Seiko Expands King Seiko Line With Three Dials; Nivada Lets You Swap Bezels; Hanhard Launches GADA Watch; MeisterSinger's Chiming Watch; Hublot's Limited Edition; And More Moons For Arnold & Son

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I messed up yesterday. For months the software I use worked great, which got me comfortable with not checking that it was updating the title for the newsletter when I set it for the post. Well, it didn’t update yesterday and you all got the title from the day before yesterday. Sorry about that.

Now that apologies are out of the way, I can say I really dig the Nivada exchangeable bezels. I was never a fan of the concept of having a fully customisable watch, one that changes cases, but just swapping out bezels sounds easy and practical. I hope this catches on to some degree.

In this issue:

• Seiko Expands The King Seiko Line With Three Colorful Ukiyo-e Woodblock Art Inspired Dials

• Nivada Grenchen Finally Makes The Dream Of Interchangeable Bezels A Reality

• Hanhart Launches Preventor HD12, Their Take On A Robust Go-Anywhere-Do-Anything, Watch

• MeisterSinger Pays Homage To Composer Anton Bruckner With One-Handed Chiming Watch

• Hublot Helps Watches Of Switzerland Celebrate 100 Years With Carbon-Topped Classic Fusion

• Arnold & Son Adds Two New Dials To Their Perpetual Moon 38 Collection

Today’s reading time: 10 minutes and 20 seconds

👂What’s new

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Seiko Expands The King Seiko Line With Three Colorful Ukiyo-e Woodblock Art Inspired Dials

Bringing back the King Seiko was a big deal for Seiko in 2020. Back in the 1960s, the model line was supposed to be the best of Seiko, a watch that would stand side-by-side with Grand Seiko. Maybe even surpas it. Only, it didn’t really work out like that. King Seiko lost its appeal and soon went out of production. Until 2020, that is, when Seiko gave the high end watch one more chance. The King Seiko was introduced as a limited edition, then a non-limited version but always in wildly different cases for the same model line, as Seiko is known to do. Now, they are releasing three new King Seiko models, the SJE103, SJE105 and SJE107, all inspired by traditional Japanese art.

There seem to be three different case styles to the modern King Seiko line — a cushion shaped one, a slightly curved but pretty sharp case and a much sharper case that we have previously seen on the King Seiko last year. This means you get a stainless steel case that measures 38.6mm wide, 10.7mm thick and has a very nice lug-to-lug measurement of 45.8mm. The case has faceted lugs, flat flanks and a combination of brushed and Zaratsu polished surfaces. On top is a box-style sapphire crystal. I know that this is imagined more of a dressier Seiko watch, but the 50 meters water resistance could be a hair better. To be fair, a lot better.

The dials are where it’s all at. They are inspired by Ukiyo-e technique of woodblock printing. The name might not be familiar, but you know the genre — Hokusai’s famous The Great Wave off Kanagawa painting is part of the movement. And as such, each dial has a special texture to it. The SJE103 has a red dial that has a pattern that’s supposed to mimic the blooming of plum blossoms. The SJE107 has a wisteria-flower pattern and a light purple color. And last, there’s the SJE105, which has a turtle shell pattern symbolizing King Seiko’s roots in Kameido, and the deep blue colour is inspired by the Sumida River. The three dials have the brushed an polished applied markers in common, as well as brushed and beveled hands.

Inside is a movement that many find controversial, the 6L35. People prefer the more popular 6R which has a longer power reserve. But I’ve seen the 6L35 underestimated for quite a while. It’s Seiko’s slimline movement and it’s basically an undecorated version of a movement that Credor uses extensively. It beats at 21,600vph, shortening the power reserve to 45 hours, and Seiko rates the accuracy at -10/+15 seconds per day. The watches come on seven link steel bracelets, brushed and faceted, and closed with a triple-folding clasp with, you guessed it, no micro adjust.

The new King Seiko trio goes on sale at the start of October at a very deliberate price. It’s obvious that Seiko wants a model line that will sit between their regular lineup — especially the Presage line — and the Grand Seiko line. Hence the eye-watering price of €3,400. Whether the King Seiko can really stand in the middle on its own will be a matter of personal preference. See more on the Seiko website.

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Nivada Grenchen Finally Makes The Dream Of Interchangeable Bezels A Reality

You know darn well that you looked longingly at your watch at least several times in your life and thought: “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could swap out these bezels? It would be like owning 10 watches in one.” I know I did. There were a few brands and a few models that tried doing interchangeable bezels, but it never stuck. Mostly because it wasn’t very intuitive to use and often ended up with bezel-less watches as they would pop-off mid wear and disappear into the ether. Well, Nivada Grenchen is attempting to change this. They are releasing two versions of their Chronomaster model and one Chronoking, each with five different bezels to choose from. Oh, and it should be noted that this is not the first time that Nivada is doing this. They had the Colorama collection in the 1960s that offered interchangeable bezels. It was a wild look, check it out here.

The bases of the watches are the same we’ve known from earlier releases. The Chronomaster comes in a stainless steel case that measures 38mm wide and 13.75mm thick. On top is a double domed sapphire crystal and the case has polished and brushed finishes. The Chronoking comes in a very similar case, with practically the same dimensions, only a tiny bit thinner at 13.4mm. Both watches have 100 meters of water resistance.

When it comes to the dials, the Chronomaster can be had in either the Singer Paul Newman configuration — with a white base, black bi-compax sub-dials with red details, and the characteristic fonts and markings that can be found on the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona — or the Broad Arrow configuration — with a black base, cream filled indices and an oversized arrow for the hour hand. The Chronoking has a very vintage racing-chrono inspired matte black dial with orange printed markings and a subtle checkered flag pattern on the perimeter. The movements are also the same, with the Landeron 70 powering the Chronomasters and the VK63A Meca-Quartz powering the Chronoking.

So, what’s new? The bezels, of course. Nivada Grenchen developed a way of mounting and exchanging bezels. What I’m not certain of, however, is if you will get all five bezels per watch when you buy it or if you have to buy them separately. Regardless, they are really great looking. The Chronomaster model geta a red & black GMT bezel, black, blue, green, and red, all made out of aluminium. The Chronoking, on the other hand, get even more choice. You can choose a between blue, orange, red, and black aluminium bezels with a tachymeter scale or, opt for the five bi-color GMT bezels with plexiglass inserts, available in black and orange, gray, pink, blue, or green. You get 12 cities on the bezel engraved with white Super-LumiNova and it looks pretty amazing.

The interchangeable bezel Chronomaster and Chronoking models launch on September 19 at 4PM CET and are priced at €1,770 for the Chronomaster models and €520 for the Chronoking. See more on the Nivada Grenchen website.

3/

Hanhart Launches Preventor HD12, Their Take On A Robust Go-Anywhere-Do-Anything, Watch

I’ve noticed lately that a lot of brands that are particularly well known for their pilot’s watches have started branching out into more subdued watches that can be worn easier on a daily basis. Kind of like the mythical go-anywhere-do-anything watch. Hanhart, the German manufacturer best known for making watches for German pilots and naval officers for decades, is now doing the same, making an attempt on a GADA watch. This is the Preventor HD12 duo that is as classic as a robust three-hander gets.

The Preventor collection keeps the proportions right. The case measures 39mm wide, 10mm thick and has a 46mm lug-to-lug. Hanhart also points out that they use a special steel alloy they call HD12 steel. It’s supposed to as corrosion resistant as classic 316L, but much harder without being brittled. It’s then additionally hardened with a transparent PVD coat, making it five times harder than regular 316L. On top is a smooth fixed bezel, surrounding an anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The caseback and crown screw down, giving you 150 meters of water resistance.

There are two dials to chose from — black or blue, and both as simple as they come. It’s a time-only setup with large Arabic numerals, and the historic Hanhart logo at 12 o’clock. Breaking up the simple dial are the ornate cathedral hands that are large enough to be filled with lume.

Inside the watch is the very well known Sellita SW200 movement, robust and easily servicable. It beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. Hanhart say that they regulate the movement to 0/+8 seconds per day. Best of all is what the watch comes on. You can have it on either a steel bracelet that has the same transparent PVD coat as the case for toughness or, on a pretty spectacular leather strap that has a removable Bund plaque. We need more Bund straps.

The Hanhart Preventor HD12 is available now and is priced right in line with most Sellita-powered three-handers. That would mean €995 on leather and €1,195 on the bracelet. See more on the Hanhart website.

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MeisterSinger Pays Homage To Composer Anton Bruckner With One-Handed Chiming Watch

Like I say every time I write about MeisterSinger, it’s incredible how many variations and complications the brand has managed to implement while having just one hand. Now, they have a new one. They are releasing a watch that will commemorate the 200th birthday of Austrian composer and musician Anton Bruckner and they chose the perfect complication to pay homage — the chiming watch. The MeisterSinger Edition Anton Bruckner keeps the one hand the brand has gained fame from, with the addition of the elegant and rare chiming mechanism. (Btw, I wrote about chiming mechanisms on the Patreon, if you ever wondered how they work)

To house the chiming mechanism, MeisterSinger had to go up in size when ti comes to the case. Made out of fully polished stainless steel, it measures 43mm wide and a not-too-terrible 12,95mm thick. At 3 o’clock is the regular crown while at 2 o’clock you’ll find the pusher that operates the chime. Out back is a solid caseback that’s engraved with a portrait of Bruckner and the limited number.

The dial keeps things simple. You have a single centrally mounted heat-blued hand with a sharp arrowhead tip and two roundels. Around the dial’s periphery is a minute track with hours designated in black and blue, blue denoting the 1-12 hours and black for the 13-24. Actually, you only get the 22-24 numbers on the black, as the rest are replaced with the keys of Bruckner’s nine symphonies. At 12 o’clock you’ll find the MeisterSinger logo, while at 6 o’clock you’ll find Bruckner’s signature, above which is the ringing bell image that you’ll find on other MeisterSinger chiming watches.

That’s right, this isn’t the first chiming MeisterSinger. They already made a line called Bell Hora that chimed and it uses the same movement as this watch. It’s the MS Bell automatic movement, based on the humble but capable Sellita SW200 with a custom developed module on top. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. The watch comes on an ocean blue cowhide embossed strap.

The MeisterSinger Edition Anton Bruckner is limited to 50 pieces and priced a bit higher than other MeisterSinger watches at €4,890. Still lower than the vast majority of chiming watches. See more on the MeisterSinger website.

5/

Hublot Helps Watches Of Switzerland Celebrate 100 Years With Carbon-Topped Classic Fusion

While they are primarily a UK based retailer, Watches of Switzerland has spread to the EU, but particularly to the United States, making them one of the largest watch retailers in the world. And they’ve been around for a while. In fact, they have been celebrating their 100th anniversary this entire year. And the latest release to join the celebration is the Hublot Classic Fusion Centenary – WOSG Exclusive, a modern take on the Hublot’s classic.

Basde on the classic Classic Fusion, this Hublot is made out of titanium and measures 42mm wide. On top is a flat sapphire crystal that’s surrounded with a special forged carbon fibre bezel, which looks kind of like modern camouflage, available only on this edition. In classic Hublot fashion, the bezel is attached to the case with six visible H-shaped screws. Water resistance is just 50 meters.

On the dial, the there’s not much to see. That’s because Hublot and Watches of Switzerland gave this watch a fully black dial that looks impossibly deep. The only things breaking up the black surface are the Hublot logo at 12 o’clock and the date aperture at 3. The seconds hand also features the Hublot logo as a counterwight

Inside is the HUB1110 automatic movement, one of those that are very controversial for Hublot’s reputation. The HUB1110 is based on the Sellita SW300 movement, which means it beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a black rubber strap.

The Hublot Classic Fusion Centenary – WOSG Exclusive is limited to 50 pieces and priced at $12,000. See more on the Watches of Switzerland website.

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Arnold & Son Adds Two New Dials To Their Perpetual Moon 38 Collection

It’s no secret that the folks over at Arnold & Son are enamoured with the moon. They make dozens of models that have one type or another of a moonphase indicator. Last week at Geneva Watch days they expanded the Perpetual Moon collection with two limited edition dials, the Blue Aventurine and Cliff Grey, that emphasise the beauty of their craftsmanship.

Both watches come in the same case. Made out of 18k red gold, the cases measure 38mm wide and 10.4mm thick. The cases have a fully polished finish and sapphire crystals on top and bottom. You won’t go swimming with this watch, but the 30 meter water resistance rating will keep it safe.

But more important than the case are the two dials. The Blue Aventurine gets, no surprise, a fully glass dial with tiny specks integrated into the glass that shimmer like stars in the night sky, while the Cliff Grey gets a sunray-brushed taupe dial. Both have large 29mm apertures from 10 to 2 o’clock to display the giant 11.2mm moon. The moons are made out of iridescent white mother-of-pearl, hand painted to show shadows, and accompanied by the constellations of Cassiopeia and Ursa Major. Both the moon and stars are painted with Super-LumiNova.

Inside the watches is the manual-winding A&S1612 movement which beats at 21,600vph and has a pretty great 90 hour power reserve. The astronomical moon phase complication will remain accurate for 122 years. The movement is nicely decorated with radiating Côtes de Genève, circular satin-finished wheels, blued and chamfered screws and polished and bevelled bridges. The watches come on blue or grey alligator leather straps with a 18k red gold pin buckle.

Both of these watches are limited editions. The Blue Aventurine is limited to 88 pieces and priced at CHF 36,700, while the Cliff Grey is limited to 28 pieces and sells for CHF 32,400. See more on the Arnold & Son website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

A review of the Modello Quattro U4-GMT

2/

Hands-On with the redesigned Seiko Samurai SRPL11

3/

A review of the Citizen Promaster Sky Mechanical GMT

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Ollech & Wajs OW C-1000 MkII is a macho-style timepiece in a more humbly-sized package

Probably the best part of the OW C-1000 MkII watch package is the movement story. Ollech & Wajs again uses the interesting and uncommon Swiss Made Soprod P092 automatic movement for this “Precision” watch. “Precision” is a term on the dial of the watch, being carried over from the original 1964 models. The Soprod P092 movements operate at 4Hz with 44 hours of power reserve and feature the time and date. Rather than go the COSC Chronometer-certified route, these movements are “Chronofiable” certified (a different and more stringent performance certification as I understand it), done by the Laboratoire Dubois located in La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland. The watch has a closed caseback, so you wouldn’t really know the movement in there is different from a standard base ETA or Sellita, but it is a good part of the overall product story to know that an enhanced focus on “precision” was part of the conception of the OW C-1000 MkII watch and that a proper movement was accordingly relied upon for powering the timepiece.

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

• Thirty-five years after playing the Ghost With the Most made him into an A-list star (and, soon after, a superhero), the legendary screen eccentric Michael Keaton whom Jenna Ortega calls “strangely normal” returns to old haunts in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and tells GQ what he’s learned from surviving decades in a fickle business: “You can get insecure and nervous, and go, ‘Wow, boy, I'm not doing so great right now.’ But when you get desperate, you're dead.”

• I’ve been saying this for years — marijuana has gotten stupidly strong. So strong it can’t really be casually enjoyed. You’re either all in or you steer clear for fear of blowing your mind. It seems that The Atlantic agrees with me. I just wish someone would fix the problem.

• The Paris Review is the last place I would expect to find spectacular reporting on a squat in Paris, but this one is both spectacular and done exactly how you would expect Paris Review to cover a squat in Paris.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Teddy really is the shining beacon of the watch world. I really like his videos, even when they are on watches I don’t particularly like.

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-Vuk