Omega Unveils Delightfully Retro Winter Olympics Seamaster 37mm; Credor Equips The Genta-Designed Locomotive With A Green Dial; Rado Looks Best In Matte; Bamford's New Diver; Automatic Serpentis

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I just realized that it’s been a wild start of the year. There’s been so many releases that I’m behind on reporting. I’m still scheduling watches that came out two weeks ago, that’s how crowded the market is. Very interesting, I would say.

In this issue:

• Omega Unveils Delightfully Retro Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026 Announcing The Winter Olympics

• Credor Equips The Genta-Designed Locomotive With A Great Green Dial

• The Rado True Square Skeleton Looks Best With A Matte Sandblasted Case

• Bamford Introduces New Line Of Watches, The Very Robust D-300 Diver

• The Iconic Bulgari Serpenti Collection Gets New In-House Automatic Lady Solotempo BVS100

👂What’s new

1/

Omega Unveils Delightfully Retro Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026 Announcing The Winter Olympics

Omega had a huge year last year. Not just for their regular releases, which were cool enough, but also due to the fact that 2024 was a year of the Summer Olympics. As a major sponsor of the Games, Omega released a deluge of cool Olympic-themed models. And just when we thought they were depleted, they suddenly remembered that the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo are a year away. And not one to miss out on a good time for an announcement, Omega just introduced the new Moonshine Gold Omega Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026. It’s not just a new olympic-themed watch, it’s quite the retro stunner.

If this watch looks familiar, you know your Omegas. Back in 1956, Omega released a non-diver Seamaster, with its gold case and angular lugs, to commemorate the games in Melbourne AND the winter games in, you guessed it, Cortina d’Ampezzo. In 2008, they recreated that watch for the Beijing Summer games, upping the diameter from 35 to 37mm. And it’s this gold case that Omega is using for this new release. Made out of Omega’s 18K Moonshine Gold, it measures 37mm wide, 11.55mm thick and a 45mm lug-to-lug. Speaking of the lugs, they are what is referred to as dog-leg lugs, with a very angular downturn. The entire case is fully polished and on top is a rather tall box-style sapphire crystal, which likely contributes to the unexpected thickness for a dress watch. On the caseback is a Milano Cortina 2026 medallion and water resistance is a decent 100 meters.

Moving on to the dial, it looks to be the starkest of whites. Which makes sense, since it’s in honor of the Winter Games. It’s also domed and made out of polished Grand Feu enamel. Petit Feu enamel is used to render the minute markers and the Seamaster text. The dial also features the vintage Omega logo, as well as beautiful Moonshine Gold hour markers made to look very much like those on the first Cortina version. The hour and minute hands are also Moonshine Gold and dauphine shaped.

Inside, you’ll find the calibre 8807 which beats at 3.5Hz and has a 55 hour power reserve. Like so many Omega movements, it has a Co-Axial escapement, along with a free-sprung balance and METAS certification. The watch comes on a brown alligator leather strap, closed with a gold pin buckle.

From what I gather, the new Omega Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026 is not a limited edition and it’s available now, priced at €21,000. See more on the Omega website.

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Credor Equips The Genta-Designed Locomotive With A Great Green Dial

The Seiko brand name is almost ubiquitous as the Rolex name. It’s instantly recognizable, even by people who know nothing about watches and, unlike Rolex, they were likely owned by at least someone the general public knows. Grand Seiko, on the other hand, is a bit more niche. A step up above Seiko, it’s their more elegant and more expensive brand that’s not as much of a household name. GS is know by watch nerds. But then, there’s Credor. A bit of a mystery for even people well versed in the watch world and Seiko’s haute horology brand. Back in the late 1970s, Credor worked with legendary watch designer Gerald Genta to create one of their most iconic watches, the Credor Locomotive. Last year, Credor has rereleased this clearly Genta designed watch with its angular, flat, bezel and huge exposed screws. Now, Credor is giving this cool watch a new dial with the Locomotive GCCR997.

The reissue of the Locomotive was very true to the original in look, but updated in material. Instead of a steel case, it came in titanium, just like this new GCCR997. The case is hexagonal in shape and measures 38.8mm wide by 8.9mm thick. Thanks to the semi-integrated bracelet that doesn’t require lugs, the lug-to-lug measurement on this is pretty great at 41.7mm. On top is the same bezel with the large six hexagonal screws, surrounding a sapphire crystal. The finish on the dial is brushed and mirror polished. The crown sits at 4 o’clock, like so many iconic Seiko models. Water resistance is 100 meters.

Brand new is the dial, which ditches the deep brushed grooves of the original reissue and replaces it with a textured pattern of small green hexagons that vary in color a bit like they are small hand-painted tiles. The rest remains largely the same, with applied an polished markers and matching hands, both with lume. There’s a framed date window at 3 o’clock.

Inside is a new movement we don’t know much about. It’s called the Calibre CR01 and is a fairly thin and basic automatic with a beat rate of 4Hz and a 45 hour power reserve. It’s regulated to +15 to -10 seconds per day. The watch comes on a integrated titanium bracelet with more hexagons on it, now acting as mid-links. It’s closed with a three-fold clasp.

While last year’s release was limited to just 300 pieces, the new Credor Locomotive GCCR997 is part of the permanent collection and goes on sale in May. Price is also €500 higher than last year’s and set at €14,500. See more on the Credor website.

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The Rado True Square Skeleton Looks Best With A Matte Sandblasted Case

For decades now, Rado has been working on improving material sciences. From that we have gotten the carbide tungsten used in the Diastar in the 1960s, as well as the whole range of high-tech ceramics used since the 80s. And they’ve been milking these advancements to the max, as they should. Over the past several years, in particular, they’ve been doubling down on their True Square models which have gotten a bunch of really sweet ceramic cases. And even more recently, they’ve been doing the same thing with the True Square Skeleton. However, the new trio they recently unveiled, one that gets an all-blasted finish for a very matte look of the ceramic, might be my favorite.

The new True Square Skeleton keeps the same proportions of the existing watches, while taking on a brand new look. It’s still made out of ceramic, but now with a blasted matte finish. The cases measure 38mm wide and 9.7mm thick, and can be had in one of three variants — matte gunmetal plasma high-tech ceramic with a matching bracelet, matte black high-tech ceramic with a matching bracelet and a matte black high-tech ceramic case with a black rubber strap. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The dials are also very familiar. Or, the lack of. The only thing that can be considred a dial are the two parallel bridges and a peripheral minutes track that has applied indices that are made out of blocks of lume. The rest of the dial is actually the top of the movement, where you can see the balance wheel, parts of the wheel train, the barrel and mainspring. Two of the models, the gunmetal and matte black on bracelet, have the movement finished in a matte brushing, while the model on the ribbed black rubber strap have horizontal Côtes de Genève. The hands differ between the three models also, the gunmetal and matte black on bracelet have sandblasted hour and minute hands, while the model on rubber strap has polished hands, all filled with lume.

The movement you see is the Rado R808. Since Rado is part of the Swatch group, the movement is also part of the Powermatic 80 family. This means that the movement has a Nivachron hairspring for magnetic resistance, beats at 21,600vph and has a great 80 hour power reserve.

The new True Square Skeleton models are on sale now, and can be had for €2,750 on the rubber strap or €3,100 on the bracelets. See more on the Rado website.

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Bamford Introduces New Line Of Watches, The Very Robust D-300 Diver

George Bamford has made a name for himself as a talented watch modifier. This led him to create the Bamford Watch Department, which specializes in collaborations with other watch brands and customizing legendary watches. But it’s not just modifications that Bamford does. He also founded Bamford London which produces their own original watches. I like a couple of their watches, but their latest release, the fully ceramic D-300 diver, might just be my favorite.

The new diver from Bamford is quite the presence on the wrist. First, the ceramic case measures 42mm wide, 13mm thick and has a 45.5mm lug-to-lug measurement. That, along with the cushion shape of the case familiar from the Bamford GMT, as well as the striking shades of white, black, navy and olive green really give you a cool look. The ceramic cases have a titanium core which helps with longevity and keeps things light. On top all four is a notched uni-directional bezels which match the color of the case and have three grooves running along the full circumference. Those grooves are colored in contrasting colors for the first 15 minutes. Water resistance is 300 meters.

The dials are also color-matched to the cases and have a very chunky and sporty feel to them. The base of the dial is matte, with a dramatic crosshair on it. You get Arabic numerals at 3, 6, 9, 12, and circular applied markers in between. All of them have plenty of lume, just like the hands. The seconds hand is dark in color, with contrasting color on the tip.

Inside the watch, Bamford says they use the ETA 2824-2. However, some reports have said that they might also use the Sellita SW200-1. That makes sense because the Sellita is a continuation of the ETA, but it’s kind of weird to just replace the movement when the notoriously difficult to obtain ETAs run out. I hope those are just miscommunications. The movement, regardless of who makes it, beats at 4Hz and has an approximate power reserve of 38 hours. The watches come on color matched rubber straps.

The new Bamford London D-300 is available now and priced at £1,500 or about €1,800. See more on the Bamford London website.

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The Iconic Bulgari Serpenti Collection Gets New In-House Automatic Lady Solotempo BVS100

Very few watches have grown to such iconic acclaim while remaining as unique as the Bulgari Serpenti. It is instantly recognizable from far away. If not for its unique snake-head-shaped case, then for the coiling band of precious metal that wraps around the wearers forearm. It’s an incredible piece of jewelry, often outfitted with a lot of diamonds. So far, you could have gotten the watch with a quartz movement, a hand wound Piccolissimo BVL100 or the completely bonkers and ultra-compact BVL150 that featured a tourbillon. Well now, Bulgari is adding another movement to the mix, the new BVS100 Lady Solotempo, a tiny automatic movement.

The Solotempo debuts in the Serpenti Seduttori collection, as well as two Serpenti Tubogas models in rose gold before it moves on to other Serpenti models. There are seven Seduttori watches available, all of them measuring 34mm wide, ranging from the two high jewelry references to everyday stainless steel and two-tone models. This is a more subdued watch, as it comes a more traditional metal bracelet that’s made out of hexagonal scales. The Tubogas, on the other hand, is a much more expressive watch, with the iconic coiled bracelet that can be had with one or two coils. Both of them are made out of rose gold and measure 35mm wide.

But the watches are well known and have been seen before. What’s new is the movement, which now gets displayed under a transparent caseback. The movement is tiny, measuring 19mm wide and 3.9mm thick, and weighing just 5 grams, while providing a pretty decent 50 hour power reserve. The movement is made in house in Bulgari’s Swiss Le Sentier manufacture and will be made available to other LVMH watch brands and manufactured by Zenith in the future.

The Bulgari Serpenti Lady Solotempo BVS100 automatic collection is available now, with prices ranging from CHF 9,500 to CHF 120,000. See more on the Bulgari website.

⏲️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

• Outside the Welsh town of Chepstow, near the England-Wales border, an underwater human habitat is being built. This ambitious project—called Deep—is being funded by a single anonymous investor, creating the technology and infrastructure necessary to “increase understanding of the ocean and its critical role for humanity.” The deep sea, after all, has yet to be conquered: “Back in the 1950s and 60s, there was a space race and an ocean race going on, and space won out,” Deep’s chief operating officer tells Lisa Bachelor. For The Guardian, Bachelor goes behind the scenes of the project, which its founders say will “enable them to establish a ‘permanent human presence’ under the sea from 2027.”

• Marjorie Nugent was the richest widow in an eccentric town full of rich widows. Bernie Tiede was an assistant funeral home director who became her companion. When she disappeared, nobody seemed alarmed. When he confessed to killing her, nobody seemed outraged.

• Tens of millions of American Christians are embracing a charismatic movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation. What does that mean for the secular state?

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One video you have to watch today

To quote a reader of the newsletter commenting on the Hamilton I wrote about yesterday: That Hamilton chrono gives off so many of the same vibes as the Fantastic Four trailer that just dropped.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk