IWC Introduces Wild Fully Lumed Carmic Watch Material; Tudor Pays Homage To Inter With BB58; Nezumi Completes Adventure Trio Collection; BA111OD's Black CHPTR_Δ.5; And Funky New Chronoswiss'

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I know the IWC will be incredibly expensive, and I’m not really a huge fan of the model, but I think I might have found a watch that’s worth pursuing in a price range I wasn’t really looking at.

Also, I messed up yesterday. Sorry about that. The entire On hand, Watch worthy and Wait a minute segments got copied over from Friday. Fixed that issue today!

In this issue:

• IWC Introduces Pretty Wild Fully Lumed Ceramic Material, Headed For The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41

• Tudor Launches Italian Exclusive Black Bay 58 Made To Celebrate Inter Milan Championship Win

• Nezumi Adds New Baleine Divers And Terrain Field Watches To Complete Adventure Trio Collection

• BA111OD Teams Up With Label Noir For A Very Dark, Very Futuristic Take On The CHPTR_Δ.5

• Chronoswiss Unveils Three Brightly Colored And Wild Looking ReSec Manufacture Models

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 55 seconds

👂What’s new

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IWC Introduces Pretty Wild Fully Lumed Ceramic Material, Headed For The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41

Lumed watches are an incredible sight to behold. People go crazy for fantastic lume on hands and markers and some, like me, are die-hard fans of lumed dials. But then, there’s the very rarified air of fully lumed cases. Just the other day I saw a horrific attempt to lume a case in which lumed strands are intertwined with strands of carbon fiber. Not a good look. Bell & Ross seems to be the only one currently who successfully pulls off a fully lumed case, for which they had to come up with a new material they call LM3D which is a fibreglass composite consisting of quartz fibres that diffuse a strong green luminescence. In light, the watch is off-white, almost toy-like, while in the dark it looks like you are hiding Kryptonite in your watch. Now, IWC is joining this rare club by introducing Ceralume, ceramic that glows in the dark, and allows for the first (almost) fully glow-in-the-dark ceramic watch.

The first watch to be fitted with a Ceralume glow-in-the-dark ceramic case is the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Ceralume with a white luminescent dial. However, not much is known about the watch in terms of dimensions and specs (although, it can be assumed that it will remain largely unchanged). But for now, it’s interesting to look into the tech of the watch. According to IWC, Ceralume is produced by homogeneously mixing ceramic powders with high-grade Super-LumiNova pigments, the same that are used for hands and markers. IWC also claims that in dark chamber tests they got the ceramic to emit a bright blueish light for more than 24 hours. Sure, this is likely under the most favourable circumstances, but also pretty fantastic.

We know that the first Ceralume watch will be the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 because it was shown off this weekend, on the wrist of Lewis Hamilton at the Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton often shows up in public with IWC prototype watches, so this was to be expected. I said that this is the first (almost) fully glow-in-the-dark ceramic watch. That’s because there seem to be only two surfaces that don’t glow - the pushers of the chronograph/crown, along with the clasp for the strap. This means that it’s not only the case and dial that are lumed, but also the white rubber strap which is mixed with Super-LumiNova pigments during the injection moulding process. This makes the watch just look completely silly. In the best possible way. I can’t wait to see how expensive this thing will be.

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Tudor Launches Italian Exclusive Black Bay 58 Made To Celebrate Inter Milan Championship Win

I don’t follow football. Or soccer, for the rest of you who are adamant about calling it by its wrong name. I don’t follow it so intensely that I lose interest as soon as anything even remotely football-adjacent is mentioned. This happened to me last week when Tudor introduced a limited-edition Black Bay 58 which celebrates a milestone that only one team previously achieved - 20 championship titles.

Tudor has become a bit bolder with their collaborations and colors lately. We saw the pink chrono, the FXD used by their cycling team and now we get this Inter Milan edition. Quite a lot for a watch brand that’s not known for collaborations and limited edition. Compared to the regular BB58, this is essentially still the same watch. This means it’s still made out of stainless steel and measures 39mm wide and 11.9mm thick. There’s a domed sapphire crystal on top, surrounded by the familiar black and gilt aluminium bezel insert and water resistance remains 200 meters.

The specialness of the watch comes from the dial which has a gradient blue dial which matches the Inter Milan jerseys. The hands and applied indexes are rendered in gold, with Inter Milan’s logo at 6 o’clock. Above the Milan logo are two stars which represent the 20 won titles, as Italian Seria A teams get a star on their jersey with every ten titles won.

Inside you’ll still find the Manufacture MT5402 which has COSC certification and a 70 hour power reserve. The watch comes on the familiar 3-link rivet-style steel bracelet with a folding clasp.

The Tudor Black Bay 58 Inter is limited to 1,908 pieces, paying homage to the year the club was founded, and can be purchase only in Italy. Price is set at €4,350. See more on the Tudor website.

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Nezumi Adds New Baleine Divers And Terrain Field Watches To Complete Adventure Trio Collection

If you’re even remotely interested in watches and have an Instagram account, there’s a pretty high likelihood that you have seen an ad for Nezumi watches. You can’t miss them, with their fantastic colorways, vintage vibes, and overall great pricing. Nezumi is one of those brands I never tire of when I see. It is the brainchild of designer David Campo who has an interesting backstory. Of Spanish/Swedish heritage, he grew up in the United States in the 80s and 90s, he is inspired equally by skateboarding, heavy metal, fashion and vintage Porsches. I have to say, his old 911 has a pretty nifty colorway, showing his eye for choosing the right shades. Nezumi was started in 2011, started making watches in 2015 and have sinced explored all corners of affordable and well designed watches. And now they are tightening up their lineup with not a novel idea - adventure watches - but with excellent execution. Joining their existing Aviera GMT watch, Nezumi is now launching two new colorways of the Baleine diver and the brand new Terrain field watch.

Nezumi presents these watches through a story of a (I assume) a fictional character named River, a passionate traveler and adventurer on the lookout for watches that will serve three of his biggest needs. First he gets the 40mm Aviera GMT, a watch the wears on cross-globe travels and that Nezumi introduced some time ago. According to Campo, the Aviera was designed years ago and was supposed to be their second ever watch, but that was put on the backburner until more affordable traveler-style GMT movements hit the market which happened a year or two ago. But moving on, River goes for the Baleine when he explores underwater and the three-hand Terrain field watch for his day-to-day activities. This might sound a bit corny when I sum it up here, but it actually works really well as a coherent story.

Starting with the Baleine, it shares the case with the limited edition Baleine I wrote about a week or so ago. This means it’s made out stainless steel with a brushed finish and measuring 40mm wide, with an almost-too-big-for the-majority-of-wrists-but-still-very-manageable lug-to-lug of 47mm. Perhaps most impressive for a watch with a depth rating of 200 meters is the thickness of 11.35mm. Ok, to be fair, this is measured without the double domed sapphire crystal, but even with it, the watch measures in at a hair over 13mm. Surrounding the crystal is a 120 click unidirectional turning bezel with 60 minute lumed markings on a black or blue aluminium insert, depending on the dials.

And the color of the insert will depend on the dial you chose, as it comes in either a matte black or matte blue. The black version gets off-white printed hour markers at the cardinal points, triangular hour markers at the rest and black hands that are black and outlined in the same cream color. That cream is all X1 Super-LumiNova. The blue dial gets a similar treatment, but with brushed gold hands and gold details on the dial. Inside is the Miyota 9039 movement, the Japanese alternative to the ubiquitous Sellita SW200 and the ETA 2824 and it beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve, four more than the Sellita and ETA. Nezumi is good with strap options, so you can choose between black or brown leather and very nice black, blue, and off-white FKM rubber.

Then we have the new Terrain, as classic as a field watch as you can get - three hands, a clean dial and a simple case. Again made out stainless steel, the case is much smaller than the diver and measures 38mm wide, 10mm thick (11.7mm with the double domed sapphire crystal) and with a lug-to-lug of 45.5mm. Water resistance remains at 200 meters, which is great. Surrounding the crystal is a fixed bezel with no markings and the entire case gets a brushed finish.

Apart from the case, the field watch is very much similar to the diver. It also gets two options, a matte black and a matte blue, with the same markings and hands combinations as the diver. Inside you’ll find the same Miyota 9039 movement and you can have the same strap choices.

Overall the new Nezumi trio looks like it’s a banger choice for someone who needs adventure watches. I haven’t tried one on, but seeing as how they use Miyota movements and are assembled in Germany, I can only assume that the quality is there as well. The Aviera GMT has been on sale for a while now, but starting today you can get the updated Baleine and new Terrain models which are not limited and are priced at €612 for the Baleine on the FKM strap and €650 on leather, while the Terrain will set you back €525 on rubber and €556 on leather. These prices are with my insanely high 25% VAT, and even so they seem pretty good. See more on the Nezumi website.

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BA111OD Teams Up With Label Noir For A Very Dark, Very Futuristic Take On The CHPTR_Δ.5

There’s a decent chance you haven’t heard of Label Noir before. They are a Geneva-based watch and jewellery design firm that often collaborates with niche and independent watchmakers to bring their more adventurous and avant-garde design aesthetics to them. However, if you’ve been reading this newsletter for long enough you’ll very well know what BA111OD is. Known as the “best-kept secret” in Swiss watchmaking, they make fantastic watches, some that should rival pieces that approach six figures, for a very low price. Now the two have teamed up to give a very dark look to the stunning BA111OD CHPTR_Δ.5.

Like a watch you might get from a brand like MB&F or Urwerk, the CHPTR_Δ.5 is truly something different. The main attraction of the watch is, of course, the unique time telling mechanism, but to house it needs a quite wide case. This one measures in at 44mm. Unfortunately, this is the only measurement that BA111OD gives us, so we don’t know how thick or long it is, but judging from photos it doesn’t look excessively chunky and it has an overall very round look with short lugs so I don’t see it as having a huge lug-to-lug. The crown sits at 4 o’clock and the stainless steel case gets a black PVD treatment, thanks to Label Noir’s input. On top is a domed sapphire crystal with embedded NFC technology that allows owners to authenticate watches. BA111OD is one of the pioneers of this tech and I always liked it.

The dial is as far from traditional as you can get and it seems that almost every inch of it is used to tell the time. It has a triangular bridge structure that connects what would be the 4,8 and 12 o’clock positions and it’s the bridge that has a the hour markers. This is used to tell the time with a lollipop pip that moves independently and hypocycloidally - or, a bit simpler, the tip traces a triangle on the dial. Go look at a few videos of their movement in action and it will make complete sense. This entire segment sits on a black chapter ring where the minutes are rendered in crisp white, overlaid by a semi-skeletonized minute hand with green lume. The bridge is also black, while the pip is bright green, all new coloways given to the watch by Label Noir.

Inside the watch is a relatively humble Soprod M100 caliber, but with a completely custom module on top that allows for the strange movement. This combination of custom modules and off the shelf movements has allowed a couple of manufacturers to bring costs down for movements that would otherwise cost in the tens of thousands. The watch comes on a black textile strap with green stitching with a deployant clasp.

The BA111OD x Label Noir CHPTR_Δ.5 is limited to 111 pieces and priced as fantastic as so many other BA111OD creations - €3.750. Deliveries are expected in September. See more on the BA111OD website.

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Chronoswiss Unveils Three Brightly Colored And Wild Looking ReSec Manufacture Models 

Only two months after announcing a new design direction at Watches and Wonders, Chronoswiss is here with a new take on the complication that made them famous in the 80s and 90s, the regulator. Chronoswiss always had a couple of classy and recognisable details to their watches, most notably the onion shaped crown and coined bezels. Only now, Chronoswiss is making a huge step into the future with much more modern watches. This is perfectly exemplified on the three new ReSec Manufacture models, with their amazing colors and fantastic textures.

The three watches share a case that’s made out of grade 5 titanium (with a couple of gold details on the Obsidian model) and measures 42mm wide and 14.2mm thick. Like I said, you still get the coined bezel, on both front and back, as well as the oversized onion crown. There are sapphire crystals on both sides of the watch and water resistance is 100 meters.

There are three versions of the new ReSec Manufacture models, each with their own unique names. First, and my absolute favorite, there’s the ReSec Helium Manufacture which has a matte grey case, a bright orange guilloché base on the dial and a blue peripheral minutes track, seconds bridge and hour counter. The luminous hands are paired with ceramic hour blocks. Then there’s the ReSec Vertical Red Manufacture, with a polished case and a red Cote de Genève dial base. It has the same blue raised and floating elements and while lumed markers and hands. Lastly, there’s the ReSec Obsidian Manufacture which gets a 18k red gold bezel, caseback and crown that are contrasted with black coated titanium. The dial has the same guilloché pattern as the Helium, but now all black with gold hands.

Inside all three is the calibre C. 6005 made in collaboration with La Joux-Perret. The base movement beats at 28,800vph and has a 55 hour power reserve, while on top you’ll find the in-house regulator module. Each of the watches comes on a rubber strap that matches the dial color.

The Chronswiss ReSec Manufacture models are limited to 100 pieces each and priced at €14,800 for the Vertical Red, €15,300 for the Helium and €23,400 for the Obsidian. See more on the Chronoswiss website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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A review of the Nivada Grenchen Depthmaster Orange 

2/

Hands-On With The Extreme Casio G-Shock Frogman MRG-BF1000B-1A

3/

A review of the Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

Yema steps up its game with the Navygraf Slim CMM.20 Limited Edition

The watch features a black lacquered enamel dial with applied indices filled with Super-LumiNova BGW9. The dial design takes after that of the Yema Navygraf II from the 1970s. The stainless steel hour and minute hands are treated with Super-LumiNova BGW9, while the seconds hand is executed in bright yellow. It matches the yellow Navygraf name on the top half of the dial, resulting in a watch that looks chic. While it might not be the hardcore dive watch that the Yema Superman is, it makes up for it with its retro-styled presence.

Read the whole review on Fratello

⏲️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

• You know how cults always have a promise of armageddon in their teachings? Have you ever wondered what happens when the prophesied armageddon inevitably doesn’t happen? Harper’s piece on what happened to Elizabeth Clare Prophet and her Church Universal and Triumphant cult after their followers found out that they hid in a basement for nor reason because armageddon never came gives an answer.

• For decades, Jessica Jackson had a secret: Her high-school social life was an inspiration for the hit film “Mean Girls.”

• Colleen Hoover is a wildly successful author. The literary sensation's first film adaptation stars Blake Lively and hits theaters this summer, but devoted readers and TikTok haters wonder what’s next. So does she. Why did she stop writing?

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

You know I love Teddy’s visits and he’s traveled over to Grand Seiko. Always an interesting watch

💵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: Here’s a crazy request. One of you is looking to buy the Ōtsuka Lotēc No. 7.5. Sure, it’s a big ask, but if any of you have one and want to sell, reach out to and I’ll put you in touch

• SOLD: Well, not really new. It’s a great looking mid-90s Tudor Submariner 75090, offered for sale by a member of the It’s About Time reader crew. I love the way it looks and seems to be in great condition. Check it out over on Chrono24.

• 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

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-Vuk