Timex Brings Back The 70’s With An Incredible Q Reissue Dégradé, Chopard Teams Up With Artist Shal For A Good Cause, Atilier Wen's Collab With seconde/seconde Is Stunning, New From BWC And Czapek

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Today’s edition is a wild ride. The Timex is an incredible looking watch and seconde/seconde/ might have made up for his transgressions with one of the best modified watches ever. But also, here’s your fun fact for the day: from Bangalore Watch Company I learned that 15% of Indian commercial pilots are female. This is three times the global average. Good on you Indian pilots!

If you like this newsletter, you might consider supporting it directly through Patreon. If you were subscribed, you could have already read my lengthy piece on Only Watch and it potentially being the biggest scam of the watch world. Other subscriber-only articles include the Completely Sterile Secret Watches Of MACV-SOG and my choice of 11 vintage Heuer watches that would make the perfect basis for new TAG Heuer recreations, including a possible MoonSwatch type watch that could actually break the internet.

In this issue:

• Timex Brings Back The 70’s With An Incredible Q Timex Reissue Dégradé

• Chopard Teams Up With Aritst Shal For A Stunning Version Of The Alpine Eagle That Benefits Australian Indigenous People

• Bangalore Watch Company Celebrates Women In Aviation With The Pink Dialed MACH 1 Silk Scarf

• Wristcheck and Atelier Wen Team Up With seconde/seconde/ For A Truly Unique Perception Special Edition

• Czapek Introduces The Antarctique Royal Onyx With A Very Dark And Flashy Dial

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 33 seconds

👂What’s new

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Timex Brings Back The 70’s With An Incredible Q Timex Reissue Dégradé

While Timex does not release any of their numbers - neither the number of watches they sell or their revenue - it would be a very safe bet that they are among the top five watch manufacturers by number of watches sold. These affordable, well build and pretty watches are an entry point for so many watch enthusiasts and daily drivers for millions as they truly make go anywhere, do anything watches. Sure, some of their watches might lack in refinement, especially in the bracelet department, but they make up for that with incredible value for money. So, it’s a shame that watch media doesn’t cover their releases more often, because they really know how to hit one out of the park. Take, for example, their latest release, the Q Timex Reissue Dégradé.

Just like the incredible gold skeletonized Rado DiaStar I featured yesterday, today’s new watch from Timex is also an ode to the 1970’s and the funky wath designs we have seen at the time. In fact, Timex claims this is a very faithful reissue of an original Q with a similar look. It starts with a 38mm brushed stainless-steel case that’s 9.5mm thick. It’s an incredibly strangely shaped, with a round body but an almost barrel or helmet shaped section that connects the hidden lugs to the rest of the case. It can only be described as peak 70s.

But the most attractive piece of the watch could easily be it’s domed acrylic crystal. Despite being just acrylic, it would easily command a huge premium on any other brand watch. The domed part features some incredibly intricate interior facets that catch and refract light to produce a captivating illusion of depth and texture. Almost as if a square has been cut into the interior of the crystal. It’s incredible.

And it’s a great thing that the crystal is that nice, as it shows of the beautiful smoky grey dial beneath it. You get applied silver indices, simple baton hands with lume inserts and a day and date indicator at 3 o’clock.

Inside the watch is an unspecified quartz movement, but do you really care about the movement in a watch that looks this good? It will keep good time and the battery will be easy to replace since you have a battery hatch on the caseback. The watch comes on a stainless-steel bracelet that might not be the best, but it matches the case and the 1970s vibe perfectly.

The Q Timex Reissue Dégradé is available for purchase now at the incredible price of $189. It’s an absolute no brainer if you’re looking for a cool vintage-looking piece that won’t break the bank. See more on the Timex website.

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Chopard Teams Up With Aritst Shal For A Stunning Version Of The Alpine Eagle That Benefits Australian Indigenous People

The watch industry is heavily focused on a few areas of the world - Europe, where most luxury watches are made; the United States, where sales have traditionally been strongest; and Asia, which has surpassed the rest of the world in luxury watch purchases. This leaves out quite a lot of the world, places like South America, Africa and Australia. But things are changing now with brands expanding their presence and activities in these regions as well. Lately, Australia has been receiving a lot of attention, and that’s a good thing. Longines has, notably, worked with indigenous Australian artist Otis Hope Carey and now Chopard is teaming up with artist Shal to create a beautiful version of their Alpine Eagle called the Sunburst.

On one hand you have Shal who is a Bundjalung man living on Gadigal land in Sydney, a tattoo artist, surfer, hardcore punk musician and painter, and quickly becoming the face of the Australian art world. On the other, you have the Alpine Eagle, a luxury sports watch that Chopard introduced in 2019, with a lot of inspiration from the 1980s Chopard St. Moritz.

The steel case of the Chopard Alpine Eagle Sunburst 41mm wide and 9.7 mm thick, putting it right smack dab in the middle of most luxury sports watches with integrated bracelets. The steel used in the case is Chopard’s Lucent Steel alloy which is more scratch and abrasion-resistant than traditional stainless steel alloys, and is a bit shinier. On top is a sapphire crystal, just like on the caseback, but the one on the back of the watch features abstract motifs designed by Shal.

To no surprise, the dial of the Alpine Eagle Sunburst has a sunburst brushing and Chopard points out that it draws inspiration from the iris of an eagle, while the colour palette mirrors the deep red and ochre hues of the Australian soil. All I know is that it looks absolutely fantastic. The Roman numerals are applied, rhodium-plated and treated with Super-LumiNova. The baton hands get the same treatment and there’s a arrow-type seconds hand with an eagle feather counterweight. Unfortunately, it also has a date window at 4:30.

Inside the watch is Chopard’s in-house 01.01-C automatic calibre. It beats at 28,800vph, has a 60 hour power reserve and gets COSC chronometer certification. The watch comes on an integrated bracelet with wide links featuring alternating finishes with a triple-folding clasp.

Only 20 pieces of the Chopard Alpine Eagle Sunburst will be made and they will be available only in Chopard Boutiques in Australia. Price is set at A$27,500 or about €18,600. A portion of the watch’s profits will be donated to the Ngunya Jarjum Aboriginal Corporation to help maintain the operation of its programs. Keep an eye out on Chopard’s website for more info.

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Bangalore Watch Company Celebrates Women In Aviation With The Pink Dialed MACH 1 Silk Scarf

As mentioned in the article on the Chopard, too much of the watch industry is focused on the US and Europe, with the major watch media serving these audiences most. This is particularly weird because the two largest markets for luxury watches are China, followed by India. While Chinese watches are starting to become a thing in the West, we still know very little about Indian watches. This is all changing thanks to Bangalore Watch Company, which has been cranking out aviation and space themed watches that proudly wear their Indian heritage since 2018. Their latest model is a variation of their modern pilot’s watch, the MACH 1, now called Silk Scarf and made to celebrate Indian women in aviation.

The MACH 1 comes in a stainless steel case that measures 40mm wide and 10.8mm thick. It’s a simple pilot’s watch with almost no bezel and a sturdy construction that will let you go down to 100 meters below sea surface. On top is a flat sapphire crystal, while the caseback screws down and is decorated with an aviator’s scarf.

While the MACH 1 series has traditionally been based on famous Indian fighter jets or carriers, this one pays homage to women in commercial aviation. In fact, it pays direct homage to 21-year-old Salra Thukral, who became the first Indian woman to obtain a commercial pilot’s license in 1936, and all the women who followed in her footsteps.

This Silk Scarf version of the MACH 1 comes with a light-pink shade called Aerobloom for the dial treated with a slightly grainy texture. The hour and minute hands and the Arabic indices are rendered in black, with yellow plots on the sloping minutes track, and al of this is treated with Super-LumiNova C3 . Like other MACH 1 models, the silhouette of the central seconds hand traces the shape of a red MiG and the Indian flag is featured on the dial at 9 o’clock.

Inside the watch is the Sellita SW 200-1. A darling of the microbrand world, the robust and easily servicable movement beats at 28,800vph and has a power reserve of 38 hours. The watch comes on an oil-pulled leather strap with a pin buckle.

From what I can tell, this will not be a limited release and the MACH 1 Silk Scarf is now available for preorder with deliveries starting December 12th. Price is set at $1,050. See more on the Bangalore website.

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Wristcheck and Atelier Wen Team Up With seconde/seconde/ For A Truly Unique Perception Special Edition

Too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing. That’s would could easily be said about Paris-based watch modder, seconde/seconde/ who has worked with basically everybody this year. While his collaborations range from fantastic work with Timex to an absolutely cringey collaboration with Bamford in which two grown watchmakers ended up being edgy teenagers. I was sure that he jumped the shark and that his time is over, and then he goes and teams up with online retailer Wristcheck and independent watchmaker Atelier Wen to introduce the Perception “锔瓷” Special Edition, perhaps the best watch of the year. At least when it comes to modified pieces.

The story of the Perception “锔瓷” Special Edition is absolutely incredible. It stems from a previous collaboration between Wen and Wristcheck teamed up to give the Chinese watchmaker’s Percetion watch a stunning jade green guilloché dial. The process of making these watches was incredibly complex and to make 100 pieces, 36 dials had to be discarded for not meeting quality standards. To prevent these inferior dials from making their way to a watch, Atelier Wen made a cut in every one. But ever since then the idea to repurpose and bring new life to those dials has been by Wristcheck’s CEO and co-founder, Austen Chu’s mind. That’s how the two brands reached out to seconde/seconde/ to hear his thoughts on how to use them.

This is how we make our way to “锔瓷” (pronounced jū cí) in the name of the watch “锔瓷” is the Chinese technique of mending cracked Celadon porcelains, a process that’s similar to one that westerners know better - the Japanese kintsugi method. seconde/seconde/ took the cut dials and gave them three 24k gold stitch-like crosses between the 3 and 4 o’clock marks, holding the cut dial together. The gold of the stitches is matched to the gold on the hour, minute, and central seconds hands and the Atelier Wen branding has been omitted on the dial.

On the back of the watch is an engraved caseback with the Chinese mythical guardian lion, whose mouth serves as a partial window for the co-branded and blued rotor. The semi-display caseback is also marked with “Rejected → ⧖ → Praised” engraving around the lion motif.

The rest of the watch is standard Atelier Wen fare, with a 40mm stainless steel case that houses a custom Dandong SL1588 automatic movement. It comes on a beautiful steel bracelet with hexagonal center links.

The Perception “锔瓷” Special Edition goes on sale on November 29, 10 a.m. HKT/ November 29, 3 a.m. CET/ November 28, 9 p.m. EST and will be available in only 36 pieces. Price is set at $5,000, which should be an amazing deal for someone that wants a great watch with a fantastic story. See more on the Wristcheck website.

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Czapek Introduces The Antarctique Royal Onyx With A Very Dark And Flashy Dial

More watches from Dubai Watch Week 2023 that I haven’t had a chance to feature. Czapek has updated it’s Antarctique, a luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet first introduced in 2020, this time with a deep black onyx dial, lit up by blue sapphire baguette hour markers. This is the Czapek Antarctique Royal Onyx.

While the Antarctique comes in two sizes, Czapek chose the larger of the two for this limited edition. It measures 40.5mm wide and 10.8mm thick. The stainless steel case comes with a minimalist round sloping bezel, a sapphire crystal and is water resistant to 120 meters.

That’s all the familiar stuff. What’s new is the incredible black onyx dial. I assume that pictures can’t do this semi-precious stone justice, especially with the mirror-like polish. The deep black color of the dial is offset by skeletonized hour and minute steel hands and incredible blue sapphire baguettes that serve as hour markers.

Inside the watch is the in-house automatic calibre SXH5. You can see it through the caseback because it’s a nice one. It features an off-centred platinum 950 micro-rotor and seven bridges, 5 of which are openworked. It runs at 4Hz, and has a power reserve of 60 hours. The bridges have been painted black and sandblasted, hand-chamfered and have straight-grained flanks. The central bridge is in black-polished steel. The watch comes on an integrated stainless steel bracelet with polished C-shaped links.

The Czapek Antarctique Royal Onyx will be released in only 18 pieces and they are released in partnership with Mansour Jewellers. The price is set at CHF 34,000. See more on the Czapek website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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Hands on with the Seiko’s Prospex Whitsunday SPB429J, a Sumo with summer-ready colours

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A review of the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski Titanium

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

Medini Celeritas; or the attainable, elegant chronograph

There are different types of chronographs that serve different purposes. From racing chronographs that look and function more like proper tool watches – rather than everyday timekeeping devices – to elegant ones that we would all feel comfortable wearing on a daily basis. The Celeritas belongs to the latter and it does so for two reasons: first, it comes with reasonable dimensions that will make it look at home on many collectors’ wrists. Two, the case has a simple yet classic design which endows the Celeritas with a certain everyday look. Dimensions-wise, it measures 38m in diameter, 45mm lug-to-lug, 14mm thick and comes with a 20mm lug width. Read the whole article on Time&Tide 

⏲️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

• For a while I’ve been interested in Robert Moses. He’s an absolutely fascinating urban planner who completely changed New York City. At the same time, he was a very aggressive racist and made sure to build low bridges across his parkways in order to make them innaccesible to public transit buses, thereby restricting "the use of state parks by poor and lower-middle-class families" who did not own cars. Writer Katie Mulkowsky’s father grew up in Robert Moses’s New York City—specifically, the Bronx that Moses all but destroyed in his quest to remake the metropolis in his image. Now an urban planner, Mulkowsky considers how Moses shaped both her dad’s life and her own.

• Eren Orbey was too young to remember what happened to his dad, and no one explained it to him. So he tried to assemble the story himself and pieced together his father’s murder.

• It didn’t make sense for a rich Brazilian to be a telemarketer—until his colleagues heard him. This is the crazy story of the incredibly bizarre Congressman George Santos and the call center where he learned how to be a conman.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

As we covered many a time, I avoid linking to watch videos here. But last Sunday I opened up Instagram to see several high profile people from the watch world post pretty much the same image with the same text. It was a completely innocuous photo of a guy giving a keynote with some variation of the message: “I have just witnessed the best watch lecture of all time”.

Or, consider the words of Maximilian Busser of MB&F: A soul-baring talk Stephen gifted us last week at Dubai Watch Week - as one of my neighbours said at the end "it's the first time I am shedding tears at a watch talk".

It really is that good. Watch it.

💵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 

• NEW WATCH FOR SALE: 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

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