Mido Shrinks Ocean Star, Gives It Fun Dials; FC Continues Riva Collab; Möels & Co Is Back; GP and YSL Release New Casquette; AP Updates RO Double Balance Wheels; Vouitilainen Is Just Exquisite

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I talked with several people already who don’t share my enthusiasm with the new Mido dials, so I would love to hear your opinion on them.

In this issue:

• Mido Shrinks Down The Ocean Star To 39mm And Gives It A Couple Of Really Fun Dials

• Frederique Constant Continues Riva Boat Collaboration With Electric Blue Runabout Duo

• Möels & Co Is Back With A New Collection, The 528 And They Have Just As Many Colors As Ever

• Girard-Perregaux And Saint Laurent Reunite For Their Second Take On The Casquette

• Audemars Piguet Quietly Updates The Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked With New Trio

• Kari Vouitilainen Goes Back To Inverted Movements With The New KV20i Reversed

Today’s reading time: 11 minutes and 21 seconds

👂What’s new

1/

Mido Shrinks Down The Ocean Star To 39mm And Gives It A Couple Of Really Fun Dials

I really love 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. Even the most boring Ocean Star diver is a nice watch. And while the size of the Ocean Star works for my elephant wrists, a lot of people have asked and asked again for a smaller Ocean Star. Well, ask no more. Mido is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Ocean Star model and is introducing a new, smaller, quartet of watches with a pretty amazing dial.

Starting with the obvious, the new 39mm wide and 10.5mm thick case will be a welcome size compared to the 40.5mm wide case of the Ocean Star Tribute and especially compared to the regular Ocean Star which measures 42.5mm wide and 11.8mm thick. And yeah, technically, there was a smaller Ocean Star which measures 36mm wide, but this new 39mm version is a happy middle ground. The case is similar to the larger Ocean Star, with sloping lugs and a round shape, along with a unidirectional bezel on top. Water resistance is the same as on the larger version, 200 meters.

Things get even better on the dial, where Mido takes the wave pattern already seen on many dive watches to the extreme, with huge dips and peaks. You can’t miss them. And they work with all four of the new colors. There’s a black dial - which also gets a black PVD coated case - a wonderful champagne and two gradient dials, one that goes from black on top to blue on bottom and the other goes from black on top to grey on bottom. That black-blue will surely be a hit for them.

Inside, a bit of a surprise. Mido is part of the Swatch Group, so you’ll often find one of the many variants of the Powermatic 80 in their watches. Well, this one gets the Mido automatic calibre 72, which is based on the ETA A31.111 which, in turn, is based on the ETA 2892-A2. The movement has a Nivachron balance spring and a power reserve of 72 hours. Three of the watches come on three-link steel bracelets, while the black version comes on a black rubber strap.

The new Mido Ocean Star 39 is priced at CHF 1,050 for the steel versions and CHF 1,120 for the PVD one. That’s a better deal than most of the Seiko roster. See more on the Mido website.

2/

Frederique Constant Continues Riva Boat Collaboration With Electric Blue Runabout Duo

A runabout is a small powerboat that’s often used for water sports, fishing and short day trips. While you will find them on oceans and seas, you will see a lot of them on lakes. And near the highest end of powerboats you can buy are those produced by Riva, who has been making motorboats since the 1920 from the shores of lake Iseo in Italy. These iconic boats are best known for their long wooden construction and immaculate attention to detail. And it’s runabouts like the Riva that Frederique Constant had in mind when it created the Runabout collection. It was only natural that the two brands would team up and this is what happened in 2013, when Frederique Constant started working with the Riva Historical Society (RHS). Since then we saw several watches made in collaboration, but their latest release just might be the most interesting, and not just for it’s unconventional electric blue dial, but also for the introduction of a new size into this collaboration, a 36mm one.

The basic shape of the watch is very classical, which makes sense as this is part of the FC Classic collection. The larger comes in at 42mm wide and 11.5mm thick, while the smaller measures 36mm across and a pretty decent 9.85mm thick. Both are made out of stainless steel, have a round shape and have short and sharp lugs. On top is a domed sapphire crystal surrounded by a plain fixed bezel. If there’s one thing to complain about, it could be the lug width. On the 36mm it’s a reasonable 18mm, but on the 42mm it’s a rather unfortunate 21mm. Water resistance for both is 50 meters.

The dial for both is virtually identical, and keeps all the features of the FC Runabout collection, which include a central disc with a Clous de Paris pattern stamped into it and a brushed outside ring that holds the dramatic applied Arabic numerals that are extra tall and create shadows on the dial around them. But new is the color which is electric blue. It’s the same color on the entire dial, but they use the different textures and the white outlines on the numerals and markers to create contrast. There’s also a date window at 6 o’clock on both versions.

Inside is the FC-303 automatic caliber which is an automatic with 26 jewels, a beat rate of 28,800vph and a power reserve of 38 hours. Sounds familiar? That’s because it’s essentially a Sellita caliber SW200-1 with “Frederique Constant” engraved on the rotor. And there’s nothing wrong with that. The watches come on a black calf leather strap with a crocodile pattern and light blue stitching.

The two new Frederique Constant Runabout Automatics are limited to 1,888 per size and they should be available for purchase pretty soon. The price for the 36mm is €1,595, while the 42mm is €1,695. See more of the smaller watch here and the larger watch over here.

3/

Möels & Co Is Back With A New Collection, The 528 And They Have Just As Many Colors As Ever

Despite what you might have guess with a name like Möels & Co., this relatively young brand is one of the few micros that are reviving British watchmaking. Yes, Möels & Co. is based in the UK and it’s making watches that are delightfully unique, affordable and available in a ton of colors. What’s there not to like? Now, they’re following up their very successful 528 line with the Möels 369 collection with nine different dials.

Just a brief glance at the 369 tells you this is not a regular watch, just like the other Möels & Co. models. It comes in a 316L stainless steel case that’s somehow a combination of a barrel and cushion shape, without being too large. The case measures 39mm wide, 12.25mm thick and, thanks to the integrated bracelet, has a lug-to-lug of only 46.5mm. The case is satin brushed with a couple of polished edges and on top is a double-domed sapphire crystal. It looks like a sports watch, so the 200 meter water resistance makes a lot of sense.

The Möels 369 can be had with nine different dials, all of which have pretty good names: Dark Star, Emerald Forest, Terra Brass, Velvet Noir, Space Cherry, Heavenly, Tortuga Bay, Mauve Sauvage, and Silver Frost. All of them are scarce in their apperance, with vertical brushing and super thin lines cut into them to serve as hour markers. Around the edge are curved blocks of lume that offer pretty good night practicality and come in a variety of colors. The hands are skeletonized and match the futuristic look of the watch.

Inside, a very well known and reliable Sellita SW200-1b movement. It beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. The watches come a very good looking integrated steel bracelet with a satin-brushed finish and polished beveled edges, easily adjustable with screws. The clasp includes a patent-pending loop lever mechanism for simple on-the-go micro adjustment. At the lugs, the clasp is 22mm wide and tapers to 18mm, but even better, you get a 20mm strap adapter, addressing the concern of having a proprietary strap connection on a microbrand watch.

The Möels 369 are available for preorder now and deliveries are expected in October this year. In a world in which SW200 powered watches are increasingly trending over the €1,000 mark, this one is interestingly priced, at least in pre-order. The full price will be £1,150, but if you get it on pre-order it’s priced at £800. See more on the Möels & Co. website.

 4/

Girard-Perregaux And Saint Laurent Reunite For Their Second Take On The Casquette

While Girard-Perregaux is most known for their higher end Swiss mechanical watches, at one time they were pioneers in the era of digital watch. Back in 1971, it made waves with the Caliber GP-350, a quartz movement that set the universal market standard for frequency. Following that was the Caliber 395 and that’s the movement that GP put in the Casquette. And even int he 70s, the Casquette was a strange watch it was a black geometric hunk on your wrist that displayed the time at the push of a button on a tiny screen on the front facing side of the watch. And then, last year, Girard-Perregaux teamed up with Saint Laurent Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello to revive the Casquetter for the Saint Laurent Rive Droite line. Now the collaborating duo is back with a very slightly different Casquette 2.0.

The remade Casquette from last year improved absolutely everything from the original, including all materials and the computer powering the watch, and this new release builds on that in very subtle ways. While the old one came in either titanium or ceramic, the new one is available only in grade 5 titanium and while it might look like a huge and bulky watch in pictures, it’s absolutely minuscule, measuring 26.24mm wide and 27.6mm long, with a thickness of just 6.4mm. It looks to be an icnredibly finished case, with a combination of large swaths of satin and sandblasted surfaces with a few highly polished edges.

Inside is the Calibre GP3980 quartz movement. It features the usual - hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, month and year, but you also get a chronograph, a second time zone and the ability to program a ‘secret date’, a memorable moment specified by the wearer such as a birthday. All of this is operated with just two pushers and the one-line digital display. You can check out the Casquette 2.0 manual online to see how it all works. The watch comes on a matching Grade 5 titanium bracelet with a rubber lining, closed with a titanium buckle that allows for micro adjustments.

The Casquette 2.0 Saint Laurent 02 is a limited edition of 200 units and is priced at $7,500. The watch is available only in the Saint Laurent Rive Droite online store as well as Saint Laurent’s boutiques in Paris and LA. See more on the Girard-Perregaux website.

5/

Audemars Piguet Quietly Updates The Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked With New Trio

A balance wheel is an integral part of a mechanical watch. It’s a weighted wheel rotated back and forth by the hairspring and driven by the escapement, which transforms the rotating motion of the watch gear train into impulses delivered to the balance wheel. Each swing of the wheel allows the gear train to advance a set amount, moving the hands forward. The combination of the mass of the balance wheel and the elasticity of the spring keep the time between each oscillation very constant, which is why we still use a balance wheel today. But, if one balance wheel is good, then two must be better, right? Well, ask Audemars Piguet, who have been working on their Openworked Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel, the first of its kind, since 2016 and it’s proven to be quite a success for the brand. Now, and following an excursion into 37mm territory, they are adding three new Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked references in different materials and colors.

What all three have in common is the 41mm width and a thickness of 9.9mm, as well as the openworked dial. So, first up is the immensely horribly named 15407BA.OO.1220BA.01 which comes in a yellow gold case with an anthracite grey dial that shows both the double balance wheel as well as the rest of the calibre 3132. Next is the 15407ST.OO.1220ST.02, which comes in a stainless steel case, but with a rose gold movement and skeleton dial. The same rose gold dial/movement is used on the 15416CE.OO.1225CE.02 which comes in a black ceramic case.

Inside, and very visible, is the calibre 3132 which is unchanged from the original release and while it’s very advanced with the double balance wheel, which features two hairsprings on the same axis and that oscillate in synchrony in order to improve precision, it also only has a 45 hour power reserve. It’s a weird thing to complain with a watch of this calibre, but it really would make a better impression in 2024 with something over 60 hours.

The new trio of Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked are not limited, but also don’t expect to come across many of them in your everyday life. Especially with a price of CHF 66,500 for the stainless steel version and CHF 88,000 for the gold and ceramic models. See more on the Audemars Piguet website.

6/

Kari Vouitilainen Goes Back To Inverted Movements With The New KV20i Reversed

Now, I’m definitely no watchmaker, so excuse my ignorance, but why aren’t inverted watches more of a thing? Despite not being a watchmaker, I know that an inverted watch has what would usually be the back of the movement - and also the visually more impressive part - turned towards the front, with the hands attaching to the same back of the movement, while what would usually be the boring front is facing back. This makes a lot of sense, especially (actually only) if you remove the dial, so that you can have a constant view of the beautiful back of the movement instead of constantly having to take the watch off to admire it. Of course the famed watchmaker Kari Vouitilainen dabbled in this genre with the Voutilainen 28TI model. And now, they’re back, with the successor to the 28Ti, the Voutilainen KV20i Reversed

The KV20i Reversed features a polished case available in titanium, platinum, gold (white or pink), or stainless steel, and all measure 39mm in diameter. Its design maintains the classic Voutilainen look with a concave bezel, those incredible tear-drop lugs, and a caseback secured by eight custom screws. The dial, of course, doesn’t exist. There’s a blue and gold dotted minutes ring around the periphery, along with gold central hour and minute hands.

What you see through the sapphire crystal is the backside of the movement made for this watch. It features a large 13.5mm diameter free-sprung balance wheel, equipped with rose gold timing weights, a Phillips overcoil, and a Grossmann interior curve. The direct impulse escapement, with its two large blued escape wheels, is positioned closer to the 12 o’clock mark. The movement is manually wound and has a power reserve of 60 hours. The watch comes on a hand-sewn crocodile leather strap.

The price of the Voutilainen KV20i Reversed will depend on what metal you chose for the case, but they are surprisingly close to each other. Steel will set you back €123,100, rose gold sells for €125,900 and the white gold and platinum watches are priced at €129,200. Voutilainen is also notorious for being a bit slow at updating their website, so your best bet would be to check it a few times before it shows up.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

A review of the Doxa Sub 200T Emerald Green 

2/

Hands-On With Two New Versions Of Frederique Constant’s Highlife Chronograph

3/

A review of the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Hi-Beat “Genbi Valley” SLGH021

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Elka Arinis Lake Diver is very handsome, very convenient to wear and use, and not too expensive

The Arinis is the first diver-style watch from the brand, and Elka aims to ensure the design feels both classic and original. This is exceedingly hard to do, but founder Hakim El Kadiri has the design skills to accomplish such a feat. On a basic level, the Arinis models itself after classic 1960s-era diver sport watches. That means a relatively clean dial, a minimalist look, and lots of metal. That said, the construction is totally modern, including the movement and materials such as the ceramic bezel insert. Elka was inspired by Switzerland’s Lake Neuchatel and some of its more historic residents, ranging from early settlers dating back to 12,000 BCE up through the Roman occupation of the area. Beneath the lake’s surface, divers can view archeologically significant structures (as well as on land), and ancient artifacts such as arrowheads have also been recovered from the region.

Read the whole review on A Blog To Watch

⏲️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

• There’s a renewed interest to return humans to the moon. But to achieve this vision, one challenge of space travel—and a taboo topic even on Earth—needs to be solved. More than 50 years ago, when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, he’d stored his bodily waste in poo bags that were left behind—and, to this day, they still sit on the moon. In this entertaining essay, Becky Ferreira discusses the logistics of going to the bathroom in space—and what the entire process of waste management and disposal might look like.

• A couple of years ago I had a great plan which fell apart because my wife said it was so insane it neared psychosis. But I’m pretty sure it would be one of the best pranks ever pulled. We were at a birthday party for a kid of our friends and as one does, we met a lot of other parents. I always ask what the kids name is, and my mind was crushed into a pebble when an unbelievably obnoxious woman replied with an unhealthy amount of vocal fry: “Luminae”. This is not a common name globally, but it’s completely unheard of where we live. And it was clear with every word this woman said that the only reason for Luminae was so that her daughter would have a name nobody else had. So, the plan was simple. We crank out a kid quickly, so that she would be just a year or two behind, name her Luminae and move to their school district so they have to go to school together. For some reason, I found it incredibly funny that teachers would have to ask “which Luminae” in school. But my wife doesn’t share my sense of humor. Anyway, this entire story is a lead in to this article from the Washington Post about the mysterious tyranny of trendy baby names.

• But speaking of the Washington Post, you might have seen a couple of articles lately that are detailing some of the meltdowns at the paper that have been going on pretty much since Bezos bought them. This piece from the Atlantic is a pretty good summary of everything that has happened.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

I’m not on the Robert Eggers crazy train. I thought that The Lighthouse was a fun romp, but I just can’t get into his movies. Now he’s doing Nosferatu and I really don’t know what to think. I don’t have high hopes, this trailer did nothing to convince me otherwise, but I hope I’m wrong.

💵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: Here’s a crazy request. One of you is looking to buy the Lotēc No. 7.5. Sure, it’s a big ask, but if any of you have one and want to sell, reach out to and I’ll put you in touch

• SOLD: Well, not really new. It’s a great looking mid-90s Tudor Submariner 75090, offered for sale by a member of the It’s About Time reader crew. I love the way it looks and seems to be in great condition. Check it out over on Chrono24.

• 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

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-Vuk