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  • Jaeger-LeCoultre Unveils Two Reversos With Enamel Hokusai Prints, G-Shock Takes Inspiration From Samurai Helmets, Nomos Releases Rose Gold Tangete And New From Maurice de Mauriac and Romain Gauthier

Jaeger-LeCoultre Unveils Two Reversos With Enamel Hokusai Prints, G-Shock Takes Inspiration From Samurai Helmets, Nomos Releases Rose Gold Tangete And New From Maurice de Mauriac and Romain Gauthier

The level of detail on such a small surface as the caseback of the JLC is hard to believe

Author

Vuk Radic
November 03, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. We have a lot of Japanese influences going on today, but that Romain Gauthier is easily the best watch today.

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.

In this issue:

  • Jaeger-LeCoultre Unveils Two Reverso Tributes Featuring Iconic Enamel Hokusai Prints

  • G-Shock Unveils Limited-Edition MRG-B2000SG-1A Inspired By Intricate Samurai Warrior Helmets

  • Nomos Releases New Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik To Celebrate 175 Years Of Watchmaking In Glashütte

  • Maurice de Mauriac Unveils Chrono Modern Grand Prix Zurich That Pays Homage To A Race That Never Happened

  • Romain Gauthier’s Sports Watch The C Is Back In Titanium And A Stunning Engraved Dial

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 15 seconds

👂What’s new

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The air of instantly recognizable watches by even people who don’t know much about watches is extremely rarified. A Rolex will almost always be easily identified. As will a Cartier watch. If you say the name Patek Philippe, most people will nod in understanding. And when they see a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, they will know that watch. They may not know who makes it or how to pronounce Jaeger-LeCoultre, or know it’s called the Reverso, but they will know what it is. There are very few watches that look at it and pretty much everyone can recognize one. Made popular by polo players who would flip over the watch to have it protected by solid caseback, since it has become an icon and the caseback a canvas for hundreds of incredibly talented artists and artisans. Now, they are releasing two limited-edition Reverso Tributes that pay homage to the great ukiyo-e artist, Hokusai.

Let’s get the familiar out of the way. This isa Reverso Tribute, so you know what to expect. The iconic case measures 45.5mm tall, 27.4mm wide and just 9.73mm thick. Being one of the most premier models in JLCs lineup, it is rendered in 18k white gold. Inside the watch is the familiar in-house made Calibre 822/2, which indicates central hours and minutes only. Ticking at a rate of 21,600vph and provides 42 hours of power reserve once fully wound by hand.

Now, on to the new. Well, not new, as Jaeger-LeCoultre has had a connection with eastern art and cultural motifs since its very early days. This most recent homage is to the iconic artist Hokusai whose Great Wave off Kanagawa woodblock print you have seen before - it is, perhaps, the most famous piece of art from Japan. Similar to previous Reverso Tribute iterations, the new editions are built with dual faces. One side, the one that tells the time, features a beautiful guilloché dial, sleek hour markers and dauphine hands.

What’s truly stunning is what you see when you turn the case over. There are two version of the watch, each featuring a different iconic wood-block art from the legendary Japanese artist. The Waterfall at Yoshino edition captures a snapshot from a famous Japanese tale about the heroic yet tragic life of General Minamoto no Yoshitsune. This one comes with a Lozenge guilloché dial. The other features a Barleycorn guilloché, while the painted side features the artwork Waterfall at Ono.

The miniature paintings on the Reverso case backs were executed using the Geneva technique, involving at least 14 layers of enamel, each fired at 800-degree Celsius before the next can be applied, and requiring a total of 80 hours’ meticulous work. As well as the technical feat of reproducing Hokusai’s original colors —including the graduated bokashi effect— in an entirely different medium, the enameler faced the challenge of precisely reproducing every detail with pinpoint accuracy, on a scale approximately one-tenth of the original. Notice, for example, that the paintings have tiny scrolls at the top with writing on it and that has been recreated on the watch. Crazy.

Both Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai are limited to just 10 pieces each and pricing is, as expected, on request. However, judging by past examples, it is likely around the $100,000 mark. See more on the JLC website.

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Continuing with the far east theme that Jaeger-LeCoultre has started with their Reverso, here is a new release from G-Shock that takes direct inspiration from Japanese history. And there couldn’t be a more appropriate connection. The samurai were famously stoic Japanese warriors who were not only warriors but also keepers of Japanese culture and are now, perhaps, their most famous icons in the western world. In battle, they wore iconic and tough armor that protected them from heavy weapons. It is this armor that G-Shock takes as inspiration to create a limited edition MRG-B2000SG they call the Shougeki-Maru: Gai.

What is the Shougeki-Maru: Gai you ask? It’s a kabuto helmet, a traditional samurai helmet, that has been commissioned by G-Shock for this occasion, both the release of a new samurai-inspired watch and the celebration of the 40th G-Shock birthday.

While this is a regular MRG-B2000 in it’s base, G-Shock has done a bunch to make it look more warrior-like. The bezel showcases a tiger, a symbol of strength, meticulously engraved by renowned metalsmith, Kobayashi Masao. His chiseling technique results in a unique rock-grain relief pattern on the tiger stripes, each bearing a distinct size and shape.

The case is made out of titanium and is ion-plated in a dark silver hue gets a hardening coat to live up to the samurai armor inspiration. The fun thing is that this coat also unveils a crystalline pattern of the titanium and gives the watch a rugged look. A metal plate on the side commemorates the G-SHOCK 40th anniversary and screw heads set with rubies add a bit of flair to the watch. The watch comes on a white rubber strap that is made to look like white ito odoshi — a binding technique used in samurai armor.

The G-Shock MRG-B2000SG Shougeki-Maru: Gai is limited to 700 pieces. They are already on sale in Japan for 880,000 yen or €5,500, and announcements for global pricing and availability is expected very soon. Keep an eye out on the G-Shock website for more info.

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You know that a celebration of an anniversary is important when people are still celebrating it. That’s the case with the 175th birthday of the watchmaking capital of Germany, Glashütte. Technically, since watchmaking there started in 1845, the 175th anniversary was 2020. And a bunch of Glashütte-based watchmakers commemorated the occasion that year, including NOMOS Glashütte. However, the party is going on, as NOMOS has been putting out watches all year that are still celebrating that occasion and I’m not one to complain. Their latest entry in this line-up is the NOMOS Glashütte Tangente rose gold neomatik.

While it’s not really fair to single out one watch, it has always seemed like the Tangente is the flagship model of the German brand, which would be enough to make this limited edition special, but there’s more. This particular LE has been styled as a tribute ot a 90s Tangente that had a two-tone off-white and beige-coloured dial, which has since become one of the most desired models for collectors.

The regular thing about this Tangente is it’s case. You still get the very desirable 35mm width, with a 6.9mm thickness. Yeah, the thin and angled lugs are still there, but the lug-to-lug is not as intensely large here on this smaller watch. The case is no longer steel, of course, but rather 18ct 4N rose gold. There’s a slim bezel that holds down the sapphire crystal.

The most special piece, of course, is the dial. Mimicking the old reference, the dial has white silver-plated centre and a minute ring and small seconds counter in contrasting rose gold colour. The traditionally slim hands are still there to display the hours, minutes and seconds and they are made out of polished rose gold. The numerals and logo are printed on the dial in an incredible deep purple color.

Inside the watch is the automatic winding DUW 3001 calibre. An in house movement that beats at 21,600vph and has a power reserve of 43 hours. Like most movements that come out of Glashütte, this one is a beauty with perlage decoration, Glashütte ribbing and blued screws. The watch comes on a burgundy Horween Shell Cordovan leather strap with a rose gold pin buckle.

The NOMOS Glashütte Tangente rose gold neomatik is limited to 175 pieces and retails for €8,600. This is a huge step up from the regular Tangetne which sells for about €1,500, but it is a fully gold watch. And as such, I would actually say that this is an amazing price for a gold watch. See more on the NOMOS website.

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In 1939, everything was set for what could have been a fantastic race. The Zurich Grand Prix was supposed to be the crown jewel of the racing calendar that year but in the last moment, the race was canceled just as World War II was breaking out. While that cancelation was fully justified, it’s a shame that we never got to see a race in Zurich. Can you imagine what it would look like if we had modern Formula 1 cars racing through Zurich?

Well, actually, you can imagine. Watch brand Maurice de Mauriac has teamed up with racing simulation company Züri Ring Simulation to recreate Zurich and have a race held in it. At least as a simulation. And to mark this occasion, Maurice de Mauriac is releasing the Chrono Modern Grand Prix Zurich, a very traditionally styled racing chronograph.

I’ll be honest and say I don’t really understand Maurice de Mauriac. Take a look at their lineup and tell me if you see something else, I might be wrong. It looks as if they have based their lineup on offering slightly fashion-inspired homages to iconic watches. And they do that at pretty much the same price the iconic watches sell for. However, they have been around since 1997, so they must be doing something right.

The Chrono Modern Grand Prix Zurich comes in either a stainless steel or stainless steel with black PVD coating and in two sizes - 42mm and 45mm. It’s a racing chronograph that features very prominent stripes on the black or white dial, depending on the case finish, and a Lucky Number at the 9 o’clock mark. You can customize this number to your liking. You get a minute counter at 12 o’clock, and chronograph hours at 6 o’clock.

Inside the watch is the ETA 7750 automatic chronograph caliber, which can be viewed through the see-through sapphire crystal caseback. The watch comes on either a brushed steel or black PVD bracelet or a NATO strap with the same racing stripe you get on the dial.

The Chrono Modern Grand Prix Zurich by Maurice de Mauriac is available now with pricing beginning at 3,700 CHF. See more on the MDM website.

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There’s very few better things then when an indie watchmaker who specializes in high-end incredibly finished dress watches takes on the task to create a sports piece. It always ends spectacularly. As was the case in 2021 when Romain Gauthier launched the C, his sports watch. Since then, he has created four versions of the watch, each as brilliant as the one that came before. Now, he’s introducing the fifth version, with a stunning champagne-colored and hand-engraved dial.

The C hasn’t changed much since it’s introduction. It comes in a Grade 5 titanium case that is 41mm wide, 9.55 thick and with a 49.5mm lug-to-lug. The bezel has six slights facets that break up the light and there is a pop of color on the crown, which gets a red rubber ring for grip. The display case back mirrors the faceted design found in the bezel. The one-piece caseband and lugs blend satin and polished finishes.

But we all know it’s about the dial. It’s made out of titanium and given a champagne color with a very intricate hand-engraved pattern. The C is famous of it’s off-centred hour and minute hands and varying lengths of hour markers which are present here as well, and you get burgundy-coloured lines indicating 5-second intervals on the small seconds at 7 o’clock. The three-dimensional hands, numerals, and applied hour markers made from 18k white gold are filled with Super-LumiNova for enhanced legibility.

Inside is Gauthier’s beautiful movement with a 60 hour power reserve. The movement mainplate beneath is hand-frosted, and the bridges are made from Grade 5 titanium. The regulator features the distinctive Romain Gauthier balance wheel. The watch comes on a burgundy or grey rubber strap with a titanium pin buckle.

The C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Five is a limited edition of 38, with “1 of 38” engraved on each movement, and priced at CHF 39,000 without taxes. See more on Romain Gauthier’s website.

🫳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

The Vendetta X is described as a statement piece born of a “passion for vintage dystopian science fiction and concept cars of the 70s,” and boy, does it deliver on that retro-futurist promise. It could have been a prop from Logan’s Run or maybe strapped to Bootsy Collins’s wrist as he took the stage for Parliament’s Mothership Connection. It’s a wedge telling time with a series of rotating discs visible through a windshield, for God’s sake. 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

  • Ray Dalio’s investing tactics have always been a closely kept secret, even inside Bridgewater Associates. Several years ago, some of Wall Street’s biggest names set out to discover his edge. The New York Times investigates how does the world’s largest hedge fund really make its money.

  • Therapists are seeing a growing trend in people wanting to talk about climate change. Their clients might have trouble with doomscrolling and becoming depressed over environmental news, or fight with their partners about whether or not to bring a child into this world, or feel helpless over the actions of their governments and big oil companies. But therapists don’t have training in environmental issues, and no evidence-tested treatments exist yet, which means most therapists are just winging it. In this piece, Brooke Jarvis offers an interesting look at the relatively new field of climate psychology.

  • Do you, by chance, happen to miss far left militant organizations? I know we tend to over-romanticise the past, but the time when you head the Red Army Faction, the Prima Linea or the Montoneros running around do seem like some interesting times. One of these organizations was the Weather Underground. Here’s a fantastic first-person account from a former Weatherman about being part of a revolution that never happened.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Sailing is probably one of the most relaxing sports out there. Right? It’s you, the sound of waves and the wind in your hair and sails. Right? Well, yeah, if you’re a normal person. If, however, you’re not, then you dedicate your life to building the lightest, sleekest and fastest one-off superyachts and you get ready to suffer the worst experience of being wet for about four days to break the Atlantic crossing record. But it looks so fun.

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