Citizen's New Series8 Has An Icy Cool Dial; MoonSwatch Pays Homage To An Important Date; Louis Erard's Blue Le Régulateur; A Tough S.A.R Rescue-Timer; Laurent Ferrier Recreates An Iconic Watches

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I really haven’t wanted a MoonSwatch since they came out. There were a couple of interesting releases, but this new one has a very crisp look. One that makes me want to get one. Tell me I’m crazy.

In this issue:

• Citizen’s New Series8 831 Mechanical LE Shoots Way Above Its Affordable Price Point With An Icy Dial

• The New Omega × Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch 1965 Marks A Very Important Date For NASA And Omega

• Louis Erard Continues Original Le Régulateur Designs With The Gravé Bleu

• Mühle-Glashütte Pays Homage To The Ocean With The S.A.R Rescue-Timer in Nautical Blue

• Laurent Ferrier Recreates One Of Their Most Iconic Watches, The Classic Traveller Globe Night Blue

👂What’s new

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Citizen’s New Series8 831 Mechanical LE Shoots Way Above Its Affordable Price Point With An Icy Dial

Who hurt Citizen? Because they have unleashed their releases on the watch industry with great a great flurry of great looking watches, with decent movements, at completely unbeatable prices. We’ve already established that they are doing pretty well at taking over the sub-500 price range among mainstream brands. They’re also boldly experimenting with design, pushing their high-end stuff to new, cool, levels and deepening their presence in the dive watch market. They also have the Series 8, which is just fantastic — a collection of very modern looking steel sports watches with integrated bracelets that shoot way above their $1,000 price point. The latest release in the collection is the Series8 831 Mechanical, a limited edition that comes with an icy blue dial.

The case on this watch is quite something. It measures 40.1mm wide and 10.55mm thick, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s an aggressive octagonal case with dramatic facets, with a brushed finish and a polished bezel on top. It’s an overall very cool look that has a slight 1970s influence. On top is a flat sapphire crystal with an AR coating, and there’s an open caseback on the flip side. Water resistance is what you would expect from such a sports watch — 100 meters.

But while the case is cool, the dial is pretty incredible. Sure, it’s not hand carved and it’s stamped with a very intricate geometric pattern that makes it look like a bunch of ice crystals on the dial. This icy effect is further helped with the very light blue color of the dial. Surrounding the patterned part of the dial is a minute track that holds the faceted hour markers. There’s a date aperture at 3 o’clock with a white date disc inside.

Inside, you’ll find the ubiquitous Miyota calibre 9051 which beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. Citizen claims an accuracy of ± 15 seconds per day. The watch comes on a h-shaped single link stainless steel bracelet that closes with a folding buckle.

The new Citizen Series8 831 Mechanical NB6051-59L is limited to 1,800 pieces and priced pretty great at $1,095. See more on the Citizen website.

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The New Omega × Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch 1965 Marks A Very Important Date For NASA And Omega

On March 1, 1965, the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) concluded a series of tests to see what would be become the official watch of the space program. Entered were a Wittnauer 235T, a Rolex Daytona Ref. 6238, and an Omega Speedmaster ST105.003, and the watches needed to be resistant to pressure and temperature changes, corrosion, shock, acceleration, and vibration in order to be qualified for space flight. The one to pass was the Speedmaster, starting not just the long collaboration between Omega and NASA, but also one of the most intense marketing campaigns of all time, the one in which Omega reminds you every few months that they were the first watch worn on the Moon. Now, that collaboration results in the new Omega × Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch 1965 which marks 60 years of flight qualification of the Speedmaster and is creeping up on 60 years of Ed White taking his Speedmaster for a space walk.

A lot of people will complain that Swatch is milking the MoonSwatch dry, and sure, there are a lot of versions of them. But I’ll say from experience, this is a good thing. Because I haven’t wanted a MoonSwatch in many months, with none of the releases doing anything for me. But this one… this one is cool. I like it a lot. On the outside, it’s a very familiar light grey 42mm wide case made out of a biosourced material derived from castor oil and ceramic powder carries the name Bioceramic, but in essence it feels and acts like plastic. It still comes on a mediocre Velcro strap with both Swatch and Omega branding. On the bezel you’ll find a black tachymetre dial.

But things get much more interesting on the dial. First, the dial is stark white, which works perfectly with the black bezel and grey case to create a monochromatic package. It has a vintage Omega logo in black that isn’t just painted on, but applied. Then, there are the two sub-dials at 2 and 10 which are slightly unusual (the running seconds at 6 remain traditional). The one at 2, which counts the minutes, goes up to 65 minutes, and the hour counter at 10 counts up to 19 hours. Those top numerals on the dial are heavily lumed so even in the dark, you can read 1965 on the dial. Swatch also included a little animation in the functionality — a lap of honor that happens when the minute totalizer reaches the end of 64 minutes. The 10 o’clock counter rotates once and displays one hour more, and the two o’clock counter rotates once and displays the 5th minute. This animation repeats every 65 minutes, with both hands performing the movement simultaneously.

The new Omega × Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch 1965 will be available starting March 1st at selected Swatch stores and will not be a limited edition. It will, however, be limited to just one per customer. The price remains the same at €275. See more on the Swatch website.

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Louis Erard Continues Original Le Régulateur Designs With The Gravé Bleu

For quite a while, Louis Erard has been using their Le Régulateur model as a spectacular platform for some great collaborations. It was a simple regulator setup that allows for maximum creativity. A regulator watch draws its inspiration from clocks and watches from England in the 1700s, and by the late 1800s the regulator clock was common across railroad stations in the United States. This setup separates the hours, minutes and seconds from the same axis and places them at 12, central and 6 o’clock positions, making it easier to spot the precise time. And it was Novemebr that Louis Erard introduced the Le Régulateur Gravé Noir, as part of their Noirmont Métiers d’Art collection. It wasn’t a collaboration, but rather LE’s original design. And it seems to have worked well for them, because now they are releasing a new Noirmont Métiers d’Art watch, this time in blue.

The case of this watch is not just familiar from previous models, it’s also super simple. Made out of stainless steel, it measures 39mm wide, 12.82mm thick and has short lugs for a 45.9mm lug-to-lug. The case is fully polished with a minimalist fixed bezel on top that surrounds the domed sapphire crystal. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The dial has a lot going on. It has a blue base, with deep engravings for all the elements finished in silver. On the periphery is a railroad track for minutes, interrupted with vertically aligned sub-dials — hours on the top and seconds on the bottom. There’s no logo on the dial, which is a good thing because it’s busy enough, but not in a bad way. The hands are signature fir tree-shaped, polished and rhodium plated.

Inside, no surprises — it’s the Sellita SW266-1 élaboré-grade automatic movement, which has the regulator setup and Louis Erard gives it a openworked rotor with their logo in black lacquer. It beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a grey calf leather strap with a polished stainless steel pin buckle.

The Régulateur Gravé Noir is not limited and is available now for CHF 2,900 without tax. See more on the Louis Erard website.

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Mühle-Glashütte Pays Homage To The Ocean With The S.A.R Rescue-Timer in Nautical Blue

With a fully circular, very unique covered lugs and extremely dramatic dials, the S.A.R Rescue-Timer made by Mühle-Glashütte became an instant hit way back when it was introduced in 2002. In part because of its looks, but also thanks for its robustness and pretty fair price. It also carried a pretty hardcore name - S.A.R Rescue-Timer - indicating that it can be used in search and rescue mission. It actually has been used a lot by sea rescuers on the North and Baltic Seas. It’s also one of the rare sea-themed watches that’s not an outright diver. It’s also less intended for your summer vacation and more made to survive a frigid ocean. This is the new Mühle-Glashütte S.A.R Rescue-Timer Nautical Blue.

The watch comes in the very recognisable case that measures 42mm wide and 13.5mm thick. The case is completely round, with covered lugs that extend outwards to give it that integrated sports watch look. On top is a pretty nice looking plain blue bezel that’s made out of rubber for added protection of the sapphire crystal. The crown is positioned at 4 o’clock, giving it a unique look. And when I say this is a rugged watch, it really is. You get 1,000 meters of water resistance.

The dial is delightfully simple, with some very unique features. A blue base gets pure white markers which are baton for the hours other than the 3, 6, 9 and 12 positions which get oversized white triangles, all of which are made out of luminous material. The baton markers also get small double digit numerals to mark the 5-minute increments which also turn the 55 marker into 155 to mark the number of watches made, as well as 155 years of watchmaking in Glashütte. There’s a bizarre date window at 4 o’clock with a fully circular cyclops over it, but you know what? I kind of like its quirkiness.

Inside is a movement that might seem like an ordinary Sellita SW 200, but it’s actually been heavily modified by Sellita for Mühle-Glashütte, and I’m not just talking about a new rotor. The movement gets Mühle’s woodpecker neck regulation, a device that the brand came up with to improve the shock resistance of the calibre. You still get a movement that beats at 4Hz and has a power reserve of about 40 hours. You can have the watch on a chunky stainless steel bracelet or a blue rubber strap that matches the blue rubber bezel.

The new Mühle-Glashütte S.A.R Rescue-Timer Nautical Blue is part of the regular collection and priced at €2,100 on rubber and €2,250 on steel. See more on the Mühle-Glashütte website.

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Laurent Ferrier Recreates One Of Their Most Iconic Watches, The Classic Traveller Globe Night Blue

Almost 10 years ago, Laurent Ferrier released one of their best watches in decades. It was a supremely elegant dual-time watch with a beautiful dial, the Traveller Globe Night Blue. The only issue with the watch was the fact that it was a UK-only model and difficult for people to get their hands on. Well, that’s changing now, since Laurent Ferrier is recreating the watch as the Classic Traveller Globe Night Blue. Now, it will difficult to get only because of its price.

While the old UK version featured a yellow gold case, this new Classic version gets an even more elegant polished white gold case that measures 41mm wide and 12.64mm thick. On top is a heavily domed sapphire crystal that contributes to that thickness. On the right side of the case is a ball shaped crown, while on the left you’ll find two very interesting oblong pushers that help you adjust the time. You also get 30 meters of water resistance.

But then, there’s the beautiful dial. The first thing that grabs you attention is the central disc that holds an illustration of the world. It’s rendered in opaque blue enamel, using the champlevé technique, and then the world’s city lights are painted on by hand with gold enamel. It’s really something. Surrounding that disc is a circular satin-brushed grey ring that holds long and sharp indexes. The primary time zone is indicated with the signature polished and curved white gold Assegai-shaped hands, while the second time zone is indicated in the aperture at 9 o’clock with a 24-hour disc. At 3 o’clock is a mirrored date aperture.

Inside you’ll find the automatic calibre LF230.02 which beats at 3Hz and has a 72 hour power reserve. The movement is designed and developed by Laurent Ferrier and built by La Fabrique du Temps. You can see the impressive movement through the caseback — it has a gold off-centred micro-rotor and an escapement with a double direct impulse on the balance. The watch comes on a grey Nubuck leather strap with an Alcantara lining.

The new Laurent Ferrier Classic Traveller Globe Night Blue is now part of the regular collection and priced at CHF 90,000, without tax. See more on the Laurent Ferrier website.

👁️First look

More than a news item, a bit less than a review. I give you a more detailed look at a new release

First Look: The echo/neutra & Ace Jewelers Averau 39 Moon Phase Noctilum

This echo/neutra is the first watch I’m doing this first look format on, so I figure I should try and keep it up here for the rest of the week, in case you missed it.

Read the first look here.

⏲️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

• For Slate, Anna Gibbs writes a delightful piece on the evolution of modern water-efficient toilets. Thanks to the research of engineers John Koeller and Bill Gauley—who focus on water conservation—toilet design has come a long way. Gibbs’ reporting on Koeller and Gauley’s work, especially their unique (and hilarious) testing methods, is both informative and unexpectedly entertaining.

• Sadly, nowhere in the English language is there a word that describes “a female reindeer that has lost its calf of the same year but is accompanied by the previous year’s calf. For the “Sámi, Europe’s only recognized Indigenous group,” it’s čearpmat-eadni. Julia Webster Ayuso’s piece for Noēma is a fascinating blend of science and story that examines the deep links between language, the environment, and the richness with which we experience the world.

• This spring, George Clooney will be acting in a play for the first time since 1986. He’s playing Edward R. Murrow in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” on Broadway. Previews begin March 12 at the Winter Garden Theater. Clooney admits to Maureen Dowd that he’s terrified. I love a good portrait.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

The old Land Rover Defender is one of the most uncomfortable vehicles I’ve ever driven in. But so incredibly fun. We took a few off-road a couple of times and you can’t believe what the car is capable of. What I can’t even imagine is what such a car would be like with 700 horsepower. Crazy.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk