Panerai Releases New GMT With 10 Day Power Reserve; Timex Teams Up With James Brand; Horage Updates Lensman; Toledano & Chan's Piece Unique; ArtyA Shows Trio Of Minute Repeaters

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Just when I think that Panerai is getting a bit boring with all the blue dial Luminors, they bring back the Dieci Giorni and they become interesting again. If it weren’t for the price.

In this issue:

• Panerai Releases New Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT PAM01482 That Will Run For 10 Days Straight

• Timex Teams Up With The James Brand For A Really Nice Titanium Traveler GMT

• Horage Updates The Lensman With A White Dial And An Even Better Cyclops Over The Tourbillon

• Toledano & Chan Piece Unique B/1 Made Out Of Copper Infused Carbon Fiber Heads To Auction

• ArtyA Takes A Break From Sapphire Cases For A Trio Of Incredible Minute Repeaters

Today’s reading time: 10 minutes and 54 seconds

👂What’s new

1/

Panerai Releases New Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT PAM01482 That Will Run For 10 Days Straight

For a while, especially in their absolute cultural peak in the mid 2000s, Panerai faced a very complicated issue - a lot of their watches just looked to similar. You could tell at a good distance that someone was wearing a Panerai, but you would also need a half a day of researching on forums to figure out which model it actually was because the differences were miniscule. Over the years, the brand solved this issue by introducing more models, experimenting with materials and introducing color. However, over the past two or three years, I have to say I’m seeing this trend coming back - pretty much every Luminor they release is another take on a blue dial or Luna Rossa colors.

Now that I’ve had my chance to vent about the state of modern Panerai, let’s check out their new watch, the Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT. It embraces one of Panerai’s most storied improvements throughout their history - power reserve. Way back in the 1960, Panerai already introduced a 8-day power reserve watch, something that wasn’t very common at the time (although, that movement was made by Angelus) and they make 8-day power reserve to this day. But now they’re pushing that out with another Dieci Giorni model, which means that the Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT has a 10-day power reserve. Or, to put that into perspective - 240 hours.

The Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT PAM01482 comes in the very familiar Luminor cushion-shaped case that measures 44mm wide, with an unknown thickness as of yet. Of course, you get the flip up crown guard that a Luminor has to have and the polished mark-less bezel. Water resistance is 100 meters. The dial gets the equally familiar sunray brushed blue finish and sandwich construction. There’s a smattering of red accents, once again evoking the Luna Rossa collaborations. A small seconds sits at 9 o’clock, but it also functions as a GMT 24-hour indicator, there’s a date window at 3 o’clock and a very prominent horizontal power reserve indicator above 6 o’clock. The GMT hand is black with a orange lume-filled tip, that stand as a contrast to the silver obelisk hour and minute hands.

Inside is the now very legendary P.2003 movement. Despite being caught fumbling the truth over whether some of their movements were in-house movement, they first got into making in-house calibers in 2005 by establishing a Neuchatel manufacture in Switzerland. The first such movement was the P.2002, a hand-wound movement with an eight-day power reserve and GMT. This was followed in 2007 by the P.2003, the first automatic Panerai movement made in-house. This is the same movement as in this watch. It has a free-sprung balance wheel with inertia regulation, three spring barrels, a power reserve indicator, a GMT function with 24-hour indication, date and a seconds reset device. It beats at 28,800vph and has the mentioned 240 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a dark blue alligator strap with the traditional Panerai trapezoid buckle.

Despite me not liking the watch on first glance, mostly for its similarity to other models, it’s actually a pretty impressive package. If it weren’t for the price. There’s no easy way to say this, the Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT is priced at around €15,500. Is that justifiable? See more on the Panerai website.

2/

Timex Teams Up With The James Brand For A Really Nice Titanium Traveler GMT

Yesterday, I pointed out that Timex was killing it with their recreations of fantastic 60s and 70s watches. Well, there’s one more thing they’ve gotten really good at - collaborations. They released watches with seconde/seconde/, the Keith Haring estate and, of course, Peanuts. But now they’re continuing their collaboration with the James Brand, the minimalist maker of every day carry stuff focused on minimalist design. Their latest collaboration comes in the form of a traveler’s GMT and it’s quite nice.

The case is somewhat familiar, but with a completely new look. Barrel shaped, it measures 41mm wide and it’s made completely out of titanium. Not just the case, of course, but also the bracelet. Water resistance is a very decent 200 meters. On top is a sapphire crystal, surrounded by a titanium bezel that has a black insert with 24 hour markings.

This bezel works with the internal chapter ring which also has a 24 hour scale to allow the user to track three time zones at the same time, but this time for real - none of that fiddling with the bezel and making calculations. You track one time with the hour and minute hands, you track a second with the internal bezel and the GMT hand and you track the third with the bezel that is rotated to match you third time zone and it stays there.

The dial is minimalist in its approach, fully black with trapezoid hour markers and stick minute markers. There’s a date aperture at 3 o’clock, two black hands filled with lume for the hours and minutes, a white seconds hand a bright green GMT hand. The acid green is echoed in the 12 o’clock dots on the chapter ring and bezel insert, as well as the crown, and is a reference to the James Brand as lime green has become their signature detail color.

Inside is the very familiar Miyota 9075, which allows the wearer to jump the local hour hand, meaning that it’s a “true” GMT movement. It beats at 28,800 vph, 4Hz and has a power reserve of about 42 hours. Like I said, the watch comes on a titanium bracelet and you get an additional rubber strap, both with a quick release mechanism.

Timex says this is a limited edition, but neither they nor the James Brand say to how many. Price is set at $749 and you can buy it from either Timex or the James brand.

3/

Horage Updates The Lensman With A White Dial And An Even Better Cyclops Over The Tourbillon

You would most certainly be forgiven if you’re not familiar with Horage. It really isn’t a household name in mainstream watches, but it sure is well known by watch nerds. This 20 year old watchmaker has made some very compelling watches, often powered by one of their three in-house movements. And not only is it a big thing for a brand so young to have three in-house movements, they are all pretty interesting. The inaugural K1 served as the base of Bremont’s ENG300 movement, while the other two are a tourbillon and micro-rotor, both major feats, especially at the price they were selling. In fact, Horage joined the rarified club of Swiss made tourbillons under the 10k price point. And one of their most eye-catching model has been the Lensman, a that honors the art of photography in a very compelling package. Now, they released and updated, the Lensman 1.2 flying tourbillon, with an all white dial and slight tweaks.

The case of the Lensman 1.2 is made out of grade T5 titanium, an alloy of 90% titanium, 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium, and measures 41mm wide with a quite hefty 49mm lug-to-lug. The case has a combination of satin and polished finishes and there are references to cameras all over the place. The body is laser etched with the markings of an f/0.95 aperture ring, while the fixed bezel on top has a fluted texture that resembles a lens‘ focus ring. The bezel surrounds a domed sapphire crystal with multi-layer internal anti-reflective coatings and the crystal has a very unique round cyclops magnifying lens over flying tourbillon aperture at 6 o’clock. And it’s this cyclops that has been heavily updated to create an even bigger magnification effect on the 1.2 Water resistance is 100 meters.

Like I said, the 1.2 version comes with an all white dial, another - but slightly obscure - reference to cameras. Many high end camera manufacturers give their limited edition offerings an all white paintjob. The white dial has a tiny minute ring on the outside, with a red 60 numeral, followed by an elevated, ridged ring that holds the applied hour markers. These are filled with lume and give off a faint green color even in daylight. The hour and minute hands are partially openworked with the same lume. At 6 o’clock is the tourbillon cage whose top bridge holds a blued screw that doubles as a second indicator.

Inside the watch is the in-house K-TOU hand-wound flying tourbillon movement. It beats at 3.5 Hz (25,200vph) and has a 5 day power reserve. The movement has an accuracy rating of -4/+6 seconds per day and it’s a really beautiful thing to look at through the caseback. The watch comes on a white rubber woven textured strap fitted to Horage's proprietary deployant buckle.

The new Horage Lensman 1.2 is available for purchase now. Horage says this round has limited stock available and additional stock will be made available in August. If you buy the watch before Tue 28th May 2024, you can get it at a 500 CHF discount, meaning it will set you back CHF 9,490. After Tuesday it goes up to CHF 9,990. See more on the Horage website.

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Toledano & Chan Piece Unique B/1 Made Out Of Copper Infused Carbon Fiber Heads To Auction

Two weeks ago Phil Toledano, artist and watch collector, and watch designer Alfred Chan released the first watch from their new watch brand Toledano & Chan called the B/1. The release was a huge success and they sold out all 175 pieces priced at $4,000 within the first day. As such a young brand one would have expected them to focus on delivering the watches first before doing anything else. And yet, here we are, with their second release. Technically, it’s still the B/1, but this one is radically different and a piece unique that’s heading to Sotheby’s Important Watches auction in New York.

The original B/1 is already a striking watch. Inspired by the Marcel Breuer-designed Whitney museum building in New York, the angled stainless steel case measures 33.5mm wide and is between 10.4 and 9.1mm thick. The stainless steel is cut sharply and deeply brushed to give it an amazing texture. But the piece unique ditches the stainless steel for a very attractive copper-infused carbon fiber that looks almost like marble. Another major change is that this watch is even smaller than the steel version, measuring just 31mm across.

The dial gets the exact same treatment as the case and the bracelet, meaning that it’s made out of the same copper-infused carbon fiber, instead of the blue lapis lazuli stone of the original. But like the original, there are no markings on the dial, not even the brand logo. The hands are dauphine shaped and just as sharp as the case, with an interestingly cut off end on the hour hand, giving it a knife-like look.

Inside is the not-so-special Sellita SW100 automatic movement. It’s an off-the-shelf movement, very compact to fit in the small case, but the relatively generic movement allows for a lower price. It beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve.

The one-of-a-kind Toledano & Chan B/1 will go to auction on June 5 and the price estimate is between $6,000 and $12,000. See more on the Sotheby’s website.

 5/

ArtyA Takes A Break From Sapphire Cases For A Trio Of Incredible Minute Repeaters

Over the past year or so, I’ve written about ArtyA many, many times. And most of those were watches set in incredible cases completely made out of sapphire crystal - an incredibly laborious and complex manufacturing process - some of which are so advanced they change color depending on the surrounding temperature. But every now and again, they take on a different challenge. And one of the challenges they love to take on is the minute repeater. They made some great ones and they just unveiled three new pieces equipped with a tourbillon minute repeater movement.

First up is the ArtyA Chorus Minute Repeater, a direct descendant of the 3-gong minute repeater, regulator, and double-axis tourbillon – the most complex piece ever developed by ArtyA. It inherits its predecessor’s characteristic case, yet is modernized and reduced in size. This means it measures 44.20 mm x 42.30 mm and 16.14 mm thick. The case has sapphire crystal on all sides and it was inspired by habitats designed for living on the ocean floor. The dial has a burshed silver base with a skeletonized chapter ring that hovers above it. The watch is priced at €377,000.

Then there are the ArtyA Skeleton Minute Repeater that come in two versions - ‘Lion’s Head’ and ‘Death is Calling’. This round version of the minute repeater comes in a sandblasted titanium case in gray or black that measures 42mm wide. There are sapphire crystals on top and bottom, with gold details on the crown and the repeater mechanism switch. The watches get a fully openworked dial, one with yello gold hands and yellow godl bridges, and the other with pink gold hands and black bridges. The price on this one is the same at €377,000.

All three watches are powered by the same movement that features hours minutes, minute repeater, seconds and a flying tourbillon. The tourbillon makes a turn every minute and the chime makes the traditional ‘Saint Pierre’ gongs. See more on the ArtyA website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

A review of the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44

2/

Trying Not To Get Confused Or Frustrated By The Platinum Cartier Santos-Dumont Rewind

3/

A review of the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The J&Berg B2 — A Genre-Busting Titanium Sports Watch

“Being from the subarctic myself, I see a common thread where the reliance on homage-filled retro designs is disappearing in favor of strong brand identities. This is at the core of why micro and small brands mean so much to many fans while being a bit polarizing. But being unafraid of divisive opinions is exactly why “bold and small” is so appealing and why I respect J&Berg’s outlook. With the B2, 38.5mm is a great size choice. First impressions are good with the lightness of the titanium case and comfortable canvas (nylon-based?) strap with a soft leather lining. The gray-green color is standard for all three models, and it’s a slim, soft-fitting strap with a logoed titanium pin buckle. So far, so good.”

Read the whole review on Fratello

⏲️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

• I hear people seriously arguing that we are on the verge of what they call AI taking the place of doctors. Some, entreatingly, believe that a glorified machine learning algorithm can take into account every single variable of a patient, including those that are not visible from their test results, and prescribe a medication. Larry Ellison of Oracle fame and fortune believes the same thing. So he bought Cerner, the medical-records company, in 2021 for $28.3 billion with the idea of using “generative AI to comb through a patient's medical records, along with those of millions of other patients” and help doctors make decisions. This is a slightly more rational approach than replacing doctors, but it turned out to be a deadly gamble. Turns out, a lot of patients are dying. Who would have guessed it.

• Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. Her bosses halted her work. As the EPA now forces the removal of the chemicals from drinking water, she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.

• Fascinated by and somewhat jealous of the tradwife movement, Amy McCarthy attempts a weekend experiment: to live life in full tradwife mode for 48 hours, with a scrupulously clean house and food made from scratch.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Remember when I introduced you to the Rocketpoweredmohawk, the incredibly entertaining guy that loses his mind over F1 races? I’ve heard from a couple of you that he has entered your regular YouTube rotation, and we were very early on in his popularity. Well, I found a new guy. The disgustingly named Flesh Simulator already has a decent following, but I’m predicting huge things for him. But be warned, he is not for the feint of heart. He could best be described as a human Anarchist Cookbook. All of his videos, and this cooking video is his most tame one, have an aura of them being highly illegal, all the while causing great discomfort in the viewer. It’s incredible stuff.

💵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 Ōtsuka 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