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- Seiko Releases Gold Colored Presage Cocktail Time Duo Inspired By Actual Cocktails, Tissot Celebrates 20 Years Of Le Locle, G-Shock Teams Up With BAPE, New Watches From Pellikaan And Ophion
Seiko Releases Gold Colored Presage Cocktail Time Duo Inspired By Actual Cocktails, Tissot Celebrates 20 Years Of Le Locle, G-Shock Teams Up With BAPE, New Watches From Pellikaan And Ophion
Is a $500 gold Seiko tacky or the best buy you can actually make?
Vuk Radic
November 07, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 19 minutes
Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Are we getting a gold Seiko for under $500 or is it too tacky? What do you think? Also, I redid the classifieds at the end of the newsletter. It was a bad idea to charge people money to advertise on here. Go check out the Tudor one of your fellow readers is selling and let me know if you want to include your listings on here.
I you like this newsletter, you might consider supporting it directly through Patreon. If you were subscribed, you could have already read my lengthy piece on Only Watch and it potentially being the biggest scam of the watch world. Other subscriber-only articles include the Completely Sterile Secret Watches Of MACV-SOG and my choice of 11 vintage Heuer watches that would make the perfect basis for new TAG Heuer recreations, including a possible MoonSwatch type watch that could actually break the internet.
In this issue:
Seiko Releases Gold Colored Presage Cocktail Time Duo Named After Actual Cocktails From Legendary Japanese Bar
Tissot Celebrates 20 Years Of Their Most Classic Collection, Le Locle, With A New Special Edition
G-SHOCK and BAPE Celebrate Dual Anniversaries With the New GM6900BAPE-1
Dutch Indie Watchmaker Pellikaan Adds Racing Chronograph To Lineup
Ophion is Back With The OPH 411 Vesper With A Schwarz Etienne Micro-Rotor Movement In A Voutilainen-Made Case
Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 33 seconds
👂What’s new
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Yesterday’s release of the U.S. exclusive trio of new 44GS Grand Seikos spawned an interesting discussion on people growing tired of limited editions and regional releases. However, one of our readers pointed out that limited edition products are very common in Japan as consumers there think of limited editions differently than consumers in the West do. This applies to everything in Japan: limited edition potato chips, limited edition pencils, limited edition soda flavors, limited edition burgers. While this might see this as incredibly annoying, Japanese consumers see some products are permanently available while others quickly come and go and it’s no big deal. So, think of it that way when I tell you there is a new duo of Seiko Presage Cocktail Time watches that are limited to just Europe and the United States, with a great looking gold finish and actual links to cocktails, the ‘Beer Julep’ and ‘Half and Half’.
The inspiration for the Cocktail Time line of watches fro Seiko came from Japan’s drinking culture of “nomunication hour.” The word is a blend of nomu, which means “to drink” in Japanese, and communication in English, which describes the Japanese custom of discussing business over a few drinks. I have two Seiko Cocktail Times and I’ll start off by saying - they are absolutely incredible. They offer great style and often brilliant dials in a package that comes under $500. It’s one of the best bangs for your buck you can get.
The two new watches, come in the exact same case, a 40.5mm stainless steel number that has gotten a gold treatment in these two releases. While Seiko doesn’t say how they got the gold color, it’s likely some sort of PVD coating. You won’t be mistaking this for a solid gold watch any time soon. That said, they do look very nice.
Whereas the two are identical in their cases, the dials are what stand out. The SRPK46, also know as the Beer Julep, is modelled after the actual Beer Julep drink (beer, whisky, gin, sugar syrup, lemon and basil leave) from Tokyo’s renowned Star Bar in Ginza. Being a yellow-forward drink, you can see the inspiration in the dial of the Beer Julep, a golden brown with a pronounced vertical gradient to a much lighter yellow on top. What the Cocktail Time watches are particularly great at are textured dials, and this is no different. The Beer Julep has a scratchy texture finish, making it look like an iced-over glass.
Then there’s the SRPK48 Half and Half. This one is inspired by a mixture of ale and stout beer and you can see it on the dial. There’s a dark brown ring on the outside that gets lighter and lighter as you get closer to the centre. It has the same texture on the dial as the Beer Julep.
Inside both watches is the Seiko 4R35 automatic movement. It’s not a special movement, basically a Seiko-only version of the NH35A, and it beats at 21,600 bph with a 41 hour power reserve. There’s a date aperture at 3 o’clock and the movement has an accuracy of +45 / -35 seconds per day. Sounds bad, but in practice I have seen much better accuracy.
The SRPK46 Beer Julep and SRPK48 Half and Half are on sale now, exclusive to the United States and Europe for a price of $550. I’m not sure about these regional exclusive models, but most Seiko Presage Cocktail Time models can be had below MSRP, so keep your eyes open. See the Beer Julep by clicking here or the Half and Half over here.
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Tissot is currently best known for their sporty models, primarily the steel sports integrated bracelet PRX which has seen at least a dozen variations in size, color and movement. There’s the experimental-looking Sideral, the Seastar diver and the rugged Supersport. All of these are great looking, well built, easy wearing affordable pieces, so there’s no surprise they are so beloved. Tissot, however, also makes a couple of dressy options, with the Le Locle line being the most classic of them all. The Le Locle line was first introduced 20 years ago and named after Le Locle, the Swiss town where Tissot was founded. Now, Tissot is celebrating the anniversary with a special but unlimited edition of Le Locle.
The Le Locle Powermatic 80 20th Anniversary comes in a 39mm stainless steel case with a polished finish and some brushing on the sides. Despite being large for a dress watch, it’s just 10mm thick, making it very wearable. There’s a sapphire crystal on top and a split-window in the back, just like the original model. The dial is very similar to the regular issue Le Locle, with some extra color. It uses an embossed Clous de Paris pattern in the centre and the chapter ring and has blue-colored applied Roman hour numerals and leaf-shaped hands.
Inside is the Swatch-group’s tried-and-tested calibre Powermatic 80. It’s a slightly controversial movement that’s based on the ETA 2824 architecture. It offers a 3Hz beat rate and an incredible 80 hour power reserve. It’s also very resistant to magnetism thanks to a Nivachron hairspring. The watch comes on a 7-link steel bracelet with a folding clasp and you get an additional blue faux-alligator leather strap.
The Le Locle Powermatic 80 20th Anniversary is a special edition, but will not be limited in production and should be available from retailers now. Price is set at €775. See more on the Tissot website.
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Depending on which generation you belong to, you have either never heard of A Bathing Ape, you think it’s a fantastic Japanese streetwear brand, or you think it’s something old people who are trying too hard to look cool like to wear. I’m right in between hardly every hearing about it and thinking it’s cool. If you’re younger than me or older than me, chances are you might not be interested in this next watch. But here we go: A Bathing Ape, shortened to BAPE, is celebrating it’s 30th anniversary and has teamed up with G-SHOCK, who is celebrating their 40th anniversary, for a collaboration on the new GM6900BAPE-1.
There’s no need to go too much on what the watch is at it’s basic, because who doesn’t know what a G-SHOCK 6900 is? It measures 49.7mm in diameter by 18.6mm thick with an overall lug-to-lug profile of 53.9mm. While the case is made from resin with a mineral glass crystal, the bezel is stainless steel with a black ion-plated coating.
The entire watch is black with golden accents and features BAPE’s signature camouflage print. It’s a subtle grey color and infused across the resin band and watch face. The BAPE logo is subtly rendered at the very top of the dial, while the word “BUSY WORKS” are imprinted on the bottom. An additional textile strap in an army-green camo print is also offered.
The GM6900BAPE-1 goes on sale today, November 7, and according to G-SHOCK, this is not a limited edition, but also not a regular addition to the lineup. Not much more explanation beyond that, so I assume it will be some kind of timed offering? If you like it, go get it now before G-SHOCK pulls it. The price is set at $350. See more on the G-SHOCK website.
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You have to love independent watchmakers. They branch out in so many different directions. Some will dedicate all their craft to the manipulation of materials, others will advance the mechanics of watchmaking in ways major manufacturers can’t really do. Then there are those who make super cool watches that have one nifty idea that makes you think: “huh, why didn’t someone else think of that”. Dutch indie watchmaker Hubert Pellikaan is square in that last category. Hist watches look great, seem very well built and they have some very cool features. His most recent release is the second chronograph in the lineup, the Speed of Sound Racing.
The first Speed of Sound chronograph was released by the brand last year and offered some pretty cool features. By using a highly segmented marking array, Pellikaan has managed to offer measurements of elapsed time with a resolution of 1/8th of a second, with no modifications to the movement. The same cool principle is seen in the followup to the Speed of Sound, the Racing.
Most of the changes are aesthetic, meaning you still get a fully brushed stainless steel case that measures 45mm wide and a fairly thick 15.4mm. You get an unusually large and flat crown with two pump-style chronograph pushers, with sapphire crystal on both the front and the back.
Even the dial remains somewhat similar, with a fully black surface and a very nice white seconds track on the outer edge which shows markings for ½ and ¼ seconds, making it possible to count down to 1/8th of a second if the chronograph hand stops between two ¼ second markers. There is a splash of color added to everything, with a flourescent orange central chrono hand, along with orange hands on the two subdials that are situated at 12 and 6 o’clock.
Inside the watch is the very well known Valjoux 7750. It is modified a bit to remove one of the subdials and the date window. The movement beats at 28,800vph and has a power reserve of 43 hours. The watch comes with three strap choices - a NATO in a range of colors, a smooth black or brown leather strap and a black alligator strap.
The Speed of Sound Racing will be delivered starting with December 1st 2023, but it may be sold out at the time of writing. I’m not sure if this is a bug with the website, or if it’s really gone because the last time I checked there were available for order. You might want to reach out to Pellikaan to see what’s going on if you’re interested in buying one. Princes start at €1,500 for the NATO, €1,580 for the black or brown leather straps and €1,700 for the black alligator strap. See more on the brand’s website.
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Ophion is a relatively young brand, started only in 2015, but boy did they achieve a lot since then. They are part of the larger group of watchmakers who have the noble idea of brining high-end indie watchmaking to watch enthusiasts at more affordable prices. And they are absolutely fantastic at it. Now, they’re introducing a new watch, the OPH 411 Vesper, a very much architectural take on watches (seriously, go read their fantastic website) with a case made by one of the legends of the industry.
The Vesper is an homage to the Newton Cenotaph, a 150 meter tall sphere sketched by architect Étienne-Louis Boullée in honor of Newton, but never built. It’s an incredibly beautiful drawing and Ophion takes a lot of inspiration from it, making their watch all about circles and spheres. The 39mm wide and 11.45mm thick case is round with lugs and crown emphasising the spherical nature of the watch. As with previous Ophion releases, the case has been produced in collaboration with Voutilainen-Cattin S.A.
The sector dial is made up of a series of rings, with micro indexes that look like tiny polished cubes sitting on the dial. Each individual element has been meticulously polished and chamfered and there is a lot of depth to the dial thanks to the applied indexes. A total of six variants will be available, including dials in turquoise, navy, salmon, silver, and black, with markers in nickel, silver, and blue PVD. Check out their website, the colors look fantastic.
Inside the watch is the Schwarz Etienne ASE 200 micro rotor movement which beats at 3Hz and has an 86 hour power reserve. It has, however, been customized for Ophion with multiple unique features, including a custom design for the main bridge, the balance wheel bridge and the escapement bridge. The main plate is grey sand-blasted while the top bridges are chamfered and finished in grey with a grenaille surface. The watch comes on a number of colors of alligator straps, depending on the dial color you get.
The Ophion OPH 411 Vesper will be available in a limited edition of 50 pieces for the launch edition in turqoise, and a seemingly unlimited number of the other colors. Prices are set at €7,950 and deliveries are expected in Q4 of 2024. See more on the Ophion 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
A large dial, minute track, and highly legible hands and indices make it a watch that is easy to read. Clemence also offers the watch with a black, amber, or full-lume dial, but the Ridgeline is the most interesting of the series, even if the dial layout or the story behind it offends. The three colored segments represent mountain slopes. One sits in the foreground in turquoise, sloping down from the right-hand side. Then, another amber slope descends the other way. Finally, a dark and brooding sky sits behind. Apparently, the angles of these two slopes represent the minimum and maximum gradients at which avalanches are most likely. Read more 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
A secret U.S. offensive in 2016 and 2017 used an unusual strategy to defeat the Islamic State. The plan: Put a minimal number of American boots on the ground, and have the troops pound the enemy with relentless artillery fire. What no one foresaw was the devastating toll it would take on the troops who did the firing. They developed mysterious, life-shattering mental and physical problems. But the military struggled to understand what was wrong.
I live on pretty much the opposite side of the world from Los Angeles. I know a few people there, but the city is not really on my radar a lot. And still, I have heard of Erewhon. How can you not hear about a store that not only sells $25 smoothies and $35 bottles of water, but is also one of the most successful stores in the city. This is their incredible story: in the 1960s, two macrobiotic enthusiasts started a health-food sect beloved by hippies. Now it’s the most culty grocer in L.A.
This weekend saw the second year of German NFL games. The second year I didn’t get to go. I did the UK games a few years ago and it’s an incredible treat for us Europeans to get the games here. As it turns out, the German partnership seems to be a home run (touchdown?) for the NFL, as football was first introduced to the country by U.S. soldiers after World War II, so they already have a built in audience.
👀Watch this
One video you have to watch today
I’ve seen a couple sketches and drawings of huge polar exploration vehicles, tanks made to conquer the inhospitable ice and always assumed these were just futuristic ideas, one of those “this could be our future, where we all drive willy-nilly to the south pole and fly around in our helicopter cars” thing. Turns out, these monsters were real. The U.S. had one that failed miserably as soon as it got to Antartic. The USSR, on the other hand, knew a thing or two about being cold. So the created the Kharkovchanka.
💵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
NEW WATCH FOR SALE: 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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