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- It's Seiko day! 8 new watches, some are fine, some are really good and one is really fantastic
It's Seiko day! 8 new watches, some are fine, some are really good and one is really fantastic
It's funny how a company can make watches both overprices and underpriced. But we
Vuk Radic
March 08, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes
Hey friends, welcome to It’s About Time. Our watch newsletter is a time-honored tradition. Thanks for joining us on this time-ly journey.
In this issue:
Seiko has a bunch of new watches
Citizen has three new watches
Shinola is trying for a comeback
And… invite your friends to win a Tiffany PRX
Today’s reading time: 6 minutes and 15 seconds
We’re starting off with a bang! We’re giving away TWO of this year’s hottest watches:
THE TIFFANY PRX!
This is the PRX Powermatic 80 we’re giving away. Not this one obviously. But one just like it.
That’s right! You’ve read about them, you’ve seen the videos and now you can own your own Tissot PRX with the Powermatic 80 movement and the light blue dial. All you have to do is forward this email to five of your friends and get them to click on the button below to subscribe. Both you and one of your friends will be eligible to win one of the watches
We only have two conditions when entering this giveaway - invite 5 of your friends to subscribe and live somewhere were you can buy the PRX online, so we can do this for you and ship it to your address. That’s it!
👂What’s new
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Seiko Comes out With the First Mechanical GMT Divers In The Prospex Collection, maybe misses the mark a bit?
Seiko expands its adored Prospex collection with three more models. But they are not just simply three additions to Seiko’s collection of dive watches. With the Prospex SPB381, SPB383, and SPB385, Seiko introduces the first three mechanical GMT divers to the Prospex collection.
The SPB381 has a green dial, and the SPB383 has a black one. The third model is the SPB385, a special Save The Ocean limited edition with an ice-blue dial. Inside the 42mm case, Seiko equips all three of the watches with its new in-house Seiko caliber 6R54. The automatic GMT movement operates at 21,600vph and delivers 72 hours of power reserve. The movement lets you independently set the GMT hand of the watch in one-hour increments.
This means that it’s a caller GMT and not a flyer GMT. This would not be an issue, if the price were much lower. The regular SPB381 and SPB383 will be available in June 2023 for €1,700. The Save the Ocean limited edition SPB385 will see a production run of 4,000 pieces and will cost €1,900. While the idea of a GMT diver is very cool, we would like a flyer for that price. And murmurs online are already criticising Seiko for this decision/price point.
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Naomi Uemura was a tough guy. He climbed Everest multiple times, he was the first person to ascend Denali alone and the first person to reach the North Pole solo. He was also the first person to climb Denali in the winter, but he disappeared during his descent and his body was never found.
Seiko has already created a limited edition to mark Uemura’s 80th birthday and are now coming back to mark his conquering of Mont Blanc in 1966 at age 25. It measures 44mm in diameter and 13mm thick, and it is water resistant to 200 meters. The case is has a standout blue stainless steel bezel with a dark blue bezel inlay. The crown at 4 o’clock is also executed in light blue, making this a rather colorful watch. The white dial uses special pressing and etching techniques to depict Mont Blanc.
Yes, it’s very expensive at €3,000. But… It’s powered by the caliber 8L35, based on the Grand Seiko caliber 9S55, it’s limited and numbered and a nice departure with it’s dial and colors from what’s out there.
3/
Popular for making artisanal dials affordable, Seiko’s Presage Craftsmanship series has been facelifted for the 110th anniversary of the brand’s first watch. The dials continue to be decorated with techniques ranging from fired enamel to Japanese lacquer, but the Presage case has been refined into an all-new design.
The restyled Presage is making its debut as a quartet of limited editions with dials in fired enamel (SPB393), traditional lacquer known as urushi (SPB395), Arita porcelain (SPB397), and translucent Shippo enamel (SPB399). They also updated the case, making it much more streamlined.
Prices start at $1,450 for the enamel dial SPB393 and top out at $2,050 for the SPB399 with a Shippo enamel dial. Find a better deal for such beautiful dials, I dare you.
4/
The new Citizen Promaster Diver Automatic Fugu come in a 44mm wide and 13.1mm tall stainless steel case, with one of the new references being black ion-plated. The serrated unidirectional bezel, inspired by the Fugu puffer fish, is fitted with a black or blue insert that has a 60-minute scale. The crown screws down to boost the 200m water-resistance.
The three new Citizen Promaster Diver Automatic watches come on different straps/bracelets and retail at different prices (although in close proximity to one another). The black and yellow NY0130-08E is fitted with a black polyurethane strap with a steel pin buckle and costs $550. Next up is the NY0136-52L, which is worn on a stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp and is a bit pricier at $595. Topping the trio is the black ion-plated NY0137-09A, supplied with a blue polyurethane strap with a black pin buckle and a sticker price of $650.
5/
There was a day when Shinola was the hottest micro brand on the planet. Then they ran smack head first into a bunch of controversy and they kind of fell off the radar for a bunch of people. Now they have a new watch.
The Shinola Canfield Model C56 is inspired by the General Motors Design Dome building located in Warren, Michigan, the smooth upper part of its bezel is larger and has more of a pronounced curve to its overall profile. At the time of launch, the Shinola Canfield Model C56 will be available in two different colorways, although both versions offer an identical overall design and layout. One version is black with small white and orange accents, while the other features an alabaster white central dial with black text and a bright orange chapter ring.
Both models come in at $695, but considering they’re powered by the Argonite 715 high-accuracy quartz movement, which is essentially Shinola’s version of the popular Swiss Ronda 715, there might be better deals out there
6/
As with most of the previous releases of Nivada, the the F77 Automatic doesn’t come out of the blue. It is actually a revival of a vintage watch that was produced in 1977, with all the codes you would expect from a watch designed after the shockwave produced by the Royal Oak. The original model, which you can see below, certainly displayed references to existing watches – an octagonal bezel with screws – and was entirely in line with the codes of its era. Sharp case, facets all around, raised bezel, textured dial, integrated bracelet and all-steel construction. No question here; it’s one of the countless watches that followed in the wake of the RO.
The watch is powered by the Soprod P024 – a clone of the ETA 2824. Classic, precise enough and easy to service. It will be available for pre-order from the company’s website on April 7, 2023, for EUR 1,089, USD 1,150 or CHF 1,078, and not as a limited edition. It is definitely no AP, but could it be an alternative to an overpriced Hublot? Looking at the front of the watch, it could have better build quality than some Hublots.
🫳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
From the very beginning, Reservoir Watches has created a very strong identity for its watches. Most of them are inspired by dashboard instruments. Now they take inspiration from one of the greatest cars of all time
⏲️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
A crazy story about a man in the US making huge wooden clocks by hand. It’s mesmerisingly intricate
An incredible writeup about a love story between a woman and an elephant. Sounds weird, but worth the read
👀Watch this
One video you have to watch today
Check out the truly impressive life of Uemura in this short video
😉Famous faces
Celebrities are just like us 😄
💵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
SOLD: Rolex Explorer I 39 mm Mark I, ref. 214270. Great condition, no box or papers. €7250, OBO. 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 sell your watch to a community of passionate horologists? Reach out to us and we’ll put your ad up. $15 per listing without photos, $25 with photos. 10 available slots per day, discounts for multiple slots.
We’re starting off with a bang! We’re giving away TWO of this year’s hottest watches:
THE TIFFANY PRX!
This is the PRX Powermatic 80 we’re giving away. Not this one obviously. But one just like it.
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