Citizen's New Series 8 GMT Proves Gold, Black And Green Always Works; A Fully Black Nivada Chronomaster; Elka's Two New Beautiful Dials; Panerai Goes To The Basics; Breguet's Year Of The Snake Watch

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Laugh all you want, but until you have had to massage your shoulder that’s sore from swinging a 47mm wide Panerai around, you haven’t lived. They really are ridiculously fun.

In this issue:

• Citizen Gives The Series 8 GMT A Banging New Colorway Proving Black, Gold And Green Go Perfectly Together

• Nivada Grenchen Gives Their Chronomaster A Truly Full Black Treatment

• Elka Watches Starts Off The New Year With Two Beautiful Dials

• Panerai Brings It Back To The Very Basics With The Huge 47mm Luminor Tre Giorni PAM01628

• Breguet’s Latest Is The Classique 7145 Lunar New Year 2025 In Honor Of The Year of the Snake

👂What’s new

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Citizen Gives The Series 8 GMT A Banging New Colorway Proving Black, Gold And Green Go Perfectly Together

Over the past several years we have been witnessing Citizen take up a lot of the space left in the market by Seiko radically increasing their prices without offering much of an improvement in watches. Citizen has always been known as the budget Japanese brand, but this image is changing. Quickly. And while they are showing this step up in a lot of their model lines, it’s perhaps most obvious in the Series 8 collection. And at the top of the mound of the collection is the Series 880, a great looking watch with a fantastic GMT movement. There’s already a few great color combinations of the watch, but this new one might be the best one — a gold-colored case and bracelet, paired with blacks and greens on the dial and bezel.

First, the basics. The watch is made out of stainless steel, but with a gold-colored coating on the outside. However, if you look at it closer, you’ll see that it’s not just yellow gold. In fact, there are two shades of gold used here — the lugs and outside links of the bracelet are done in yellow gold, but the middle case, bezel and middle links on the bracelet are rose gold in color. Very cool. The size — 41mm wide, 13.5mm thick — and the color make for quite the statement piece. On top is a bi-directional bezel that has a black and green insert with a 24-hour scale in white. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The dial is very similar to the existing steel version, black with the same pattern of squares of varying depth. Citizen claims this is inspired by the windows of its skyscrapers in the Tokyo skyline and all we can do is trust that it’s true. Contrasting the black dial are gold applied markers and hands, both filled with lume, and a gold GMT hand with an arrow tip.

Inside is the calibre 9054, an automatic flyer-style GMT Movement, meaning that you independently adjust hour hand. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a decent power reserve of 50 hours. Citizen claims an accuracy of -10 / +20 seconds per day. The watch comes on a bracelet with H-shaped links, done in yellow and rose gold, like I said, and it’s opened with a folding clasp. I believe it has no micro-adjust, especially not toolless, but I’m not 100% sure on that.

The new Citizen Series 8 Mechanical GMT 880 is priced at €1,295 in Europe. However, in the US it’s not such a great deal at $1,595. But even at that price, I still feel like you’re getting a better deal than a lot of Seiko offerings. See more on the Citizen website.

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Nivada Grenchen Gives Their Chronomaster A Truly Full Black Treatment

Ever since the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 showed up on the scene in the early 1970s as the first black-coated watch, brands have been doing all sorts of colored coatings on their watches. I’m not a particularly huge fan of black watches, but every once in a while one comes up that’s just plain cool. And this new Nivada Chronomaster All Black is one such watch. Just look at that photo up there — it’s so black that you would think it’s a black and white photo, if it weren’t for that little flash of red.

the overall shape of the watch remains unchanged. It’s a stainless steel case that measures 38mm wide and a substantial 15.25mm thick. New for this version, however, is the shiny DLC coating. On top is a black bezel, with a black insert with white printing. The bezel surrounds a double domed sapphire crystal. Water resistance is decent at 100 meters.

The dial continues the theme we get on the outside. It’s a matte black base with light grey printing for all the brand and model text, as well as the seconds track on the periphery. The applied hour markers are tiny white lume rectangles on the sea of black, while the arrow hands have the same white lume. The only appearance of color is a small red segment on the minute totalizer for the chronograph which actually counts down five minutes.

Inside is the very familiar, very well made and a bit chunky Sellita SW510 BH b, which beats at 4Hz and has a 62 hour power reserve. Like most Nivada Grenchen watches, it can be had on a number of straps, all of which continue the black theme. There’s a regular black rubber, a black leather strap with white stitching, or a fully black shiny beads of rice bracelet.

The new Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Full Black is a very limited edition and only 50 pieces will be made. The choice of strap also affects the price — the leather is the cheapest at $2,195, while the beads of rice and rubber share the $2,395 price tag. See more on the Nivada Grenchen website.

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Elka Watches Starts Off The New Year With Two Beautiful Dials

I don’t think there’s a brand out there that does dials as spectacular as these at this price point. I’m talking about Elka watches, a brand revived relatively recently by Hakim El Kadiri. Elka is now specializing in creating dials that have an incredible amount of color depth, unlike anything you see from other brands, and beautiful gradients. And since they make such nice dials, they don’t interrupt them with any markings other than the brand name. Very cool. now, as the year starts, they have released two new dials in a limited number.

On the outside, this is the same Elka S Series we’ve seen before, with a very elegant case that sounds large at 40.8mm wide and 10.80mm thick, but thanks to nifty lug placement it measures just 46.5mm from lug-to-lug and sits very nicely on wrist. On top is the now signature domed sapphire crystal and almost invisible bezel, making for a watch that’s really all dial. Water resistance is mediocre at best at 30 meters, but trust me, you won’t care.

The dials are, once again, incredible. There are two versions released now, one red and one green. But they are not regular red and greens, of course. They both hold an incredible amount of sparkle in them, along with the gradient that shifts from lighter in the center to darker on the outside. The colors remind me so very much of candy colored custom cars from the 1950s. You can’t really see how beautiful they are in photos, you have to see one live.

Inside both is the La Joux-Perret G100, which has proven to be somewhat loud, mostly due to its fast-turning rotor, but is a really nice alternative to the ETA 2824 clones. It has the same 4Hz beat rate as the clones, but offers a much, much better power reserve of 68 hours. The red dial coms on a dark brown leather strap, while the green dial comes on a tan suede strap.

The new Elka duo of watches is available now, but limited to just 25 pieces each. The price is set at CHF 1,625. See more on the Elka website.

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Panerai Brings It Back To The Very Basics With The Huge 47mm Luminor Tre Giorni PAM01628

Panerai watches are a silly thing. They’re huge, ostentatious and so very often completely ridiculous. They’ve had their fair share of controversy, mismanagement and are way too expensive. And yet… I love them so much. I’ve worn my share of 42 and 44mm Panerai’s and they always wear unlike anything else on the market. They are thick, they are wide, but somehow, thanks to the relatively reasonable lug-to-lug, they always look good on my wrist. But then I put on the 47mm. And let me tell you, that’s quite an experience… You won’t believe me when I tell you this, but it’s very awesome. Now, Panerai is releasing the Luminor Tre Giorni PAM01628, a watch that captures everything Panerai owners love about the brand.

It’s huge, there’s no two ways about it. The iconic pillow-shaped stainless steel case measures 47mm wide and a chunky 15.1mm thick. Panerai says the case is hand-finished to create a matte effect that mimics natural wear, with a couple of details that are brushed and polished. On top is a fixed sloping bezel surrounding a box-shaped sapphire crystal. On the right side is the instantly recognizable lockable crown guard and water resistance is, as we’ve grown to known with modern Panerai, a bit disappointing at 100 meters.

The dial is also very classic Panerai, with a sandwich construction — grained grey on top with cutouts for the numerals that show the beige Super-LumiNova layer underneath. But the top is even nicer when you realize that it’s lighter grey in the centre, shifting to an almost black on the edges of the dial. The only hands you get is for the hours and minutes, both gold colored and lume filled.

Inside is a movement adored by Panerai fans, the hand-wound calibre P.3000. You can see its huge bridges and decorated plates through the caseback, as well as the 11.7mm balance wheel. The movement beats at 21,600 vph and has a 72 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a dark brown calf-leather strap and, as usual, you get a rubber strap with it.

The new Panerai Luminor Tre Giorni PAM01628 is available now, not limited and priced at €10,700. See more on the Panerai website.

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Breguet’s Latest Is The Classique 7145 Lunar New Year 2025 In Honor Of The Year of the Snake

Another day, another Chinese New Year watch. I’m not complaining, not by a long shot. Especially when the watches look like this Breguet Classique 7145 Year of the Snake 2025. We only have a bit under 10 more days of these watches, as the Chinese New Year falls on the 29th of January and I’m assuming we’ll see at least a few more as good as this rose gold Classique 7145.

On the outside, it’s very much a familiar Classique 7145. But if you’re not familiar with that model (lol, like I am), it comes in a rose gold case that measures 40mm wide and just 6.5mm thick. It has the iconic Breguet hand-soldered straight lugs and the entire caseband is fluted. You won’t be diving with this watch, but it will stand up to a slightly vigorous hand washing with a 30 meter water resistance rating.

But that dial… Honoring the Year of the Snake, the dial features a really stunning interpretation of a snake, made with techniques like guilloché and engraving. The snake is hand-engraved into a gold dial, while the snake’s scales and surrounding fields are given a black galvanic treatment. There are several guilloché patterns used to give incredible texture to the entire thing. And that’s all surrounded with beautifully painted green leaves.

Inside, you’ll find the calibre 502.3 automatic. Yeah, automatic. Which is really incredible seeing how the watch is just 6.5mm thick. That’s because the entire movement is just 2.4mm thick, including the off-centred 22k gold rotor. The movement beats at 3Hz and has a 45 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a green alligator strap.

The new Breguet Classique 7145 Lunar New Year 2025 is a limited edition of eight numbered pieces and priced at €80,900. See more on the Breguet 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

• Hey, here’s one for my dad! Enjoy! Newly declassified files offer a rare glimpse into the mind of Kim Philby, a K.G.B. mole within M.I.6 who was arguably Britain’s greatest traitor.

• The Professional Bull Riders tour is no stranger to New York City; it’s been through Gotham at least 18 times, including last week’s gloriously titled Monster Energy Buck Off. Just because its most recent visit to Madison Square Garden isn’t a maiden voyage doesn’t make it any less of an opportunity for a keen-eyed writer. Case in point: Jasper Nathaniel’s wry and rollicking account of the three-day competition.

• “Nashville is where you go to make a hit that sounds like everyone else. Memphis is where you make a hit that sounds like no one else.” While Memphis artists like GloRilla and NLE Choppa are massive stars today, the city’s indie-minded musical legacy began many decades before with labels like Sun and Stax—which were built, in part, on the city’s emergence as the epicenter of jukebox distribution. Robert Gordon peels back a corner of musical history you may not know.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Just when you think that a comedian has reached his peak and might not be on top of his game, he goes on SNL and is given 17 minutes for the opening monologue. The way he weaves these stories is incredible. And he can make you with jokes or tugging at your heartstrings. Dave Chappelle is still the GOAT.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk