G-Shock Launches New Colors With Metal Polychromatic Accents Collection, Nodus Introduces Bronze Limited Edition, Le Forban Revives 70s Compressor, New Watches From Speake-Marin and Moser

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. We just had our DST switch this weekend, so do bear with me as I figure out some publishing times here. I guess I could have used a good self-adjusted G-Shock to tell me the right time. But in other news, what are your thoughts on brand revivals and continuations? Are you in favor or do you see something wrong with them?

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.

Want to win a Longines Spirit Zulu Time? Invite your friends to enter right now.

In this issue:

• G-SHOCK Launches All New Colors With The Full Metal Polychromatic Accents Collection

• Nodus Introduces a Limited Edition Sector Sport with Bronze Accents That Will Age Fantastically

• Le Forban Sécurité Mer Presents Their 70s Inspired Compressor Style Watch, The Rochelaise

• Speake-Marin Brings Back A More Traditional Look With The Openworked Sandblasted In Either Titanium Or Red Gold

• H. Moser & Cie. Fuses Two Very Different Cultures With The Endeavour Chinese Calendar

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 30 seconds

👂What’s new

1/

G-SHOCK Launches All New Colors With The Full Metal Polychromatic Accents Collection

Last week I featured a truly wide range of watches. Everything from a $445 Spinnaker to a $449.000 A. Lange & Söhne. It is proof that the world of watches is incredibly diverse and has something for everyone. In fact, if you do own that half million Lange, chances are that you own dozens of watches in the sub $1,000 range. Because it’s hardly ever about the money. It’s about the love for watches. And one of the brand that best exemplifies the ethos of appreciating a watch for what it is, not how much it costs is Casio. And even more particularly, their G-Shock line. For decades, G-Shock has been putting out sensational watches that don’t break the bank and updating them occasionally to make them even better. Now, they’re introducing the Polychromatic Accents Collection, two watches from the 5000 Series and two from the 2100 Series, in a series of very interesting, as the name points out, polychromatic tones.

All four versions in the collection come in their steel variants, making them perhaps even more durable than the regular versions. The GM-B2100PC-1A and GMW-B5000PC-1 come in an untreated steel examples, while the GM-B2100BPC-1A and GMW-B5000BPC-1 are offered in black stainless steel, both with their own shades of polychromatic. The GMB2100PC-1A offers vibrant purple and blue gradation and pops of red and green, while the GMB2100BPC-1A sports blue and yellow accents.

Technically, these are still the watches you know and love. All of them feature solar-powered charging and bluetooth. GMB2100PC-1A and GMB2100BPC-1A models feature a high-brightness double LED light and hand shift feature, while the GMWB5000PC-1 and GMWB5000BPC-1 models come equipped with a high-brightness full auto LED light, phone finder and radio-controlled Multiband 6 timekeeping.

Prices will range depending on the model, but don’t worry, these are still pretty much within everyone’s budgets as they span from $580 to $630. These won’t be limited editions and you can see more about the watches on the G-Shock website.

2/

Nodus Introduces a Limited Edition Sector Sport with Bronze Accents That Will Age Fantastically

The Los Angeles based watch brand Nodus is the epitome of what a good micro brand should be. They make solid pieces with design just different enough to be interesting but not off-putting and offer all of that to a loyal fan base at a very fair price. And they have put thought into offering to the market exactly what the market wants - a diver, a field watch and pilot’s. But in 2021 they hit the proverbial jackpot with a new sports watch called the Sector Sport. It was an instant hit and they did with it what they did with the rest of their models, what microbrands do so well - they cranked out a number of fantastic variants of the model. Now, as we wait for Nodus to reveal their model which is supposedly coming soon, they’re introducing a new Sector Sport in steel and bronze, ready to accept all the patina.

The watch is fairly straightforward, with some amazing stand out features. It measures 38mm wide, 12.5mm thick and has a 47mm lug-to-lug. The 20mm wide lugs are sharp, beveled and slightly raised up from the bracelet, which makes for an interesting visual. The case comes in a brushed finish, giving it a sporty look, as the name suggests.

Speaking of the other part of the name - sector- that’s reflected in the dial. It comes with two brass plates that form the sectors. The inner one just so perfectly fits the hour hand and the outer hand has gilt PVD coated hour markers. The same treatment can be hound on the hands. Whereas previous Sector Sport variants had intense colors, this one is very much subdued and tonally perfect for the fall, with shiny browns everywhere.

Not only do these colors look great, the work perfectly with the biggest update of the watch - the bezel and crown which are rendered in Aluminum Bronze, an alloy that the brand has used before and has proven to be a great canvas for patina. You can even go to their website for a few illustrations on what the bezel will look after a few months of use.

Inside the watch is very basic and very common Seiko NH38 which beats at 21,600 bph and has a power reserve of 41 hours. Out of the factory, the accuracy rating is -20~+40 seconds per day, but Nodus say they regulate the watch to get +/- 10 seconds per day. Which really isn’t that bad. The watch comes on a H-link bracelet that tapers from 20 to 18mm. The party trick of the bracelet is the proprietary Nodus NodeX clasp which offers fantastic and simple micro-adjustments.

Unfortunately, only 75 pieces of this watch will be made and as of me writing this there still seem to be some for sale. This, of course, could change by the time of publishing, so hop on over to check. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re all sold out since the price is a very fair $500. See more on the Nodus website.

3/

Le Forban Sécurité Mer Presents Their 70s Inspired Compressor Style Watch, The Rochelaise

The scuba diving craze was at its peak in the late 60s and early 70s and nowhere was it more prevalent than in France. Sure, people all over the world got in on the sport, but in France it was almost a national treasure. Of course, that was in large part due to the influence of Jacques Cousteau, one of the pioneers of scuba diving. This rise in popularity of the sport brought with it an increase of demand for tools, among them watches. One of the companies creating diving watches, especially those for the French Navy, was Paris-based Le Forban Sécurité Mer. They introduced their first dive watch in 1969 and since then have put out a number of well made and robust watches loved by sailors and divers. Don’t be worried if you haven’t heard about them, because Le Forban Sécurité Mer is one of those that disappeared during the quartz crisis.

Brands that went belly up in the crisis and are being relaunched in the past five to ten years have been known to draw criticism for just profiteering on the heritage of long lost brands, without any direct connection or lineage. I’m not in that camp and believe that a revival can be done respectfully. One such revival has been that of Le Forban. Sure, they have taken a lot of inspiration from the old company and their models since 2019, but I like them. Now they’re releasing their third model, the Rochelaise, drawing inspiration from the watch designs of the 60s and 70s.

The watch is named after the famous French port on the Atlantic, La Rochelle, and takes on a coushin shape that is very funky 70s. It measures 39mm wide, 11.4mm thick and has a lug-to-lug of 46mm. It’s a slightly different take on a compressor-style watch, with a screw down crown at 3 o’clock and a crown at 2 that operates the bi-directional inner bezel with markings pressed into metal. Water resistance is 150 meters, which is unusually low for a dedicated diver, one would expect at least 200 meters, but these depth markings are becoming less and less relevant, as we have little idea if these depths have been tested or if it’s a theoretical claim.

The watch comes in two dial variants, a deep sea green and a sand grey, both with a sunburst finish and polished chromed indices at 3, 6, 9, and 12. The interior of the indices is filled with Super-LumiNova, just like the hands and six lumed pips on the internal bezel. At 6 o’clock you get the model name with a blue-white-red underline, in case you forgot that this was a French watch.

WhileLe Forban claims the watch has been assembled in France, inside is a Japanese movement. It’s the Miyota 9035 which beats at 28,800vph and gets a power reserve of 42 hours. The watches come on a silicone Tropic strap that matches the dial in color or you can get them on a fine-mesh steel bracelet.

The Le Forban Sécurité Mer Rochelaise is available now and can be bought for €740 on the strap and €790, which is on the higher end in terms of pricing when it comes to these revived microbrands, but it’s not horrible. See more on the Le Forban website.

4/

Speake-Marin Brings Back A More Traditional Look With The Openworked Sandblasted In Either Titanium Or Red Gold

The 2000s were an interesting time for watches. Following large consolidations in the 90s, along with the emergence of new brands and experiments with new(ish) materials, it seemed that there was a proliferation of independent brands on the horizon. One of these brands was Speake Marin, founded by Peter Speake-Marin in 2002, formed with he idea of making high-end, different and special watches. And their most recent release, the Openworked Sandblasted, very much evokes these sentiments.

The first thing you will undoubtedly notice about this watch is it’s Piccadilly case. It is one of Speake Marin hallmarks and features very distinctive lugs that are hard to miss. Love it or hate it, the case comes in two sizes - either 38mm or 42mm, both of them 10.5mm thick. This particular model comes in either a Grade 5 titanium or a red gold, and both look amazing.

The Openworked line is not a new thing for Speake Marin. It’s one of the most prolific lines from the brand, with careful cutouts that show off the incredible movement inside. You have a central hour and minute hand, but the running seconds have been transposed to between 1 and 2 o’clock, but that’s not the only weird thing about the watch. There’s also the visible barrel from the dial side with an engraving of the brand’s core values placed front and center.

The most striking thing about this version is the sandblasted finish of the dial. It has a very fine grain that is a great contrast to the shiny movement finishing. The fine grey color also plays nicely with the matte black minute track and black polished handset.

Inside is the SMA01 caliber, a micro rotor movement developed by Speake Marin’s “Le Cercle des Horlogers” arm in La Chaux-de-Fonds. It has a 52-hour power reserve and a 4Hz beat rate. The titanium version comes on a black grained leather strap, while the red gold is delivered with a grey grained leather strap.

Pricing for the Speake Marin Sandblasted Openworked starts at CHF 22,200 for the smaller titanium version or CHF 22,600 for the larger or CHF 34,000 for the smaller red gold version. See more on the Speake Marin website.

5/

H. Moser & Cie. Fuses Two Very Different Cultures With The Endeavour Chinese Calendar

The calendar is one of the most complicated and yet most useful complications that a watch can have. Ranging from simple date displays that need frequent adjustments, to hyper-complicated perpetual displays that, once set, can stay accurate for hundreds of years, all the while displaying moonphases, months and years. There is an additional complication to the calendar thing - the whole world doesn’t use the same calendar. The latest watch from H. Moser & Cie. addresses this exact issue with the Endeavour Chinese Calendar.

The watch is made in collaboration with Agenhor SA who have, in essence created magic. The watch displays months and days of the Chinese calendar, the days of the Gregorian calendar, the moon phases and the zodiac signs associated with each Chinese year. It does so with two cams working in parallel, relaying the information via feelers and, get this, won’t need any corrections for 12 years. An incredible achievement.

That marvel comes in a 40mm watch case made of 5N red gold, with an incredibly beautiful blue fumé and sunburst dial, with an additional moon phase indicator at the 12 o’clock mark.

Inside the watch is the HMC 210 automatic caliber which beats at a rate of 21,600 vibrations every hour and has a power reserve of three days. The movement is beautiful, with a 18K gold oscillating weight and finishing that features Moser’s iconic stripes. The watch comes on a brown alligator strap with hand-stitched details and a matching 5N red gold folding clasp.

The Endeavour Chinese Calendar will, not suprisingly, be a limited edition. However, it’s limited to 100 pieces, which really seems like a lot. Compare it to the Nodus which is made in 75 pieces… Despite the watch being priced at CHF 68,000, I don’t doubt it will sell easily. See more on the brand’s website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

A review of the Luminox Master Carbon SEAL Automatic 45mm 

2/

Forty-Eight Hours with the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Ceramic Carbon Beige Camo

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Fleddermann Von Rieste Hanoverian contributes to the American watchmaking scene in a meaningful way

The 41mm faceted case calls to mind Bulova’s recent Jet Star rerelease, although I prefer the execution here. The crisp angles feature aggressive chamfers toward the lugs. Though the Hanoverian feels every bit of its 41mm, it’s easily manageable for smaller wrists due to the short lugs. The design almost gives it the appearance of vintage-style hooded lugs, although they also present a potential drawback: while they work very well with the included bracelet, they might make other strap or bracelet pairings tricky, given how little room there is between springbar and case. Read the whole story on The Time Bum.

⏲️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

• Why do we enter a haunted house? Listen to a true crime podcast? It’s a mystery being resolved by research on “the science of scary play and morbid curiosity.” Athena Aktipis and Coltan Scrivner explain in a riveting essay that will make you appreciate a good scare what the evolutionary reasons are for being drawn to horror movies and haunted houses

• This is an article from 1995, but trust me, it’s just as griping as it was written yesterday. It’s one of those that stick in your mind for a while, I think I still remember when I first read it. After all, it’s not every day that a multi-hundred million dollar building is built in the most important city in the world and then the architect figures out that not only has he messed up and a strong wind might blow the skyscraper over, storm season was quickly approaching and something needed to be done.

• I’ve forever been fascinated with Kanye West. Not for his music, that was fine. I could never understand how he became a fashion icon. Not only does he dress exactly how you would expect a deranged person to dress, he has successfully convinced people that it is ok to dress the same way. And made billions on it. This recent story from the New York Times details how Adidas helped him do that.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

James Price is one of a small group of climbers to practice solo climbing in the gigantic mountains of Pakistan. Like an artist, he weaves his line on the high peaks, working with nature to find new routes and climb where no one has climbed before.

In March 2020, amidst a global pandemic, James finds himself stranded in the village of Ganish (Northern Pakistan, Hunza Valley). Working in the fields and helping the local community, he forms special ties with the local community.

And the images captured in these mountains? Incredible. Just 10 or 15 years ago you would need the budget of a BBC-National Geographic coproduction to pull off something like this.

💵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.