The Bell & Ross BR-03 Astro, A Wild Looking Space Watch; Norqain Freedom 60 GMT Bronze Gets Anthracite Dial; Mühle-Glashütte's Sportivo Power; A Black MeisterSinger; Three Bucherer Collaborations

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Two things to note today. First, I have a new review up of the Christiaan van der Klaauw × Ace Jewelers stAriadne which shouldn’t be missed. And second, Watches and Wonders is coming up in a little over a month so releases are slowing down. This week in particular is slow, so don’t be alarmed if you don’t get an email, I might have had to skip it for lack of news. Also, I will be in Geneva for W&W. If you are going as well, let me know, I would love to get together!

In this issue:

• The New Bell & Ross BR-03 Astro Puts The Earth And Moon On Your Wrist

• The Dramatic Norqain Freedom 60 GMT Bronze Gets An Anthracite Dial

• The Mühle-Glashütte Sportivo Power Chronograph First Edition Is A Very Stealthy Sports Watch

• The New MeisterSinger Black One Limited Edition Is A Modern Take On Old Time-Telling

• Rolex Might Have Shut Down Carl F. Bucherer, But Their Retail Division Just Released Three High End Collabs

👂What’s new

1/

The New Bell & Ross BR-03 Astro Puts The Earth And Moon On Your Wrist

When you are known as a watchmaker that makes unusual watches — and Bell & Ross is, thanks to their use of square cases that resemble airplane instruments — it’s easy to go off the rails, create something truly different and be accepted by your core base. Bell & Ross does it all the time. The Radiocompass, Gyrocompass and Red Radar are just some of the examples of how they can pretty skillfully incorporate their aviation heritage and weird dials. For their latest weird dial, Bell & Ross takes the aviation theme to its final frontier — space. The new Bell & Ross BR-03 Astro is a space-themed watch that uses the Earth and stuff that surrounds us to tell the time.

On the outside, this is a very familiar BR-03. It’s made out of micro blasted black ceramic and measures 41mm wide and 11.5mm thick. This is a fully square case, meaning that the lug-to-lug is not as important, especially because the actual lugs are very short. They are, however, 24mm apart, which might make finding a strap difficult. According to Bell & Ross, they hollowed out the flat crystal on top to make room for the Earth that sits on the dial. Water resistance is 100 meters.

A regular dial is gone, replaced by a really nice representation of our planet and neighboring objects. The base of the dial is an aventurine plate, blue with specks of white to represent the stars, with the obvious huge Earth in the centre. While the Earth doesn’t move, you have a small laser-engraved metal satellite that serves as a seconds indicator, followed by the also laser-engraved Moon which shows the minutes. All the way out is the small red representation of Mars which shows the hours. The illustrations are beautifully crisp.

All of this is powered by what Bell & Ross calls the Cal. 327 movement, but the rest of us know better as the Sellita SW300-1. The movement has been modified to rotate the celestial bodies, but still beats at 4Hz and has a 54 hour power reserve. The watch comes with a black rubber and a synthetic fabric strap, both of which are closed with a matte black PVD buckle.

The new Bell & Ross BR-03 Astro is limited to 999 pieces and priced at €4,990. This is a firmly niche watch, but I like the execution quite a lot. See more on the Bell & Ross website.

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The Dramatic Norqain Freedom 60 GMT Bronze Gets An Anthracite Dial

While I’m still not a true believer, it can’t be denied that Norqain made a huge name for themselves in record time. And while most people will think of their time-and-date sports watches and use of composite materials, one of Norqain’s watches I often like to look at is the Freedom 60 GMT, equipped with a traveller-style GMT movement, a dramatic crystal and often great dial colors. We’ve seen them in blue, brown and a really nice shade of green. Now, Norqain is releasing the Freedom 60 GMT in a bronze case and an anthracite dial.

Like I heard someone note a few days ago, the 60 in the Freedom 60 GMT name is a reference to its clear 1960s design inspiration. A simple round case with angular lugs, fashioned out of bronze, measures 40mm wide and is 14.5mm thick. A chunky thing, for sure, but look at that crystal. A lot of that thickness is used for the very attractive box-style sapphire crystal. On the left side you’ll find the Norqain plaque, which is still can’t stand, and on the right is an unprotected crew-down crown that gives you 100 meters of water resistance.

The layout of the new dial is the same as the previous versions, only now it comes in an antracite color with a sunray brushing. All of the hardware — the applied hour markers, the syringe-style hands and the logo — are rendered in brushed bronze, with the markers and hands getting strips of old radium Super-LumiNova. At 3 o’clock you’ll find a date aperture which breaks up the two-tone 24-hour scale for the GMT function. The second time zone is indicated with a red arrow-tipped hand.

Inside, you’ll find the calibre NN20/2, based on the Tudor MT5652 movement. Which makes a lot of sense, since Norqain was one of the first companies (outside of the group) to get access to this Kenissi-made traveller-style movement. Being a traveller-style, you can adjust the local date and hour hand independently. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a 70 hour power reserve. The watch can be had on either a black Perlon rubber strap or on a brown Alcantara strap.

The new Norqain Freedom 60 GMT Bronze with anthracite dial is limited to 300 pieces and priced at €4,190 on the alcantara and €4,350 on the rubber. See more on the Norqain website.

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The Mühle-Glashütte Sportivo Power Chronograph First Edition Is A Very Stealthy Sports Watch

Glashütte is a tiny town just south of Dresden in Germany with a bit more than 7,000 people living in it. And despite its small size, the town’s name has become synonymous with German watchmaking. Which is not really surprising, seeing as how ten major watchmaking brands make their watches there - A. Lange & Söhne, Bruno Söhnle Uhrenatelier Glashütte, C. H. Wolf, Glashütte Original, NOMOS Glashütte, Wempe Chronometerwerke, Tutima, Union Glashütte, Moritz Grossmann and Mühle Glashütte. An impressive lineup for a small town. And that last one, Mühle Glashütte, is one of the more underrated of the bunch. Last year, they introduced a brand new sport collection to the lineup and it was a very cool bunch of sporty watches that included all the necessary complications — from GMT to chronograph. Now, they have an update to the collection, the black and red Sportivo Power Chronograph First Edition that has a few cool things happening on the inside.

This is a chunky watch but, surprisingly to some, not even close to being the chunkiest that Mühle Glashütte makes. The stainless steel case measures 42.5mm wide, 15.5mm thick and has a 50.3mm lug-to-lug. It also has a fully black ion coating, with small red details on the 60 minute scale that’s engraved onto the black ceramic insert on the bidirectional bezel. On top is a flat sapphire crystal and the case overall has a square look and a matte finish. Water resistance is as you would expect from the brand, pretty awesome at 300 meters.

And while the case is very well familiar for the Sportivo line, the dial is brand new. While previous Sportivo watches featured quite loud colors, this one goes for an all black base with a very subtle grain to it. There’s a bright red chapter ring surrounding the dial and more red details on the hands of the central chrono seconds and the 30-minute totalizer at 12 o’clock. There’s a running seconds at 9 o’clock, and a power reserve indicator at 6, which sits above the date aperture.

Inside, you’ll find the new automatic MU 9244 movement. Technically, it’s based on the Sellita SW500, but it’s heavily reworked. They give it a new mainspring barrel and baseplate and the brand’s patented woodpecker regulator. It’s also built to be fully modular, so that they can swap out functions. This one has the 19-piece power reserve module. The movement beats at 4Hz, has a 62 hour power reserve and is regulated to 0/+8 seconds per day. That all sounds really nice. The watch comes on a water resistant black leather strap with red contrast stitching and PVD pin buckle.

The Mühle Glashütte Sportivo Power Chronograph First Edition is a limited edition of 200 pieces and priced at €4,300. See more on the Mühle Glashütte website.

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The New MeisterSinger Black One Limited Edition Is A Modern Take On Old Time-Telling

Last week, I wrote about the new MeisterSinger Pangaea Day Date 365 and in the article I pointed out how MeisterSinger uses the same one-hand time telling principle that was popularized during the Middle Ages, but manages to render it as many variations as if they had two hands for the hours and minutes. And their other new release, the MeisterSinger Black One, proves they can go from maximalist to minimalist on a dime.

MeisterSinger rarely changes the cases, and that’s ok, because they are nice. It’s the familiar 41.5mm wide and 10.5mm thick case with a domed sapphire crystal that’s pushed all the way to the edge making this an all-dial watch. What’s new with this rendition is that it’s made out of stainless steel that gets a rough matte black DLC coating for a very stealthy look. Out back is a mineral glass caseback with Edition Black One 100/100 printed on it. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The black theme continues on the dial, which has an even rougher finish to it and is all black. The only non-black things on this watch are the bright yellow double-digit lumed hour numerals, and the white minute markers, branding and hand. Yeah, the one hand that’s used to tell the time. The only text on the dial is the MeisterSinger up top and Black One above 6 o’clock.

Inside, you won’t find a unique movement. Instead, it’s a simple but reliable Sellita SW-200. This automatic movement beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. The central rotor is customized with the MeisterSinger logo. The watch comes on both a yellow and a black rubber strap.

The new MeisterSinger Black One is limited to 100 pieces and priced at €2,190. See more on the MeisterSinger website.

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Rolex Might Have Shut Down Carl F. Bucherer, But Their Retail Division Just Released Three High End Collabs

In case you missed it, it was widely reported last week that Rolex would do what everyone was hoping they wouldn’t. Two years ago, Rolex acquired Bucherer, one of the world’s oldest watch retailers. With that they also bought Carl F. Bucherer, their watchmaking division. And sure, it was to be expected, they just announced they would be shutting down watch production. Which is a shame, because they made some pretty great pieces. On the other hand, Bucherer the retailer also made their own watches, all in collaboration with exclusive brands to make limited editions. That’s continuing and their latest Bucherer Exclusive collection gets collaborations with Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux and Chopard.

Starting off with the Ulysse Nardin Freak X, weirdly the most affordable of the bunch, it comes in a familiar Freak X titanium case that measures 43mm wide and 13.78mm thick. The collaboration comes in the form of a new hour disc and mainplate which is decorated with a guilloché pattern and then is then covered with a truly unique shade of green enamel. I don’t think I’ve seen a color like that in enamel. The movement that drives the watch is very much visible on the dial side, as its central bridge acts as the minute hand. It’s the UN 230 with the flying carousel, featuring a silicon escapement, a large silicon balance wheel with nickel flyweights, and stabilizing micro blades. The watch comes on a black calfskin strap with cutouts that show off the bright green insides, and it’s close by a titanium folding buckle. The new Bucherer Exclusive Ulysse Nardin Freak X Enamel is limited to 18 pieces and priced at €41,100. See more on the Bucherer website.

Moving up in price, we have the L.U.C. Strike One. Made out of ethical Lucent Steel, which is a rare sight for the Strike One, it measures 40mm wide and 9.86mm thick. On the side is a crown with an integrated pusher that activates the striking mechanism. The dial is made out of 18k white gold, with a hand-guilloché honeycomb medallion, and has a light blue PVD treatment. The hands point to rhodium-plated indices on 11 of the hours, while at 8 o’clock is a baguette diamond. There’s also a cutout between 12 and 1 o’clock that shows the striking hammer, and at 6 is a snailed subdial for the running seconds. The watch is powered by the L.U.C 96.32-L calibre which is wound with a gold micro-rotor, COSC certified and has a 65 hour power reserve with a 4Hz beat rate. The movement has the Poinçon de Genève hallmark, which brings with it beautiful decorations. The watch comes on a blue alligator leather strap, with an additional grey calf leather strap. The Bucherer Exclusive L.U.C Strike One is limited to 8 pieces with a price of €72,800. See more here.

Last, we have the Girard-Perregaux Bucherer Exclusive Laureato Tourbillon, whihc comes in a titanium case that measures 43mm wide and 11.36mm thick, with the recognizable octagonal bezel. The watch has an anthracite grey dial for a fully monochromatic look, with a very nice Clous de Paris pattern engraved on it. The baton-style indices have a PVD treatment and lume inserts. The entire bottom of the dial is dedicated to the huge aperture for the tourbillon, held in place by the brand’s signature arrow-shaped bridge. The watch is powered by the in-house GP9510 calibre which beats at 21,600 vph and has a 47 hour power reserve. See the watch on the Bucherer website.

⚙️I Review A Watch

Exactly what it says on the label — I get a watch, wear it and then review it

I Review A Watch: The Christiaan van der Klaauw × Ace Jewelers stAriadne proves there is a baseline of good taste

When you see it live, it instantly smacks you across the face with its coolness. There are four sub-dial of which only three are functional, because at 3 o’clock you’ll find a sub-dial that's used to balance out the symmetry. This one simply contains Christiaan van der Klaauw’s name and logo, a sun with 12 claws — something that you would expect to see from a 90s grunge band.

Read my whole review 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

• Butter and cottage cheese have found their way back onto American breakfast tables after falling out of favor. What does OJ have to do to get back in the mix? Deal with a devastating disease, for one.

• A walloping, urgent look at the utter devastation brought on by civil war in northern Ethiopia, smartly centered around the involuntary heroism of the doctors forced to respond to tragedy upon tragedy.

• The instant I saw that companies were trying to replace freezer doors with screens, I knew there was some kind of scam going on. I just didn’t know what the goal of the scam was. Well, the case of Walgreens, where they spent $200 million on that program might help clarify how things went downhill.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Offshore powerboat racers are a unique breed, combining fearless ambition, skill, and, often, considerable wealth. Known for high-speed, high-risk racing, they embrace both the sport’s thrill and glamour. The sport has attracted a wide range of figures—from career racers to drug smugglers, business tycoons, and Hollywood celebrities—all of whom contributed to offshore racing’s colorful and sometimes notorious history. This short doc from Vehicule is fantastic.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk