Seiko Releases Three U.S. Exclusive Divers Inspired By Cold-Water Diving, Christopher Ward Launches C63 Bronze Sealander, Certina Skeletonizes the DS-1, New Watches From Benjamin James And Arcanaut

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Chose your favourite everyday watch - is it the Seiko or the bronze CW?

Want to win a Seiko Prospex Diver GMT? Invite your friends or fill out the survey to enter right now.

In this issue:

• Seiko Releases Three U.S. Exclusive Divers Inspired By American Cold-Water Diving Locations

• Christopher Ward Launches C63 Bronze Sealander 100 Limited Edition

• Certina Is Giving Their Very Popular DS-1 Collection A Skeletonized Look

• Benjamin James Offers Classic Style At A Really Great Price, Especially If You Can Catch The Early Bird On Kickstarter

• Arcanaut Announces Two New Arc II Models, One With A Beautiful Titanium Dial, The Other With A Dial Made Of Mussels Shells

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 10 seconds

Interested in sponsoring It’s About Time? Just reply to this email and we’ll put you in front of thousands of watch enthusiasts, including industry professionals from brands like Rolex, Omega and IWC.

👂What’s new

1/

Seiko Releases Three U.S. Exclusive Divers Inspired By American Cold-Water Diving Locations

In 1965, Seiko introduced its first diver’s watch, the 62MAS. Since then, several of their lines have become synonymous with diving watches and the brand has brought back the 62MAS many, many times in different guises. Most recently, Seiko released the SJE093, the most faithful recreation of the 62MAS, but with a price tag of €3,700, it’s not really accessible. A bit before that, Seiko had another attempt to recreate the 62MAS, the SPB143. And that, that was a watch. Faithful enough to the original, while keeping the price low, it became an instant hit. The SPB143 is part of the Prospex 1965 Divers Modern Reinterpretation, and Seiko is now adding three new watches to this line, all U.S. exclusives and all inspired by American cold-water diving locations.

All three come in the same packaging. A stainless steel case with super-hard coating which measures 40.5mm wide, 13.2mm thick and with a 47.6mm lug-to-lug. You get a curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective and the watch is waterproof up to 200 meters. Inside there are no surprises either, as it is powered by the Caliber 6R35 with 70 hours of power reserve and all three come on the same steel bracelet.

The differences, of course, come on the dial. The SPB419 is inspired by Michigan blue ice, a type of ice that forms slowly and paints frozen lakes a vibrant blue color. Just like the one you see on the dial, with a very slight gradient towards a darker blue on the edges of the dial. The bezel of this piece takes on an almost tourqoise or very washed out blue color. The SPB421 and SPB423 are inspired by Alaska and the glacial water tunnels that can be found there. The SPB421 has a dark blue hue with a subtle gradation and a dark blue bezel, while the SPB423 highlights the light gray tones of glacial ice, accompanied with a grey bezel. All three versions have a very subtle texture to the dials.

These watches will not be limited editions, but they are exclusive to the U.S. market. They will be available at select Seiko retailers in September 2023, each with a suggested retail price of $1,250. See more on the Seiko website.

2/

Christopher Ward Launches C63 Bronze Sealander 100 Limited Edition

Grand Seiko makes amazing watches. However, some of their lines tend to get a bit boring. With special edition after special edition that differ from one another in just minute details, people have gotten a bit tired of all the releases. This hasn’t hurt GS at all, but it could hurt other manufacturers if they tried to do the same. The enthusiast favorite Christopher Ward, for one, has had a tendency of releasing special edition after special edition and is in danger of getting a bit boring. They dodged that bullet with their lates release, the limited edition C63 Bronze Sealander 100.

The Sealaneder is CWs go anywhere, do anything watch. It’s simple enough and small enough (39mm wide) to be worn to work, and with 150 meters of water resistance, it’s sporty enough to take on any challenge. However, with the new case made out of bronze, it adds a bit of flair. It will also develop a patina over the years that will make it completely unique.

Bronze watches are nothing new to Christopher Ward, that’s why I spoke of potential danger of being a bit boring with release after release of bronze limited editions. But what makes this C63 Bronze Sealander special is the dial - it has a hand distressed pattern over a truly incredible dark green color that’s lighter in the center and fades to black on the sides. There’s no better combination than green and bronze.

Inside the watch is a COSC certified (you get the word chronometer printed on the dial) Sellita SW200-1. While this is a run-of-the mill movement that can be found in hundreds of other watches, with the COSC certification they can guarantee an accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day. The watch comes on a distressed brown leather strap.

The Christopher Ward C63 Bronze Sealander 100 is a limited edition and the number of them made is there in the name - 100 pieces. Pricing is set at €1,385. Seeing as how the regular C63 Sealander is priced at €890.00, this is quite the premium for a bronze watch. See more on the Christopher Ward website.

3/

Certina Is Giving Their Very Popular DS-1 Collection A Skeletonized Look

The path that led Certina to open up the dial of their DS-1 line is a really long one. In fact, it started in 1959, when Certina introduced the DS (double security) concept, a protective shell for their watches. Years later, in 2021, Certina started using the Powermatic 80 from the Swatch group and earlier this year they removed a bunch of the dial to create the Certina DS Skeleton Limited Edition, 999 pieces of a skeletonized Certina DS. Now, Certina is bringing skeletonization to their regular DS-1 line that anybody can buy in three different variants, all with a great view of the movement.

All three versions come in the same 40mm stainless steel case with the DS seals and gaskets the brand became famous for in the 60s. You get 100 meters of water resistance and decent shock protection. Finishing on the dial is a mix of brushed and polished surfaces. The difference between the tree comes in the color of the dial, or rather the chapter ring that surrounds the openworked area. This ring comes in either white, blue or brown and features large gold PVD hour markers. The date window has been removed and you get sapphire crystals on top and bottom.

The large circular cut-out in the centre exposes matte grey bridges of the Powermatic 80. This is the robust but fairly generic looking movement that can be found in many Swatch Group watches and is based on the ETA 2824-2. You get a titanium-based alloy Nivachron balance spring that protects it from magnetism, shocks, ageing and temperature fluctuations, along with an 80 hour power reserve.

Each dial colour is matched to a different bracelet. The blue model comes with a polished and satin-brushed five-link stainless steel bracelet; the white model with a Milanese mesh bracelet, and the brown version with a brown leather strap.

The three watches will be available starting in October on this year at a price of CHF 960 for the version with the steel bracelet and CHF 920 for the leather strap. The watches are still not up on the Certina website just yet, but keep an eye out for them.

4/

Benjamin James Offers Classic Style At A Really Great Price, Especially If You Can Catch The Early Bird On Kickstarter

A couple of months ago I wrote about a new brand emerging from the Cotswolds in England called Benjamin James. While I still have some reservations about the name, I liked the watch. It was a simple, small and clean traditionally designed watch, reminiscent of the best square integrated-bracelets steel sports watches like the Cartier Santos, with a range of options to chose from - whether you want one of the six colors or whether you would like a more affordable quartz watch or a more traditional mechanic.

I usually don’t do follow ups on a watch unless it’s for a review or a really long time has passed, but Benjamin James just launched their Kickstarter yesterday and I wanted to give them a shoutout. But it looks like they don’t need much of a shout out - the brand met it’s goal in less than 24 hours. But still, if you want a Benjamin James, there’s still an hour or two to get in on the early-bird pricing on the Kickstarter.

Let’s just go over a few details on the watch - the steel case measures 31mm in width by 40mm in length, with an elegant 8.3mm thickness. It has an AR coated Quartz crystal and a very nice 100 meters of water resistance. A lot of Adams’ upbringing is also integrated into the watch, as he was born and raised in the British area of the Cotswolds. An example is the chevron motif adorning the dial, paying homage to the coat of arms of Cheltenham, his hometown.

Another reference to the British countryside are the five very interesting colorways for the dial. There’s the Classic White, which reflects the white brick cottages of the English countryside, the Blue Hour, inspired by the beauty of the blue hour time, shown through the gradient blue dial and the Ice Blue, a dial dedicated to winter. The more interesting colors, however, are two you don’t get to see on watches that much. One is Lavender Purple, inspired by the iconic Cotswolds Lavender fields and the other is Ivy Green, inspired by the ivy found on many Cotswolds buildings. The sixth color was an orange fumee, which got unlocked when the campaign on Kickstarter passed a certain threshold.

Inside the watch you get an option of a quartz or mechanical movement. If you go for the quartz, it will be a Ronda Swiss Quartz, while the mechanical movement is the very familiar Sellita SW210.

Pricing starts at $349 for the early bird quartz and $606 for the early bird mechanical. See more about the watches and all the prices on the Kickstarter page.

5/

Arcanaut Announces Two New Arc II Models, One With A Beautiful Titanium Dial, The Other With A Dial Made Of Mussels Shells

Arcanaut is an independent watch brand founded by two Danes, Anders Brandt and Simon Goldeman. The idea for the company came when the two met at a bar in Copenhagen back in 2015, and Anders called out Simon’s newly bought Swiss watch for having an overcomplicated dial design, poor ergonomics, and an eye-watering price. This beer-fueled conversation turned into a nightlong debate about watches and Danish design traditions, which would eventually lead to the two starting a new watch brand centered around the simple idea: a high-end watch with an understated yet unique design language inspired by the traditions of Scandinavian design.

The idea took three years to develop. After thousands of experiments and lots of failed attempts, the company finally released the Swiss-made ARC-I in 2018, a small “proof-of-concept” series which sold out almost immediately. Building on this success, the next model, the ARC-II D’Arc Matter (now also sold out), marked the beginning of an entirely new series of models. The brand was then joined by exotic materials expert James Thompson and Rob Nudds as Head of Brand Development.

Just the other day sale of their Arcanaut Arc II — D'Arc Matter collection started, but they already have two new watches announced. First up is the Arc II Klint, pictured above. It looks like a complete opposite of what Arch has been doing so far with exotic dials and crazy colors. But it only looks like that. It’s dial is crafted from a crisp titanium dioxide composite, paired with tone-on-tone white lume and a subtly redesigned handset. It’s a bold and subdued statement, all at once.

Next up is the Arc II Havender. It’s dial is crafted from a specific layer of Scandinavian mussel shells. These shells undergo a meticulous process: they are bathed in a unique solution to strip away the outer layer, then the inner layer is finely ground using a hand drill. This results in a fine powder that is transformed into a lilac-hued composite block, ready for milling. It's beautifully accented with off-white luminescence.

Both of these watches will start their pre-sale on October 23rd. Yeah, it’s a ways away, but start thinking about them now because they are beautiful. Pre-sale will last for a week or until all watches are sold. Anyone signed up for either the old D'Arc Matter waiting list or anyone signed up for the Klint/Havender-specific mailing lists on the Arcanaut website can participate in the pre-sale. Pricing is set around €4.493 for both pieces, depending on where you are and what rate of VAT is charged. See more on the Acanaut website - click here for the Klint or here for the Havander.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

Hands-On with the Union Glashütte Belisar Date Sport Pro

2/

A review of the Patria Brigadier Tourbillon Subscription Edition

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

Batavi is back with another handsome, well-specced watch at an affordable price point

Ugur says the three-dimensional decoration on the dial is inspired by guilloché dials. He calls it a fish-scale pattern — to me, it looks more like a flower. Anyway, you can choose between three colors — Aquamarine (blue), Rock (purple), and Dune (gray-brown). The Atelier comes on a fully brushed five-row bracelet, which comes with quick-release spring bars. Those make it easy to swap the bracelet out for any other commonly sized 20mm strap. The folding clasp is mainly brushed, but it also features polished bevels. It has six micro-adjustment holes and a push-button release too. 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

• An excellent insight into the relationship between the three people behind the Tooth and Claw podcast. Paul Kvinta sets us up with an extensive background to the podcast, before enjoying a trip to the zoo with the gang. The recipe for a successful podcast is here, although this chemistry might not be easy to recreate.

• In postwar Austria, a psychologist named Maria Nowak-Vogl ran a mysterious psychiatric facility where “difficult” children were sent. With help from a friend and journalist, Evy Mages mines memories of her time at this child-observation station in the mid-seventies, remembering all the abuse that happened there. Nowak-Vogl was a well-respected academic; she was also trained by Nazis and believed in repressive practices and cruel punishments to make children compliant and “socially desirable,” including administering epiphysan, a shot meant to suppress sexual urges. This story is as horrific and dark as it sounds.

• One man’s search into the surprising reasons why the beloved guerrilla cookie disappeared from store shelves in Madison, Wisconsin, a mere 20 years after they were introduced in the 1970s.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Feeling stressed? Boy, do I have the thing for you here. This here is the channel of Baumgartner Restoration an absolute expert in restoring pictures. The before and after of his transformations are incredible. Trust me, you’ll learn a lot from these videos.

💵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

Want to let us know what you think about the newsletter? Go to our survey and fill it out.