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- Seiko Releases Brand New Trio Of Prospex Divers With Funky Octagonal Bezel; Spinnaker Welcomes More Phantoms; Mr Jones' Spooky Watch; Two New Angelus Chronos; The Sportiest Czapek Chrono To Date
Seiko Releases Brand New Trio Of Prospex Divers With Funky Octagonal Bezel; Spinnaker Welcomes More Phantoms; Mr Jones' Spooky Watch; Two New Angelus Chronos; The Sportiest Czapek Chrono To Date
Halloween is just around the corner, and we get scary watches
Vuk Radic
October 22, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 19 minutes
Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. The new Seikos will for sure be controversial. Just remember, everybody complains when Seiko puts out the same watch over and over again. We’re getting something new, and that’s good whether you think this looks like the Cubitus or an Aquaracer.
Oh, and if you could do me a favor, read the short call for help right below. It would really mean a lot.
I need your help…
We’re at a crossroads and I need your help to decide what to do. I really want to keep this newsletter ad-free with the generous support of you, the readers. However…
I have some great news and some not so great news. The great news is that this newsletter is growing so fast and so large that I couldn’t have imagined this in my wildest dreams. The bad news is that these large numbers mean more cost for the email service I’m using. While email is free, sending thousands of them per day gets very expensive very fast. We’re looking at $2,000+ per year this year and more in the coming years.
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In this issue:
Seiko Releases Brand New Trio Of Prospex Divers With An Octagonal Bezel And Classy Colors
Spinnaker Teams Up With seconde/seconde/ Again For Another Phantom-Themed Fleuss 40 Automatic
Mr Jones Introduces New Regular Production Watch, The Spooky-themed Night Howl
Angelus Is Back With New Grey Or Blue Dials For The Instrument de Vitesse Indianapolis and Silverstone
Czapek Makes Their Sportiest Watch Yet, The Faubourg de Cracovie Crossroads Chronograph
Today’s reading time: 9 minutes and 9 seconds
👂What’s new
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Seiko is all about expanding their model lines. That is, they rarely introduce brand new models, it’s mostly about new materials and new colors, with a few recreations of vintage models thrown in for good measure. So, technically what we have today is just an expansion of the ever popular Prospex Diver’s collection. But in actuality, it’s a brand new trio of watches with a pretty radical case design, even wilder bezel and a look that is way less vintage and far more modern, in line with what brands like Formex are doing currently. These are the Seiko Prospex Diver’s SPB481, SPB483 and SPB485.
So, the new case is decidedly modern. It measures 41.3mm wide and 12.8mm thick, with very pronounced curves and a very prominent crown guard on the right. Despite being a dive tool watch, the case looks to be mostly polished — a very bold move you see only on a few dive watches — with a couple of brushed details. But the main attraction is surely the new bezel on top. It’s a rounded octagon that looks like it belongs on a much more adventurous brand than Seiko. Inside the bezel is a glossy metallic inserts with a graduated diving scale and a luminous pip. I would love to see what happens when you rotate the bezel and its irregular edges start protruding out of the case. Could be cool. Or, it could be a disaster. Water resistance is 300 meters, not something that you get with every Seiko these days.
There are three colorways to choose from. The SPB481 gets a glossy black bezel insert and a champagne dial, the SPB483 gets a glossy blue bezel insert and a blue dial, while the SPB485, also my favorite, gets a copper colored bezel and a brown dial. That one really is a looker. Other than the colors and the hands (silver on the SPB481 and SPB483 and copper colored on the SPB485), the dials are all the same — they have engraved horizontal lines that dip from time to time, mimicking waves, applied markers with LumiBrite inserts and a date window at, you guessed it, the miserable 4:30 position. The good thing about the date window is that it’s relatively small and circular, the bad thing is that the date discs are matched on the SPB483 and SPB485, but inexplicably left white on the SPB481.
Inside the watches is the one thing that Seiko really needs to work on, their in-house movement. This one is the 6R55, which beats at 21,600bph and has a very decent power reserve of 72 hours. Where it lacks a bit is accuracy. And while most Seiko watches are delivered with accuracy that far exceeds the rating, this one is rated at -15 to +25 seconds per day. The watches come on a stainless steel three-link bracelet, with polished centre links, and a security folding clasp with a diving extensions.
The new Seiko Prospex Diver’s SPB481, SPB483 and SPB485 will be available from December 1st and are priced at €1,200. While we all love sub-1,000 Seikos, given their recent excursions closer to mid-four digits, I’ll go ahead and say this isn’t such an egregious price. See more on the Seiko website.
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Last Halloween season gave us one of the best watch releases and certainly the best collaboration we’ve seen last year. And it was actually a big surprise, considering the two parties that were collaborating. On one side was Spinnaker, a brand that made interesting watches that built a cult following with their homage watches and were just expanding into more creative territory. On the other hand was seconde/seconde/, the infamous Parisian watch modifier that would sell his soul for a good pun or wordplay. The issue with seconde/seconde/ was that he was taking on way too many projects, with sometimes new ones announced week after week and his puns became weaker and weaker, verging on tacky. However… the collaboration between the two was pure genius. Titled Fleuss 40 Automatic 50 Phantoms, featuring 50 tiny phantoms on the dial as a party of the 50 Fathoms was just spectacular. It sold out instantly, came back a few weeks later and sold out again. It was an instant cult hit. Well, this Halloween season the two are back with two watches, the Fleuss 40 Automatic Seconde/Seconde/ Phantom Classic and Phantom No App.
Both watches are based on the same core, a 40mm stainless steel case, fully round with straight lugs that curve at the end. On the right side is a polished onion-shaped crown and on top are bezels that mimic the bakelite bezels of old (like on the 50 Fathoms), with a curved sapphire insert that play with the light just right. Water resistance is 150 meters, which is just fine for a watch like this.
The first of the two watches is the Phantom Classic, which once again brings the 50 lumed ghost caricatures to the dial which is black and heavily grained. The bezel is purple in color with bright orange accents, and orange can be found on the hands, as well as the indices. The text on the dial for the water resistance has been changed to 2m/6ft, a reference to being 6ft under. It, along with the No App model, also has one of the coolest features I’ve ever seen — a completely hidden date function that’s only revealed when you shine on it with a UV torch you get in the package.
The No App version is even cooler in its references. With the watch being a parody of the 50 Fathoms, the No App references the No Rad versions of the 50 Fathoms. While No Rad stood for No Radiation, indicating that the watch was not painted with radioactive material, the No App stands for No Apparitions. Appropriately, all the ghosts have been moved from the dial to the bezel, where they stand in for 50 minute graduations for the 60 minute scale.
Inside is the Miyota 9039 movement, the Japanese alternative to the ubiquitous Sellita SW200 and the ETA 2824 and it beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve, four more than the Sellita and ETA. The watches come with both purple leather and purple rubber straps, closed with buckles that have a “Boo!” engraving.
And Spinnaker is fixing the major flaw of the previous version — while this is a special edition, it’s not limited. I assume it will be offered only for a limited time during the Halloween season, but if you try to get one on October 25th when they go on sale, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting one. And getting one should be a no brainer, considering the price — $445 per model. So, you get a really fun watch, a leather and rubber strap, a UV torch and a glow in the dark 50 Phantoms baseball cap. I would call that a good deal. See more on the Spinnaker website.
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Speaking of Halloween themed watches, let’s all welcome a new Mr Jones watch. While we all known them for their laissez-faire creations like the Perfectly Useless Afternoon, the quirky British brand has dabbled in some darker themes before, like The Accurate and The Last Laugh - being inspired by the tradition of Memento Mori - a Latin phrase which literally translates to ‘remember death’. Now, in time for Halloween, they are releasing the Nigh Howl, which will set you off on a ghost chase in the dark forrest.
You already know the case. It’s that instantly recognisable Mr Jones case with a round body and spindly lugs. It measures 37mm wide with a 46mm lug to lug and has a 50 meter water resistance. Inside is a single jewel quartz movement. The watch is mounted on a 18mm wide strap, in this case a brown nubuck suede strap.
But like any Mr Jones watch, it’s all exclusively about the dial. Designed by French author and illustrator, Xavier Broche, the Night Howl features a forrest landcape with a lonesome woodland cottage. And the occupant must have heard a bump in the night because he’s outside with a flashlight in his hand, searching for the ghost that circles the dial. Of course, it’s the beam of the flashlight and the ghost that tell the time — the beam of the flashlight points to the current minutes, while the ghost points to the hours. Every now and again, the beam will shine on the ghost, which is just incredibly cool.
A lot of Mr Jones watches are limited editions. However, this one isn’t, which is great news. The Mr Jones Night Howl goes on sale Wednesday, the 23rd October, at 4PM BST and is priced at $275 / €275, a great price like always. See more on the Mr Jones website.
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It might not be a household name today, but Angelus has been making watches since 1891 and were particularly known for their chronographs. The company went way for a while and came back in 2015. Anglus today makes contemporary, well-made sports watches but from time to time they dip back into their rich history for inspiration. Earlier this year, they launched their Instrument de Vitesse monopusher chronograph, what might be the coolest chrono on the market. Now, they’re expanding the collection with two new colroways, Silverstone Grey and Indianapolis Blue.
In photos, the watch looks rather large, but cuts a very slim profile. Not only is it not wide at 39mm wide, it’s also incredibly thin — just 9.27mm, which is pretty incredible for a chronograph. On top is a box style sapphire crystal that gives it a very vintage look, while the case gets satin and polished finishes. everything about this watch is elegant, including the fact that it’s a monopusher chrono with the pusher integrated into the tip of the crown.
More elegance can be found on the dial, as there are no sub-dials to keep track of elapsed time. Instead, all you get is a single central chrohograph hand, with a extremely prominent base 1,000 tachymeter scale printed on the periphery and graduated from 60 to 500 km/h. Both dials are domed, grained and have applied Arabic numerals framed in gold and filled with lume that glows blue. They both have syringe-shaped hour and minute hands filled with green-glowing lume. The grey version gets a white tachymetre scale with blue details, while the blue dial gets a white scale with gold accents.
Inside the watch is the manual-winding A5000 monopusher calibre produced by La Joux-Perret. It’s a legendary movement that has a column wheel and horizontal clutch. It beats at 3Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. The watches come on color matching nubuck calfskin straps.
The new Angelus Instrument de Vitesse Indianapolis and Silverstone are limited to just 25 pieces each and priced at CHF 17,200, including tax. See more on the Angelus website.
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The Faubourg de Cracovie is already the sportiest watch in the Czapek lineup, what with it being a chronograph. It’s been around now for six or seven years, and is now getting an even sportier version with the Crossroads variants, one in blue and the other in grey. It gets a new and more dynamic guilloché pattern, as well as a race-ready tachymeter scale.
On the outside , things actually have remained the same. It’s still a 41.5mm wide stainless steel case with brushed and polished finishes. On the right side the pushes match up with the crown guards perfectly and make a very elegant take on a sports watch. The elegance is accented by the recesses on the case flanks and you get a meh water resistance of 50 meters.
More sportiness can be found on the dial. Both dials, regardless if they’re deep blue or grey, have a black band on the periphery that holds a tachymeter scale, followed by a silver-coloured seconds/minutes track. The dials are made out of what Czapek calls Secret Alloy 401, an alloy made of gold, platinum, palladium and silver that is highly polished and then engraved with a Crossroads guilloché pattern. The dial gets applied indices, double at noon, while the hands have oversized arrows willed with Super-LumiNova. The central chronograph seconds hand has a beautifully curved red tip. The two chronograph counters at 3 and 9 o’clock are snailed with lacquered hands, while the small seconds at 6 o’clock has a date window.
Inside the watch is the automatic calibre SHX3, made by Vaucher Manufacture. It has anthracite sandblasted and diamond-polished bridges contrasting with a pink gold openworked rotor. The movement beats at 5Hz, allowing for timekeeping down to 1/10th of a second, with a 65 hour power reserve and COSC Certification. The watches can be had on either an alligator or Alcantara strap.
The Czapek Faubourg de Cracovie Crossroads can be ordered now, with the blue unlimited and silver limited to 50 pieces, and deliveries are expected in May 2025. Price is set at CHF 36,000, without tax. See more on the Czapek website.
🫳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 40mm diameter is actually quite a nice change from most microbrand field watches that tend to hover around 38mm, so it fills out the wrist a bit more. That said, the lug-to-lug distance of 47mm is still going to fit most wrists on the smaller side, too. The total thickness is only 10.5mm including the flat sapphire, which is nice and svelte for an automatic watch with solid water resistance. The crown is unguarded for a vintage look, easy to grip, and signed with Second Hour’s floral logo.
⏲️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
Al Pacino has been one of the world’s greatest, most influential actors for more than 50 years. He’s audacious. He’s outrageous. He’s Al Pacino, and you know what that entails.
A portrait of the reclusive leader of Bet365, the UK gambling empire that allows Brits to wager online on just about everything, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With a family fortune estimated at 7.5 billion pounds, Denise Coates is such a larger-than-life legend in the British gambling industry that people refer to her simply as Denise. “It’s an indicator of her almost mythical status,” Alun Bowden, a gambling consultant at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, tells Rob Davies. “Nobody tries to copy her, because there is no point. You can’t. She’s unique.”
Glenn Horowitz built a fortune selling the archives of writers such as Vladimir Nabokov and Alice Walker. Then a rock star pressed charges. Now, the controversial rare-book dealer is trying to rewrite his own ending.
👀Watch this
One video you have to watch today
It’s another Watches of Espionage video, which you know I love. But this one is particularly cool as it tackles the one myth about Rolex that a CIA agent is best positioned to answer.
💵Pre-loved precision
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