Seiko Adds Fantastic Dialed Diver And Solar To Prospex Line, Porsche Design Brings Back Cool Military Issued Chrono, GP Updates Ground Breaking Movement, New Watches From Hanhart And HYT

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In this issue:

• Seiko Adds A Diver With A Fantastic Dial And A Solar Chrono To Their Prospex Line

• The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility Brings Back The Old Military Issued PD Watches

• Ten Years After The Ground-Breaking Original. Girrard-Perregaux Revises The Neo Constant Escapement

• Hanhart Is Back With A New Primus Ply Navy With Flexible Lugs And Pilot’s Watch Heritage

• HYT Unveils The Hastorid Red Silver, The Latest Continuation Of Their Fluid Time Display Watches

Today’s reading time: 9 minutes and 3 seconds

👂What’s new

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Seiko Adds A Diver With A Fantastic Dial And A Solar Chrono To Their Prospex Line

The way things are going, Seiko just might double their entire watch lineup by the end of this year. Just in the past month there was a new trio of 5 Sports GMTs, a new Landmaster, a Navigator Timer, three new 62MAS inspired cold-water sport inspired divers and the Silfra Editions. It’s an absolute barrage of new watches and over the course of the calendar year there must have been more than 50 new models. At times I’m tired of it. At times, I’m here for it. Like for today’s double release - a new Seiko Prospex Crystal Trophy Speedtimer Solar Chronograph which I feel a bit indifferent about and a new Seiko Prospex ‘Arctic Ocean’ Save the Ocean GMT which is just fantastic.

The Prospex Arctic Ocean Save the Ocean GMT has a 42mm diameter stainless steel case with a unidirectional rotating bezel with dive timer. However, since it’s a GMT, the watch would benefit from a 24 hour scale, and Seiko placed this on the flange, very discreet but I like it. You get 200 meters of water resistance, like most other Seiko divers.

While Grand Seiko continues to be praised for their incredible dials, but do not underestimate Seiko, as some of their pieces truly have brilliant dials. Just look at the Seiko Presage Cocktail Time watches. Or, this new Save the Ocean GMT Diver. There’s a fantastic texture to it with vertical striations. And since Seiko is all about drawing inspiration from nature, they claim the stations resemble a river of ice flowing down a mountain valley, while the stark white color represents the colour of ice when bright sunlight shines through it. It looks fantastic.

Inside the watch is the 6R54, so a pretty decent spec movement as far as mass produced Seiko movements goes. You get a 72 hour power reserve and an accuracy of -15/+25 seconds per day.

The Seiko Prospex ‘Arctic Ocean’ Save the Ocean GMT is limited to 1,500 pieces and is priced at €1,800. A chunk of change, but part of the proceeds support global conservation initiatives via Seiko’s Save the Ocean program. See more on the Seiko website.

Next up is the latest generation of their Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph, called the ‘Crystal Trophy’, a successor to the Speedtimer 1969 Re-creation in terms of style and function.

It comes in a 41.4mm wide case with a sporty case shape, a black tachymeter and wide lugs. It’s essentially a larger version of the 1969 Re-creations which measured 39mm wide. But the main attraction is the light blue dial with a sunray brushed finish. Three subdials are painted black and have the running seconds, 60 minute timer and 24 hour timer. The watch has a date window at the most unfortunate position of 4.30.

Inside the watch is the Seiko calibre V192, a quartz movement powered by sources of light. The movement gets 6 months of run time on a charge and has an accuracy of +/- 15 seconds per month.

The Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph ‘Crystal Trophy’ is not a limited edition and can be bought for about €700. See more on the Seiko website.

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The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility Brings Back The Old Military Issued PD Watches

Black coated watches can very often, especially without any context, be tacky. I don’t want to point out the worse offenders in this space, but you’ve seen them, you know them. But on some watches, black just make sense. For example, on a Porsche Design watch, it makes sense since, you know, they made the first one. Ferdinand Porsche, the man who designed the 911 also designed the experimental Porsche Design Chronograph 1 in 1972 and this is the watch that physical vapor deposition (PVD), which allows a thin, hard layer of vaporised material to atomically bond to the material beneath, was first used to create the first black watch.

Combine black PVD, 1970s design and military watches and you end up with the Chronograph 1. The watch was initially intended for racing use, as the black coating was supposed to cut down on glare, but this feature made it very interesting to the German Bundeswehr where it became an issued military watch, with later models being issued to the U.S. Air Force squadron called the Flying Tigers. Now, 50 years later, Porsche Design is releasing a recreation of the watch called the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility Limited Edition.

By dropping the military designation and using utility means this is not a direct translation of one of the military watches, but rather a civilian watch. The case measures 40.8mm wide and 14mm thick and is made out of PD’s titanium carbide material, the first time you can buy a watch in this material with it not being connected to a Porsche car. The material is scratch-resistant and lightweight, and comes in a slightly anthracite shade compared tot he PVD coatings of the 70s.

The watch has a matte black dial with references to the military models substituted for civilian alternatives. The military models had a 3H logo (which signified the use of the hydrogen isotope tritium) which is now replaced by an almost identical logo that spells out TiC for titanium carbide. The tiger’s head logo of the U.S. Air Force is replaced by a screaming marmot and the rest is finished of with red accents and a legible display. Two dots on the dial at 12 o’clock provide a clear orientation of the displays in the dark, and thicker second and minute numerals optimize readability.

Inside the watch is Porsche Design’s WERK 01.240 which is a COSC-certified automatic flyback chronograph. The watch comes on a military-inspired BUND leather strap and an additional white textile strap with the coordinates of the F.A.T. Ice Race in Zell am See.

The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility Limited Edition is available for preorder now for a price of €11,950. While this could be pricier than actual vintage military PD chronographs, good luck finding an original watch for sale. They’re and increasingly rare find. See more on the Porsche Design website.

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Ten Years After The Ground-Breaking Original. Girrard-Perregaux Revises The Neo Constant Escapement

Back in 2013, Girard-Perregaux revealed a movement that shook up the watch world and won the GPHG – Aiguille d’Or that year. It was the Girrard-Perregaux Constant Escapement, a movement that not only received praise from everyone, but was also a technological marvel that solved one of the age-long issues watchmakers facet - how to deal with reduction in precision as the force supplied by barrels decreased with depletion of power reserve. The answer for GP was the Constant Escapement.

In the simples of terms, a constant force mechanism is a device within the watch that prevents this reduced precision and have been used in other watches. These are things like Fusee and Chain, which ensure that there is a consistent amount of torque on the balance spring so that the amount of energy in the system is constant even as the power reserve drops. GP had a different idea, the developed the Constant Escapement with silicium blade.

The silicium blade sits between the double escape wheels and the balance wheel – essentially an additional component in the chain that converts stored energy into the movement of the hands. The blade is designed to buckle and bend in such a way that regardless of how much energy it receives from the escape wheels, it sends the exact same impulse to the balance wheel every time via a lever and thus ensures constant force, regardless of how much power is left.

Now, 10 years later, Girard-Perregaux puts this ground-breaking movement into a brand new package. The original came in a huge white-gold case that measured 48mm wide, and it seems that GPs intent for the Neo was to make it wearable. The Neo comes in a lightweight case made out of titanium. It’s still on the large size at 45mm, but you want a large case here to see the movement.

There’s a box sapphire crystal on top with a much thinner bezel, allowing for a larger dial. And the dial has seen the most change. The offset hour and minute subdial is gone and they are now presented on the central handstack alongside the seconds. The dauphine hands and dial get a skeletonization treatment.

This allows you to see the new Constant Escapement movement which is called the GP09200-1153 and it’s a manual wound movement with a 7-day power reserve. The watch comes on a fabric-like rubber strap closed by a triple folding buckle with a micro-adjustment system.

The watch is not a limited edition, but production will be limited by the complexity of the product. The price is set at EUR 105,000. See more on the GP website.

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Hanhart Is Back With A New Primus Ply Navy With Flexible Lugs And Pilot’s Watch Heritage

On wrists of many, if not the majority, of pilots and naval officers in World War II on the German side were Hanhart watches. These were large, simple and well made watches. Ever since the war, Hanhart has been making watches in the same style as these military tool watches and since 2009, they have started making the Primus, a modern take on the pilot’s watch that could stand up to abuse. Now, they are introducing their latest addition to the collection, the Primus Fly Navy chronograph, a limited edition that embodies everything Hanhart is know for - large size, articulating lugs and a recognizable style.

The Hanhart Primus Fly Navy chronograph comes in a 44mm wide and 15mm thick stainless steel case that can be had in either untreated steel or black PVD. Water resistance is 100 meters, the bezel is fluted and does not rotate and the lugs can twist up and down to better suit a larger range of wrists. While this works mostly just on sports watches, it would be fantastic if more brands could implement this and make it more streamlined. The screw-in crown is adorned with the Marineflieger logo, featuring an anchor and an eagle, also present on the dark blue dial just above 6 o’clock.

Speaking of the dial, it has large and prominent indices with plenty of lume and a large 12 at 12 o’clock. The black hands are outlined in lume and the tip of the chronograph central seconds hand is also lumed, with a yellow trident for a counterweight. There’s a small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock and a 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock. A date window is subtly integrated above the 6 o’clock marker.

Inside the watch is the well known and robust Sellita SW 510 that runs at 28,800 vph and has a 42 hour power reserve. To strengthen ties to the German Naval Air forces, the sapphire crystal caseback can feature the coat of arms of either the Marinefluggeschwader 3 “Graf Zeppelin “or Marinefluggeschwader 5 (MFG3 and MFG5 squadrons). The watch comes on a blue textile strap for the steel version and a black strap for the PVD coated version, both with matching folding clasps.

The Hanhart Primus Fly Navy chronograph is limited to 150 pieces each and priced at €2,690 for the steel version and €3,190 for the PVD version. If you happen to be a member of one of the two squadrons whose logos can show up on the watch, you can get a discount of 25%. See more on the Hanhart website.

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HYT Unveils The Hastorid Red Silver, The Latest Continuation Of Their Fluid Time Display Watches

Swiss watchmaker HYT, known for its fluid-filled dials, has unveiled its latest work, the new limited edition Hastroid Red Silver, what might be their lightest and thinnest watch yet. And right off the bat - it’s very limited and very expensive.

The watch comes in a titanium case that’s a comination of raw titanium and black DLC covered titanium. It’s still huge at 48mm but is slimmed down to 13.3mm. It borrows the design feature from their Moon Runner model and the case has a sandwich construction with openworked lugs, a central case and a crown flanked by guards between 2 and 3 o’clock. The central case is the one covered in the black DLC and it almost looks like the upper and lower part are floating, while the raw titanium has a satin-sand finish.

This model also gets a new dial which features a large central hand coated in a vivid red hue, alongside two sub-counters that resemble cockpit instruments, displaying small seconds and power reserve. The watch’s retrograde time indication utilizes a luminescent red fluid ensuring hours are easily readable both day and night. Underneath the tube with the fluid that displays the time is an hour markers made from blocks of Super-LumiNova.

Inside is the proprietary calibre HYT 501-CM, developed with Eric Coudray. This modular movement is wound by hand, has a frequency of 28,000vph and can store a maximum of 72 hours of power. The entire movement uses 352 parts, most decorated with bead-blasted and satin-brushed surfaces to match the case. The watch comes on a black rubber strap with red topstitching and a black DLC-coated titanium pin buckle.

The HYT Hastroid Silver Red is a limited edition of 15 pieces and is priced at CHF75,000. See more on the HYT website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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Up Close With The Louis Vuitton × Akrivia LVRR-01 Chronographe À Sonnerie

2/

A review of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

Alsta Refreshes the Nautoscaph with Three Vintage Inspired Skin Divers

Fans of the skin diver, the easy to wear style of dive watch that has become core to the watch-nerd lifestyle in recent years, will be excited to hear about the new Nautoscaph Skin Divers from Alsta, a watch brand that was truly there at the beginning of the skin diver movement in the heyday of recreational SCUBA diving decades ago. It’s very easy, in my opinion, to see the appeal of the skin diver. They were made to be an approachable alternative to more professional oriented dive watches years ago, and those design characteristics that made them appealing in the 60s and 70s remain alluring today. These watches tend to have smaller case sizes that are thinner and easier to handle than bigger, chunkier divers that are rated to go much deeper. Plus, you still get an ultra practical, highly legible dial. Ditto for the timing bezel. What’s not to like? Read the whole piece on Worn & Wound.

⏲️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

• Do You Need a Visit to the Confident Man Ranch? Not only does Rosecrans Baldwin report for GQ on the therapy offered at the Sylvan Dale Dude Ranch, but he fully partakes in it, offering us a raw, unflinching look at his personal failings. His honesty pays off, providing a real insight into the struggles some American men face in dealing with the male culture instilled in them in their youth

• Boston magazine investigates whether a successful South Shore woman really did kill her police officer boyfriend? Or, as she claims, did a slew of dirty cops frame her? Go inside the simmering tabloid drama dividing this tight-knit Massachusetts suburb.

• Streaming is broken. Hollywood studios are in crisis. The king of low-budget horror has the fix. Jason Blum has been comfortable on top of the movie profit hill for some time now. His formula seems to be simple - don’t spend a lot of money, make what people want to see and cash out. For example, he took Paranormal Activity from a budget of $15k to almost 1 billion in theatrical revenue. It might not work for everyone, but it works for him.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Living in Europe, we tend to be focused on stuff happening in our hemisphere. Which is a shame, as there is so much going on in the South. The Australian outpost of North Face is helping change this and is bringing attention to stuff happening there.

With a warming climate, there is growing concern for the future of snowsports in the Kosciuszko National Park. STEEP REFLECTIONS aims to change your perspective on the Australian backcountry, and create greater awareness around the importance of both mountain safety and our environmental footprint. Follow local guides and freeriders as they showcases the hidden beauty of the Snowy Mountains, taking you to the highest peaks and the steepest slopes, whilst uncovering the harsh reality winters face if we don’t act.

💵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: 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

• FOR SALE: Longines Heritage Skin Diver, box and papers. €1400. Reach out to us and we’ll put you in touch

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