Panerai’s Submersible GMT Titanio Will Take You On An Adventure; Jacques Bianchi Recreates The 90s; Cedric Bellon And Ace Team Up Again; Micromilspec's Customizable Watch; Two New GP Laureato 38's

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Looking at all the watches I have today, it seems that they will all be divisive in some way. Maybe the raw titanium CB01 will be the most inoffensive? In case you missed it, I published a review of the very cool Gagà Laboratorio yesterday, so check that out.

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In this issue:

• Panerai’s New Submersible GMT Titanio Mike Horn Experience Will Take You On An Expedition To Buthan

• Jacques Bianchi Releases The JB300, A Modern Take On A 1990s Millitary-Issued Diver

• Cedric Bellon And Ace Jewelers Team Again For A Monochrome CB01 Small Seconds in Natural Titanium

• Micromilspec Launches The Monogram, A Watch You Can Make Truly Yours

• Girard-Perregaux Brings Sage Green And Midnight Blue Dials To The 38mm Laureato

👂What’s new

1/

Panerai’s New Submersible GMT Titanio Mike Horn Experience Will Take You On An Expedition To Buthan

It’s very easy to criticize Panerai for their lack of honesty and transparency when it comes to their movements, their genuinely outrageous pricing, removal of features, introduction of models that have bizarrely low water resistance and walking suspiciously close to the wrong side of the stolen valor line with their Navy SEAL line. But there’s one thing that they are likely the best in the watch world at — creating experiences. A lot of the Panerai ethos relies on a good story and they will sell you one that you can live for yourself. Previously, you could have bought a watch that would enroll you into a Navy-style bootcamp lead by a former SEAL, while the Annual Calendar watch came with a curated trip to Italy. These watches are extremely expensive, highly limited, but the people who get to go on the experience say these are some of the best events money can buy. Their latest experience watch comes in the form of the Panerai Submersible GMT Titanio Mike Horn Experience Edition PAM01670 and as the name suggest, legendary explorer Mike Horn best known for his polar explorations and planet circumnavigations will take you on an epic trip.

Everything about this watch seems to be epic, starting with its size. It comes in a 47mm wide case made out of titanium. But not just any titanium. It’s made using Direct Metal Laser Sintering tech, which is essentially 3D printing for metals. On top is a unidirectional diving bezel produced in Carbotech with numerals at the quarter hour positions. Water resistance is what you would expect from a real Panerai… deep. 500 meters.

The dial is openworked, with central hour, minute and 12-hour GMT hands. At 9 o’clock is a small seconds hand that holds a day-night indicator. That and the GMT hand have orange-tipped triangle hands that are designed to represent the colours of Bhutan’s flag. Which kind of gives away where the adventure is. At 3 o’clock is the date aperture, but even the date has some techy trickery going on here. The date disk is made from a special transparent material that makes both the disk and numerals totally invisible except through the polarized aperture at 3 o’clock, which is a great move to not have the entire date disc visible through the openworked dial. On the periphery of the dial is a light blue flange that holds circular and pill-shaped hour makers that are black and filled with white colored lume.

Inside is the P.4001/S movement. Automatically wound, it has two barrels which give it a 3-day power reserve. Out back you will find a power reserve indicator, as well as the tungsten micro-rotor. The watch comes with a black rubber and fabric strap, as well as an orange rubber strap, both with titanium pin closures.

The new Submersible GMT Titanio Mike Horn Experience Edition PAM01670 is limited to just 30 pieces and buyers will be invited to join Mike Horn on an expedition to Bhutan. According to Panerai, “the journey will challenge both mental and physical boundaries to freely unfold guests’ personalities as modern heroes, while performing adrenaline pumping activities supported by their survival instruments. From preparatory trainings before trekking to witnessing its unique landscapes, cultural heritage and remote beauty, nestled in the Himalayas, participants will engage in hiking sessions as well as activities offering a sensorial deep dive into Bhutan’s history, culture and natural splendour and showcasing the country’s mystical blend of ancient and modern traditions.” That’s a lot of stuff you get for the genuinely high price, and I wonder who the buyers are. Like I said, it’s easy to make fun of this watch, but all the tech crammed into it, combined with a genuinely interesting expedition, makes me kind of love it. It’s yours for $88,400. See more on the Panerai website.

2/

Jacques Bianchi Releases The JB300, A Modern Take On A 1990s Millitary-Issued Diver

Jacques Bianchi might not be a household name today, but people have been slowly falling in love with them. The company was started in Marseille back in the 1980s and launched with their JB200, which was a quartz dive watch at one time issued to combat divers of the French Navy. The brand struggled and went under, only to be revived recently. In 2021 the brand launched a Kickstarter campaign for the reissue JB200, a classic looking diver that raised almost €800,000. Since then they have put out a couple of really cool watches, but their latest one just might be the coolest. While not a direct copy, it’s a recreation of a watch with which Jacques Bianchi won the tender over several other brands to supply the French Army’s dive school CEPAT (Centre École de Plongée de l’Armée de Terre) with watches. That was the JB300 and now Jacques Bianchi is bringing it back.

The new version of the JB300 comes in a very rugged steel case that measures 42mm wide and 12.7mm thick. And before you say that 42mm is way too large, consider the fact that it only has a 45mm lug-to-lug, making it a super interesting package with those stubby lugs. The case is fully brushed with very prominent chamfers on the edges. On top is a broad bezel with chunky teeth and a 60-click unidirectional mechanism. The insert is matte black aluminum, which will surely age fantastically. Water resistance is the same as on the original, 300 meters.

The dial also takes a lot of inspiration from the original. A matte black base gets maxi-style painted hour markers — circles, bars and triangles — all with a slightly beige color of lumed paint. Towards the inside of the dial you’ll find a ring of red 13–24-hour markings and at 3 o’clock is a date aperture with a white date wheel.

While the original JB300 had the ETA 2824 inside, the new one has a modern clone of it, the Soprod P024. It beats at 4Hz and has a 40 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a Tropic-style rubber strap, with an additional Perlon strap. Or, you can pay extra for a Jubilee-style metal bracelet.

The new Jacques Bianchi JB300 is a limited edition, jut not limited in number. They’re doing that much preferred timed sale. The watches went on sale on November 20th and the order window closes in 15 days from then, meaning December 5th. It’s also pretty well priced at €741. Ok, to be fair, that’s the price without tax, but still… I like it. See more on the Jacques Bianchi website.

3/

Cedric Bellon And Ace Jewelers Team Again For A Monochrome CB01 Small Seconds in Natural Titanium

While certainly an industry legend, having worked with brands like TAG Heuer, Bell & Ross, and Longines, Cedric Bellon and his eponymous brand are still kind of an insider thing. A kind of “if you know, you know” situation. Which should be changed as soon as possible — more people need to be clued in to his work. Not just for his great designs, but also for his incredible efforts in sustainable watchmaking. While easy to brush away, sustainability in watches is an important effort that requires a lot of ingenuity to figure out completely. Now, Bellon is teaming up legendary Ace Jewelers from Amsterdam, founded in 1975 by David Ben Joseph and is now run by his two sons, Alon and Amir. Over the past few years, Alon Ben Joseph has become one of the best non-watch designer collaborator in watches, creating some pretty incredible designs. The collaboration between the two is now re-imagining Bellon’s legendary CB01 Small Seconds line, but now with an Amsterdam flare and in 100% recycled titanium.

So, let’s talk about that recycled titanium. It’s used to make the case which measures 40mm wide, 11.7mm thick and with a decent 47mm lug-to-lug. And this is not just any recycled titanium. It’s crafted from 100% repurposed grade 5 titanium, sourced from factory leftovers, which contributes to a sustainability score of 84.44% — twice that of a comparable watch. Leaning into the titanium theme, Bellon and Ben Joseph are keeping everything a monochrome grey, with a sandblasted finish on the bezel and case, with polished bevels. Water resistance is 200 meters.

There’s more titanium on the dial, making the watch even more monochromatic. Made out of the same natural and untreated titanium as the case, it’s a stark departure from the otherwise color PVD-coated dials on the CB01. The dial is made out of two layers of the raw titanium, with the top one getting a vertical brushing and cutouts for the hour markers which show off the unbrushed titanium underneath which has been treated with SuperLuminova. The same lume can be found on the hands. At 12 o’clock you’ll find the CB01 characteristic small seconds sub-dial, while at 6 you’ll find the CB logo standing for Cedric Bellon and the iconic “xxx” sign that has been the Amsterdam city seal for centuries.

Inside, you’ll find a Swiss-made Dubois Dépraz DD10460. It wouldn’t be a fully sustainable watch if the movement wasn’t also contributing to reducing the watch's environmental impact. The DD10460 have been sourced unused stock rather than newly manufactured. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a 44 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a hand-made sustainable Alcantara strap with a pin buckle made of the same repurposed titanium as the rest of the case.

The Ace Jewelers x Cedric Bellon CB01 Ti "Amsterdam Edition" is a limited edition of 20 pieces and it’s available now at a price of €2,450 with tax included. See more on the Ace Jewelers website.

4/

Micromilspec Launches The Monogram, A Watch You Can Make Truly Yours

For years, the Norwegian microbrand Micromilspec wasn’t in the public eye. Mostly because they made special watches for military regiments, each with their own special features and looks. Earlier in the year, after 40 successful military and first responder partnerships, Micromilspec launched the pretty cool Milgraph GMT Chronograph, their first civilian watch. Well, having learned a lot from their military collaborations, Micromilspec believes that just like military units like to customize their watches, so do civilians. That’s why their new watch, the Micromilspec Monogram, allows everybody to create their special edition watch of their own.

The new Monogram scales down the hard-core military influence of the Milgraph and takes on a more modern integrated bracelet sports watch look. Made out of stainless steel, it measures 42mm wide and 12mm thick. It features very short lugs, so I assume that the lug-to-lug is pretty decent. Water resistance is 200 meters and thanks to a stepped construction it looks to fit wrists quite well.

But more important than the case is the dial. It features a diamond motif throughout and comes in either white or black (which looks a bit more anthracite, I would say). The skeletonized hands are black or white, matching the dial color, and feature filled lume at the top. The 12 o’clock marker is the Micromilspec logo, at 12 o’clock is a plate for the model name — Monogram — and at 6 o’clock is the feature that makes it the Monogram, a small medallion that can be customized to order. And they’ll engrave it with whatever fits on it, whether they are initials or a logotype. A simple solution to what is usually difficult to pull off.

Inside is the very well known Sellita SW200 automatic movement which is easily servicable anywhere in the world. It beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a whole slew of straps — NATO, leather, white or black rubber or a steel bracelet.

The Micromilspec Monogram is available now, made to order and available only until December 31st. Price is set at €1,500 on the NATO strap and go up to €1,595 on the steel bracelet. That seems like a good price for a custom watch. See more on the Micromilspec website.

 5/

Girard-Perregaux Brings Sage Green And Midnight Blue Dials To The 38mm Laureato

While we might not get detailed numbers from Girard-Perregaux, the 38mm Laureato should be their best selling model. It’s the midsize version of their integrated bracelet model, one that should be all the rage right now. However, it’s also likely the smallest of the Laureato collection, with only two available dials and a diamond studded bezel. Well, thankfully, GP is now expanding the collection with two new very cool dials.

But first, the case. They share the same case made out of stainless steel and measures 38mm wide and 10mm thick. On top of the dial is a flat sapphire bezel, surrounded by an octagonal integrated bezel, while the finishing is a combination of brushed surfaces and polished ones. Water resistance is set at 100 meters.

In essence, these two watches also have the same dial setup, with a Clous de Paris pattern on it. At 12 is the GP monogram, at 3 is a date aperture with a color matched date disc, as well as applied pointed baton indices and pointed paddle hands. What’s different are the colors, of course. The Midnight Blue variant gets a sunburst finish paired with silver details on the GP monogram and central seconds hand. On the other hand, the Sage Green is paired with the same details in gold for a great contrast.

Inside is the same movement you could also find in the older 38mm Laureatos. It’s the in-house automatic caliber GP03300 that beats at 28,800vph and has a 46 hour power reserve. Of course, it’s a pretty movement, with striping, perlage, and blued screws, along with an 18k pink-gold rotor. The watch comes on the very familiar steel integrated bracelet with polished center links.

The Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm duo is available now and part of the regular collection. Price for each watch is $14,900. See more on the Girard-Perregaux website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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A review of the TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Las Vegas

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Hands-On with the All-New Serica 1174 Parade

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A review of the Dennison ALD Collection

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Hz Watches HZ.02 Chronograph worships quartz with staggering value for money

A great dial is all about balance, and that’s something that many chronographs lack. Knowing when enough detail is enough can be tough, but the HZ.02 is particularly pared back. After all, when was the last time you saw a chronograph without a tachymeter? Ignoring all unnecessary elements allows for a much cleaner look that lets the design itself shine through. The element that catches the eye most has to be the diamond embossing of the dial’s background, which is subtle enough to add texture without distraction. It also helps the contrasting subdials to pop and lets the dial breathe, which is a rare thing for a 37mm watch.

Read the whole review on Time+Tide

⏲️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

• Just in time for Thanksgiving, Slate pulled together the 25 “most important” recipes of the past century. That’s not the thing you need to read. No, what you need to read is Dan Kois going full Slate and cooking his way through all 25 at home over the course of a month. It’s exhausting. And relatable. And very funny.

• Yesterday, a car did an illegal U-turn on my street, got T-boned and crashed into a store window where I usually stand with my daughter waiting for the light on the crosswalk to change. Nobody got hurt, but it makes you think. The same evening, I read a pretty horrific profile of Ryan Nickerson who did nothing illegal and he still hit 10-year-old Kennadē Patterson as she darted across a dark highway. Kennadē did not survive. How do you live with that?

• In San Francisco, LA, Phoenix, and Wuhan, China, you can call a robotaxi to get to your brunch reservation; Waymo’s fleet of Jaguars is all over the City By the Bay. Are they safe? Are people using them? How do they drive? What’s it like to take one? To find answers and give those of us who don’t live in a tech hub a sneak peak into our not-so-distant futures, WIRED staff spent a day crammed into a taxi tracking their robo-prey.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

I’ve had a sneaking suspicion ever since they announced it that the new hybrid Porsche 911 GTS might be the best 911 ever made. Now we get to hear whether it is from the king himself, Chris Harris.

💵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 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

-Vuk