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- Seiko’s Speedtimer With A Seductive Red Dial; Senna-Themed TAG Carrera Tourbillon; New Louis Erard Regulator With Sector Dial; Police-Issue Ollech & Wajs; A Patek Alternative; And New Breguets
Seiko’s Speedtimer With A Seductive Red Dial; Senna-Themed TAG Carrera Tourbillon; New Louis Erard Regulator With Sector Dial; Police-Issue Ollech & Wajs; A Patek Alternative; And New Breguets
The Senna watch might be a bit too much, but the Louis Erard is just enough
Vuk Radic
November 01, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 21 minutes
Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Coughed up my lungs but still managed to finish this one and I’m happy I did! Because I really like that Ollech & Wajs!
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In this issue:
Seiko’s Latest Prospex Solar Speedtimer Gets A Seductive Red Dial
TAG Heuer Pays Homage To F1 Legend Ayrton Senna With Quite The Expressive Carrera Tourbillon
The New Louis Erard Régulateur Gravé Noir Combines A Regulator Layout With A Sector Dial
Ollech & Wajs Makes The Watch Made For The Air Force of the National Gendarmerie Available To All
Benjamin James Introduces The Automatic Version Of The Scarifour With Almost Perfect Timing
Breguet Gives The Classique 5177 & Classique 7787 A Platinum And Black Enamel Treatment
Today’s reading time: 10 minutes and 29 seconds
👂What’s new
1/
Just a few years after Seiko established a very dominant position in the dive watch world with the 62MAS in 1965, they decided they would like to dominate other watch fields as well. That’s why they introduced the Speedtimer, the industry’s first-ever automatic chronograph to feature a column wheel and vertical clutch in the movement, which made time-telling more accurate, making it a go-to in the 1970s in auto racing. And just like the 62MAS is getting a bunch of new versions, so is the Speedimer, which is now under the Prospex banner. For about two years now, Seiko has been focusing heavily on expanding the Speetimer lineup and perhaps the best one was the rather handsome and affordable blue-dial Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC937, an EU exclusive, that came out about a year ago. This year, we’re getting the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC953 in a stunning red. And again, it’s an European exclusive.
This new Prospex Speedtimer, inspired by a 60s Seiko chronograph, comes in a smaller case than Speedtimers of old, which means the steel case measures 39mm wide, 13.3mm wide and with a very decent 45.5mm lug-to-lug measurement. It has circular-brushed top surfaces and a high-polished case band, with a stainless steel bezel with a tachymeter scale in black on top. The crystal is sapphire and the lugs curve down slightly. Water resistance is 100 meters.
The dial is even better than the case. A deep red is just the perfect shade, with three black subdials. Speaking of, those subdials - running seconds at 9 o’clock, a 60-minute chronograph register at 6 o’clock, and a 24-hour (AM/PM) indicator at 3 o’clock - are solar cells that charge the watch. A neat trick is hidden in the 6 o’clock subdial which also serves as the power reserve indicator, with an “E” for empty and an “F” for fully charged, if the chronograph is not running. The indices are silver and applied next to a white minute/seconds track. The hour and minute hands are silver and filled with Lumibrite, while the chronograph hand is a very nice contrasting orange. The only thing spoiling the great look of this watch is the date aperture with a black date wheel at a bit after 4 o’clock.
Inside is the solar-powered quartz V192 movement. Sure, a mechanical movement might have been much more attractive, but can you really complaing that much? You get 6 months of power reserve in complete darkness, accuracy of + / - 15 seconds per month and is super durable. The watch comes on an Oyster-style bracelet with a push-button folding clasp.
The new Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC953 is limited to 2,400 pieces and available only in Europe. The only issue is the price. While last year’s baby blue version was quite decently priced at about €780, this new one has blown past €800 and will run you about €870. See more on the Seiko website.
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Ayrton Senna will forever be remembered as one of the great Formula 1 drivers of all time, with his untimely death in Italy elevating him to a god-like level in the sport. And even 30 years since his death, his name still demands respect from F1 fans. Which means that there are many companies behind that sentiment, ready to make money. T-Shirt, sunglasses, even cars, carry Senna’s name and things will get even crazier once Netflix releases their supposedly very good Senna series. Don’t you for a moment think that watches are immune to this. At least this collaboration makes sense, as TAG Heuer has been sponsoring Senna for way more than the second half of his career. In light of the 30th anniversary they are introducing an homage watch, the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Senna which incorporates the iconic Senna/Brazilian red, blue and yellow colors.
Based on the recently introduced Carrera Extreme collection, this is definitely not a watch for everyone. Housed in a hefty 44mm wide and 15.1mm thick case made out of grade 2 titanium. It has squared off lugs and hollowed out case flanks, with a green lacquered ring around the crown. On top is a forged carbon fixed bezel with an engraved tachymetre scale that has both a yellow “S” logo and “SENNA” name at its start. The tachymetre scale is calibrated to 400km/h, appropriate for an F1 car.
There’s not much of a dial to speak of. Instead, you have openworked bridges with grained black interiors, underneath which is a silver chequered pattern on the plate which is a reference to the racing flags. There are two sub-dials — a 12-hour totaliser that has snailed blue ring and the yellow lacquered “S” again, and a 30 minute coutner with an openworked steering wheel in it. At 6 o’clock is the tourbillon.
On the backside you’ll find a sapphire crystal caseback that features an image of Senna with his helmet. Inside is the calibre TH20-09, an automatic column-wheel chronograph with a tourbillon regulator. It beats at 4Hz and has a 65 hour power reserve. The wtach comes on an integrated blue rubber strap and a titanium folding clasp that has a micro adjust system.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Senna is obviously a niche watch, so of course it’s limited. But can they find 500 people who will spend CHF 37,000 on such a loud and specific watch? We’ll see. See more on the TAG Heuer website.
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For all of last year, Louis Erard has been using their Le Régulateur model as a spectacular platform for some great collaborations. It was a simple regulator setup that allows for maximum creativity. A regulator watch draws its inspiration from clocks and watches from England in the 1700s, and by the late 1800s the regulator clock was common across railroad stations in the United States. This setup separates the hours, minutes and seconds from the same axis and places them at 12, central and 6 o’clock positions, making it easier to spot the precise time. That’s why these regulator watches and clocks were used to synchronize other time pieces and have since become kind of a legendary setup. The latest Le Régulateur from Louis Erard, the Le Régulateur Gravé Noir which is part of the Noirmont Métiers d’Art collection, is, however, their own design and it combines the regulator with another dial legend — the sector dial.
The case of this watch is not just familiar from previous models, it’s also super simple. Made out of stainless steel, it measures 39mm wide, 12.82mm thick and has short lugs for a 45.9mm lug-to-lug. The case is fully polished with a minimalist fixed bezel on top that surrounds the domed sapphire crystal. Water resistance is 50 meters.
The dial has a lot going on. It has a black base, with deep engravings for all the elements finished in rose gilt. On the periphery is a railroad track for minutes, interrupted with vertically aligned sub-dials — hours on the top and seconds on the bottom. There’s no logo on the dial, which is a good thing because it’s busy enough, but not in a bad way. The hands are signature fir tree-shaped, polished and rose-gilt finished.
Inside, no surprises — it’s the Sellita SW266-1 élaboré-grade automatic movement, which has the regulator setup and Louis Erard gives it a openworked rotor with their logo in black lacquer. It beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a beige calf leather strap with a polished stainless steel pin buckle.
The Régulateur Gravé Noir is not limited and is available now for CHF 2,900 without tax. See more on the Louis Erard website.
4/
The Zurich-based Ollech & Wajs has a very long connection with military and law-enforcement units. Between 1965 and 1973 it was, a bit surprisingly, one of the most popular watches worn in the Vietnam war by American soldiers, with the brand even making the Ollech & Wajs B-905 US Airforce watch, a custom watch for airmen in the war and it featured the silhouette of the iconic Boeing B-52 Stratofortress on it’s dial. Now, they are releasing a law-enforcement derived watch, the C-1000 FAGN which the brand made for the French National Gendarmerie Air Force. This is the first time they are releasing the watch to the general public.
The link between Ollech & Wajs and the National Gendarmerie Air Force began in 2021 when OW submitted their C-1000 watch to the unit for testing. It was worn on active duty in a variety of actual missions across an 18 month period on La Réunion, an island in the Indian Ocean. The C-1000 was subjected to the rigours of daily use and outperformed several other watches. The watch was then customized to FAGN’s own specifications, switching out the diving bezel for the 60-minutes navigation bezel and swapping out straps that were inspired by FAGN pilot’s iconic blue flying suits.
This civilian version we get remains largely unchanged. It comes in a beefy stainless steel case that measures 39.5mm wide and a porky 15.8mm thick. That thickness is the product of two things — the protruding box-style crystal on top as well as a massive 1,000 meter water resistance. The case is fully brushed and on top features a 60-minutes bezel that’s a bit different than the one on the dive watch, but also different from the watch supplied to the police units.
On the dial side, things remain largely the same, save for a few key details. It’s a black base with bright white rectangular markers (triangles on the cardinal positions), as well as a date aperture above the 6 o’clock position. That’s paired with rectangular hands that have custom blue Super-LumiNova inserts, as well as the FAGN logo near the 3 o’clock position.
Inside is the Soprod Newton Precision P092 automatic movement, which beats at 4Hz and has a 44 hour power reserve. The watch comes on a blue 20 mm wide nylon one-piece band or you can get a stainless steel mesh bracelet for an additional CHF 126.
The new Ollech & Wajs C-1000 FAGN is available now and priced at CHF 1,856. See more on the Ollech & Wajs website.
5/
So, when Patek Philippe released the Cubitus, the internet was awash with people drawing parallels between their design and already existing watches. People called it a lovechild of the Aquanaut and a Cartier Santos, commentators noted its similarity to a Maen model. But it’s one thing to have people on Reddit poke fun at how similar the Cubitus is to other watches. It’s kind of a different thing to have the New York Times do so. And this is exactly what the NYT did in an article from a few days ago in which they profiled the Benjamin James micro brand. Benjamin James released their square Scarifour earlier in the year, and the NYT noted its similarity at a fraction of the price. And best of all, Cubitus brought attention to Benjamin James right as they have launched their automatic version of the Scarifour.
The Scarifour, even with its thicker automatic movement, keeps things super classy in terms of size. The stainless steel case measures just 31mm wide, 9.5mm thick and with a length of 40mm. You can’t exactly go by lug-to-lug since it comes on an integrated bracelet. The case and the bracelet get a brushed finish, that’s pretty nicely accented with a polished bezel and central link on the bracelet. On top is a sapphire crystal and water resistance is 50 meters.
The dial of the new automatic version continues where the manual version stopped off. There are two colors available, a champagne one and a really, really nice british racing green. Both colors have a chevron motif grooved into them, just like the previous dials. You get applied indices, with a Roman numeral 12 at the top of the dial, paired with polished hands that feature BGW9 Swiss Super-LumiNova.
Inside is the Miyota 9039 movement, the Japanese alternative to the ubiquitous Sellita SW200 and the ETA 2824 and it beats at 4Hz and has a 42 hour power reserve, four more than the Sellita and ETA. The stainless steel bracelet has a hidden butterfly buckle.
The new Benjamin James Scarifour Automatics can be pre-ordered now, with deliveries expected in May, for a bit less than the new Patek. Price is set at £540, or about €650. See more on the Benjamin James website.
6/
You can’t exactly get more classic watch than one from Breguet‘s Classique collection, the purest vision of what Abraham-Louis Breguet had in mind when he started making watches. Now, the collection gets two new watches, the automatic time-and-date Classique 5177 and the Classique 7787 Moonphase, which get platnium cases and black enamel dials.
The Classique 5177 comes in a 38mm wide and 8.8mm thick case, while the Classique 7787 Moonphase is slightly wider at 39mm and 10.3mm thick. Both of them now get cases made out of platinum, with fluted flanks, a thin bezel, sapphire crystals and straight welded lugs that are a staple for the entire collection.
And while platinum cases are new for the Classique, black Grand Feu enamel is not. A number of Classique watches have featured this technique that requires numerous layers of enamel to be baked at 800ºC. You get an incredible depth to the dial, as well as a very glossy finish. The Classique 5177 features a date window at 3 o’clock, tiny star-shaped markers, lozenges at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock and Breguet numerals and handset. The Classique 7787 Moonphase has its phases of the moon displayed in a semi-circle at noon with a 0-29 ½ track and a hammered white gold moon surrounded by rhodium-plated gold stars against a blue lacquered disc. There’s also a an off-centred power reserve indicator.
Inside the Classique 5177 you’ll find the 777 Q automatic calibre which beats at 4Hz and has a 55 hour power reserve. It’s decorated with Geneva stripes, circular graining and a starry mosaic guilloché pattern on the gold rotor. The Classique 7787 Moonphase has the 591 DRL automatic calibre which has the same beat rate but a much weaker power reserve of 38 hours. You get a gold rotor with a guilloché barleycorn pattern. Both watches come on black alligator leather straps, but the 5177 gets a platinum pin buckle, while the 7787 has a triple-folding clasp.
The new Breguet Classique 7787 is priced at CHF 36,800, while the Breguet Classique 7787 Moonphase is priced at CHF 43,800. See more on the Breguet 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
At first glance, the main dial surface of the Venezianico Nereide Aureo appears to be hammered gold leaf, but the reality is far more complex and work-intensive. The main visible layer of the dial is, in fact, pure 24K gold, a rarity even in the upper echelons of watchmaking, but rather than the thin, gossamer-delicate work of gold leaf, the brand has devised a proprietary procedure. To emulate the hammered texture of the leaf applied to the walls of Basilica San Marco, Venezianico begins by running each brass dial blank through a tumbling process, creating a series of tiny dents and imperfections. From here, the dial blanks are galvanically plated with 24k gold, then finished with several layers of clear varnish as a protectant.
⏲️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
OK, I got my dates a bit mixed up. I thought Haloween was today, not yesterday. I’m not one to let spooky stories go to waste, so all three today are real life horror stories. In 2005, Vanessa Mitchell moved into her dream home, a former medieval jail where England’s witches waited to hang and burn. When paranormal phenomena forced her to flee, she became convinced it was possessed by evil spirits. This is her true story.
As a kid who really liked the X-Files, I had a thing for haunted places and paranormal occurrences. Of course, that means I was familiar with the story of Clinton Road in New Jersey. Do take a journey down America’s most haunted road.
Newlyweds move into a house with a secret, violent past rooted in American trauma. The untold story of one of the only purported cases of a supernatural entity being responsible for murder.
👀Watch this
One video you have to watch today
The things that Danny MacAskill can do on a bicycle will never cease to amaze me. And this isn’t even the craziest things I’ve seen him do.
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