Seiko Takes Inspiration From Australian Outback For New Alpinist; Stowa Expands Vintage Series; Weiss And Todd Snyder Team Up; New Sherpa Colorways; Panerai Launches First Radiomir Goldtech QP

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In this issue:

• Seiko Takes Inspiration From The Australian Outback For A New Red And Gold Alpinist

• Stowa Brings Vintage Looking Lume To The Steel Flieger Vintage Series

• Weiss Watch Company Teams Up With Todd Snyder For A Great Looking Field Watch

• Sherpa Has New Colorways Available For The Very Cool Ultradive, The Moon And The Sun

• Panerai Launches Their First Radiomir Perpetual Calendar GMT In Goldtech, The PAM01453

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 35 seconds

👂What’s new

1/

Seiko Takes Inspiration From The Australian Outback For A New Red And Gold Alpinist

Nobody here likes limited editions. They’re a necessary evil, but there’s been a proliferation of LEs in the industry. So much so that I’ve had newsletters that are entirely made up of exclusively models that won’t be available for everyone to buy. And worse still are the geographically-limited editions. So often do we get the hots for a watch, only to realise it will be sold only on a continent we haven’t stepped foot on in 15 years. And while most of these geo-limited editions are focused on North America and Europe, there are a fair deal of Asia and Australia editions that I often skip out of habit. But this is not really fair, as I have quite the number of readers from Asia and Australia (hi people!). So, here’s one for you. Seiko just released the brand new Seiko Prospex Alpinist Australasian Limited Edition SPB489J, inspired by the red deserts of Australia.

On the outside, it’s the same well known SARB-derived watch that’s been around for decades now. It measures 39.5mm wide, 13.2mm thick and has a lug-to-lug of 46.4mm, making it a decent wearing watch on most wrists. There’s a sapphire crystal on top and a hardlex one out back. You also get the very recognisable second crown at 4 o’clock that’s used to operate the internal compass bezel. Water resistance is 200 meters.

Brand new is the dial. It’s a really pretty shade of crimson red, which is paired with a vertical wave texture. It’s supposed to have something to do with representing the heat haze of the desert, I just say it looks very cool. And the red looks especially nice paired with the gold hardware — the applied numerals on even numbers, indices on the rest and the cathedral hands.

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 brown leather strap.

The new Seiko Prospex Alpinist Australasian Limited Edition SPB489J is limited to 1,000 pieces, goes on sale on November 1st and will be available only in Australia and Asia. The price is set at A$1,250 or about US$835. See more on the Seiko website.

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Stowa Brings Vintage Looking Lume To The Steel Flieger Vintage Series

The German manufacturer Stowa is particularly well known for their fligers, pilot’s watches — especially those with a B-Uhr configuration, and if you look at their website you will be awash in a sea of retro-looking watches. But, if you ask them, things can be even more retro. Up until now, they had a bronze pilot’s watch that was the only one that featured vintage-looking dials with Old Radium lume. Well, that’s changing as they are expanding the Old Radium look to their steel lineup, all six variants of it.

Stowa is all about customization and options, so this move comes as no surpirse, but the range of options truly is huge. There’s the Flieger Vintage 36 whcih comes in a 36mm wide steel case that’s either 10.8 or 10.3mm thick, depending on whether you get the auto or manual movement. The Flieger Vintage 40 and Flieger Vintage 40 model B both come in 40mm, either 10.2mm or 9.2mm thick, again depending on movement. Then, there are the Flieger Vintage 6498 with a case that measures 41mm x 12.8mm, as well as the Flieger Vintage Sport and Flieger Vintage Sport model B which come in 43mm wide and 12.8mm or 11.8mm thick cases. All of them seem to have 100 to 200 meters of water resistance.

As for the dials, you can choose whether you want to have a logo displayed on it and they all get the same Old Radium orange tinted lume and brushed steel hands. If you like fauxtina, this is a release for you. But the models can be had on a range of styles. The smallest gets a traditional flieger, dial, while the Flieger Vintage 40 can be had in either the traditional or B-uhr style dial. The Flieger Vintage 6498 can be had as either a three hander or with a small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock. The Flieger Vintage Sport and Flieger Vintage Sport model B also have traditional or B-uhr setups.

As far as movements are concerned, all of the watches can be had with either an automatic SW200 movement or manual wind SW210. These movements share the same architecture, with a beat rate of 4Hz and with a 38 hour power reserve. The only exception to this is the Flieger Vintage 6498 which gets a hand-wound Unitas movement. The watches can also be had on a number of strap options.

The new Stowa watches are available now, for a whole range of prices. The Flieger Vintage 36/40/40 Baumuster B Automatic retail for €1,250, the Flieger Vintage 36/40/40 Baumuster B hand-wound for €1,270, the Flieger Vintage Sport/Sport Baumuster B Automatic for €1,450, the Flieger Vintage Sport/Sport Baumuster B hand-wound for €1,450 and the Flieger Vintage 6498 for €1,750. See more on the Stowa website.

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Weiss Watch Company Teams Up With Todd Snyder For A Great Looking Field Watch

I remember being quite the fan of Weiss Watch Company before the pandemic but I have since kind of lost track of what they were doing. So, it’s nice to see them pop up as a testament to good American-based watchmaking. They have teamed up with Todd Snyder, who have been working for years on highlighting American heritage brands like L.L. Bean and Red Wind. Their first collaboration comes in the form of two limited editions of the Weiss Watch Company Standard Issue Field Watch with some pretty great colroways.

The basis of the watch remains very much the same Field Watch that Weiss has been making for years. It comes in a stainless steel case, one untreated and the other with a black coating, that measures 38mm wide, just 9mm thick — and that’s including the double-domed sapphire crystal — and with a 46.2mm lug-to-lug measurement. Water resistance is just fine at 100 meters.

There are two versions you can get of the watch. One features a tan and the other an olive dial. Both have orange minute and seconds tracks, as well as orange seconds hands for a bit of contrast. The two logos are the only dial text you’ll see and there’s a small seconds display at 6 o’clock. You also get huge sword-style hands that are color matched to the dial, giving them an incredibly cool look.

Inside the Field Watch is Weiss’s Caliber 1005, which is a hand-wound mechanical movement based on the ETA Cal. 70001. However, it’s finished and assembled in the United States. Weiss also decorates the movements with Geneva Stripes. The watches come on handmade leather straps that match the dials.

The Weiss Watch Company x Todd Snyder Field Watch is limited to 30 pieces in each colorway and can be bought exclusively through Todd Snyder. Price is set at $2,200. See more on the Todd Snyder website.

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Sherpa Has New Colorways Available For The Very Cool Ultradive, The Moon And The Sun 

Modern Sherpa watches are a very complicated watch. Not in terms of complications, but in terms of what it is. I had one in for review for a while. I came in lukewarm and walked away a believer, and for very good reason, despite everything that might be seen as a drawback. But more on that tomorrow, when subscribers to the Patreon or the Watch Club will get early access to the review. For now, Sherpa is introducing two new colorways to its very impressive compressor divers, the Sun and the Moon.

Modern sherpa is a continuation of the iconic Enicar Sherpa and has a masterfully (German) built case that features a compressor crown system that’s derived from Ervin Piquerez SA (EPSA) cases. They, along with the EPSA-STOP compressor bayonet caseback, allow for 200 meters of water resistance, without having to screw down. The stainless steel case measures 40mm wide and 13.5mm thick with an expansive domed sapphire crystal that reaches all the way to the edges. On the right side is a significant guard for the two crowns, the top of which operates the inner bi-directional rotating ring and the bottom adjusts the time.

As for the new domed dials, they keep the same setup but with spectacular new colors. The Ultradive Sun gets a rose gold sunray-brushed finish that looks very salmon-like, and it’s paired with applied and black painted baton-style indices. The Ultradive Moon has a galvanic silver treatment, paired with diamond-cut hour and minute hands and a double lollipop seconds hand. Compared to the original Ultradive, this one ditches the orange lume ring on the internal bezel for a more streamlined look.

Inside, you’ll find something interesting. It’s a movement Sherpa calls the Mantramatic MM01. In essence, it’s a top-grade Sellita SW200-1 automatic, a bit of a let down for such an expensive watch, but this then gets turned on its head by the fact that wheels inside the movement have been microscopically laser-engraved with a traditional Tibetan Buddhist mantra of Om Mani Peme Hung, often found on Tibetan prayer wheels. The watches come on either a black or white tropic-style vulcanised rubber strap and come in a really beautifully made Italian travel roll for two watches.

Now, the hardest thing to grasp with the new Sherpa Ultradive Sun and Ultradive Moon, the price. The Ultradive Moon is priced at €6,500 and the Ultradive Sun at €6,600. That’s a huge sum for what could be seen as a SW200 powered diver, and I thought the same before I wore one. Two things make this watch a contender at that price — it’s perhaps the most comfortable watch I ever wore and it’s entirely European made. That’s incredibly hard to find — even at those price points — and the quality shows. See more on the Sherpa website and keep an eye out for the early access to the review tomorrow.

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Panerai Launches Their First Radiomir Perpetual Calendar GMT In Goldtech, The PAM01453

Hey, you know what an iconic dive watch needs? Like, one that was purpose built for use by the Italian navy accomplishing the toughest underwater tasks. A gold case, GMT function and perpetual calendar. Because that’s what counts underwater. I kid, of course, as Panerai has not been a true dive watch brand in decades. So let them do their thing. Their new release is a Radiomir, but also the first ever Radiomir Perpetual Calendar. This is the new Panerai Radiomir Perpetual Calendar GMT Goldtech PAM01453.

This will not be subtle on your wrist. Not only is it made out of Goldtech, which is Panerai’s proprietary rose gold (and features a bright white dial), it also measures 45mm in diameter. That’s impressive. It keeps the cushion shape and the diamond-shaped tapering crown. Water resistance is just 100 meters, low for an iconic diver, but again… are you going to go diving with your rose gold perpetual calendar?

The dial is super simple, but also iconic Panerai. It has a white sunburst finish, with a sandwich construction that is cutout for the 12 and 6 numerals and baton indices for the rest of the markers, all gold colored. It’s a very simple display, with centrally positioned hour and minute hand, as well as a shorter arrow tipped GMT hand. At 3 o’clock is a day-date display, while at 9 you’ll find the small seconds sub-dial with a 24-hour hand with day/night indicator.

All of this is powered by the Panerai calibre P.4100 which can be seen through the caseback. And you need that open caseback to be able to see the year, leap year, months, and power reserve indicator that are all seen there. It’s powered by a micro-rotor, has a double barrel system that gives it a 72 hour power reserve and all the functions can be adjusted with just the crown, with no additional tool necessary. The watch comes on a brown alligator leather strap.

The new Panerai Radiomir Perpetual Calendar GMT Goldtech PAM01453 is available for purchase now and, I don’t believe I’m saying this, is not that wildly priced. Of course, $46,200 is a huge sum of money, but consider the fact that this is a solid rose gold watch with a perpetual calendar movement that has some pretty cool features. See more on the Panerai website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

A review of the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Forged Carbon

2/

Hands-On with the Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit

3/

A review of the Spinnaker Fleuss 40 Automatic Seconde/Seconde/

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Olympia seems to indicate a new phase for Lorier, one slightly more grown up and considered

Like every watch from Lorier, the touchpoints of the Olympia are impeccable. The screw-down crown threads neatly, the pushers have a positive response, and the bracelet is easy to size thanks to a feature I continue to argue for on all watches: single-sided screws — which are particularly easily removed thanks to an included screwdriver. I might have liked to see the detent for the absent date complication removed from the movement, but according to Lorier it just wasn’t feasible. Aside from that small quibble, interactions with the movement are quite pleasant, and the crown and pushers felt solid, especially compared to other mechanical chronographs at a similar price point.

Read the whole review on Worn & Wound

⏲️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

• The Warriors is one of my favorite movies of all time. Only now did I realise that it never occurred to me to read the novel it was based on. And it’s not like it’s a hard find. I’m looking at it on my shelf as I’m typing this. This piece by the novel’s author Sol Yurick in which he says: “I looked for my novel on the screen. I found the skeleton of it intact. Its revolutionary content was missing,” was the thing to actually get me off the couch and start reading. I’ll report back.

• On YouTube and Reddit, adherents of a bizarre conspiracy theory argue that everything you know about the history of architecture is wrong. Bloomberg goes inside the ‘Tartarian Empire,’ the QAnon of architecture.

• Using cutting-edge methods, Alexandra Morton-Hayward is cracking the secrets of ancient brains – even as hers betrays her. I guess it’s king of unsettling to be known as the “brain collector” when you’re not a wanted serial killer, but this is a good kind of brain collecting.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

I don’t understand how Rocketpoweredmohawk is allowed to remain on YouTube. The amount of incredible (but hilarious) filth that comes out of his mouth is astounding.

💵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: Here’s a crazy request. One of you is looking to buy the Lotēc No. 7.5. Sure, it’s a big ask, but if any of you have one and want to sell, reach out to and I’ll put you in touch

• SOLD: 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

-Vuk