Nivada Updates Fantastically Weird Antarctic Spider With A Salmon Dial, Habring² Brings Back Obscure Complication, Timex Releases Perfect Women’s Summer Watch And Airain Unveils Sous-Marine Re-Edition

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I’m back in the city from the coast, so it’s not a great day for me. I preferred to sit by the sea and sip cocktails. But watches wait for no man, so let’s get on with it.

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In this issue:

• Nivada Grenchen Updates Their Fantastically Weird Antarctic Spider With A Salmon Dial And Releases Collaboration With Analog:Shift

• Timex Works With Cara Barrett For Perfect Women’s Summer Watch

• Habring² Brings Back Obscure Complication With Chrono-Felix Top Second

• Airain Unveils Long-Awaited Prototypes For Sous-Marine Re-Edition

• Indie Watchmaker Hervé Schlüchter Unveils His First Watch, The Splendid L’Essentiel

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 49 seconds

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Nivada Grenchen Updates Their Fantastically Weird Antarctic Spider With A Salmon Dial And Releases Collaboration With Analog:Shift 

Ever since the watch revival wunderkind Guillaume Laidet revived Nivada Grenchen, the brand has been throwing out banger after banger. Heavily inspired by the back catalogue of fantastic pieces, Nivada has some amazing and affordable chronographs and divers. However, my absolute favorite has been the fantastically quirky and original Antarctic Spider. Now it’s back, with an even better salmon colored dial. As if that wasn’t enough, the brand is also releasing a collaboration with online retailer Analog:Shift on the same day in the form of a Chronomaster 'Big Eye' Yachting Limited Edition.

Starting off with the Salmon Spider Dial. It comes in a satin-brushed stainless steel case, measuring 38mm wide and 11.5mm thick and with a double-domed sapphire crystal. Everything about this watch is vintage-looking, from the case to the dial, but you get some modern amenities like 100m water resistance. No wonder it looks vintage, since the entire Spider Dial model is inspired by the 1963 Antarctic Spider dial pattern.

The crosshairs printed at the centre of the dial extend to the edge, serving as hour markers for 12, 3, 6, and 9. The Dauphine-style hour and minute hands, with a touch of luminescence, complement the design perfectly. The faceted baton-style indices, representing hours 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11, are vertically mounted, forming the eight “spider legs” radiating from the centre. Inside the watch is the Soprod automatic calibre P024, comparable to an ETA 2824 or an SW200. There’s a wide range of straps and bracelets, all of which affect the price, which is very reasonable. It starts off at $750 and goes up to $950.

Nivada says that this watch is “too beautiful to be limited” but if you visit the website now, you will see it’s sold out. Apparently, they are being sold in batches and the first batch is all sold out. But more should be available soon.

But yesterday was obviously a big day for Nivada Grenchen. Laidet used the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver to relaunch the brand and that model has become a staple of collaborations with other brands. This article from A Blog To Watch points out that there are 21 different Chronomasters in the past four years. Now Nivada is releasing a very summer version of the watch in collaboration with online retailer Analog:Shift.

The stainless steel case measures 38mm wide and 13.75mm thick, including the domed sapphire crystal. The finishing is a blend of polished bevels and well-defined brushing, with downturned lugs. The watch is paired with a beads-of-rice-style bracelet. The dial is white, while the chrono hand is painted orange. The running seconds has radial grooving inside its hashes. The 30-minute chronograph register has a yachting pr regatta scale that allows for timing the countdown at the beginning of a regatta.

Inside the watch is the Swiss manual-wind Sellita SW510 M BH b. This dateless, two-register movement is the hand-wound version of the SW510. It features a cam-operated chronograph mechanism, hacking, and a solid 63-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph.

The Nivada Grenchen X Analog:Shift Chronomaster “Big Eye” Yachting is priced at $1,995 USD and is limited to 100 pieces. Unlike the unlimited Salmon Spider Dial which is sold out at the moment, there are still pieces for sale through Watches of Switzerland online outlets (Watches of Switzerland, Mayors, Betteridge, and Analog:Shift) with a limited number available at the Analog:Shift showroom in New York City.

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Timex Teams Up With Former Hodinkee Editor Cara Barrett For Perfect Women’s Summer Watch

Since leaving Hodinkee, Cara Barrett started making watches. She has a great kids’ watches brand called Parchie. But she’s also lending her name and knowledge of vintage design to Timex to create a great summer watch called the Timex x Cara Barrett Edition V1 which, with a 36mm diameter and soft colors, will be an excellent option for women in a world full of male-oriented special editions.

The dial is the real attraction about this watch - a soft baby blue that’s contrasted with silver Breguet numerals that have a very vintage look and slim sword hands. The vintage aesthetic is also very present in the domed acrylic crystal, as well as the size - 36mm wide and 10.4mm thick. To add to the feminine appeal of the watch, whatever that may mean today, is a cabochon-style crown.

Inside the watch is a hand-wound mechanical movement, a Sea-gull TY6DSK-1(6103K-S), which has a power reserve of 40 hours. It comes on a stainless steel expansion bracelet that Timex calls Perfect Fit, as it’s an actual elastic band that lets you remove links.

It’s not an expensively built watch, but that might be a great thing. At $249 it’s a no brainer if you need a light summer wear. It appears that this will not be a limited release and you can get it from Timex or Hodinkee.

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Habring² Brings Back An Obscure Complication With The Chrono-Felix Top Second

Habring², started by Richard and Maria Habring, is becoming world famous for their seconds complications and functions. First off, they are renowned for the split-seconds chronographs based on the Valjoux 7750 architecture, developed by Richard Habring while working for IWC in the 1990s. Then, they also have watches with Jumping Seconds and a high-speed Foudroyante seconds complication. Habring² now adds a third second-based indication to the collection with the new Chrono-Felix Top Second.

The watch is, in essence, a simple field watch. The steel case measures 38.5mm wide and has a fully brushed finish. The case is fitted with a sloped bezel that steps up to align with the sapphire crystal on top. It comes with a knurled double-sealed crown and a monopusher for the chronograph just above it. The black dial has a grained texture, with numerals printed in white that is contrasted with beige luminous dots at every 5-minute interval. The cathedral-style central hour and minute hands also have a beige Super-LumiNova finish, just like the hands for the chronograph.

And the dial is the first place we see that the Chrono-Felix Top Second has a special function. It’s visible through a hole in the 9 o’clock numeral. Once every 2.5 seconds, this will flash red, reminding you that the movement is running. This complication was first developed by Mondia in the 1960s but had vanished since Mondia was bought by Zenith in 1969.

This complication is run by the in-house produced Habring² A11FC movement which shows Richard Habring’s typical design aesthetics. Although based on the architecture of the Valjoux 7750, it has been reworked majorly. What sets this one apart from other Habring² movements, though, is the two-blade propeller nestled underneath the dial at 9 o’clock. Sort of replacing the regular running seconds indication, this rotates once every 5 seconds and shows a flash of red every 2.5 seconds. The movement runs at a rate of 28,800vph and has a power reserve of 48 hours when fully wound.

While the Habring² Chrono-Felix Top Second might not be limited, Habring² in general is limited in production capacity of a few hundred watches. Each piece is individually numbered between the lugs and comes on a khaki green NATO-style textile strap with stainless steel hardware. The price is set at EUR 8,050, incl. VAT.

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Airain Unveils The Long-Awaited Prototypes For Its Sous-Marine Re-Edition

Towards the end of last year, Airain announced its second revival project, the Sous-Marine. This retro-cool skin diver comes from the archives of the brand, just as the reborn Type 20. Designed in typical 1960s style, the Sous-Marine will be available in six different references. Following the initial CoLAB phases, in which people are invited to join in on the design process, the Airain Sous-Marine now moves into the prototype phase.

The watch has a familiar skin diver case, updated a bit from the 60s, but still in a fantastic size - 37.5mm diameter, 10.45mm height (12.77mm with the crystal). Since it’s a skin diver, the 200m water-resistance is expected. The bezel is always finished in black PVD, engraved with a diving scale which is then filled in white, while the caseback is decorated with a diver holding a spear.

The collection comprises six references in total, two of which are known as the Re-Edition Lollipop and Re-Edition DNA Strand. For both, the dial will be black with luminous light old radium indices, 18k gold-plated hands with matching Super-LumiNova inserts and either a lollipop or DNA-strand seconds hand. The remaining four dials are Deep Blue, Faded Black, Tropical and Ocean Green. All are finished with large painted hour indices in beige or white, depending on the dial colour. The hour hand has a classical sword shape, and the minute hand has a broad arrowhead tip. The window at 3′ reveals the date disc, which will have alternating red and black digits.

The watches will be powered by the calibre AM5, which is the brand’s name for the La Joux-Perret G100 automatic movement. This will provide 68 hours of power reserve generated by a tungsten central rotor. Although it’s hidden from view, the decorations include Côtes de Genève, blued and polished screws and gold engravings.

Airain will provide a black, blue or green tropic-style FKM rubber strap with the watch, depending on the dial colour, but you will also be able to get the FixoFlex bracelet, the rights to which were acquired by Tom van Wijlick. The exact number of pieces per colourway has not been determined yet. All references will be priced at EUR 1,600. Next month the second pre-order round will start, after which production will commence. Deliveries are expected from October 2023. See more on the Airain website.

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Indie Watchmaker Hervé Schlüchter Unveils His First Watch, The Splendid L’Essentiel

Hervé Schlüchter has been working in watches for years, just no on his own. He spent a decade at Bovet, eventually rising up the ranks of director of Dimier 1738, their manufacturing facility. But in 2017 he branched out on his own and established his own creative laboratory specializing in developing high-concept, mechanics-celebratory movements which included projects for the experimental brand The Alchemists.

But he needed more - he wanted to create his own watches. And to do this, he wanted to expand his knowledge and expertise in classical watchmaking, finishing, and decoration, which led him to learning from Philippe Dufour.

In March 2022, Schlüchter opened his own workshop at Villa Renfe in Biel and recruited two other watchmakers. L’Essential marks the first watch in a trilogy of timepieces that revolves around a generational concept. Each watch within the trilogy, offers a different perspective on the passage of time, starting with the portrayal of time through the eyes of a child, followed by that of a parent, and concludes with the wisdom of a grandparent. L’Essential, thus, offers a childlike perception of time with a distinctive 24-hour disc that doubles as a day and night indicator. The majority of components are made in-house with the exception of the case, buckle and minute parts of the movement such as screws, mainspring, pins and jewels.

The watch has a diameter of 39mm and is 10.37mm thick. The case is made out of stainless steel with a contrasting finish; the bezel, top surfaces of the lugs as well as case back ring are highly polished while the flanks are brushed. Inspired by a regulator made by Antide Janvier in the 18th century, the watch is characterized by a regulator style dial with a small seconds at six o’clock, a central minutes and a large semi-circular aperture that displays a 24-hour disc.

The central dial, which is made of German silver, has been engine-turned by Schlüchter himself using a traditional rose engine acquired from master guillocheur Georges Brodbeck. The outer minute track as well as the inlaid small seconds sub-dial are executed in Grand Feu enamel. The massive aperture for the 24-hour display is enclosed within a steel frame that is fastened to the dial with screws. The 24-hour disc is crafted from aventurine with the sun and the moon metallized in gold and silver.

The calibre HS-01, visible through the case back, is elaborate. In fact, it appears a lot more dense and complex than a standard time-only movement. In addition, the exposed stop-seconds lever and the unusual moustache lever escapement all contribute to its visually intricate composition. At the same time, vital components – the barrel and balance wheel – are maximized. As is characteristic of such watches, the movement achieves balance power with use of a massive balance wheel that has a traditional beat rate of 18,000 bph, or 2.5Hz while offering a power reserve of 60 hours on a single barrel.

Due to the labour-intensive nature of constructing and finishing a majority of components in-house, Schlüchter will only be producing five watches a year while working on the rest of the trilogy. L’Essential is limited to 25 pieces, all of which have already been allocated. It’s not like it matters, but the price is CHF 78,000

🫳On hand

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⚙️Watch Worthy

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

Eye-catching dials are clearly a signature of the Selten Salvage

Selten founder Leo Tsai took inspiration from German watchmaking precision when naming the company (Selten translates to “rare”), but his designs take their cues from all over the world of watchmaking, from Scandinavia to the US. Coming from a family of watchmakers, Tsai founded Selten as a way to honor their legacy.

⏲️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

• Austin Howell soloed harder and more often than almost anyone else, documenting his exploits on Instagram and a podcast. But behind the scenes his mental health was faltering. Outside, as usual, has a fantastic deep dive into the tragic life and death of a free soloist.

• Hear me out… This is a piece on one doctor’s Promethean mission - to make a larger penis through surgery. Laugh all you want, criticise the man for focusing on the wrong things, but also look around at all the men in your life slow clapping his eventual success.

• From Monopoly to Jacobin’s “Class War,” a well-designed board game can be a great way to explain how the world works. In fact, Current Affairs claims board games can teach us about politics and power in a safe way.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

This is a rough watch, so be warned. However, it’s a great short video on the cost of the war in Ukraine. It’s the type of video that made Vice what it was before they went downhill. The internet is full of videos from the frontline in Ukraine, covering the war almost 24/7 and showing people all over the world what a war looks like. But nobody is showing what happens just away from the front, where people have to deal with the consequences.

💵Pre-loved precision

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• 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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