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- Massena LAB Launches A Very Attractive Mathey-Tissot Mergulhador, Unimatic Takes Inspiration From Tuscan Olive Fields For Series 8 And The Crazy People From HYT Are Back With A Quirky Rainbow Hastroid
Massena LAB Launches A Very Attractive Mathey-Tissot Mergulhador, Unimatic Takes Inspiration From Tuscan Olive Fields For Series 8 And The Crazy People From HYT Are Back With A Quirky Rainbow Hastroid
Massena LAB really knows how to make a desirable watch
Vuk Radic
May 25, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 21 minutes
Hey friends, It’s About Time is back in your inbox, ready to deliver all that sweet watch news.
In this issue:
Unimatic Takes Inspiration From Tuscan Olive Fields For Series 8
Massena LAB Launches the Mathey-Tissot Mergulhador
The Crazy People From HYT Are Back With A Quirky Rainbow Hastroid
New Porsche Design Chronograph Is Exclusive To Owners Of The 718 Spyder RS
Singer Introduces The Reimagined Track 1 Endurance Edition 24h Chronograph, Ready To Time The 24 Hours of Le Mans
And… invite your friends to win a Seiko Alpinist
Today’s reading time: 7 minutes and 39 seconds
Everybody needs a green faced watch in their life. That’s why we have a new giveaway - it’s the Seiko SPB121J1, aka the Seiko Alpinist in a wonderful shade of green. In fact, we’re giving away two of them!
All you have to do is click the button below and have five of your friends subscribe. Both you and one of your friends will be eligible to win one of the watches
We only have two conditions when entering this giveaway - invite 5 of your friends to subscribe and live somewhere were you can buy the Alpinist, so we can get this for you and ship it to your address. That’s it!
👂What’s new
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Unimatic is one of those brands you either like or hate. Yes, people will dislike it for some pretty serious quality issues when the brand started, for their pretty strong marketing game or will argue that they are overpriced for what you get. I can understand all of those criticisms, and more. But I like them. They’re fun, quirky and are great summer watches. If you can get one for EUR 500, it’s perfectly fine value for money. However, their prices might vary depending on model and limited status.
Also, I also very much appreciate their collaborations, special editions and new models. Now Unimatic has a new limited edition series of the Modello lines in a gorgeous olive color that the brands says pays homage to Tuscany. All of the models get an olive dial and fantastic creamy markers and hands, as well as olive straps. It’s all very olive here and it’s called the Series 8, applied to four of the Modello models.
Staying true to the familiar style that has marked the Modello Uno, the U1S-80 features a 40mm case with relatively short lugs. It’s the closest to a dive watch that Unimatic makes, so it makes sense that it is water resistant to 300 meters and has a mono-directional safety bezel. However, here form coves over function as it is the most minimalist of bezels, so not very useful for diving.
Then there’s the U2S-80, the new version of the Modello Due, the brand’s field watch. As such, it’s smaller than the diver and very retro. Inside the 38mm case is the automatic caliber Sellita SW200-1b which gives it a hacking second, reminiscent of vintage field watches. The Modello Tre is a combination of a tough chronograph and a rugged dive watch. The U3-80 is an Olive drab rendition of Unimatic's chrono-diver and has a singular subdial at the 9 o'clock position as everything about this brand is minimalist. The U3-80 is the largest watch in the lineup, measuring at 41.5mm including the bezel, and is also the only quartz-powered watch in the series, opting for the Seiko Meca-Quartz VK64A.
The U4S-80, or the Modello Quatro, is definitely the most minimalistic of all the watches. It takes the dive watch model of the Modello Uno and strips it of all functionality by giving it a fixed steel bezel. And it looks even better with the olive green dial and strap.
Each model of the Unimatic limited edition Series 8 will receive a production run of 400 units and each watch ships with both an olive drab two-piece TPO strap and a seatbelt NATO strap, as well as a Unimatic Tough Case for two watches.
The U1S-80 will cost you EUR 925, the U2S-80 EUR 750, the U3-80 EUR 625, and the U4S-80 EUR 750. All of these prices are without tax and the watches can be ordered now.
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William Massena, owner of Massena LAB, is increasingly profiling his collaborations with watch companies in two directions - either super high end or accessible. Now, we’re getting the latter. Massena LAB has teamed up with the old, discreet and relatively unknown outside of watch circles brand Mathey-Tissot to recreate Mathey-Tissot’s Mergulhador Skin Diver and recreate it into a slightly more modern package.
This is not the first time Massena is working with Mathe-Tissot, as they introduced a pair of limited Type XX chronographs, which were an instant and somewhat unexpected hit. Those watches were inspired by a watch in Massena’s personal collection, and that’s also the genesis of his latest project bearing the Mathy-Tissot name. This time, the watch in question is the Mergulhador Skin Diver, a watch that you’d be forgiven for being enamored with based on name alone. “Mergulhador” means “diver” in Portuguese, and as you’d probably guess, the original version of the watch was marketed to the Portuguese market in the 1970s, and was aimed at both military and civilian customers. It’s a bit obscure, but that’s what’s fun about it, and why it makes sense for someone with Massena’s knowledge and background to bring it to a larger audience.
The star of the watch is the dial, an amber fumé that looks like it’s been exposed to the elements on a divers hand for years. The amber complements the bright orange hour markers and an orange minute track against a black background that feels right out of the 1970s. The dial also features oversized white lume plots at each hour, the size of which is certainly in keeping with the general 1970s aesthetic.
The stainless steel case is pure skin diver, measuring 41mm in diameter and 12.8mm thick, and with a cushion shape. The steel bezel rotates in both directions. While this is not be common on modern divers, it was on pretty much every single recreational skin diver in the 70s. Inside is the reliable Sellita SW200 and it gets a 36 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a choice of a black rubber or black calfskin strap. Water resistance is rated to 200 meters.
Want some bad news? Only 99 will be made and it seems that they have all been sold out. However, the Massena LAB website does allow you to join the waitlist for this watch, so who knows - they might make a new run? I doubt it, but one might hope. If you could get it, it would cost you $995.
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HYT has a complicated story. It made outrageous watches that polarized the community. Some argue that the watches were too out there and that there is not a big enough market for them. Those people might have been right, as HYT went bankrupt in 2021. But only a year later later, the brand is revived and it’s return is marked by the Hastroid, a watch with familiar mechanics and the HYT signature move - using fluids to display time. HYT has always been known for bold designs that incorporate flashy colors. Now they go a step further with all the colors of the rainbow on the HYT Hastroid Rainbow.
The HYT Hastroid Rainbow comes with all the features of the existing Green Nebula, Supernova Blue or Cosmic Hunter models. Measuring 48 mm in diameter and over 17mm in thickness, it has a length of 52mm. The case’s multi-layer “sandwich-like” construction also integrates cut-out areas on the sides with grilles. The dial and display have also been redefined with more depth and a complex multi-part structure. Composed of 43 components, the dial has an openworked, textured structure revealing most of the mechanical elements, and both the mechanical section (on top) and the fluidic section (the bellows on the lower part and the capillary tube around the dial) are entirely visible.
Powering the HYT Hastroid is the calibre HYT 501-CM. Made of two separate modules connected by a lever, the upper side is dedicated to timekeeping and is a hand-wound movement running at 4Hz with a power reserve of 72 hours. It is also the driving force for the fluidic indication, giving its power and delivering a constant displacement to act on the motion of the fluids, thanks to an oversized lever and a curved feeler-spindle. This sensor transforms the circular motion of the movement’s wheels into a linear motion that pushes the bellow.
That’s all that remains the same. For the Rainbow, HYT has gone all out on color. The case is made from multi-layer carbon fibre with a profile in matte black DLC-coated titanium. It is worn on a bright, bold purple rubber strap with black inlay. The rainbow effect is applied to the dial’s grille using tinted Zapon lacquer. Each dial is individually executed by Yan Patriarca, a lacquering expert. Each colour is sprayed by hand, in several layers, and with an imperceptible gradient effect. In addition, the fluid contained in the capillary tube is black, and when it moves around the coloured dial, it gives the impression that it is tinted in the shade assigned to each time slot.
The HYT Hastroid Rainbow is released as a limited edition of 15 pieces and priced at CHF 75,000 (excl. taxes).
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Contrary to popular belief, Porsche Design is not a subsidiary of Porsche, the car manufacturer. Yes, it is owned by by Porsche SA, the holding company, but technically, the folks over at Porsche Design don’t go around designing Porsche cars. Porsche Design was founded in the early 70s by Butzi Porsche, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche with the idea of creating a Porsche boutique that would create car-themed accessories. Pretty soon, Porsche Design started making watches and the popped up on the radar of both watch lovers and car lovers. So it only made sense for Porsche Design to start making car inspired watches to satisfy this desire from customers.
Porsche Design is still doing the same to this day. And their latest watch is an exclusive one that can only be purchased by owners of the just announced 718 Spyder RS, the car that inspired the watch. The concept of owner-exclusive watches is nothing new for Porsche Design, as they have made watches for and inspired by the 718 Cayman GT4 RS, the 911 GT3 RS and the 911 Dakar.
The base of the watch remains the same as the aforementioned models (save for the Dakar watch, which uses a different base watch), meaning Chronotimer Series 1 architecture, a watch that pays tribute to the earliest models created by the Butzi Porsche in the early 1970s, with a proprietary automatic flyback chronograph movement. The case, made of lightweight bead-blasted titanium, meadures 42mm in diameter, with a height of 14.6mm. You can get it untreated or with a black titanium carbide coating, just like you can get the bezel in natural or black-coated titanium, with either a tachymeter or a 60-minute scale.
The dial retains the classic architecture of the collection and offers a wide range of personalisation options. First, the individual colour ring around the dial can be chosen in all available Spyder RS standard, metallic, and special colours, but also in the 114 additional colours of the paint to sample programme. Then, the dial itself can be chosen in classic matte black or in genuine carbon fibre. Three styles of hands complete this wide range of options, with Performance (white), Essence (black) or GT (yellow) options.
Under the hood is the calibre WERK 01.200, a highly modified Valjoux base, now chronometer-certified and equipped with flyback function. The final touch comes from the oscillating weight designed to look like the wheels of the Spyder RS. Two designs are available – following the look of the classic wheels or the optional lightweight magnesium alloy wheels of the Weissach package – and available in all colours from Porsche – Brilliant Silver, Aluminum satin, Dark Silver, Neodyme, Indigo Blue, and Black. You think that’s a high level of customisation? Yeah, you can also get the VIN of your 718 Spyder RS engraved onto the rotor…
The watch comes on a leather strap with black Race-Tex inlay and Spyder RS logo embossed, and a titanium bracelet can also be specified. If you’re a owner of the new Porsche 718 Spyder RS, you can get your watch now at a starting price of EUR 9,500.
5/
Speaking of Porsche, especially unique Porsche’s, there’s no other name you need to know other than Singer. The Californian company takes already awesome Porsche models from the late 80s and early 90s, strip them to their core and restore it to the perfect Porsche, incorporating the best aspect of every generation into bespoke cars that have taken the world by storm. Everybody wants one. Not everybody can afford the rumoured $1 million price tag.
What you might not have known is that Singer makes watches and their latest release is the Track 1 Endurance Edition 24h Chronograph to mark their involvement with the Hertz Team JOTA at the 24h of Le Mans this year.
The new version of the Track 1 is going head on into performance and weigh saving. It is made of titanium and uses the openworked case introduced in the Track1 DLS ( Engineering). The 43mm case, with black-coated bezel, crown and pushers, has been matte finished and coated in golden ZRN. The display of the classic Track 1 has been further developed to enable a dedicated 24-hour chrono function. And to provide the best possible legibility of the time indications, this chronograph is equipped with jumping hours and minutes and a sweeping seconds hand.
Inside nothing much has changed - it’s still the same ultra-complex, ultra-innovative movement as previous editions of the Track1 - the AgenGraphe made by Swiss movement maker Agenhor. The watch comes on a perforated rubber strap closed by a deployant buckle.
Limited to 24 pieces, the Singer Reimagined Track 1 Endurance Edition 24h Chronograph is now available for pre-order from the brand’s website and priced at CHF 70,000 (excl. taxes).
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Just a few weeks ago, Bremont announced they were appointing legendary watch executive Davide Cerrato as new CEO. Cerrato is perhaps best known for his tenure at Tudor where he introduced the Black Bay line. Just yesterday he gave an interview to Hodinkee and I want to link to it here as I think it’s a great read if you’re a fan of Bremont. He talks all sorts of stuff - his love for cars and watches, what the recent $59 million investment into Bremont means, his vision for the future, the challenges of finding a "hero product" for the brand, and how to bring "made in England" around the world.
🫳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 LEO, on the one hand, seems wildly impractical at its stated dimensions. And this is obviously an aesthetic that is tough to integrate into an everyday style for most people. But that, as with so many independently made watches that border on the experimental, mechanical art side of the spectrum, is where the charm is. The LEO is probably not an everyday watch, it’s a watch for curious and adventurous watch lovers to pull out of the box when they feel like conjuring a particular mood, maybe after an X-Files binge.
⏲️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
This excerpt from Being Human: How Our Biology Shaped World History starts with a fascinating look at human biochemistry and our addiction predisp But our particular brand of ape is also prone to greed, and Lewis Dartnell goes on to explain how the East India Company found it could profit off addiction, trafficking opium into China — rather than silver — causing an opioid crisis that lasted for 150 years. A heady mix of science of history.
Open up a social network feed and look at how incredibly saturated it is with Succession praise. I get it. It’s a great show. Do I get the complete ecstasy over it? Not really. But then again, I couldn’t push through the first season of Game Of Thrones, so what do I know. However, the Succession loid remind me of one of the best long form articles from 2021, the highly controversial profile of Jeremy Strong who plays Kendall Roy on the show.
The current war in Ukraine is like no other in terms of accessibility of people around the world to the frontlines. It could be the first live streamed war. The amount of raw footage is shocking. Also, the people fighting the war are experts in creating content. Like this Ukrainian filmmaker who became a soldier.
👀Watch this
One video you have to watch today
This is not a particularly visual video - it’s two d talking. It also has quite a bit of awkward humor. But, at it’s core is a great lesson - why do we measure time clockwise and not the other direction?
💵Pre-loved precision
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Everybody needs a green faced watch in their life. That’s why we have a new giveaway - it’s the Seiko SPB121J1, aka the Seiko Alpinist in a wonderful shade of green. In fact, we’re giving away two of them!
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