Longines Makes A Great New Daily Wearer, Louis Vuitton Radically Reimagines Tambour Line, Rado Releases A Tennis Themed Captain Cook And Bravur A Bicycle Themed Le Grande Boucle

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I’m eying that Bravur. That’s a brand that needs more attention on it. Just a shame I’m not a huge fan of cycling.

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In this issue:

• Longines Tries To Make Perfect Daily Wearer With Redesigned Conquest

• Louis Vuitton Radically Reimagines The Tambour Line Into An Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch

• Rado Releases A Tennis Themed Captain Cook x Cameron Norrie LE

• One Hand Was Not Quirky Enough For MeisterSinger, So They’re Coming Out With A Bright Orange Limited Edition

• Bravur Releases the La Grande Boucle III Chronograph, their Latest in an Ongoing Series of Cycling Inspired Watches

Today’s reading time: 7 minutes and 7 seconds

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Longines Tries To Make The Perfect Daily Wearer With The Eight Redesigned Conquests

With spectacular watches like the Zulu, Legend Diver and Ultra Chron, it’s clear why Longines is the king of retro watches. This reputation means that sometimes their more modern sports watches get a little less love. But Longines just proved why they are one of the best brands in the game today and rolled out a major update to their modern Conquest line. The Conquest, as the name suggests, is an all around and daily wearer version of the more popular HydroConquest. However, with eight new time-and-date and chronograph versions with spectacular dials, the Conquest might rise up in the Longines rankings.

First up is the classic time-and-date watch. All of the new Conquests have gotten a new case, which includes the time-and-date model. It’s a very classical case with a 41mm diameter and 10.9mm thickness. It has a sloped steel bezel and curvier crown guards than the previous version. You also get a screw-down crown that allows you 100m water resistance. The main attraction is the new dial, which gets smaller indices compared to the previous version and awesome colors - black, blue, silver, brown or green sunray brushed finishes.

Inside the watch is the Longines L888 movement, which is a slightly modified ETA A31.L11 automatic movement. You get a frequency of 25,200vph and a power reserve of 72 hours. The watch comes on a three-link steel bracelet with a folding clasp.

The watch goes on sale now, and at a price of EUR 2,100 it is not a bad proposition for a daily wearer.

Then there’s the all-new Longines Conquest Chronograph. Slightly bigger, it measures 42mm wide. We’ve become accustomed to chronographs being on the thicker side, but this is a thicc boy. 14.3mm thick. The fixed stainless steel bezel has a black or blue ceramic insert with a tachymeter scale. The dial is the classic 3-6-9 chronograph layout and you can get it with a blue, black or champagne-coloured dial. The black version gets an extra dose of sportiness with some red touches on the hands and bezel. You’ll also notice this comes without an intrusive date window.

On the inside, we find the Longines calibre L898, which is an adaptation of the ETA 2892 modular chronograph movement. This runs at a rate of 28,800vph and has a comfortable power reserve of 59 hours. Just like its simpler brother, the Longines Conquest Chronograph comes on a stainless steel bracelet with a three-link construction and a brushed and polished finish.

Since you get more than just the time and date, you will have to fork up a bit more, EUR 4,000 for either of the three models. This is not as great a deal as the regular model, but it all comes down to taste. All of the watches are already on Longines’ website, so go explore more if you’d like.

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Louis Vuitton Radically Reimagines The Tambour Line Into An Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch

The Louis Vuitton Tambour was first released in 2002, and over time became the basis for Louis Vuitton watches. If you are unfamiliar with the luxury brand’s horology work, it wasn’t just a fashion brand watch, them leasing out their name to a Chinese factory. Louis Vuitton made some impressive watches over the years. Then, relatively recently, Jean Arnault, son of LVMH owner Bernard Arnault, took over LV watches with the intent of revitalizing them. Thus far, we have seen that take place on the periphery, where the brand's watchmaking arm, La Fabrique du Temps, has aided in the revival of the storied independent brand Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta's namesake.

But now Louis Vuitton has released their first new watch under Jean Arnault’s leadership, and boy is it a major shift for the brand. They are introducing a new Tambour Steel. While it still shares a name with the Tambour, it is a completely new watch. This new watch has its sights set on the integrated bracelet sports watch market and looks to do so with an inherent design code born of the two-decades-old Tambour.

As some have rightfully pointed out, this actually might be LV’s most traditionally looking watch, which makes sense since they have been known as an avant-garde brand. You have a 40mm case size measuring a very thin 8.3mm thick. The Tambour has long been known as a drum case shape, but this has been thrown out the window for the reimagining. The edges of the case, on the sloped portions of the bezel, spell our Louis Vuitton in a nod to Tambour heritage.

The sector dial will be available in two colors - blue and grey. The applied Arabic numerals appear to utilize a similar typographical style to that of the existing Tambour but are made more impactful with the raised application and lumed interior. The grey dial variation provides greater contrast with an almost white center color with vertical brushing. In this configuration, the numerals manage to emerge from the dial prominently despite the overall tone-on-tone aesthetic.

The bracelet is somewhat the star of the show, since LV is jumping on the integrated bracelet bandwagon. But, of course, they are doing so in their own way. The old Tambour models also had no lugs, like this one, but they had straps with end-link style attachments to the case that mimicked the look of a lug in some respects. This new bracelet ditches that and gives an almost Art Deco look by combining brushed and polished finishes. Its seamless affixture to the case is not dissimilar to how the Apple Watch attaches to its bracelets, for the lack of a better example.

Inside the watch is the LFT023, a micro-rotor, chronometer-certified caliber conceived by Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasisni of La Fabrique du Temps. This new caliber is the first proprietary automatic three-hand movement designed by Louis Vuitton. The micro-rotor is done in high-inertia 22k gold, and the movement itself carries 50 hours of power. It is certified by the Geneva Chronometric Observatory and is accurate to -4s and +6s per day.

At about €19,000 at launch, this watch competes with the like of a Chopard Alpine Eagle XPS. But I have a feeling this will be received fantastically and will usher a new ear for LV watches. See more on their website.

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Rado Releases A Tennis Themed Captain Cook x Cameron Norrie Limited Edition

Tennis has had some success in partnerships with watch companies. Rolex has famously partnered up with the U.S. Open and Roger Federer, AP has sponsored Serena Williams, Djokovic has worked with Hublot and Seiko and, perhaps the most iconic combination, Richard Mille has created some stunning pieces for Rafael Nadal. For thirty years, Rado has also been in the tennis game. They have sponsored major tournaments and sponsored players like Ashleigh Barty.

Their latest tennis-themed timepiece is a limited edition created with British player Cameron Norrie, a member of the Rado Tennis family since 2021. And it’s based on their most prominent collection, the Captain Cook. The limited edition comes in a 42mm steel case with a unidirectional bezel fitted with a dark, dark, green polished ceramic insert, and a domed green-to-white gradient dial, both of which mimic the tennis green. Another nod to tennis is the tip of the second hand, which is colored a bright yellow, to mimick a tennis ball.

Rado is a Swatch Group company, so there are no surprises inside. It7s the Powermatic 80, which finds its way into a wide range of models and price points. It has 25 jewels, a beat rate of 21,600vph (3Hz) and a beefed-up power reserve of 80 hours. The watch comes on a polished and brushed steel bracelet with a titanium triple folding clasp, but you can also have it on a black leather strap or a green and white NATO-style textile strap.

The Rado Captain Cook x Cameron Norrie is a Limited edition of 823 pieces which is a nod to Norrie’s birthday, August 23rd. It retails for a price of EUR 2,850. For more information visit rado.com.

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One Hand Was Not Quirky Enough For MeisterSinger, So They’re Coming Out With A Bright Orange Limited Edition

How many versions of a one-handed watch can you make? If you’re MeisterSinger, you can come up with at least 15 different models, all of which use the same shtick - they display the time with just one hand. I often poke fun at MeisterSinger for relying on the gimmick of one hand, but the truth is, it’s not a gimmick. They have create an equally diverse set of models as those that have watches with two hands - in the end, they all display the correct time.

Two years ago, Meister Singer celebrated their 20th anniversary with a new sports watch they called the Unomat and which got them the prestigious Red Dot design award the same year. Unomat was available in steel with back or blue dials at that time. But this summer they are coming out with a very flashy limited edition Unomat in orange.

The Unomat design features everything we’ve come to associate with MeisterSinger: the clarity of the dial, needle-shaped hand, the double-digit hour numerals, the round-shaped aperture for the date and the clever markings on the outer edge of the dial to facilitate time-reading. It all looks very elegant, but MeisterSinger turned the Unomat into a true sports watch. You see this in its 43mm diameter, a brushed and polished stainless steel case, a screw-down crown protected by crown guards and water resistance up to a very respectable 300 meters.

The watch is powered by the Sellita SW400 automatic movement with 38 hours of power reserve. The bright orange MeisterSinger chose for the dial of the new Unomat reference is matched by the equally bright orange rubber strap.

Unfortunately, this will be a very limited edition of just 50 pieces and it is priced at EUR 2,390. Head on over to their website for more.

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Bravur Releases the La Grande Boucle III Chronograph, their Latest in an Ongoing Series of Cycling Inspired Watches

It’s been just two months since I last wrote about Bravur and their series of cycling inspired watches. That was the La Corsa Rosa III, inspired by the Giro d’Italia, a 21 stage race that takes place in Italy in May. While the Giro d’Italia is still a huge global cycling event, it’s not a universally recognised sports powerhouse. You know what is? The Tour de France. An entire population of cycling enthusiasts watch with bated breath as some of the top athletes in the sport traverse 2,115 miles over 23 days across France.

It is, by far, the most popular bike race in the world. And Bravur know this. They have a mainline right into the spirit of the Tour de France and just as the 2023 edition of the race is about to start, Bravur is releasing the third edition of Le Grand Boucle.

The latest from Bravur is a vibrant pairing of yellow on one of the subdails and chrono hand, inspired by the yellow shirt the winner of each stage of the Tour wears, and a ceramic black coating on the case. Aside from the yellow splashes, the dial is very different and a bit different - it’s frosted white and has dot markers, reminiscent of the legendary polka dot patterns found on the King of the Mountains jersey, awarded to the race’s top climber. Another nod to the race is found on the chapter ring, with a printed 13, inverted as a good luck charm for racers.

It’s a surprisingly small watch, considering the size of modern chronographs. It measures just 38.2mm, making it an amazing watch for those who struggle to find a great looking chronograph that won’t overpower their wrist. It’s powered by a Sellita SW511b movement and has a 62-hour power reserve.

The Bravur Le Grand Boucle III comes on one of two strap options - black leather or yellow rubber and can be yours for $2,590. I’m not sure about the price, but it’s a great looking watch, at a great size and different enough to warrant a second look if you’re cross shopping for chronographs. Available now via Brevur’s website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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Hands-On with the Seiko Prospex SPB381, SPB383, And SPB385 GMT dive watches

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A review of the Konstantin Chaykin Minions Titanium

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Very Appealing Metalworks Of The Urwerk UR-100V Magic T

Its refined interpretation of titanium finishing sets the UR-100V Magic T apart. It transcends the common perception of the material’s raw and rugged industrial aesthetic. Instead, this edition offers a delicate, luxurious texture, an intriguing colour palette, and a touch of magic that catches the eye. The monochromatic and muted appearance of the watch exudes classic elegance, which is a massive departure from the standard language used to describe Urwerk’s creations.

⏲️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

• The name ‘Eutychis’ was etched into a wall 2,000 years ago. Finding out who she was illuminates the dark side of Rome. Guy D. Middleton uses a single graffito to take us on a journey into the dark side of Pompeii in this fascinating essay. His eloquent prose manages to paint a vivid picture of life in an ancient brothel; proving that the allure of sex is something that never changes.

• In a room at the Oslo Plaza Hotel, a young, elegant woman is found dead, with a gun shot wound to the head. Why did she check in under a false name? Why are the labels removed from her clothes? Why has no one reported her missing? After 22 years, her grave is re-opened.

• Unearthed in conflict zones like Ukraine, ancient objects vanish into an illicit network of crime syndicates, shady art dealers, and sometimes, the richest museums on earth.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Every now and again I would stumble on someone on Instagram saying they are starting their summer season on a fire lookout. These are incredibly remote, incredibly beautiful structures where a person spends months on end alone, looking into the wilderness, trying to spot a wisp of smoke so they can alert firefighters that a forest fire is starting. Just like the guy making this video, I became obsessed with them and always thought they would make a fantastic setting for a horror movie. But, while we wait for that, enjoy this short YouTube doc on fire lookouts.

💵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: 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

• FOR SALE: Longines Heritage Skin Diver, box and papers. €1400. Reach out to us and we’ll put you in touch

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