The Breitling Navitimer Gets An Almost Dressy Grey Look, Mido Introduces Very Attractive Moonphase, Smokey The Bear Gets A Watch And Unimatic Has An Outrageously Priced LE

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Two apologies to start with. First of all, I’m late, but it was a really busy day. Secondly, looks like I lied to you. I said there likely won’t be another issue this week because everyone is on vacation. But a few cool things got released since Tuesday, and more are happening as I type this. So, looks like we’re back on track? Maybe?

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In this issue:

• A New Grey Dial Gives The Cult Breitling Navitimer LE An Almost Dressy Look

• Mido Introduces The Very Affordable, Very Attractive, Baroncelli Chronograph Moonphase

• Vero Teams Up With Smokey The Bear To Make A Watch Just For Him

• Unimatic Works With Hodinkee For The Second Time To Create Two Fantastic Carbon Variants At A Truly Outrageous Price

• Norqain Adds Two New Neverest Golden Glacier Models Inspired By Everest Khumbu Icefall To Its Lineup With Charitable Intentions

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 38 seconds

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👂What’s new

1/

A New Grey Dial Gives The Cult Breitling Navitimer LE An Almost Dressy Look

Over the years I have seen the Breitling Navitimer in the flesh on three different people. And I hated it. It looked like a huge, completely illegible, plate. Turns out, I was wrong. All three of those guys who wore the Navitimer had the same issue - they had tiny wrists, so the watch looked ridiculous on them. As time passed I started liking the 46mm behemoth. Now Breitling is releasing a limited edition version that will be available only in the US market and it’s gray dial with the red gold gives the watch an almost dressy quality.

While the rest of the current 46mm Navitimer lineup features high-contrast black and white, light blue and white and green and black dials, the new release goes for a more subdued combination of anthracite dial with black subdials. Contrast comes from the white text, including the slide-rule scale on the outer edge, white lume on the hands, and the white luminous plots at the end of the red gold stick indexes on the dial.

The watch is still 46mm wide and 13.9mm thick and the case is made out of stainless steel. Unlike the other steel versions, this anthracite one comes with a 18k red gold notched bezel making it appear classy. Pretty much everything else is the same, including the internals. Inside is the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, a COSC-certified chronometer with 70 hours of power reserve showing through a display caseback, and you get 30m of water resistance, three subdials, and a date window at 6:00.

Two unfortunate things - you will be able to buy this only in the US and it’s a very limited edition. Only 300 pieces will be made. Which is a shame, because this more elegant version of the Navitimer looks to be something that Breitling customers would want. If you do manage to get one, it will set you back $11,900. See more about it on the US Breitling page.

2/

Mido Introduces The Very Affordable, Very Attractive, Baroncelli Chronograph Moonphase

This will sound crazy, but just for a milisecond, as my eye passed over the photo of this new Mido watch I thought it was a JLC Polaris Chrono. And is there a better thing you could say about a watch that’s a tenth of the price? I’ve been going on and on how Mido is pushing its way into the very top of affordable watchmaking, so I won’t bore you with that whole thing again. However, most of the amazin stuff they do has been in the sports watch arena. Now they’re updating a watch in their more dressy Baroncelli line, the new Baroncelli Chronograph Moonphase.

I say it’s a more dressy watch, but that’s only in appearance. On hand, it’s quite the opposite from a small that you would expect a dress watch to be. It has a polished 42mm stainless steel case and a lug to lug measurement of 50.19mm. One of the reasons why the watch doesn’t look that big in pictures is the stepped bezel which makes it look like a smaller case with a bigger dial. You get sapphire crystals on top and bottom, but only 30 meters of water resistance which is just bizarrely low.

The dial is made up of multiple levels finished in a sunray brushed blue tone. Interestingly, the subdials at 6, 9 and 12 o’clock all have slightly different colours. The outer, most upper level of the dial is designated to the pointer date indication, with a stylish pointer with a crescent moon tip. One step in and down comes the ring for the applied and polished hour indices, with printed minute markings in between. The three subdials are finished with circular grooves and a silver outline. The bottom subdial is for the chronograph 12-hour counter and the moonphase.

Visible under the sapphire crystal caseback is the Mido Calibre 60 automatic movement, based on the ETA A05.221. This movement powers the e hours, minutes and small seconds, as well as chronograph hours, minutes and seconds and a complete calendar display. It runs at a rate of 28,800vph and has an anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring. Despite having to run all of this, it still gets a 60 hours run time. It comes on a textured blue rubber strap that has a curved end with quick-release push pins and a stainless steel pin buckle, but I can’t help myself and think this will look so much better on a leather strap.

The watch is still not on the Mido website, so I am not 100% sure when it will go on sale, but I do know that it will set you back EUR 2,800. That’s a bit above the regular Mido price, but it seems you get a lot for your money here. For more information, visit the Mido website.

3/

Vero Teams Up With Smokey The Bear To Make A Watch Just For Him

Yesterday was Smokey The Bear’s birthday. Technically, he now goes by Smokey Bear, but you get it. The beloved character has just turned 79 years old. Smokey The Bear is such a well known character that even kids like me, who grew up nowhere near the US knew that “only we can prevent wildfires”. His straightforward mission has encouraged countless outdoor lovers in educating themselves on proper fire care and forest conservation opportunities. And while he’s not going anywhere, he’s getting an early retirement present - a watch. Two watches, in fact, the Vero Smokey ’44 and Smokey ’64. Vero collaborated with the U.S. Forest Service, Smokey Bear’s handlers, on these two watches, and 10% of profits will support the agency.

The two watches are very similar and share the same specs. However, their looks differ, with each based on the design of field watches from a different decade. The first, Smokey ’44, is the more vintage-looking one of the two, featuring modified cathedral hands, seriffed numerals, and yellowed fauxtina. It also is the only watch to feature Smokey’s likeness on the dial, at 12 o’clock. The Smokey ’64 is more contemporary, with sword hands and sans-serif numerals. Both watches feature Smokey’s iconic shovel head as the counterweight for the seconds hand. Also, both watches have a brown dial with a fine textured finish. Each dial features a rendition of Smokey’s catchphrase (though he’s had many). The Smokey ’64 has “Only you can prevent wildfires,” while the ’44 simply states “Only you.”

Both watches come in a 38mm wide, 12mm thick, brushed stainless steel case, have screw-down crowns and sapphire crystals and are water resistant to 120 meters. The indices and hands are illuminated with Super-LumiNova. Inside both versions is the simple and common Seiko NH38A automatic movement with a 41-hour power reserve. The case backs are solid steel, engraved with “Only you can prevent wildfires,” except the “o” in “you” is replaced with Smokey’s likeness.

The Vero Watch Co. Smokey Bear Watches come on a brown leather strap and you get an additional canvas strap. They are available right now on the Vero website for $450. I’m not sure if this is a limited edition, though. See more on their website.

4/

Unimatic Works With Hodinkee For The Second Time To Create Two Fantastic Carbon Variants At A Truly Outrageous Price

There’s no denying that the folks at Unimatic are fantastic designers. Sure, their basic watches look amazing, but when they do a special edition they show off all of their capabilities and play with colors, textures and materials in a way most of us couldn’t imagine with all the time in the world. Their second collaboration with Hodinkee, however, is not AS extreme as they are known to be. This does not mean they are not good. They are, in fact fantastic. The two watches are the Modello Quattro U4S-C-H and Modello Uno U1S-C-GMT-H, each rendered in a forged carbon fiber cases and limited to 250 pieces.

Measuring 40mm in diameter, the two watches are touted to weigh around 45% lighter thanks to the incredibly robust and lightweight forged carbon material. Boasting a thin construction, the matte-finished case features a swirl-like pattern that is unique for every piece. I’m not that impressed with the lightness of the case, that’s to be expected, but I totally dig the look.

The Modello Quattro U4S-C-H stars an asphalt gray dial with Super-LumiNova® C1 white indices. Powering the watch is the Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1-b caliber, which offers 38 hours of running time and you get 300 meters of water resistance. Aligning with its color palette, the watch is paired with a TPU two-piece strap in a gray hue.

Then there’s the spectacular Modello Uno U1S-Carbon GMT-H, which runs on the ETA 2893-2 automatic caliber with a GMT function. Beating a frequency of 28,800vph, the reference is also capable of withstanding up to 300 meters underwater, complete with a 42-hour power reserve. Its dial, bezel, and TPU strap all come in a matte black. In addition, the outer case is outfitted with a titanium inner case for added durability. I absolutely love the look of this GMT.

Now the bad part. The pricing. I have no idea how they got these numbers. I know that carbon fiber is not cheap, but this is just ridiculous, especially for a brand that has never charged anything close to this number. I’m pretty sure the Hodinkee cache does not bring that much of a premium to the table. The Modello Quattro U4S-C-H will set you back an eye watering $2,200 while the Modello Uno U1S-Carbon GMT-H is priced at a truly puzzling $2,900. It seems that I’m not the only one that’s confused by these prices. Despite being limited to only 200 pieces each, and every Hodinkee collab selling out in minutes, this one has been available for sale for two days now. You can see for yourself on the Hodinkee website.

5/

Norqain Adds Two New Neverest Golden Glacier Models Inspired By Everest Khumbu Icefall To Its Lineup With Charitable Intentions

It must be great to be a young brand with strong ambitions. Norqain, formed by serious alumns from Breitling, will not stand by just being a small microbrand. At least not when it comes to the number of watches - they have released dozens, if not a hundred variations of their models in the past couple years that they have been around. Regardless of what you think about their watches, this is truly impressive. The number of watches continues to strongly rise if you take into account all the special editions.

The latest special-edition releases are two of the brand’s popular Neverest models. Special dials inspired by the Khumbu Icefall on Mt. Everest bring a new aesthetic to these Neverest Golden Glacier watches. The first is a three-hander with a black and gold color scheme, and the second is a GMT with a gray and gold color combination. Both celebrate Mt. Everest and give back to the Nepalese people through the Butterfly Help Project.

The stainless steel case of the Norqain Neverest Glacier is certainly robust and feels up to any challenge, with a mostly brushed finish really helping the ceramic bezel insert and the gold dial elements to pop. The case on the GMT measures 41mm wide, has a lug-to-lug of 48.9mm and a thickness of 14.94mm, while the three-handed model is slightly smaller at 40mm wide, 48.5mm lug-to-lug and 12.5mm thick. The Neverest GMT Glacier is water-resistant to 100m with the standard Neverest Glacier can go down to 200m, both models equipped with screw-down crowns.

The dial is a combination of a dark surface that mimics exposed rock faces filled with shimmery gold tones. The jagged texture is specifically themed to the crevasses of the Khumbu Icefall – the most dangerous stage of the Mount Everest trek. The GMT model is quite refined, with the anthracite-grey of the dial and the moss-grey of the ceramic bezel livened up by rose gold elements. Meanwhile, the black-dialled version comes across as much more rugged, doing away with the GMT complication as well as the date display.

Norqain gets their movements for certain watches from Kenissi, and both of these use Kenissi-developed calibres, with COSC-certification for chronometer level accuracy within +6/-4 seconds per day. The GMT movement is the NN20/2 and the three-hand movement is the NN20/1, both having 4Hz beat rates and 70-hour power reserves.

The three hand version will cost you $3.650 on a rubber strap and $3,980 on a steel bracelet, while the GMT is priced at $3,950 on rubber and $4,280 on bracelet. 10% of the Norqain Neverest Glacier sales will go towards the Butterfly Help Project which specifically provides housing and education to the children and families of sherpas who died while guiding climbers up Everest. See more on their website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

1/

Trying The Entire Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Shades 38mm Collection

2/

A review of the Hamilton Khaki Navy Frogman Auto in 41mm

3/

Hands on with the new editions of the Carl F. Bucherer Manero Central Counter

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Highly Sustainable ID Watch Circular S Sun Dial

The pursuit of a more sustainable lifestyle is a growing phenomenon, and, more and more brands are embracing a sustainable ethos. Founded by Nicolas Freudiger, Cédric Mulhauser and Singal Depery, ID Watch likes to present its watches as the most eco-innovative timekeeping instruments available, and are to be considered at the forefront of circularity in the world of watches. In effect, the young horological start-up aims at a model that would be 100% circular. The brand uses 100% recycled stainless steel cases, refurbished automatic movements, straps made from 100% green waste and compostable packaging made from seaweed.

⏲️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

• In 1847, Sir John Franklin and a crew of 128 men disappeared while searching for the fabled Northwest Passage. A National Geographic team sought to find evidence of their fate—but the Arctic doesn’t give up its secrets easily. Seeking to solve the Arctic’s biggest mystery, they ended up trapped in ice at the top of the world

• You can always rely on the true crime genre to give you a good story. Take, for example, Jared Leisek. This amateur diver carved a niche for himself in the YouTube sleuthing community by solving cold cases by following leads and diving in rivers and lakes to find remaisn of missing persons. Then the sleuths came for him.

• Three years ago, a huge explosion ripped Beirut apart – and with it people’s hopes for rebuilding. This is a great piece from the Guardian on the difficulties of putting a city back together and who gets hurt the most by everything that happened after the explosion.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

I hate posting this video because I featured a Tiny Desk concert video just a couple of issues ago. But this one… this one will blow your mind. That saxophone? It might change your life.

💵Pre-loved precision

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