IWC Updates Yacht Club Moon & Tide And Portofino Chronograph 39; FC Adds Malachite Dial; Alpina Has A Vintage Hit; Laurent Ferrier Combines Collections; New From VC; Chaykin's Thinnest Watch Ever

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. We’re getting back to our regular scheduled programming. The IWC might not be a huge deal, but Alpina knocked it out of the park!

In this issue:

• IWC Updates The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide, As Well As The Portofino Chronograph 39

• Frederique Constant Moves A Step Up With Gold Case And Malachite Dial Classic Moonphase Date

• Alpina Has A Hit On Their Hands With The Heritage Automatic Duo With 20s and 40s Styling

• Laurent Ferrier Smashes Classic Micro-Rotor And Sport Auto Collections Into A New Watch

• Vacheron Constantin Expands Its Entry-level Fiftysix And High-end Métiers d’Art Collections

• Konstantin Chaykin Joins The Thinnest Watch In The World With Record Breaking 1.65mm

Today’s reading time: 11 minutes and 3 seconds

👂What’s new

1/

IWC Updates The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide, As Well As The Portofino Chronograph 39

Sometimes even the tiniest of updates seem to make up a decently important deal for a watch brand. Take for example, the new IWC Portofino Chronograph 39 you see pictured above. Looks the same as the old, right? Well, that’s because it is, it’s just the first time that you can get it on a bracelet. We are a bit spoiled, living in a world of increasingly spectacular releases. Most industries get updates like the Portofino — here’s a new bracelet. Although, to be fair, IWC just announced this rather quietly, not making a huge deal about it. What they did focus a bit more, while still not entirely revolutionary, is a new version of the Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide, now with an obsidian dial and a new movement that has a silicon hairspring, a first for IWC.

So, let’s get started with the bigger release, the Yacht Club Moon & Tide. When it initially launched in 2020, the Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide came in gold. This one comes in a much more accessible steel case, but still rather large at 44.6mm wide, 13.4mm thick and with a lug-to-lug of 53.1mm. On top is a convex sapphire crystal, out back is a sapphire caseback and water resistance is 100 meters.

New for the steel version is the obsidian black dial that gets red and blue accents on the two sub-dials that are positioned at 12 and 6 o’clock. The sub-dial at 6 o’clock displays the expected times for the next high and low tides. The interval between two high tides is consistently 12 hours and 24 minutes. The 12 o’clock one holds the double moon phase display, meaning you get the moon phase for both hemispheres. The dial also has indicators for spring and neap tides, which indicate how strong the tide is.

But the biggest change from IWC is the new movement, the new calibre 82836. It’s an automatic that beats at 4Hz and has a 60 hour power reserve. But what’s special about it is that this is the fits use of a silicon hairspring in an IWC. This is kind of a big deal. The silicon hairspring was developed as a more thermally stable, stable, non-magnetic, lightweight and durable alternative to the metal hairspring. But it was developed by CSEM – Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique – as a joint research project between Rolex, Patek Philippe and the Swatch Group, and they held the patent on the tech up until a few years ago. When the patent expired, it was only a matter of time when other brands would start making their versions of the silicon hairspring, and here we have it in and IWC, with only a matter of time before it permeates the rest of the collection.

The IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide comes on a stainless steel bracelet with brushed H-links and polished centre links, closed with a folding buckle that has a micro-adjustment system. Price is set at CHF 22,000. See more of the watch here.

Then we have the Portofino Chronograph 39, with its new bracelet that transforms it from a dress into a sports watch. It comes in the same polished stainless steel case that measures 39mm wide and 13mm thick that you know from the current lineup. You also get the same mushroom-shaped pushers and the OK water resistance of 50 meters.

On the dial side, things also remain the same, with a silver base, applied markers, 6 and 12 orientation for the sub-dials and polished leaf-shaped hands. Inside, also nothing new, it’s the calibre 69355, which beats at 4Hz and has a 46 hour power reserve, with a column wheel and vertical clutch system for the chronograph.

What is new is breaking the tradition of almost 40 years. The Portofino was always IWC’s take on a modern and just slightly sporty dress watch. With the introduction of its first 5-link steel bracelet (there were a couple of versions with mesh bracelets), it gets a much more sporty look, especially thanks to the brushed parts of the bracelet.

That steel must have exploded in price on the world markets since IWC is charging a CHF 1,000 premium for the Portofino Chronograph 39 on a steel bracelet, bringing the price up to CHF 7,600. See more on the IWC website.

2/

Frederique Constant Moves A Step Up With Gold Case And Malachite Dial Classic Moonphase Date

While certainly no stranger to high-end watches, Frederique Constant is most definitely best known for being a brand that offers a perfect level of bang for your buck. They make in-house movements with interesting complications, a luxurious package with great build quality, at quite affordable prices, way less than other brands that would sell you a repackaged Sellita. But every now and again, FC needs to flex their muscles to show that they still can create true luxury. Their new release is just such a flex — the new Classic Moonphase Date Manufacture comes in a 18k white gold case with a green malachite dial.

The case of the Classic Moonphase Date is as classic as it gets, if you can get over the slightly oversized measurements of 40mm wide and 12.4mm thick. And being made out of 18k white gold, you know it will be hefty as hell. It has a fully polished case with elegant lugs and a polished sloping bezel on top that holds down a convex sapphire crystal. It’s supposed to be a dress watch so don’t expect much water resistance, but 30 meters is good enough for every day peace of mind.

The case is extremely beautiful, but you know that the show stopper is that dial. Made out of a thin sliver of green malachite, the dial has been cut perfectly to show the natural veins of the stone in a strict side to side manner, giving off a very funky look. At 6 o’clock is an aperture for the moonphase, surrounded by the printed date marking with a tiny hand pointing to the correct one. The indices are applied and polished to match the alpha hands.

Inside is the in-house FC-716 automatic movement which beats at 4Hz and has a pretty great power reserve of 72 hours. The watch comes on a beautiful green alligator leather strap.

You know that green malachite and white gold will bump up that price, but keep in mind that only 36 pieces will be made. The watch is priced at €29,995. See more on the Frederique Constant website.

3/

Alpina Has A Hit On Their Hands With The Heritage Automatic Duo With 20s and 40s Styling

The trend of recreating early 20th century design on modern watches might seem to be overplayed, but only if you look at it at a glance. But, there always seems to be something missing from these watches. They’re too large, too small, way too expensive or completely generic. There are a handful that nail this trend perfectly. And, I would argue, we have a new duo that joins that group of seemingly perfect vintage recreations. Despite making some pretty interesting watches, these just might be the watches that put Alpina on the general-enthusiast map. These are the Alpina Heritage Automatics.

Both watches come in the exact same case, one that measures 38mm wide and 10.15mm thick. Alpina doesn’t give a lug-to-lug measurement, but it looks to fit on wrist quite fine, despite the somewhat longer lugs. On top is a box-style sapphire crystal that has an incredible vintage look and the entire case looks vintage with a brushed finish. The crown doesn’t screw down in line with the vintage intent of the watch, but it does limit your water resistance to 30 meters.

The dials are where the two watches differ, with each reaching for its own historical era and looking pretty amazing, if I say so myself. There’s one huge issue, though. These watches share the name Alpina Heritage Automatic, without a clear way (other than a complicated reference number) to differentiate them by name, so I’ll just call them first and second. The first one is inspired by art-deco and has a matte beige centre and satin silver outer ring with a sunray finish. On the ring you’ll find Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock printed in bronze. The second, however looks to the 1940s and military field watches for inspiration, with a matte beige base, railroad track minute scale and oversized black Arabic numerals. Both versions share blue dauphine hands

Inside is the AL-520 calibre, which is a modified tried and true Sellita SW200. It beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. Both watches come on identical black calf leather straps.

Are the Alpina Heritage Automatic great looking options for a vintage-revival watch? Absolutely. Are they affordable? Meh, that depends. Just a year ago you could find SW200-powered watches all over the place under the €1,000 mark, but this is becoming increasingly difficult. These watches will run you €1,695 each, which I still think isn’t that bad. See more on the Alpina website.

4/

Laurent Ferrier Smashes Classic Micro-Rotor And Sport Auto Collections Into A New Watch

What do you do when you have two super-popular collections, one a timeless classic and the other an integrated bracelet sports watch? If you’re a regular watch brand you continue developing these collections into interesting directions. If you’re Laurent Ferrier, you make use of your Serie Atelier which offers limited editions for collectors, and smash the two collections together into one good looking watch. What you see here is the new Classic Auto Sandstone, made up of the case of a Classic/Galet model with the automatic Swiss-Lever and date movement of the Sport Auto. Pretty cool.

As the introduction would suggest, the watch comes in the polished stainless steel Classic case which measures 40mm wide and is fully round, with sloping lugs. It has a ball-shaped crown and a domed sapphire crystal on top. 30 meters of water resistance is good for a dress watch, but considering the provenance from the Sport model, they could have upped that a bit.

The dial is very much inspired by the Sport Auto, especially in the date aperture which has a long slope running from the center of the dial to the date wheel. The base of the dial has a vertical brush, with a sand-like color, while the small seconds have a snailed finish and a darker copper-like color. The Assegai hands and drop-shaped indices, both rendered in 18k white gold, are just stunning.

Inside, you’ll find the movement from the Sport Auto, the calibre LF270.01. This micro-rotor automatic loses Laurent Ferrier’s signature natural escapement for a more Swiss lever escapement which is more stable in sports applications. The movement has a 72 hour power reserve and is, of course wonderfully decorated with interior angles, hand-bevelled bridges, rhodium-plated Côtes de Genève across all the bridges and mirror-polished steel parts. The watch comes on a brown calf leather strap.

Only 20 pieces of the Laurent Ferrier Classic Auto Sandstone and it is priced at CHF 50,000, without taxes. See more on the Laurent Ferrier website.

5/

Vacheron Constantin Expands Its Entry-level Fiftysix And High-end Métiers d’Art Collections

At Watches and Wonders Shanghai, Vacheron Constantin had a few new things to show us. One was an addition to their entry-level Fiftysix collection (although, how entry can a solid pink gold Vacheron Constantin be?), while the other two. are just incredibly stunning Métiers d’Art models which are, if I’m not mistaken, the first watches to pay homage to the Chinese Year of the Snake which is coming next year.

Starting with the Fiftysix, it comes in a 18k 5N pink gold that measures 40mm wide and 9.6mm thick. The name Fiftysix comes from a reference to 1956 when Vacheron launched the 6073, one of the brand’s first-ever automatic watches. The new Fiftysix mimics the design of that classic, with a slightly more modern shape to the lugs. Water resistance is 30 meters. The same vintage influence can be found on the dial, where you’ll find a sector layout on a black base. There’s also Arabic numerals and rather broad hands that have a lot of lume, not something you would expect from a dress wawtch like this. Inside is the calibre 1326, based on the Cartier 1904, made by ValFleurier and finished by Vacheron. It beats at 4Hz and has a 48 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a anthracite nubuck strap made of calf leather and it is priced at €28,100. You can see it here.

Then, there’s the two wild Métiers d’Art models. They are housed in either a 18k 5N pink gold or 950 platinum case, depending on which version you get, that measures 40mm wide and 12.72mm thick. But we’re not here for the cases. It’s the grand feu enamel dials that are the star. The dial has four cutouts that show the hours, minutes, days, and dates. The centre of the dial is reserved for an engraving of a cobra ready to strike. The cobra and the rock upon which it sits are made of either white or pink gold, hand-engraved by Vacheron Constantin’s artisans, before being hand-painted to accentuate the engraving’s texture. Inside the watches are the in-house 2460 G4 movements decorated to the Geneva Hallmark standard. They beat at 4Hz for 40 hours. The watches come on either a blue or brown alligator strap and will not be easily available. Only 25 in each metal will be made. Price is, of course, on request. You can see the gold watch here and the platinum one here.

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Konstantin Chaykin Joins The Thinnest Watch In The World With Record Breaking 1.65mm

While not as civilisation-defining as the space race, of course, but the race to the thinnest watch has been a fun one. A very fun one. It’s been Bulgari at the top of the charts for very long, having their title taken by a controversial Richard Mille that many argued wasn’t watch-shaped enough, with a bit of Piaget thrown into the mix and a sidequest by Ming that made the lightest watch in the world. But then Bulgari pulled up earlier this year with something that didn’t look real, a watch that’s only 1.7mm thick. It looked unbeatable. Well, it wasn’t. The Russian legendary independent watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin just introduced the Wristmon ThinKing that’s just 1.65mm thick.

I mean, look at it… This wafer thin piece of specially developed steel alloy measures 40mm wide and the mentioned 1.65mm thick. And equally as impressive as the thinness is not just the fact that Chaykin is fully independent, but also the fact that he kept his signature Wristmon style that reveals a face on the face of the watch. The two sub-dials which show the time are the eyes and the Konstantin Chaykin forming the mouth.

Such a thin watch cannot bend at all, as it will mess with the internals, so Chaykin uses a special titanium spring bar and a pretty ingenius strap that’s made black alligator leather with custom elastic and titanium support elements that take any flex onto them, instead of causing harm to the case. The watch is powered by the movement called the K.23-0, which uses the caseback as its mainplate. It also features a double balance wheel, which is a Chaykin signature mechanism, but also allows the movement to spread out its components.

Unfortunately, this is a prototype, with no announcements if the watch will ever be offered to the public, or at what price. See more of it on the Konstantin Chaykin website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

A review of the Nivada Grenchen Chronosport

2/

Hands-On with the Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date

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A review of the Allsport Diver 1A Black and the Allsport Classic GT B1

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

Going on safari with the Traska Venturer GMT

Seated on the flanks of the gorgeously-polished midcase are two crowns at the 10 and 3 positions. Each has a classic, deep, coin-edge grip and a polished bevel that angles to the embossed decoration on each crown. At 3, you have Traska’s Gordian knot graphic logo, and at 10 is a two-dimensional graphic representation of the Earth’s latitude and longitude lines. The latter is a fun play on the crosshatch detail utilized heavily for dial-crown dive watches, tailored here to the Venturer’s purpose as a globe-trotting companion. The only issue I have with the crown arrangement is that the timing-ring control at 10 o’clock sacrifices pragmatism for quirk. It is easy enough to use when holding the watch, but it is a challenge to adjust while the watch is on the wrist. If you wear your watch on your right wrist, though, rejoice, as you’ll have an easier time actuating the timing ring while wearing the Venturer.

Read the whole review 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

• Artificially intelligent chatbots gather information by ingesting everything they encounter on the web. But what happens when you write and publish something critical about A.I.? Kevin Roose recounts what happened after a very strange encounter with Sydney, a Microsoft Bing chatbot. It went viral and was written up by many online publications. Subsequently, when Roose entered his own name into a chatbot or asked one to look at his work, he got some shade and even downright hostility in response. For the New York Times, he set out to investigate the as-yet unknown repercussions of bemoaning bots and how to improve his reputation among them.

• Doctors in Canada have identified dozens of patients with similar, unexplained symptoms that all point that they are sharing some kind of mysterious brain disease. It’s a scientific puzzle that has now become a political maelstrom.

• Monte dei Paschi has been Siena’s benefactor since 1472. But, in recent years, a multibillion-euro scandal in pursuit of aggressive growth has dealt it a crushing blow. This is how the world’s oldest bank brought a city to its knees.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Despite it not being introduced at one of the two large shows last week, Christopher Ward used the watch news hype to introduce their C60 Trident Lumière. I don’t think even they were ready for how popular the watch has become overnight. It’s a fantastic look, and here’s a video review so you can see it in detail.

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-Vuk