either a military leather strap with folding pin buckle or a stainless-steel, three-link bracelet with folding clasp.

Now, for the pricing. The steel Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 will run you €7,900 on the bracelet and €7,600 on the strap. The Avenger B01 Chronograph Night Mission is priced at €9,100 for the carbon dial and €8,900 for the yellow dial. The Avenger Automatic GMT 44 will cost you €5,400 on the steel bracelet and €5,100 on the leather strap. And lastly, the Avenger Automatic 42 will run you €4,700 on the steel bracelet and €4,400 on the strap. So, all together a wild ride of releases. While I love the Chronographs, especially the green on on a green strap, it’s a shame they haven’t put a bit more work into the GMT and 42mm versions. See more on the Breitling website.

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While not completely unknown, it would be very fair to say that Yema has somewhat disappeared from the global watch scene for a couple decades after they 1960s peak. Back then they were the top exporter in France, selling more than 500,000 watches per year. The brand went under and was revived to much enthusiasm - they now comfortably sell more than 40,000 per year. They built up their new reputation just like so many microbrands did - by recreating some of their most legendary watches, using relatively affordable and accessible movements from ETA and Sellita. Now, they are no longer a microbrand and they’re acting as such by bringing back movement manufacture back to France. They started with the YEMA2000, their French-made ETA and Sellita alternative, and then took on more challenges - a micro-rotor and a proprietary tourbillon. Now, they are introducing a brand new 3-hand automatic movement designed and developed internally with modern, optimized architecture, the CMM.10. And the watch they are launching it in is a new, spectacular looking, bronze version of the Superman.

Starting off with the watch - the Superman is Yema’s retro skin diver watch that has seen a number of variants, mostly dial color changes. This new version comes in two sizes, 39mm wide and with a 48mm lug-to-lug as well as a 41mm width with a 49.5mm lug-to lug. Both versions are 11mm thick, but keep in mind that this is without the double-domed sapphire crystal on top.

While the regular versions come in steel, this one is made entirely out of bronze, just like the bezel. It has elongated lugs, the recognisable bezel-lock device and a screw-down crown. Pretty much every surface is brushed and the bezel has a 60-minute scale engraved into it. Water resistance is 300 meters. The watches can be had with a choice of dial colors - a glossy lacquered black dial or a gradient dark blue dial. While both look great, the blue is just stunning. Both are no-date with painted markers and Superman hands.

Now, on to the CMM.10 (Calibre Manufacture Morteau 10). Yema claims that they designed it and developed it completely on their own, without basing it on other movements, and they have had help of watchmakers such as Olivier Mory. They use self-made parts and claim that those who are sourced from other suppliers come from within a 70km range in France and Switzerland.

The movement focuses on reliability and stability, including a transversal balance bridge, and a design that combines the barrel bridge, centre wheel bridge and winding stem cock into a large single bridge, for better strength, durability and shock resistance. The Glucydur, non-magnetic balance wheel is paired with a Nivarox hairspring and an Incabloc system. It also features an optimised escapement geometry to reduce friction. It beats at 4Hz and has a 70 hour power reserve. The movement is regulated to -3/+5 seconds per day. Decorations are industrial, but good looking with micro-blasted, galvanic-treated black plates and an openworked gunmetal rotor with straight brushed finishing. The watch comes on a blue or black Tropic-like FKM rubber strap, integrated into the case.

The Yema Superman Bronze CMM.10 will be a limited edition of 1,948 pieces in total. Just like their previous watches, this watch will launch on Kickstarer and starting Friday 10 November you can get yours for €999, without taxes. That’s the same price for both pieces. If they don’t sell out during the Kickstarter, which I highly doubt will happen, the retail price will be €1,790. Deliveries are expected in April and May of 2024. This is an incredible watch, with a very interesting movement at an impossible price. I love it. See more on the Yema website.

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You know Mr Jones. They make affordable art watches that are renowned for not telling the time. They are a joke on your wrist. A joke that often makes you rethink your life. Or, you know, help you party. Because, if you don’t know what the time is, the party never needs to end. This, I guess, would be the idea behind the newly announced, and already sold out, Mr Jones Houseparty.

Housparty is designed by Portuguese illustrator Catarina Morais with a completely chaotic dial that reflects the disorder of a house party. As with most Mr. Jones watches, the challenge is how to tell the time. And once you figure it out, it’s quite simple. There’s a small cutout at the 1' o’clock position which displays the hour, while the minutes are indicated by the main character on dial pointing at a series of music notes and champagne glasses. Perfection, like always.

Pretty much everything else about it is irrelevant, but here you go: it has a nice steel case that measures 37mm, a sapphire crystal, water resistance down to 50m, a 20 jewel automatic mechanical movement and comes on a 18mm wide mesh bracelet.

Unfortunately, as always, the Mr Jones Houseparty is a limited release of just 200 pieces. And despite not many watch blogs picking it up (if any), it seems to have sold out instantly, just from their post on social media. And how wouldn’t it - 200 pieces, fun design and a price of just $295. Let’s hope they make more. See more on the Mr Jones website.

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What makes a fashion brand watch a fashion brand watch? That should be a pretty straightforward and easy question to answer, right? Yeah, no. Wrong. The traditional definition of a fashion brand watch would be a watch you see in the mall glass case, a cheap Chinese-made watch that cost, at most $50 to make, and sold at a 10x multiple, just for slapping a logo of a fashion brand. Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss and Armani are all guilty of this.

Then, on the other hand, there are brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Bulgari, traditionally fashion brands that also make watches. These are usually extremely high end pieces that sell for tens of thousands of any currency and often move horology forward. Somewhere in the middle is Polo Ralph Lauren. You would be tempted to call them a fashion watch brand, but you would be wrong. They are somewhere smack dab in the middle of the two categories. Polo watches seem “fashion watch” while being built by the Richemont Group which owns, among others include A. Lange & Söhne, Cartier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Vacheron Constantin.

Now, the brand is introducing two new watches with their legendary Polo Bear on them, the Martini Tartan Polo Bear and the Martini Tuxedo Polo Bear. The former timepiece hosts an illustration of the brand’s quintessential bear wearing a brand-inspired tartan tuxedo with embroidered velvet slippers while holding a martini glass. Meanwhile, the Martini Tuxedo Bear watch sees the bear sport a full tuxedo suit with a boutonniere and a martini glass. For both watches, the bear appears three-dimensional on the dial, contrasting its white lacquered background and black Arabic numbers.

Both watches come in a 42mm case. The Martini Tartan Bear is available in either a stainless-steel case or in a limited run of 18K rose gold, while the Martini Tuxedo Bear is made from stainless steel. Inside the watch is the Caliber RL200 automatic movement, which is essentially the Ralph Lauren decorated version of a Sellita SW200-1. As such, it runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and offers users an approximate power reserve of 38 hours. The watch comes on a Grosgrain strap.

Both watches are now available for purchase and both are priced at $1,750. And the price is the actual issue that tips the watches a bit too much towards the fashion brand watch side of things. That’s a lot of money for what is essentially a basic Sellita movement. Seems to be aimed more at Polo customers who need a watch than watch buyers who like Polo. But it’s not horrible, you have to admit. See more on the RL website.

5/

Way back in 1862, Franz Ludwig Löbner started making portable short-time measurement timekeepers, with devices capable of measuring 1/100th and 1/1000th of a second. These stopwatches were used to measure time at the Olympics and timed multiple world records in motorsport and saw it’s peak in the 1920s. Now, more than 100 years later, CEO Matthias Düwel is launching a new German brand called Löbner. While not at all a continuation of the original company, it does take inspiration from the old timekeepers and their involvement in motorsport, the ethos of which is built into their two inaugural models, the Steelracer and Rocketman Chronographs.

The main difference between the two models is the material and availability. At launch there will be two classic steel versions, the Steelracer, as part of the permanent collection and one completely black model called the Rocketman limited to 50 pieces. All three have a very interesting tonneau case that measure 42.5mm wide and 14.3mm thick. The tonneau case is achieved with the patented crown protection on the side that slides to prevent accidental bumps of the crown. The watch has a very thin bezel with an engraved tachymeter scale and water resistance to 100 meters.

The dial is what makes the watch look even more special. It’s all about precision timing here, as the hours, minutes and small seconds situated at 10 o’clock, with gold-colored hands, while everything else on the dial measures elapsed time. Seconds are measured with the central seconds hand and you get two counters for the minutes and hours. The Löbner Steelracer chronograph is available in black or in blue, both with a sunray-brushed pattern, while the Rocketman has a matte black dial with blue chronograph hands.

Inside the watch is a well-known base movement by La Joux-Perret, a highly modified automatic Valjoux architecture driven by a column wheel. It beats at 4Hz and has a 60 hour power reserve. The steel watches come on a integrated steel bracelet closed by a folding clasp, while the limited 50-piece Rocketman comes with a black rubber strap with a folding clasp.

Interestingly, the Löbner Chronographs are exclusively available from Bucherer. Prices start at €13,800 for the Steelracer and €14,800 for the Rocketman. See more on the Löbner website or the Bucherer website.

6/

I really dislike mentioning people’s Kickstarter projects as there are so many ways I can be burned. However, this one comes from one of you guys. Rob Valli has been a subscriber to the newsletter for a really long time and we struck up a conversation a while ago. Turns out, he has an incredible story.

He was a professional dog sled racer for 12 years, and I raced all over the US, Canada, Alaska, and even won a Bronze Medal for the USA, in a 300km World Cup, in Far Eastern Siberia in 2004. In fact, it was this race that inspired him to create the O.U.T.C.A.S.T. (Outdoor Utility Timepiece, Compass And Survival Tool) bezel insert and dial. While this might look like another Sub-clone with a funky bezel, it is so much more.

Do me a favor, go to his website where he explains how the bezel works, because it’s just too much to go into in one place. He’s raising funds for the project on Indiegogo right now, so if you have a need for the most advanced bezel in the world, take a look at the campaign as well.

🫳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

Another thing the brand is known for are the long and thin lugs that give any Nomos timepiece the appearance of a spider glued to the wrist – whether or not that’s a good thing, I leave with you. The lugs are indeed long and protrude out of the case and angle down toward the wrist, and being fully polished (like the rest of the case), they do stand out. With a diameter of 38mm, a lug-to-lug of 48.7mm, and a thickness of 9.8mm, the Ahoi Neomatik 38 fit fine on a 16cm/6.25in wrist as pictured here – but you always have the Ahoi 36mm should you deem the 38mm too large. One might lament the long lugs, but hey, we all know what to expect with Nomos. Read the whole review on Time & Tide.

⏲️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

  • Living in New York made me appreciate 24-hour diners. They are these mythical places where you get a complete overview of the people who make up a city - from the tourists eating breakfast to the weirdos picking at fries. at 3 A.M. This piece is about George and Nina Giavris, the owners of the Silver Crest Donut Shop, an icon that’s been open for nearly 54 years straight at 340 Bayshore Boulevard in San Francisco, California.

  • After Kenneth Law lost his job as a low-level cook at the Royal York hotel, he found another way to make money: peddling suicide kits on the internet. Now, he’s been linked to the deaths of over 100 people around the world—and their grieving families want justice

  • The fire that devastated Maui is one of the worst in recent memory. This piece form the New Yorker is an incredible look into the aftermath, with haunting photos and issues that the community needs to deal with.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

If you haven’t read any William Blake, do so now and witness him become one of your top 10 authors of all time. Trust me. And now my favourite YouTube theoretician, Nerdwriter explains Blake’s dark vision of London in his latest short video. And it’s awesome as ever.

💵Pre-loved precision

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