Oris Introduces Cotton Candy Diver With Black Dial And Bronze Case, Doxa With MOP Dial Is Stunning And Painfully Limited, Ressence Completes Middle East Trilogy, New Frederique Constant, Chopard And Kurono

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Dubai Watch Week continues and I’m pretty bummed that the Doxa will be made in just 50 pieces. It looks incredible.

If you like this newsletter, you might consider supporting it directly through Patreon. If you were subscribed, you could have already read my lengthy piece on Only Watch and it potentially being the biggest scam of the watch world. Other subscriber-only articles include the Completely Sterile Secret Watches Of MACV-SOG and my choice of 11 vintage Heuer watches that would make the perfect basis for new TAG Heuer recreations, including a possible MoonSwatch type watch that could actually break the internet.

In this issue:

• Oris Introduces Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy Sepia With A Great Combination Of Black Dial And Bronze Case

• The New Doxa SUB 300β Seddiqi With A Mother-of-Pearl Dial Is Incredibly Beautiful And Painfully Limited

• The Ressence Type 1° DX3 Is An Incredible Conclusion To A Middle East Trilogy

• Frederique Constant Continues 35th Anniversary Celebration With A Closed Dial Of Their Most Complicated Watch

• Chopard Gives The L.U.C Strike One A Stunning Green Dial And A White Gold Case

• Kurono Tokyo Shows Its Third Chronograph Featuring a Jade-Inspired Design

Today’s reading time: 9 minutes and 32 seconds

👂What’s new

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Oris Introduces Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy Sepia With A Great Combination Of Black Dial And Bronze Case

Dubai Watch Week is in full swing and there was a plethora of major releases yesterday. One of them was a spectacular Oris ProPilot X with a titanium dial that has been blasted with lasers to make it color shift. In all the excitement and rush yesterday, a lot of people missed the other release from Oris. Sure, it’s more subdued, more expected, but it’s also much more affordable and wearable in any situation because it’s the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy Sepia rendered in a beautiful bronze case and a full black dial.

The Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy line is on the quirky side of Oris’ catalogue. It’s a simple diver with a bronze case and, as the name says, colorful dials that take on cotton candy pastel shades. Now, they’re using the same line to release their most traditional version, something for people who would love a bronze diver from Oris but aren’t fans of the colorful dials. While it’s a bit weird to continue using the Cotton Candy name, this black version looks fantastic in contrast with the bronze color of the case.

It comes in a 38mm wide bronze case which will naturally patinate over time as the metal reacts with moisture and oxygen in the air and skin. Each patina pattern, of course, will be unique. Almost the entirety of the case is engineered from bronze, including the screw in security crown and uni-directional rotating bezel with diver’s scale in relief. Only the case back is kept stainless steel.

There’s a pronounced domed sapphire crystal on top, and underneath it is a black dial that contrasts not just the bronze of the case, but also the golden tones of the hands and hour markers. The retro, rounded indices and shield-shaped 12 o’clock are still there.

Other than the dial, this is still the same old Cotton Candy that was introduced in 2021. That means that inside you’ll find the Oris Calibre 733, based on the Sellita SW 200-1 that beats at 28,800vph with q 38-hour power reserve. Sure, it’s not the in-house Calibre 400 with that insanely long power reserve, but the outsourced movement helps keep the price on the lower side. The watch comes on either a black rubber strap or a full bronze three-row link bracelet.

The Oris Divers Sixty-Five Date Cotton Candy Sepia watch is available November 2023, retailing for CHF 2’750 on the bronze bracelet and CHF 2’450 on the rubber strap. See more on the Oris website.

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The New Doxa SUB 300β Seddiqi With A Mother-of-Pearl Dial Is Incredibly Beautiful And Painfully Limited

Just a couple of months ago, Doxa introduced a pretty radical new watch. Called the SUB 300β Sharkhunter, it was a bizarrely amazing combination of pitch black ceramic, a black dial with black indices and black hands with just a few details rendered in yellow gold. It is a watch meant just for a few hardcore collectors who adore Doxa, it’s barrel-shaped instrument look and the history of the brand. However, at Dubai Watch Week Doxa expanded on the concept of that watch and introducing the SUB 300β Seddiqi Limited Edition, a stunningly beautiful blue watch which is, unfortunately, very, very limited.

The SUB 300β is an evolution of the SUB 300T’s legendary design and this version comes in a stianless steel case that measures 42.5mm wide, 11.95mm thick and has a 44.5mm lug-to-lug, giving it very much a square look that’s easy to wear despite it’s somewhat wide measurement. The case has polished and brushed surfaces, along with a closed caseback, domed sapphire crystal on top, screw down crown and 300 meters of water resistance.

The magic starts with the unidirectional bezel that has a wonderful matte dark blue ceramic bezel that has a double diving scale in black and white. Sure, that black scale looks hard to read on the blue, but come on… just look at how nice it looks. Even better is the slightly lighter blue dial made out of mother-of-pearl. The applied indices and hands glow in the dark thanks to a generous amount of Super-LumiNova. The dial also has the traditional white printed crosshair and the outlined date window.

Inside the watch is the Sellita SW200-1 automatic, a relatively humble movement (especially for the price), but one that’s tried and tested, known to be robust and easily servicable by any watchmaker. It beats at 28,800vph and has a power reserve of 38 hours. The watch comes on a steel beads-of-rice bracelet and you get an additional white FKM rubber strap with a ratcheting folding clasp that can be easily adjusted for added length. I love how the white strap looks with the blue.

Now, the bad news. Well, two, maybe even three, pieces of bad news. The Doxa SUB 300β Seddiqi Limited Edition will be made in just 50 pieces. And even if you wanted to try to get one, you can get them only at Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons retail locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Price is set at AED 11,750, which equates to approximately €2,980. Unfortunately, the watch isn’t on the Doxa or the Seddiqi website yet, but you might want to keep your eye out on them if they show up.

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The Ressence Type 1° DX3 Is An Incredible Conclusion To A Middle East Trilogy

In case you haven’t realised it from the Doxa news piece just above this one, the Dubai-based watch retailer Ahmed Siddiqui and Sons is a pretty big deal in the region. With about 10 stores in the Dubai and Abu Dhabi region, they are retailers for some of the most important brands in the world - Rolex, Patek, RM, Ulysse Nardin and pretty much everything else you can think of. And they unveiled their other collaboration for the Dubai Watch Week, one with Ressence, my favorite brand in the world. This is the third collaboration between the two, following the Type 1 DXB Dubai Edition and the Type 1 Slim DX2, and it continues with the incredible desert-inspired color scheme on a geometric mosaic that recalls the unique aesthetic of Arabic and Islamic art.. This is the Ressence Type 1° DX3.

The latest collaboration comes in the Type 1 Slim case which has a fully round case and traditional lugs. It’s weird having to point something like that out, but that’s Ressence for you. It comes in a brushed grade 5 titanium case that measures 42.7mm wide and 11mm thick with a domed sapphire crystal.

All of the Ressence x Ahmed Siddiqui and Sons watches feature a mosaic design and the third one is no different. The three sub-dials are surrounded by light triangles, making them seem like suns, while the geometric fragments darken the further from the dials you go, with the darkest, almost purple shapes placed equidistant between the dials. But the obvious party trick is what happens when it gets dark. The entire mosaic is painted in Super-LumiNova and it looks incredible. I rarely use lume shots, but I couldn’t not in this case. Just like other Ressence watches, the entire dial rotates as time elapses.

Inside the watch is the ETA 2892. Of course, that would be a severe understatement. The movement is heavily modified and Ressence adds their Ressence Orbital Convex System module. That’s what allows the Ressence to function the way it does. You get 36 hours of power reserve out of the movement.

The Ressence Type 1° DX3 is priced at CHF 23,600 and limited to 35 pieces. This one, just like the Doxa, are not on the Ressence or Siddiqui websites, but give ti a check every now and again.

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Frederique Constant Continues 35th Anniversary Celebration With A Closed Dial Of Their Most Complicated Watch

Frederique Constant has an air of an old world watch brand. Like they have been around for a hundred years, making classy watches that offer incredible value for money. That’s why it might come as a bit of a shock when I tell you they are celebrating only their 35th anniversary. And to celebrate, they are introducing a new watch, the Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, a closed-dial complicated watch that shows off everything they can do.

The new Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar comes in a polished three-part tonneau-shaped 18 carat rose gold case that measures 41mm wide and 12.65mm thick. This is a familiar case, as they have used it before in the skeletonized version of the , but it still looks great. On top is a convex sapphire crystal, you get a transparent caseback and an OK 30 meters of water resistance.

Since this complication on an FC has been seen in a skeletonized version, it’s nice to see what they did with the dial here. It’s divided into four segments - day and date subdials are set at 3 and 9 o’clock, there’s a month and leap year indicator at 12 and 6 o’clock is reserved for the tourbillon. The hands are gold plated, as are the applied indices. All of this is fantastic contrast to the dark blue matte dial which has an embossed globe motif.

Inside is the in-house FC-975 movement. The perpetual calendar beats at 28,800vph and has a power reserve of 38 hours. It’s nicely finished with perlage, Côtes de Genève, and blued screws. The watch comes with two strap, a navy blue alligator leather or a navy blue rubber strap.

The Frederique Constant Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Manufacture in Rose Gold is limited to 35 pieces and price is set at €44,995. See more on the Frederique Constant website.

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Chopard Gives The L.U.C Strike One A Stunning Green Dial And A White Gold Case

While Chopard might not be THE brand you think of when someone asks you to list off some chiming models, there are some very interesting watches from the brand that should be on your list. They, for example, made the L.U.C Full Strike minute repeater which blew everyone away with a sapphire gong directly attached to the crystal instead of a metal chiming segment. They also make simpler models, of course, but they still manage to use sapphire elements in them, like in the L.U.C Strike One. And at Dubai Watch Week Chopard introduced a new version of the L.U.C Strike One, this time in white gold with a green dial.

It comes in a 40mm wide and 9.86mm thick case that’s made out of Chopard's ethical 18k white gold material. It has a polished bezel and caseback, with a satin-brushed caseband. The fluted crown with an integrated pusher at 3 o’clock is large, but people say it’s wearable.

The dial is completely new for this reference, made out of solid gold and painted in a teal-green color, hand-guillochéd with a honeycomb motif. The dial also has a beautiful cutout at 12.30 o’clock to display the mirror-polished hammer. You also get a railway-style minutes track, engraved on the sapphire crystal. Just below it is the monobloc sapphire gong.

Inside is the self-winding calibre L.U.C 96.32-L. This movement features a gold micro-rotor which powers two mainsprings, giving you a 65-hour power reserve. Certified as a chronometer by the COSC, the movement is highly decorated with perlage, anglage, Côtes de Genève, polished jewel and screw sinks. The watch comes on a hand-sewn grey alligator leather strap.

Limited to just 25 pieces, the new Chopard L.U.C Strike One is priced at €75,000. Check out the Chopard website to see when they add it there.

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Kurono Tokyo Shows Its Third Chronograph Featuring a Jade-Inspired Design

Some people in the online watch community will attempt to tell you that the fervour that watch fans felt for the Japanese independent brand Kurono Tokyo has died down. That they can now release watches without everyone having a complete meltdown and crashing their site. They will attempt to say that, and the site will indeed not crash, but not because interest in Kurono has waned, it’s because Kurono owner Hajime Asaoka is getting better at supplying watch fans with fantastic watches at great prices. Now, Kurono is preparing to release their latest watch, the Chronograph 3 “Hisui” with an incredible jade-green dial.

Obviously, “Hisui” is Japanese for jade. Fortunately, jade mining is banned in Japan so to achieve the same color as natural jadeite, Kurono used milions of tiny dots to achieve a natural look to the green color. Micro-metallic particles are then integrated into the finish, which are meant to mimic the minerals that would be found in real jade stones. As with other watches Kurono has made in the past, the final step is sealing the dial with a thick coat of lacquer. You still get the polished studs that act as hour markers, and the oversized “12” at the top of the dial.

But that’s not all that is new. While the case of the Chronograph 3 looks like the older ones, it’s much different and, more importantly, slimmer than before. The stainless steel case measures 38mm wide and 13.5mm thick with the crystal. The shape of the case has also been reworked to hide the chunkiness.

Inside the watch is the Seiko NE86 movement which is just a name for the Seiko 8R46A when it’s used in other brands. This means that you get a beat rate of 28,800 bph and 45 hours of power reserve. While Kurono doesn’t say whether they do anything about the -15/+25 seconds per day accuracy, they do point out their watch will be the thinnest to use the NE86 movement. The watch comes on a black leather strap.

Kurono is quiet about how many pieces will be made, only that it’s a limited edition in the hundreds. Like previous Kurono watches, they will be offered in two pre-order windows. The first one opens on November 21, 11AM Japan time (+9GMT), while the other will open November 21, 11PM Japan time (+9GMT). Price is set at $3,460. See more on the Kurono website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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Hands on with the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu

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A review of the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain II Diamant

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Atelier Jalaper Miura AJ-P400-V takes inspiration from one of the most beautiful cars of all time

The tonneau-style main case body is broad and charismatically simple, featuring sharply downturned hooded lugs and a broad, continuous polished chamfer separating the vertically brushed upper case and horizontally brushed case sides. While it may not directly ape any one vintage reference, it effectively captures the feel of a variety of classic late ‘60s/early ‘70s sports watches on the wrist, with a pleasingly substantial wrist stance to match. An arcing polished undercut does help to remove some of the visual weight from the vertical case sides, but the Miura AJ-P400-V’s real sculptural work shines through in its bezel. This tall, polished elliptical design seems to drape over the main case body and creates some genuinely captivating light play, but this shape is more than just a unique visual flourish. 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

• The ghosts of regional journalism are being used to sell ads and score political points – but there are also signs of revival. The New Statesman investigates one of my absolute favore topics - the recent reemergance of small, local newsletters. Just go find one and read it, it’s so incredible.

• The psychoanalyst and author Robert Jay Lifton on what seventy years of studying both the victims and the perpetrators of horror has taught him about the human will to survive.

• In this thoughtful essay, James Somers suggests that while ChatGPT-4 has forever changed the role programmers play and the tasks they perform, it can’t alter the puzzle-solving spirit that inspires people to become coders in the first place.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

This isn’t a commercial for a watch. I mean, technically, it is. But this is also the Chasing Microns documentary that the cult-favorite indie brand Horage has commissioned on their history. Produced by Eutopia Films with 2023 Oscar Award-winning director of photography Niki Waltl. This intimate look into the challenges of independent watchmaking is must must-watch for any enthusiast.

💵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 

• NEW WATCH FOR SALE: 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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