IWC Updates The Ingenieur With A Blue Textured Dial; Casio Has A Watch To Wear In The Sauna; Mido Releases New Multifort TV Big Date; Czapek Teams Up With Fratello; And An Incredible Parmigiani

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. IWC really is sticking with that price. That’s very interesting. But I guess it’s working since we’re getting more Ingenieurs.

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In this issue:

• IWC Updates The Ingenieur Automatic 40 With A Blue Textured Dial

• Casio Is Crowdfunding A Strange Watch With A Single Purpose — To Be Worn In A Sauna

• Mido Has A New Multifort TV Big Date, This One With A Black Case And Orange Details On The Dial

• Czapek & Cie Teams Up With Fratello For A Stunning Promenade Transparencies Viridian Green

• The Incredible Parmigiani Fleurier L’Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse Celebrates Michel Parmigiani

👂What’s new

1/

IWC Updates The Ingenieur Automatic 40 With A Blue Textured Dial

While not as famous as his AP Royal Oak and Patek Nautilus, one of the iconic Gerald Genta designs was certainly the IWC Ingenieur. The slight irony in this is the fact that the Ingenieur wasn’t an original Genta model. It’s been around since the 1950s, but it wasn’t until the mid-1970s that the model got a radical redesign, courtesy of Genta. This SL Jumbo reference 1832 suddenly transformed to an integrated bracelet with a flat bezel with five visible screws. And it was this Genta watch that IWC had in mind when they released the updated Ingenieur Automatic 40 last year. So far, we got three dial versions on that new watch, as well as a titanium version. For their latest release, the IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 gets a brand-new dark blue dial. It’s a bit of a surprise they didn’t do this sooner.

The case of this new Ingenieur remains largely unchanged, which means that it comes in at 40mm wide, 10.8mm thick, and has a lug-to-lug of 46mm. It’s made out of stainless steel, brushed all over with polished bevels. On top is the very recognizable raised bezel with five screws in it. The screw-down crown gets guards, and water resistance is 100 meters.

While the case remains unchanged, the dial is brand new. Well, technically, not all new. You get the same grid stamping pattern as the previous versions, similar to the original Genta design, which is now covered in a dark blue PVD coat. It’s kind of weird that they didn’t have this color earlier, as it’s just so classic. On top, you’ll find applied markers with lume inserts, the same style as the hour and minute hands, and there’s a date window at 3 o’clock.

Inside, there are no changes. It’s still the manufacture calibre 32111, an automatic that beats at 4Hz and has a very nice 120-hour power reserve. It has a soft iron core to protect it from magnetism. The bracelet remains the same, with a fully brushed finish with polished bevels. The bracelet closes with a concealed butterfly clasp, with no micro-adjustment system.

The new IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 Blue is available now and is part of the regular collection. Now, for the worst part. The price. It remains the same at €12,700, something that has been a bit puzzling since the model’s release in 2013. See more on the IWC website.

2/

Casio Is Crowdfunding A Strange Watch With A Single Purpose — To Be Worn In A Sauna

I like to cook. A lot. And once you get proficient enough in the kitchen, you learn to rely only on multi-purpose tools. A good knife will handle 70% of everything you have to do. A grater. And a good stand mixer. You can handle 98% of things you encounter with those three things and some pots and pans. And yet, people buy millions of single-purpose tools. Stuff like meat shredding paws, strawberry corers, onion choppers, basters… They just take up space and you never end up using them because they have just one purpose. And I hate single-purpose tools. Until, that is, you find a perfect single-purpose tool. One such tool is the infamous Y-peeler, a tool that is spectacular as it is limited in its use. There aren’t a lot of single-purpose watches in the market. In fact, this new watch Casio just announced might be the first one. And this is way more a Y-peeler than a meat shredding paw. Especially if you like sitting in the sauna.

Yeah, that’s right. Casio is making a watch specially made to withstand the hot and humid environment of a sauna. Unlike a lot of our North-American brethren who can often be seen fully clothed in a sauna, on the right side of the Atlantic we usually buff it out in saunas. That also means no watch. The metal of the watch could actually burn you in the high heat, while the same high heat would mess with the internals of even quartz watches. But a watch is very practical in the sauna, making it easier to keep track of how long you have been inside.

And this watch has been built from the ground up just for that purpose. The resin case measures 35.44 mm wide and is black on all three models. The model colors vary in dials and their very cool expendable bands that look like 1990s hair bands. The CPP-002-OR has a black case, white dial, and orange band; the CPP-002-BK is all black; and the CPP-002-BU has a black case, light blue band, and a white dial with a light blue logo of the Japanese sauna database/social network Sauna Ikitai.

There are two pushers on the case which help you set the 12-minute timer, which is the ideal length of time to spend in a sauna. Water resistance on the watch is not that high, 50 meters, but you don’t need that much in a sauna. You need a lot of moisture and heat protection. And Casio says the watch is equipped with a special heat-resistant battery that lasts roughly 5 years.

Casio is not selling this watch outright, which seems to be a big miss. Instead, they are crowdfunding the release on the Japanese Makuake platform. The campaign started yesterday and will last for three months. While there are discounts on the campaign, it seems that the full price is YEN 9,800 or about €62, which is just a spectacular price and would be an instant buy for me right away. See more on the Makuake website.

3/

Mido Has A New Multifort TV Big Date, This One With A Black Case And Orange Details On The Dial

I’m a sucker for Mido. While a large part of their lineup are decent, stylish and mostly traditional looking watches, every now and again they come out with something fantastic. Take a look at the Ocean Star GMT, a fantastic looking watch. Or the Ocean Star Decompression Worldtimer, currently one of my favorite watches on sale. Or the incredible Multifort TV Big Date S01E01 that was unfortunately a very limited edition. They really do know how to make a fun watch. And their Multifort TV is such a great platform. Now, there’s a new version of the TV Big Date, a dark one with orange details.

The new Multifort TV Big Date comes in a stainless steel three part case that measures 40mm wide, 11.5mm thick and has a lug-to-lug of 46.85mm. It’s unlike most watches out there in terms of proportions, but it’s easy to get used to. The finishing is a combination of brushed and polished surfaces that make it look less like a gimmick and more like a true watch. And now, it’s paired with a black PVD coating. On top is a flat sapphire crystal, on the right a prominent crown guards and water resistance is rated at 100 meters.

The dial has horizontal, brushed grooves with a slight gradient from grey in the middle to black on the periphery. The black is paired with recessed round indices and rectangular markers at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock that are filled with orange Super-LumiNova. The same orange can be found on the baton hour and minute hands. Of course, at 12 o’clock is the signature big date window with black date discs and orange numerals.

Inside, you’ll find the trusty Powermatic 80, with its shock-resistant and anti-magnetic Nivachron balance spring, 4Hz beat rate and 80 hour power reserve. The movement is equipped with a customised Mido rotor with Geneva stripes. The watch comes on a black PVD-coated steel bracelet with a polished link.

The new Mido Multifort TV Big Date is part of the regular collection and it’s priced at €1,350. See more on the Mido website.

4/

Czapek & Cie Teams Up With Fratello For A Stunning Promenade Transparencies Viridian Green

The first collaboration between Czapek & Cie and Fratello, the Antarctique Passage De Drake Viridian Green, was a great looking watch, with a nicely colored and textured green dial and one of the best orange seconds hands in the business. But boy, did the two step it up for their second collaboration… This is the drop dead gorgeous Fratello x Czapek Promenade Transparencies Viridian Green, obviously inspired by Paris and the viridian green that can be seen on buildings all throughout the city.

Based on the latest release from Czapek, the Promenade, it comes in a beautiful polished case (with a couple of brushed accents) that measures 38mm wide, 10.8mm thick and a wonderfully short 42mm lug-to-lug. On top and bottom are sapphire crystals and water resistance is 50 meters.

But forget the case, this is all about the dial. This version of the Promenade features a smoked Viridian Green sapphire dial with a gradient effect, with a transition from the printed small seconds sub-dial at 4 o’clock. It’s an incredible look, especially combined with the fact that you can see the beautiful calibre SXH7 through the green. You get applied hour markers, as well as skeletonized arrow hands.

The SXH7 is the skeletonized version of the in-house calibre SXH5, a very familiar movement for Czapek watches. It beats at 4Hz, has a 60 hour power reserve and uses a recycled platinum micro-rotor. Decorations include open ratchets, sandblasted black bridges, bevelling, straight-grained sides, and hand chamfering. The watch comes on a green Cordura strap, matching the beautiful dial.

The new Fratello x Czapek Promenade Transparencies Viridian Green is limited to 50 pieces and will go on pre-order on Friday, December 6th. Price is set at €32,000 without taxes, with a 30% deposit necessary at order time and deliveries expected by the end of July 2025. See more on Fratello.

5/

The Incredible Parmigiani Fleurier L’Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse Celebrates Michel Parmigiani

What is the one thing that is a constant in watches? You can play with the case shapes, dials, ways of indicating time. You could go analogue or digital, automatic or quartz. But the one necessity is that you have an aperture of some sorts that will indicate the time. Or, maybe, you don’t. Parmigiani Fleurier just introduced the Armoriale Mysterious Repeater, a fascinating secret watch with a minute repeater and no traditional way of telling time at all. It’s also an homage to Michel Parmigiani, his decades long contribution to the watch industry and a celebration of his birthday, which was yesterda, December 2.

The case of the watch is made out of 18k white gold, fully polished and measuring 41.6mm wide and 12.65mm thick. It has straight, angular lugs, with a slider for the minute repeater on the left case flank. The entire side of the case is fluted to emulate the profile of Doric columns. On the side is a 6.4mm crown with Grand Feu enamel decoration. You get 10 meters of water resistance, but come on…

On top, there is no crystal because there is no dial. Instead, you get a sensational sage green Grand Feu enamel cover executed by Vanessa Lecci with delicate hand-guilloché work done by Yann Von Kaenel and hand-engraved details by Eddy Jacquet. Underneath the cover are extra-long cathedral gongs that wrap almost twice around the movement, and they must make a spectacular sound. As they should be since the chimes for the hours, quarters and minutes is the only way to tell the time. Actually, no. That’s the only way to tell the time when the watch is on your hand. Take it off and flip it over, and you’ll see a beautiful white Guatemalan jade chapter ring with spherical dots and rose gold hands in the shape of the letters ‘H’ and ‘M’.

Inside the watch is the PF355, a manual winding calibre created by Renaud Papi. It has a 72-hour power reserve and it makes space for resonance chambers built into the case for an even deeper sound. The watch comes on a taupe hand-stitched alligator leather strap.

Only five Armorial Mysterious Repeaters will be produced, each one a unique piece, thanks to the invitation to personalise certain features of the watch. The price is on request. See more on the Parmigiani Fleurier website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

A review of the Circula Facet

2/

Hands on with the SpaceOne Tellurium

3/

A review of the Angelus Instrument De Vitesse Indianapolis Blue

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Áigi Satellite Ground Station II is a Nordic nod to our connection with space

The original Áigi Satellite Ground Station launched last year, and while that case design did have more complexity, it was also much more reminiscent of the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Getting rid of the ears on the side and de-integrating the bracelet has created a much more streamlined silhouette that allows Áigi’s own identity to shine through, clear of other brand comparisons. Four notches on the brushed bezel also help give it some unique character, while the harsh facets on the lugs are aligned with the technological inspiration of the watch.

Read the whole review on Time + Tide

⏲️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

• I’m not exactly planning on getting stuck outside in the winter and dyign of hypothermia. But to be fair, I don’t think any of the people who died of hypothermia were planning on it either. Regardless, you’ll want to read this account of what would happen to you if you did. It’s an incredible account.

• The internet is carried around the world by hundreds of thousands of miles of slender cables that sit at the bottom of the ocean. These fragile wires are constantly breaking — a precarious system on which everything from banks to governments to TikTok depends. But thanks to a secretive global network of ships on standby, every broken cable is quickly fixed. This is the story of the people who repair the world's most important infrastructure.

• This one is sold only on the title of the article: “I got dysentery so you don’t have to”

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

When I was a kid, skateboarding was a huge deal. I was 12 when Tony Hawk's Pro Skater came out, and it was all the rage. While Hawk was cool, I was always drawn to the more gritty side of skating. Chad Muska and Arto Saari were among the skaters I liked to watch ride. And the Saari story is a rollercoaster.

-Vuk