Tissot Is Here For All The Money With The 35mm PRX With Powermatic 80, MB&F Shows Off HM8 Mark 2, Lebois & Co. Teams Up With Indian For Heritage Chronograph And Ralph Lauren’s Stirrup Collection Gets A Refresh

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Today we have a watch that surprises no one but will be bought by everyone. And just a reminder I simplified the giveaway - now you get a ticket for the giveaway for every person you invite. The more you invite, the more you increase your chances.

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In this issue:

• Tissot With a Hit - Here’s The New Tissot PRX 35mm Automatic

• MB&F Shows Off Standout Automotive Inspired HM8 Mark 2

• Lebois & Co. Teams Up With Indian For New Heritage Chronograph

• Ralph Lauren’s Quirky And Lovely Stirrup Collection Gets A Refresh

• Philippe Doufour To Auction Off Stunning Pièce Unique Simplicity

Today’s reading time: 7 minutes and 32 seconds

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👂What’s new

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In The Least Surprising Move Of The Year Tissot Creates Another Hit - Here’s The Tissot PRX In 35mm With The Powermatic 80

The Tissot PRX has cult status online. It is the affordable option when someone asks what would be a good one-watch collection option. It’s sporty, it’s elegant, it’s well made, it has a much more expensive look but can had for under $1,000. There’s also a bunch of options. You can get it on an integrated steel bracelet or a good looking rubber band. You can have it in 40mm, either quarts or automatic, or, you can go down to 35mm with the quartz model. Well, not any more - in a move that surprised no one, but is still praised as the most anticipated watch of the summer, Tissot is now introducing the 35mm Tissot PRX Automatic.

The new size of the ever popular watch comes in three familiar colors: black, blue and green, as well as a completely new, white, mother of pearl dial. While many watch brands choose to dedicate their smaller watches to a more female clientele, adding to them what they would consider “feminine” decorations, this is not the case with the PRX - it remains practically the same as the 40mm version, just a bit smaller. Which makes sense, since this is a very unisex watch.

Since everything other than the size remains the same, you can expect a 100m water resistant stainless steel case (11.3mm thick, a hair thicker than the 9.6mm thickness of the 35mm quartz version) with a date function at three o’clock, lacquered dial with stamped tapisserie pattern and an integrated bracelet. And the bracelet is what gave the PRX so much clout in the beginning. It’s the same as on the rest of the collection - a one-link construction with a butterfly clasp and a quick-release mechanism. Inside the watch is the Swatch group’s Powermatic 80 caliber, an ETA 2824 in essance with a beat rate lowered to 21,600 in order to get an 80 hour power reserve.

The only major difference other than size is the fact that the mother of pearl dial is exclusive to the 35mm version. Also, since mother of pearl cannot be stamped as it is too brittle, the pattern is reversed and etched on this dial. The whole dial has a slightly translucent effect as if it was covered in a thick coat of transparent lacquer.

It doesn’t matter if you have a large or small wrist, chances are the 35mm PRX will fit you as it has supreme vintage 1970s vibes. And with a price of EUR 745 for the black, blue and green dials, and EUR 795 for the white mother-of-pearl dial, this will be a new home run for Tissot and a gateway for many new watch enthusiasts.

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MB&F Shows Off Standout Automotive Inspired HM8 Mark 2

Max Büsser, the owner of the quirky and elite MB&F, claims he has always wanted to be a car designer. And this makes sense. MB&F’s automotive-themed timepieces, the HM5 and HMX, had already hinted at the brand’s fascination with cars. But in 2016 the brand went all in on the car connection. They unveiled the Horological Machine No. 8, or HM8 for short, inspired by Can-Am racecars known for their distinctive aesthetics and impressive performance – loud, beastly monsters with their characteristic lines, roll bars and long, open tops. However, in recent years, the Legacy Machines had taken centre stage, and it seemed unlikely that the HM8 would receive a follow-up.

Boy, was everyone wrong. Here comes MB&F with a Mark 2 of the HM8, which is also inspired by the automotive world - this time by the iconic and now 10 year old Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar and the twin bubble roof formed, in part, by its roll bar.

Just like most MB&F models, especially the Horological Machines, tha case is crazy. Made out of titanium and constructed to look like car body panels, it measures 47mm x 41.5mm x 19mm. The watch comes in two colors - white and a stunning British racing green, with the crown tucked into the top of the case with a mechanism that reveals the full crown with a push in and twist.

The case construction of the HM8 Mark 2 follows a similar approach to the HM5, employing a water-resistant capsule or chassis to which the body panels are attached. The CarbonMacrolon material used for these panels debuted with the HM5 CM CarbonMacrolon in 2014. This innovative “plastic” amalgamates Makrolon, a polycarbonate invented by Bayer, with carbon nanotubes, resulting in a remarkably sturdy and robust material. To have plastic in such an expensive and advanced watch would be sacrilege, if the watch weren’t made by MB&F and if they didn’t use the most advanced plastics available to man.

Inside the watch is a 247-component MB&F creation, housing a specially developed module built upon a Girard-Perregaux base calibre, offering a decent power reserve of 42 hours. The signature battle-axe-style 22k red gold winding rotor, with its vibrant green CVD coating on the white version, remains proudly visible atop the watch. At the same time, the rest of the finely decorated movement can be seen below. The back of the watch showcases engine-inspired decoration. The watch comes on a white calfskin strap for the British green model and a green strap for the white model.

The British green variant is limited to just 33 pieces, while the white body panel version joins the regular production lineup. The price for both is CHF 68,000, taxes excluded.

If you dig MB&F, make sure to check out this piece from Fratello which has a very nice writeup of the new MB&F headquarters - an old villa on the outskirts of Geneva.

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Lebois & Co. Teams Up With Indian Motorcycles For Their New Heritage Chronograph

It’s great to see old watch brands come back to life. Just like Lebois & Co. Back in 2014 Dutch watch enthusiast Tom van Wijlick came across a picture of a beautiful Swiss Made vintage chronograph watch which was sold at an auction by Christie’s. He and his wife liked the watch so much they printed out the photo, stuck it to their fridge and pretty soon found out that it was made by Lebois & Co, a brand founded in 1934 by Raymond Dodane. Van Wijlick revived the brand and has since been making some interesting stuff.

Lebois & Co.’s latest watch is a collaboration with Indian Motorcycle for a special edition of the Heritage Chronograph. Both brands are known for reviving classics and this is a perfect marriage of timeless craftsmanship and design. The link goes further as you can get a new bike with the VIN engraved into your new Heritage Chronograph.

The Indian in question is the Sport Chief model, first released in 1921 and the Heritage Chronograph goes back to the 1940s. The stainless steel case is unchanged from the standard models with a diameter of 39mm and height of 10.5mm. And most of the Indian inspiration for the collaboration is focused on the dial. Not only is the logo of the motorcycle company printed on a red, tank-like shape at 6 o’clock, the overall deep red design exudes the Indian design language. A deep red tachymeter and chronograph hand over a cream dial match the bike’s signature colour, and the dial has a bi-compax design with a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and small seconds at 9 o’clock.

Inside the watch is a hand-wound column wheel chronograph – calibre LC-450 produced by La Joux-Perret, which features a 60-hour power reserve. It’s adjusted in five positions and is nicely finished with Côtes de Genève, blued screws and a prominent blue column wheel. The watch comes with a 20mm black suede leather strap.

The Lebois & Co. Heritage Chronograph Indian Motorcycle is a niche product - you really have to be into this one specific brand of motorcycles - but if you are, the watch will set you back EUR 2,800 with preorders available now and deliveries expected in Q1 2024.

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Ralph Lauren’s Quirky And Lovely Stirrup Collection Gets A Needed Refresh 

The poll I’m currently running to get to know you a bit more had a couple of very vocal people saying you would love to see more women’s watches. While these releases don’t come often, when they do I always make sure to include them. And today we have one such example. While the Ralph Lauren Stirrup collection is not female exclusive (there are larger sizes aimed at men, but more on that later), it is one of the most underrated feminine watches out there.

Shaped cases can often end up on the wrong side of tacky. Especially those that have their shape in the name of the watch. This is the case with the RL Stirrup collection which is quite on the nose, as it’s meant to reflect Ralph Lauren’s equestrian design inspiration. So to have a watch in the shape of a stirrup is having it walk just on the line of being tacky. However, the unusual and asymmetric shape of the stirrup, with a squared off bottom and rounded top, gives the watch an interesting enough look to make it not tacky. Now RL updates the collection with a number of colorful interchangeable leather straps.

The stirrup shape carries over on the dial, with a Roman numeral hour track that takes the shape of the case. Speaking of the case, it doesn’t use traditional spring bars, but incorporates a fixed lug bar design.

The Stirrup comes in a total of five sizes: mini, petite, small, medium, and large. The large version tops out at 36.6mm by 38.5mm, with the mini measuring just 16.8mm by 22.5mm, and the other sizes falling in between. The smallest sizes use Swiss quartz movements, but the three larger sizes use the automatic RL300 movement with 42 hours of power reserve, which is a rebadged Sellita SW300. With so many sizes and variants there’s a wide price range, with the most basic mini starting at $2,400, and diamond set versions coming in at $8,400. The range also includes references with black PVD cases in multiple sizes.

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Philippe Doufour Establishes Foundation To Give Back And Starts With An Auction Of A Stunning Pièce Unique Simplicity 

The Mount Rushmore of watchmakers will undoubtedly one day be engraved with the face of Philippe Dufour, one of the most talented and exquisite watchmakers of our time. He recently celebrated his 75th birthday and is still going strong. To celebrate his birthday, he gathered a group of his closest friends, which included giants of the industry - Kari Voutilainen, the Grönefeld brothers, Laurent Ferrier Max Büsser and Jean-Claude Biver - to announce the formation of Philippe and Elisabeth Dufour Foundation, a nonprofit focused on multiple areas of humanitarian (not horological) need.

Those needs include access to food, water, healthcare, housing, education, and support for the environment. The nonprofit already has fundraising underway for projects in India, Peru, Madagascar, Lebanon, Indonesia, and even Switzerland, where they hope to improve healthcare access in the rural Vallée de Joux. And yes, they also hope to support burgeoning artistic craftsmen and women around the world by "expanding access to young talents and all manual artistic crafts." The Dufour Foundation says that they know they have "loyal customers and watchmaking friends... who could provide valuable aid in this endeavor."

And while this noble effort deserves all the praise, I wouldn’t include it into a newsletter about watches if there weren’t a watch involved. And boy, is there a watch. To help get the foundations projects off the ground, Philippe Dufour has created a pièce unique Simplicity – arguably his most iconic watch – to be auctioned off later this year.

This 37mm Simplicity, cased in platinum, features (for the first and only time) an aventurine dial, 3-6-9-12 numerals, and applied indices, and the tremendous finishing that has made Dufour an icon. Instead of a serial number on the rear, the plate reads only "unique." At the celebration the watch was presented in a glass case, held in the air by a cast of the great watchmaker's hand, which is just a fantastic concept. Unfortunately, I don’t see if the watch will be auctioned with the cast as a display, but considering it will fetch a high price, I’m sure they can throw it in.

Speaking of price, there’s no guessing how much it will sell for. Not only are Simplicities incredibly difficult to obtain directly from the watchmaker, but they're also now million-dollar watches at auction. The fact the proceeds go to charity will likely drive the price even higher.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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Hands on with the limited edition Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Golden

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A review of a million dollar watch: the Richard Mille RM 66 Flying Tourbillon

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Straum Jan Mayen, a tribute to a tiny, 55km-long island in the middle of the Arctic Ocean

What happens when you mix two of the hottest trends in watches — integrated bracelet sports watches and textured dials — then add a dash of Scandinavian design and a healthy dose of artistic inspiration from a tiny volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean? The answer is the Straum Jan Mayen, a distinctly Norwegian take on the classic stainless steel sports watch.

⏲️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

• I’m preparing to do some work with libraries and doing some research I realised how much these places have changed. Well, in the US, at least. This sentence says it best: “Librarians once worried about shushing patrons. Now they have to deal with mental health episodes, the homelessness crisis, and random violence.”

• TV’s streaming model is broken. It’s also not going away. For Hollywood, figuring that out will be a horror show.

• I love a good true crime story. But this one blows everything I’ve read recently out of the water. Not just because of the story itself, that’s a great mystery, but also the way this story is presented - it’s like a Netflix documentary recreated on a webpage.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

The Strauss–Howe generational theory, devised by William Strauss and Neil Howe, describes a theorized recurring generation cycle in American history and Western history. According to the theory, historical events are associated with recurring generational personas (archetypes). Each generational persona unleashes a new era (called a turning) lasting around 20–25 years, in which a new social, political, and economic climate (mood) exists. Sounds complicated. Van Neistat, the delightfully quirky youtuber, breaks it down for everyone to understand. Does the theory have any merit? Who knows!

💵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: 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

• FOR SALE: Longines Heritage Skin Diver, box and papers. €1400. Reach out to us and we’ll put you in touch

Hamilton Khaki Field giveaway/

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