Grand Seiko Updates Sports Line With Tokyo Lion, Junghans Releases New Meister S Chronoscope, HIDDEN NY G-Shock Is Obnoxious But Cool And Garrick Introduces Incredible S5 Moon Phase

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Another slow Monday, but that Grand Seiko almost slipped by unnoticed. I know this is GS two issues in a row, but I just had to!

I also have an ask for my dear readers. If, by chance, you have experience in ad sales and would like to work together, reach out 😀 

Want to win a Longines Spirit Zulu Time? Invite your friends or fill out the survey to enter right now.

In this issue:

• Grand Seiko Quietly Updates Their Sports Line With The “Tokyo Lion” SBGA481

• Junghans Releases New Meister S Chronoscope Intended For Those With Larger Wrists

• The HIDDEN NY X G-Shock Limited Edition Is Incredibly Obnoxious But Would Make A Great Non-Limited Edition

• British Indie Watchmaker Garrick Introduces The S5 Moon Phase With Incredibly Colored Dials

Today’s reading time: 6 minutes and 4 seconds

Interested in sponsoring It’s About Time? Just reply to this email and we’ll put you in front of thousands of watch enthusiasts, including industry professionals from brands like Rolex, Omega and IWC.

👂What’s new

1/

Grand Seiko Quietly Updates Their Sports Line With The “Tokyo Lion” SBGA481

Unlike their Swiss counterparts, it seems that Grand Seiko is not very much into spectacular announcements of their new watches. Just on Friday I featured three new Grand Seikos inspired by katana forging and exclusive to the U.S. market. However, while browsing their website, I also saw that they quietly released a new Sport Spring Drive watch, the SBGA481 “Tokyo Lion”. However, GS is so quiet about their releases, I’m not even sure when the watch came out. It looks like they unveiled it at Watches and Wonders, but then they re-announced it a week or two ago, getting some press out there… So, how about we all pretend that this is a brand new watch, eh?

The Sport case inspired by the Grand Seiko emblem is a fairly new addition to the brand’s stable, having made its debut in 2019 with a trio of limited editions to mark the 20th anniversary of the Spring Drive. The Tokyo Lion continues this Sport case look, but with a regular, non-limited, watch. What it gets new is an opaline dial featuring a texture reminiscent of a lion’s mane, as GS puts it.

As with many Grand Seiko watches, the Tokyo Lion’s standout feature is the dial, specifically the intricate and abstract textured pattern that complements the zaratsu polishing on the titanium case. It’s good that the case is made out of titanium, as it’s a pretty big watch at 44.5 mm wide and 14.3mm thick, just like many Grand Seiko Sports models. Aside from the new color, the dial of the Tokyo Lion resembles the limited editions, as it has a power reserve indicator between seven and eight, a date window at three, and a 60-minute bezel in black ceramic.

The Tokyo Lion is powered with the 9R65 that’s also found in the Grand Seiko “Snowflake” models. Equipped with power reserve and date display, the movement features the brand’s Spring Drive technology, essentially a mechanical movement with an electronic oscillator made up of a flywheel regulated by an electromagnet and integrated circuit. This combination gives the movement a precision of approximately one second per day and a maximum deviation of 15 seconds per month.

The Tokyo Lion is priced at US$10,400, which is significantly lower than the 20th anniversary limited edition that was very similar but in different colours. You can see more on the brand’s website.

2/

Junghans Releases New Meister S Chronoscope Intended For Those With Larger Wrists

The past three or four years have seen a general shrinkage of watches. Everyone seems to be going smaller with their diameters, and people with smaller wrists are loving this trend. On the whole this seems to be a good trend. But it leaves those with bigger arms on the outside. So it behooves a watch brand to look towards the larger watches in order to cover as much of the market as possible. Junghans is know for their minimalist Bauhaus-inspired designs like the Max Bill. But the latest model to join the family is a large, sturdy 200m water-resistant chronograph with an attractive midnight-blue dial and two strap choices named the Junghans Meister S Chronoscope.

With its 45mm diameter and 15.9mm case height, the new Meister S Chronoscope is huge. With brushed surfaces and chronograph function. it puts off very sporty vibes. Sharing the same tricompax layout as the dressier, less robust Chronoscope models, the dial of the Chronoscope S has a 30-minute counter at noon, a 12-hour counter at six o’clock and a smaller sub-dial for seconds at nine o’clock. The three concave counters are black with white markings, and the two chronograph totalisers at 12 and 6 o’clock are indicated by ‘macchiato’ brown (light brown) hands. The matte “night blue”, as Junghans calls it, is given a lacquer gradient for a very dark appearance, which in turn gives the watch a very sophisticated and elegant look.

Prominent hour markers with a slight curve and a strip of luminescent material extend from the sloping flange over the dial. The hour, minute and central chronograph seconds hands have a skeletonised area. A domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides protects the dial. A day-date complication in English or German is positioned in a split window at three o’clock. Junghans’ name and star logo are printed above the window with “CHRONOSCOPE” printed below.

Inside the watch is the Junghans calibre J880.1, based on the legendary and very familiar ETA 7750, with a branded rotor. It beats 28,800vph (4Hz), has a 48-hour power reserve, day-date complication, hours, minutes and small seconds, stop second function, and 30-minute and 12-hour counters. You can get the watch on a seven-row stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp and a fine adjustment feature or a black rubber strap which has a blue leather inlay, light brown top stitching and the name of the model in capital letters on the inside.

The Junghans Meister S Chronoscope with a rubber strap retails for EUR 2,340 (incl. tax), while the stainless steel bracelet version retails for EUR 2,440 (inc. tax). See more on the Junghans website.

3/

The HIDDEN NY X G-Shock Limited Edition Is Incredibly Obnoxious But Would Make A Great Non-Limited Edition

HIDDEN NY is exactly what you would expect from a hipster brand from New York. I don’t mean this in a bad way, necessarily. It’s just a bit funny. The brand started as an Instagram account posting cool stuff from the fashion, music, car and sports world. People like the designer Virgil Abloh and rapper Drake were among its followers and HIDDEN has started growing into its own brand, creating streetwear that it used to feature on the account. Their latest creation is a collaboration with G-Shock.

The brand takes the iconic DW5600 and gives it their white and green brand colors, but a little bit faded for a retro vibe. That means you actually get opaque bone resin throughout the strap, bezel, and case of the watch and green accents around the dial and in the band itself. Turn on the backlight and you’ll see HIDDEN’s logo and their mantra "Past, Present, and Future".

Based off the iconic DW5600, the new DW5600HDN227 takes cues from HIDDEN's mantra of "Past, Present, and Future" and HIDDEN's white and green brand colors, but a little bit faded for a retro vibe. That means you actually get opaque bone resin throughout the strap, bezel, and case of the watch and green accents around the dial and in the band itself. HIDDEN's logo and mantra also show up on the dial when the backlight is used. The rest of the watch is as you would expect - shock resistance, 200m water resistance, EL backlight, 1/100-second stopwatch, countdown timer, and the rest.

You know how I mentioned it was an obnoxious release in the title? Well, the watch retails for $170, which is all fine, but it went on sale August 18th. The only way to buy it is from hiddenppf.com. Go ahead, click on the link. I guess only cool people can buy it, as it’s impossible to enter the website without a password. And we’re not cool enough to get access. The good thing is that starting August 24th, you can also get the watch on gshock.com and the G-SHOCK Soho store in New York, so not all is lost. This is one of the better looking DW5600 versions out there. Check them out on the G-SHOCK website.

4/

British Indie Watchmaker Garrick Introduces The S5 Moon Phase With Incredibly Colored Dials

In a world where even the highest of end of watches are often industrially made, stamped out of metal and put together by machines, it’s great to see a brand that obsesses about making mostly hand built watches. Garrick is one of these brands. The small British indie is no longer that small, as they have introduced their fifth major collection last year with the Garrick S5. Now, Garrick have launched the newest version of the S5 that introduces a moonphase complication to the collection, the watch called the Garrick S5 Moon Phase.

Garrick positions this watch as a robust dress watch. That’s why it has a stainless steel or gold case that measures 39mm wide and has a surprising 100m water resistance, not something you see in this category. But the dial is what’s most important about this watch - it features a hand-engraved guilloché pattern in the centre and around the periphery. The Roman numerals on the brushed hour ring are laser engraved and inked by hand. At 6 o’clock you’ll find the moonphase.

Garrick create their watches on a made-to-order basis and as such they’re almost entirely customisable. The colour, pattern, moonphase style, hands and more can all be chosen from a range of options. They showed off two versions to start with - salmon or blue dials with engine turned guilloché and lancine hands. Other options include the characteristic Garrick anchor hands and a range of finishes such as blued steel and polishing.

Inside the watch is the Garrick UT-G05 manual movement with 60-hour power reserve. It’s the same movement as the standard S5 with the moonphase indicator. What makes the UT-G05 different to a lot of Garrick’s movements is that the balance wheel is located on the back of the watch rather than on the dial side, such as with the recent MK2.

The S5 Moon Phase isn’t technically a limited edition but is limited by the number of pieces they can make per hand. In 2024, Garrick will make just 10 pieces of the S5 Moon Phase. And at £24,000, this seems to be a pretty good bargain considering other watches at that price point. See more on the Garrick website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

Hands-On With The Surprisingly Unique Sinn T50 GDBR

2/

A review of the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Flying Tourbillon Platinum Milano Blue

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

Rather than try to create an artificial sense of prestige, Welsbro doesn’t take itself too seriously

The Grape Soda Chronograph watch begins with a 1960s-era Swiss Made Valjoux 92 manually wound column-wheel-based chronograph movement. Welsbro actually offered the watch with a 30 or 45-minute chronograph counter, as it appears that the movement could be oriented either way. The pictured watch has the 30-minute chronograph subdial option. The movement still looks very attractive by today’s standards and is related to the famed Valjoux 72 chronograph movements that were used in timepieces such as the Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona. The Grape Soda case was designed for the movement and each of the cases for the highly limited Grade Soda Chronograph watches was made by hand in Japan.

⏲️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

• Interestingly, all three recommendations today will be about people that might be a bit forgotten. Staring off, it’s Lorne Michaels, the legendary and feared producer of Saturday Night Live, the man who launched hundreds of comedians into the stratosphere and a man who is the perfect representation fo an entire system that people are trying to get rid of.

• Next up, Sean Paul. You remember the guy who most likely introduced you to dancehall? Well, while you might have forgotten him, new generations are discovering him as he has been making music relentlessly for the past 20 years and shows no signs of stopping.

• And last, we have Bill Watterson, the creator of the cult comic strip Calvin and Hobbs. In 1995, Watterson walked away from his most famous work at the high of his popularity. Now, he has a new book coming out, but the mystery is why disappeared in the first place.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

You don’t need much from me here, this is a North Face doc, so you know it will be good. Bu here’s what they have to say: Siebe Vanhee is used to achieving his goals. He graduated in the Social Work field, but followed his passion and became a professional big wall climber. As an athlete he mastered the art of balance, but he felt his own life was missing it; he wanted to give something back.

This search led Siebe to learn of Escalando Fronteras, a Mexican ONG that uses climbing as a means to help vulnerable youngsters. And now after years of dreaming together, Siebe is returning to Monterrey, to team up with local climber Choco and “offer him a really cool, intense, out of comfort, big wall experience.”

💵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

Want to let us know what you think about the newsletter? Go to our survey and fill it out.