Tissot Updates Heritage 1938, One Of The Most Affordable Swiss COSC Watches; Spinnaker's SpongeBob Collection Is Wild; Laco Has 100,000 Flieger Pro Combinations; And Mr Jones Is Great As Ever

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Watches are, for the most part, a very conservative industry. Few colors, well known shapes, just put together in new and innovative ways. That’s why I’m super happy to see something like the Spinnaker SpongeBob watches, as they are really, really fun.

Just a reminder that I revamped the entire Patreon and am writing daily articles there as well. Today we have a new segment called Watches You Might Not Have Seen and you don’t want to miss it. It’s pretty wild.

In this issue:

• Tissot Updates One Of The Most Affordable COSC Certified Watches, The Tissot Heritage 1938 With A White And Blue Dial

• Spinnaker Lands Wildest Release Of The Year Marking 25 Years Of SpongeBob SquarePants

• Laco Releases New Blue Flieger Pro With A Total Of 100,000 Possible Combinations

• Mr Jones Brings Back Fan Favorite Cat-Themed Watch To Permanent Collection

Today’s reading time: 8 minutes and 59 seconds

👂What’s new

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Tissot Updates One Of The Most Affordable COSC Certified Watches, The Tissot Heritage 1938 With A White And Blue Dial

There are so many things with watches that we can nerd out about. Materials, colors, recreations of little-known details and even packaging, if you’re really into watches. But perhaps the nerdiest of things we can all nerd out about are the movements. Or, more specifically, the accuracy of movements. There are so many hyper-advanced and hyper-expensive complications introduced to watches in order to maintain accuracy. Leaving that aside, the quickest path to guaranteed accuracy is through COSC certification. But the issue is, COSC certified watches tend to be out of the price range of most people. They’re out, that is, until you learn about the Tissot Heritage 1938 COSC, which sells for less than €1,000. This has been a quiet sleeper for Tissot, with its retro-inspired design and modern internals, that appeared in a salmon color and a black with gilt hardware. Now Tissot is expanding this line with a brand new dial color.

The Heritage 1938 case is as classic as it can get, reaching back to pre-war Calatrava models, but with modern proportions. It measures 39mm wide, 11mm thick and has a lug-to-lug of just 45mm, making it likely wear much smaller than the width would suggest. The case has a brushed finish, while on top is a polished bezel that surrounds the sapphire crystal. On the side is an onion-shaped crown, but a but squished down. This is certainly not a sports watch, which is reflected in the water resistance of 50 meters.

The major change comes on the dial, which ditches the black and salmon colorways for something much lighter. The base of the dial is painted in a white that verges on silver, and while not much has changed in the printing on the dial, it is all rendered in blue. That includes a railroad minute track on the periphery, blue numerals and blue “Tissot” and “chronometre” writ. The hands are super simple stick shaped and also blue in color. Very simple, very good lookinf dial.

Inside, quite a movement. It’s the plain and very ubiquitous ETA 2824-2 but it’s been given a couple of major upgrades. The most major, of course, is the COSC chronometer certification. This means that the movement will be accurate to . It also beats at 4Hz and has a power reserve of 38 h. The watch comes on a blue leather strap, with quick-release spring bars, as well as a Milanese mesh steel bracelet.

The new silver-blue Tissot Heritage 1938 COSC is part of the regular collection and priced at €895. This is truly one of the cheapest and best looking COSC certified watches out there. See more on the Tissot website.

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Spinnaker Lands Wildest Release Of The Year Marking 25 Years Of SpongeBob SquarePants

One of the absolute best releases from last year came not from a major Swiss manufacturer but rather small-ish Hong Kong-based brand that specialises in dive watches called Spinnaker. It was their incredible collaboration with watch customized seconde/seconde/ called the 50 Phantoms in which they covered the entire dial with 50 glow in the dark ghosts. Not only was it a great looking watch it showed that Spinnaker has a great sense of both style and humor. And they will need both for their latest release. They have teamed up with one of the best cartoons ever made, SpongeBob SquarePants, to celebrate the 25th birthday of our favorite sponge. The four watches in the collection are completely and utterly insane, in the best possible way! Thank you Spinnaker!

They based the SpongeBob watches on the Spinnaker Hass, which is a chunky diver with a pretty nifty bezel. When I say chunky, I mean chunky. The stainless steel case measures 43mm wide, 14mm thick and has a lug-to-lug measurement of about 50mm. Water resistance is 300 meters. On top you get a domed sapphire crystal, surrounded by a bezel that is split in half to show both a countdown and a count up timer. Or, it is in the regular Hass. In these special editions it has a count up timer on the outer ring and on the inside ring is the Dr. Seuss quote “You never really know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory” which SpongeBob quoted in one of the best episodes of the series. The bezels are also color matched to each character - black and yellow for SpongeBob, peach and purple for Patrick, turquoise and light purple for Squidward, and red and purple for Mr. Krabs.

Yeah, speaking of characters, each of the four models is themed after one of the four main characters I mentioned. And pretty much everything is changed - the bezel, the dial, even the dials are SpongeBob specific. Each dial gets the face of the character applied on it and while it sounds strange and looks even stranger at first, I completely fell in love with it. And each dial is, of course, color matched to the primary colors of the character. All the text on the dial, including the Spinnaker logo and date fonts, is matched to the font of the SpongeBob SquarePants font. You also get color-matched applied indices and oversized hands.

Inside the watches is the ubiquitous Seiko NH35A automatic movement. It beats at 21,600vph and has a 41 hour power reserve. The watches come on both a tapering 22mm wide stainless-steel bracelet and a silicone straps that is color matched to the color of the character.

The new Spinnaker Hass Automatic SpongeBob SquarePants 25th Limited Edition, as the name would suggest, will be limited to just 300 pieces each for a total of 1,200 watches. These, I assume, will go quickly as there are enough crazy people out there like me who would wear a 43mm bright yellow watch with SpongeBobs face on it. Especially when it’s priced at $445. The watches will go on sale on July 26th. See more on the Spinnaker website.

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Laco Releases New Blue Flieger Pro With A Total Of 100,000 Possible Combinations

Choice paralysis is becoming a truly huge problem for us today. How many times have you scrolled through Netflix unable to choose what to watch before you go to bed? I have a Kindle filled to the brim of books and I dread starting a new one because I know it would take me days to figure out what I want to read next. So, the question is: do we have too much choice? I would say: yes, in some aspects we do. Watches are one of those areas where we don’t have that much choice. Because production is expensive, we are usually stuck with what the brand wanted to put out with hopes it would appeal to as many people as possible. But there will always be that one guy online who will say: “oh, if only this came in a destro configuration, I would buy it instantly. Without it, it is the worst watch ever made.” Well, Laco wants to fix that with their new Flieger Pro which now comes in blue and with over 100,000 possible combinations.

Pretty much everything about this watch is customizable, so I don’t even know where to start. You can choose one of three sizes - 37, 40 or 43mm - and the shape is very traditionally a pilot’s watch with a round case and sharp pointy lugs. You can also choose the finish you have on the watch - either brushed stainless steel or a dark sandblasted finish. If that’s not enough to make your perfect watch, pick whether you would like the large and aggressively cut conical crown on the right or left side of the case. You can also choose whether you want the side of the case to have the FL23883 engraving. What’s FL23883 you ask? The FL stands for fliegnummer which translates to Flying number. 23 designated the watch as a device for flight monitoring and the 883 was assigned by the GermanTesting Office for Aeronautics. There’s also a choice of either an open or closed caseback. The one thing you can’t customise is the double domed sapphire crystal on top — actually, that’s not entirely true, as you can opt for an anti-reflective coating only on the inside or also on the outside — and the 200 meter water resistance.

The dial will give you even more options, and I’m sure this is where paralysis sets in completely. The Flieger Pro was already available with a matte black dial and this new version adds a sunbrushed blue option. You can choose wether you want the Type A or Type B configuration (I go in depth on these differences on the Patreon, free for everyone to read), choose the color, whether you want a sterile dial with no writing or if you want the Laco logo on it and whether you would like to have date aperture or not. What doesn’t change are the flieger specific hands and the numerals and indexes covered with Superluminova C3, as well as the flieger specific triangle with two dots at 12 o’clock.

Inside, you guessed it, more choice. You can opt for either a hand wound or automatic Sellita SW200 base, and if you go for the no-date version, Laco will disable the ghost-date position. But four movement options are not enough for Laco — you can get every single one of those in either an elaboré grade or an even higher top grade which guarantees regulation in 5 positions and an accuracy of 0 to + 8 seconds per day. More choice can be found on the date disc, as you can have it with either a blue or white background. And of course, then there are the straps. Laco offers a total of 6 leather straps and one metal bracelet.

The Laco Fliger Pro in blue is available for order now and price, as you might expect, varies depending on your configuration. Not every choice affects the price so it’s interesting to play around with their configurator but from what I can see, the lowest price you can get is €940 and you can run it up to €1,630. It’s an interesting concept. See more on the Laco website.

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Mr Jones Brings Back Fan Favorite Cat-Themed Watch To Permanent Collection

A year ago Mr Jones, the UK-based brand that is best known for their animated dials that don’t exactly focus on telling the time, released a limited edition of 200 watches with Belgian artist Kaat Decunick. Looking at the watch called Mispoes! I can only wonder why it was limited and not an instant entry into their regular lineup. Because… just look at it. This is the exact watch that a cat-lover needs to get. Have a cat person in your life? This is the perfect gift for them. Well, the reaction from customers was overwhelming and Mr Jones is now bringing the watch back to their permanent collection.

Let’s get the less important stuff out of the way first. The watch comes in that instantly recognisable Mr Jones case with a round body and spindly lugs. It measures 46mm lug to lug and has a 50 meter water resistance. Inside is a single jewel quartz movement. The watch is mounted on a 18mm wide strap, in this case it’s a very nice shade of brown.

But the main attraction, of course, is the dial. An interesting coincidence with the artist is that she created it as a school project, set by her lecturer, illustrator and author Kristof Devos. Kristof also designed one of Mr Jones Watches’ most popular watches, A perfectly useless afternoon. The metaphor of our catching up with time being cat and mouse game is not lost on anyone. The base of the dial is a very beautiful green shade with a very slight gradient from lighter green in the centre to darker on the outside. To read the time on Mispoes! the wearer simply checks the position of the cat’s outstretched paw, which represents the hours, and the mouse, which marks the minutes.

Like stated before, the new Mr Jones Mispoes! is not a limited production watch and is part of the regular lineup. Price is set at €275, making it a no-brainer for that person in your life (mostly you) who loves cats. See more on the Mr Jones website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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A review of the Squale 1521 Marina Militare Limited Edition

2/

Hands on with the incredible Otsuka Lotec № 6

3/

A review of the Mido Ocean Star 600 Chronometer

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Tusenö Shellback V2 is a microbrand full package diver

Overall, the Tusenö Shellback V2 has a modern and angular profile. Long, horizontally brushed case flanks separated from the upper sections of the lugs by wide and fully polished chamfers. At least, that is so until the centre of the case where the chamfers disappear. The lugs come with straight-cut ends which are quite imposing, while the fully-polished crown is both large—7.2mm in diameter—and thin—3.2mm—a great size ratio for a crown. Both the crown and caseback screw down, giving the Shellback V2 with 200 meters of water resistance. The caseback is itself very pleasant to look at as it showcases a embossed and fully polished star logo.

Read the whole review 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

• Two American women and two Sherpa guides perished while racing for a record on the Shishapangma. The tragedy illuminates how the recent rush to climb the world’s highest peaks is driving climbers onto dangerous mountains like never before.

• Three famous readers hold immense influence over the publishing industry. Their recommendations can make or break a book—but how do they make their selections, and is their influence waning? Insiders take Esquire behind the scenes of celebrity book clubs.

• This summer, as athletes and fans descend on the Paris Olympics, LVMH is spending a fortune making sure its brands are enmeshed in the Games. It's the grandest convergence of sports and luxury ever—but what can it tell us about the Arnault family's broader ambitions?

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

I love these watch restoration videos. I would never have the patience or dexterity to take this on myself, but it’s a meditative watch. Throw it up on the TV while working and it could calm you down

💵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

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-Vuk