Seiko's New Alpinist Is Perfect For The Outdoors; Sinn Experiments With Dials On Submarine Steel; Timex Pays Homage To The New Yorker; Hanhart's Simpler 415 ES; Hublot's Very Brown Classic Fusion

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I very much enjoy Sinn having fun in the most German way possible, with some bubbles. Good on them.

In this issue:

• This New Seiko Alpinist GMT, Inspired By Tropical Hornbill, Might Be The Coolest Outdoor Watch

• Sinn Experiments With Very Different Dials On Submarine Steel, And Releases Second Bronze Watch

• Timex Pays Homage To The 100th Anniversary Of The New Yorker With A Limited Edition Marlin

• Hanhart Releases A Simpler Version Of The Retro Inspired 415 ES Chronograph

• Hublot Releases A Very Brown Classic Fusion Chronograph For Their Lucerne Boutique

👂What’s new

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This New Seiko Alpinist GMT, Inspired By Tropical Hornbill, Might Be The Coolest Outdoor Watch

The Seiko Alpinist was released way back in the 1950s as a watch for Japanese mountain climbers. It was also, technically, Seiko’s first sports watch. Since then, the collection has expanded into a relatively affordable, robustly built and loved bunch of watches. But perhaps the most interesting of the bunch, at least to me, have always been the GMT flavor of the Alpinist. It’s the perfect watch to wear for a hike, even if you’re not in the Alps. And of all the Alpinist GMT models, the newly introduced Alpinist SPB493J, inspired by the wing feathers of tropical hornbill birds. It’s a great looking watch, with two major issues. First, it’s a very limited model. And second, it’s an Asian exclusive. But at least there are ways to circumvent that problem.

Starting from the outside, this is a very familiar watch. The stainless steel case measures 39.5mm wide, 13.6mm thick and has a relatively comfortable 46.4mm lug-to-lug. It has the iconic two crowns on the right side — the one at 3 o’clock is protected and used to set the time, while the one at 4 o’clock is used to operate the internal compass bezel. The GMT versions of the Alpinist have an additional external bezel with an engraved 24 hour scale, here done in black with white numerals. On top is a sapphire crystal. Water resistance is 200 meters.

All of the cool stuff is happening on the dial side. According to Seiko, the texture is inspired by the wing feathers of hornbills. Hornbills are tropical birds native to Southeast Asia, which makes sense. And it’s quite a texture. It almost looks like grooves in a piece of wood, and it gives the black base color an almost grayish shine. You also get the traditional gold PVD treated hands and hour markers, and the entire dial is framed by a forest green compass bezel. There’s a tiny aperture for the date at 4.30 with a color matched date wheel inside.

Inside is the Seiko Calibre 6R35. A decently OK movement at this price. It beats at 3Hz and has a really nice 70 hour power reserve. What’s not that great is their stated accuracy of -15/+25 seconds per day. Sure, pretty much every one will be much better than that, but it would be great is Seiko could get this tidied up a bit. The watch comes on a three-link steel bracelet.

Now, like I said, the new Seiko Alpinist GMT SPB493J is limited to just 500 pieces and available for the Asian market exclusively. However, we all know that there are plenty of ways to get our hands on region-limited watches. You might have to pay a bit over the local price of approximately $1,650. See more on the Seiko Thailand website.

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Sinn Experiments With Very Different Dials On Submarine Steel, And Releases Second Bronze Watch

Sinn is about a serious watch as German watches can get. I mean, they make tool watches for underwater welders, and then they go and make those watches out of actual stainless steel taken from decommissioned German submarines. In most cases, the amount of flourish from Sinn boils down to a choice of dial colors — either black or white. So, the watches they just released to celebrate their 20th anniversary of producing diving watches made of submarine steel, the U15, U16, and U18, come as quite the surprise, with their funky dials. Good on you Sinn. Also, they released a new T50 Goldbronze.

So, why do we get three different watches that seem to look exactly the same? You might notice a slight difference in size in the above photo, but the main difference is something else — the metal that is used to make them. Sure, they are all made out of submarine steel, but each of the names references the submarines the steel is taken from. Which would mean that these watches come from the U15, U16, and U18 Type 206 submarines.

Starting with the Sinn U15, it’s the smallest of the bunch. Based on the U50, the case made with steel from the U15 submarine, commissioned in 1974 and decommissioned in 2020, measures 41mm wide and 11.2mm thick. The case has a satin finish and the traditional crown at 4 o’clock. On top is a stainless steel bezel that gets Sinn’s Tegiment treatment, making it resistant to scratches and features engraved markings in white and blue to match the dial. Water resistance is 500 meters.

Then we have the U16, made out of steel from the U16 which was commissioned in 1973 and served for 38 years. The case measures 44mm wide and 14.7mm thick, with the same crown at 4 and same bezel on top. Water resistance on this one is 1,000 meters. Last, there’s the U18, whose sub was commissioned in 1973 and served, once again, until 2011. It looks exactly like the U16, and has the same width, but is slightly thicket at 15.5mm. That’s because water resistance is rated at 2 kilometers.

All three versions have basically the same dial, one we haven’t seen from Sinn before. They all come in glossy blue that lightens in the centre of the dial, where you’ll see a bunch of rising bubbles with a three-dimensional look thanks to the metallic blues and greens. It’s an almost radical look for a Sinn and I’m glad they went for something so different from their regular setup. The dials also feature the number of nautical miles that each of their respective submarines covered in their operating life.

Inside all three watches are similar movements. The U15 and U16 both feature the Sellita SW200 movement which beast at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. The U18 has the SW300 which also beats at 4Hz, but has a 56 hour power reserve. All three come on the same H-link bracelet with a folding clasp which has a divers extension.

Before we get to availability and pricing, there’s one more watch that Sinn introduced. It’s the T50 Goldbronze B, a sequel to the T50 Goldbronze from 2023. Made out of Goldbronze, Sinn’s patented alloy with improved resistance to corrosion and hypoalergenic properties that ages uniformly, the case measures 41mm wide and 12.3mm thick. Being a T50, it has the crown at 4 o’clock and 500 meters of water resistance. The dial is a beautiful matte shade of blue that perfectly contrast the bronze of the case. Inside is the Sellita SW300 with a 4Hz beat rate and 56 hours of power reserve. The watch comes on a blue textile strap.

Now, speaking of the U15, U16 and U18, each will be limited to 1,000 pieces. The U15 and U16 are priced at €2,990, while the U18 carries a price tag of €3,230. The T50 Goldbronze is limited to 300 pieces and it’s priced at €4,980. See more of the 20th anniversary models here and the T50 Goldbronze here.

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Timex Pays Homage To The 100th Anniversary Of The New Yorker With A Limited Edition Marlin

Of all the watch collaborations we’ve seen over the years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a collaboration between a watch and a magazine. Let me rephrase that. Between a watch and a non-watch magazine. But if I would have to pick one magazine for such a collaboration, I would surely say that The New Yorker is up to the task. And what better brand is there to partner with the most iconic American magazine than the most iconic American watch brand — Timex. So, to celebrate 100 years of the New Yorker, Timex released a special Marlin, the Timex x The New Yorker Centennial Watch.

Timex appropriately uses their small Marlin size, which is exactly what they should use. The stainless steel case measures 34mm wide and 10mm thick. On top is an acrylic crystal and the case-back has an engraving of the magazine's centennial anniversary logo, designed by illustrator Christoph Niemann, best known for his iconic skyline illustrations that The New Yorker often features.

It’s the same illustrator, Niemann, that has provided the artwork for the dial. The watch has a glossy white dial with a black drawing of the New York Skyline. It’s instantly clear that this is a New Yorker homage, not just because of the pretty obvious The New Yorker logo at 12 o’clock. You also get the instant New Yorker style from the numerals that span from 10 to 2 o’clock and are rendered in the magazine’s signature font.

Inside, who knows what we have beating. All that Timex gives us is a “mechanical handwound” movement, most likely made in China. The watch comes on a black leather strap and an additional canvas strap.

The new Timex x The New Yorker Centennial Marlin Watch. It’s limited to 1854, a reference to the launch year of the New Yorker. Price is set at $249. See more on the Timex website.

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Hanhart Releases A Simpler Version Of The Retro Inspired 415 ES Chronograph

The German watch brand Hanhart has a super long history with the German Military. They started their business in 1902 as a producer of stopwatches, but have since then found their place on many wrists of German pilots and naval officers for decades. Their pilot’s watches have always been known as incredible tool watches with some nifty features, like the recognizable red pusher that hopefully prevents pilots from accidentally zeroing the timing. And it’s this red-pushered, fluted-bezeled 417 ES that’s the star of the brand. Late last year, they released a different type of chrono, one inspired by mid-1960s military watches, the 415 ES Chronograph. Now, Hanhart fixes all of the problems that one might have had with the original. The new 415 ES Pure builds on last year’s release with a much more subdued colorway.

You would expect a sports chrono made by an aviation-focused brand to make huge watches, and they do. But this one is not that bad. Sure, a bit thick at 13.5mm, but the 39mm width and 46mm lug-to-lug make it very wearable. On top is a bidirectional rotating bezel with a black matte ceramic insert that has a 60-minute graduation with numerals at the quarter-hour positions and a triangle at 12. The bezel has a slight knurling on the edge. And you get very vintage pump-style pushers on the right side. Water resistance is 100 meters.

Like last year’s release, the dial of this one is also a very close recreation of the old 415 ES. It has a matte black base, with a series of circular scales. Gone, however, are the bronze-coloured hands and yellow Arabic numerals. What you do keep are the Arabic numerals now in white, a white tachymeter scale and red 100-unit scale. The minute and chronograph seconds hands have bent tips to better follow the dial.

Inside, you’ll find the ubiquitous chronograph offering from Sellita, the SW510. It beats at 4Hz and has a 58 hour power reserve. The watch can be had on a number of leather straps.

The new Hanhart 415 ES Pure Chronograph is available now and part of the regular collection. The price is set at €2,390. See more on the Hanhart website.

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Hublot Releases A Very Brown Classic Fusion Chronograph For Their Lucerne Boutique

There’s a long tradition of releasing watches to pay homage to boutiques in certain cities. They are often infused with some sort of essence of the city the boutique is in, a color or an illustration of a landmark or the like. The latest release from Hublot is one such watch, as it pays homage to their boutique in Lucerne. The new Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Boutique Lucerne, however, takes it a step further and puts an actual piece of the city in the watch.

This Lucerne-themed Hublot is quite a chunky thing. It measures 45mm wide and 13.4mm thick, but I assume that the titanium construction helps with wearability at least a little bit. Hublot also gives the titanium an aged finish by scratching and blackening the surface. I’ll go out on a limb and say that this will be a a very personal decision whether you like it or not. Water resistance is 50 meters.

Now, to the piece of the city you can carry with you. Back in 1993, a beloved and iconic landmark in the city of Lucerne — the Kapellbrücke, or Chapel Bridge — burned down in a devastating fire. The watch has a carbon base plate for the dial, with wood marqueterie inlaid into it. And of course, the wood comes from what pieces of the bridge were salvaged from the fire. Is that a bit corny? Possibly.

Inside is the caliber HUB1143, which is a Sellita SW300-1 with a Dubois Dépraz chronograph module on top. It’s one of those movements that gives Hublot a bad name because they are capable of creating in-house movements, sometimes quite brilliant movements, but then opt for an off-the-shelf Sellita at a huge price. The watch comes on a vintage brown calf strap with a rubber lining and you get an additional black rubber strap, both closed with a deployant clasp that has the same finish as the case.

The Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Boutique Lucerne is available now from the Lucerne boutique, and is limited. Only I can’t figure out to how many. The watch is priced at €18,200. See more on the Hublot website.

👁️First look

More than a news item, a bit less than a review. I give you a more detailed look at a new release

First Look: The echo/neutra & Ace Jewelers Averau 39 Moon Phase Noctilum

This echo/neutra is the first watch I’m doing this first look format on, so I figure I should try and keep it up here for the rest of the week, in case you missed it.

Read the first look here.

⏲️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

• Among the chaos of the first few days of his mandate as President, Donald Trump signed a pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the creator of The Silk Road. It was an interesting move because the movement to free Ulbricht has been going on for a while, with claims of the federal government overstepping its bounds going after him. Well, if you ever wanted to know who Ulbricht really is, it’s best to go back to 2015, to one of the best articles that Wired ever published. This is The Rise And Fall Of Silk Road: How a 29-year-old idealist built a global drug bazaar and became a murderous kingpin.

• In the ’70s and ’80s, factory workers in Silicon Valley’s booming semiconductor industry, many of them Hispanic and Asian women, were exposed to range of hazardous chemicals without proper protection. Several studies show that women who worked on assembly lines faced higher rates of miscarriages and birth defects in their children due to this exposure. By the ’90s, chip manufacturing eventually shifted to Asia, but as the US ramps up domestic production, stronger safety measures and greater transparency around chemical use in fabrication rooms must be in place to protect a new generation of workers.

• When a pack of Alaskan wolves swam to nearby Pleasant Island a little more than a decade ago, it didn’t take long for them to eat every deer on the island. That was a problem: in prior observations, wolves with no prey ultimately starve. But not Pleasant Island’s wolves; they turned to otters. And that’s not the only place wolves have demonstrated surprising “adaptive capacity.” For High Country News, Caroline Van Hemert sketches out the surprising evidence that our lupine friends won’t go supine so easily.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Haven’t linked to a Watches of Espionage video in a while, and seeing how there’s lots of people out there afraid their watch will get stolen, maybe this is a an appropriate one.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk