What A Day For Watches: A. Lange & Söhne Introduce Two Jaw Dropping New Models, TAG Stuns With A New Skipper, Vulcain Brings Back The Most Iconic Alarm Diver And Even Hublot Makes Something Interesting

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. I don’t remember a day that was so full with new releases so major since Watches and Wonders. There are watches in all price ranges, but my absolute favorite is the Vulcain, my top 10 watch of all time. Also, do excuse the length of today’s edition, it’s just impossible to fit it all in.

Also, invite your friends or fill out the survey to enter the giveaway. We’re giving away four Seiko 5 Sports SKX ‘Midi’ in a color of your choice.

In this issue:

• A. Lange & Söhne Introduces Stunning Platinum Version Of The Lange 1 Time Zone And A Limited 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar With Pink Gold Dial

• TAG Heuer Gives It’s Cult And Rare Skipper Model A Stunning Modern Reinterpretation

• Aquastar Teams Up With Fratello For A Second Deepstar II LImited Edition, This One With A Pink Salmon Dial

• Vulcain Brings Back One Of The Most Iconic Alarm Dive Watches Of All Time, The Vulcain Cricket Nautical

• Ianos And Chronopassion Work Together To Create A Limited Edition Mihanikos Dive Watch

• The Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium Limited Edition Is A Collaboration Between The Two Most Polarizing Brands In Watches, But Don’t Dismiss It

Today’s reading time: 13 minutes and 31 seconds

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👂What’s new

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A. Lange & Söhne Introduces Stunning Platinum Version Of The Lange 1 Time Zone And A Limited 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar With Pink Gold Dial

The Lange 1, around since 1994, is one of the greatest all time watch designs. It is instantly recognizable since there aren’t really any watches that try to mimic it, and it is versatile enough to allow for a whole family of watches - tourbillons, perpetual calendars, moonphases and, important for today, a dual time zone function. A. Lange & Söhne is adding a platinum version of the Lange 1 Time Zone.

The new 950 platinum version measures 41.9mm wide and 10.9mm thick, with a 50mm lug-to-lug., and is matched with a rhodium-colored dial, paired with a black alligator strap. It's a traditional pairing for Lange, reminiscent of collector favorites like the Lange 1 "Stealth." Along with the local time zone and second-time zone indicators and power reserve indicator, there's the DST indicator and the Lange 1's signature big date.

Like the existing Lange 1 Time Zone, the new platinum version uses the caliber L141.1, which we first saw when Lange introduced the Time Zone in gold in 2020. This new caliber allowed for an updated 24-hour display, which is indicated by the rotating disks at the center of the main dials, which rotated once every 24 hours. When the hour hand is over a blue section, it's PM for that time zone. A city ring sits on the outside of the dial, adjustable with a pusher at 8 o'clock. The little pointer around 4 o'clock performs the function of indicating the time zone reference city.

The platinum Lange 1 Time Zone will be available only in Lange boutiques, and price is on request. The only Lange 1 Time Zone with a price publicly listed now is the pink gold version, at $63,000, so you might use this as a jumping off point.

But the platinum Lange 1 Time Zone was not the only thing Lange showed introduced yesterday. They also showed the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition with pink gold dial, in effect a salmon dial version to celebrate the tenth anniversary of a stunningly complex timepiece.

The watch comes in a 41.9mm wide and 14.7mm thick 18k white gold case with a pink-gold dial, limited to 100 pieces. In essence, it’s just a new dial color for the already familiar 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar, a line of Lange watches that completely unfairly gets ignored next to their more popular collections. But it’s such a beautiful watch, there’s no need to change much.

It’s also powered by the same hand-wound L101.1 movement of the last 10 years and that won the grand complications category at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie in Geneva in 2013. The perpetual calendar will correct for the date including all leap years up to 2100, while the super-accurate moonphase won't need correction for 122.6 years, as long as it stays wound.

Price is, again, upon request, but this one will surely not be in the tens-of-thousands-of.dollars range. Unlimited editions of this watch in platinum or pink gold with silver dials retailed for EUR 160,000 and 180,000 a couple of years ago, so it’s safe to assume a price tag of over EUR 200,000. You can see both watches at A. Lange & Söhne’s website.

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TAG Heuer Gives It’s Cult And Rare Skipper Model A Stunning Modern Reinterpretation 

Back in the 1960s, Heuer made a watch called the Skipper. It was a handsome piece, with an interesting colorway that included a blue dial, a mint subdial and a special regatta countdown subdial in mint, green and orange. Over the years it has become one of the rarest and most sought after Heuers, wanted so badly that in 2017 Hodinkee teamed up with TAG Heuer to create the limited edition Carrera Skipper for Hodinkee, a watch with a similar vibe, but clearly different. Now TAG is answering the demand with their new Carrera Skipper chronograph, a lovingly vintage watch but in a hypermodern Glassbox Carrera.

The dial is the star, so let’s start here. The base is a deep blue with a highly metallic look. It has a hour totalizer at 9 o’clock in the very cool seafoam/mint green while the 3 o’clock gets a multicolor totalizer, splitting into three 5 minute segmets, important for skippers at the start of a yacht race. The final five minutes, as well as the timing seconds hand, are rendered in orange, denoting their importance to the operation. There is a running seconds hand within a third, almost hidden sub dial appearing at 6 o’clock, which isn’t framed and thus is the same color as the base of the dial. Only the indexes and the hand itself give its position away. A strange decision, however, is the placement of the Skipper text. In the original it was placed above the Heuer logo, but in this new version the model name Carrera takes that place. It would have been amazing if they kept it there, instead it’s placed at the bottom of the hour totalizer. Not horrible, but could have been better.

The new Skipper is based on the new Glassbox Carrera, which is just a stunning update to a watch that has gotten a bit boring over the years. The Glassbox was introduced at Watches and Wonders this year and features a curved sapphire glass that goes all the way to the edge of the watch, with a chapter ring that’s pressed all the way up to it, creating a very nice visual trick. It’s also a very nicely proportioned watch with a width of 39mm. While that’s 3mm larger than the original, this watch actually wears much smaller due to the very wearable 46mm lug-to-lug measurements. It’s also 13.9mm thick.

Inside, TAG Heuer is using their TH20-06 automatic chronograph movement with 80 hours of power reserve under the hood. The watch is also 100 meter water resistant and comes on textile strap with a leather underside and a deployant buckle.

TAG Heuer has not said what the production numbers of this watch will be, but many speculate they won’t be made in huge quantities. Which is a shame, because it’s a fantastic looking watch. It’s priced at $6,750, which is only a $300 premium over the regular Glassbox, but also a $1,000 over the non-Glassbox Carrera, so it should be an easy decision to choose the Skipper when buying a Glassbox. See more on TAG’s website.

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Aquastar Teams Up With Fratello For A Second Deepstar II LImited Edition, This One With A Pink Salmon Dial

In late 2021, one of the better watch blogs out there - Fratello - unveiled their collaboration with the legendary Aquastar, the first collaboration for the brand. They created a Deepstar II Limited Edition in a beautiful ice-blue dial. And it seems like the combination of Fratello and Aquastar will continue to create stunning dials. Yesterday they announced the Fratello × Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition with a truly beautiful and unusual dial.

While the majority of divers out there use black and blue dials, there are some that venture into more bold colors like Doxa with orange and an array of colors that Zodiac uses on their Sea Wolf range. It’s nice to see Aquastar and Fratello introduce a new color to diving watches. They describe it as pink and salmon combined, and looking at the photos it really does look like it has both colors in it, depending on how the light hits it. The dial has a “big-eye” sub-dial at 9 o’clock for the running seconds, black printed details and bright white Super-LumiNova.

It’s mostly the dial that has changed, while the specs remain the same. This means a 316L stainless case measuring 36.75mm wide with a 46mm lug-to-lug and a 13mm thickness. The robust Sellita SW290-1 movement is back again, and the date stop has been eliminated. Additionally, the watch has a bidirectional external bezel, a signed screw-down crown, and domed sapphire crystal with an antireflective coating. It’s also water resistant to 200 meters and comes on a 19mm beads-of-rice bracelet.

This will be a limited release, but not limited in number, but rather a timed limited release. Orders open on July 19th at 16:00 CEST and will last until July 26th at 16:00 CEST. If you order your watch in this window, you’re guaranteed to get one. The price will be €1,950 (excluding VAT). Check out more photos and specs on Fratello watches.

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Vulcain Brings Back One Of The Most Iconic Alarm Dive Watches Of All Time, The Vulcain Cricket Nautical

I mentioned him a couple of times in the newsletter, but Guillaume Laidet has been working miracles with modern reinterpretations of incredible vintage watches. After selling a watch brand he started, he became one of the best watch consultants in the industry and is the creative force behind Nivada Grenchen, Excelsior Park and the co-owner of Argon Watches. More importantly to me, he also works on modern Vulcain watches. Knowing Laidet’s foolproof strategy of brining back the most iconic watches of brands he’s in charge of, it was only a matter of time he brought back one of my favorite watches, and I was ready to play the waiting game.

Well, I don’t have to wait any more - the absolutely stunning Vulcain Cricket Nautical is back in 2023. Thank you Guillaume!

Vulcain has been associated with alarm since 1947 when the alarm showed up in the first Cricket, and since then they have made the mechanical alarm a signature element of many of their watches. But since they were the alarm watch company, it came to them as a great shock when in 1959 Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Memovox Deep Sea, a diver with an alarm. Vulcain knew they needed a response and the result was the 1961 Vulcain Cricket Nautical, equipped with a “triple case back” that acted as a resonance chamber, to amplify the sound underwater while still guaranteeing water-resistance. Why in the world would you need a diver with an alarm? Well, sound waves travel fantastically underwater, so it’s a perfect tool to signal divers what point in the dive they are.

The Vulcain Cricket Nautical remained one of the most coveted Vulcain models of all time. In 2011 they released a limited run of 1961 watches to celebrate the 50th anniversary. of the model, but it’s been hard to get one in great condition. Thankfully, it seems to be back now, maybe even for good.

This re-edition of the Cricket Nautical is pretty straightforward and thus appealing. The vintage model stood out at the time with it’s large size at 42mm, and Vulcain tries to stick with approximately the same size - 42.2mm. However, get this - it’s 17mm thick. But it has to be that thick, as it has to include a an ultra-domed sapphire and a multi-layer dial, as well as an alarm movement and a resonance chamber.

Apart from the slight increase in size and the fact that it gets a sapphire crystal for the first time, pretty much everything about the case remains the same. It still has the two crowns and a pusher on the right side, as well as the complex caseback that needs to be as complex to amplify the alarm under water. And just like the vintage model, this one is also water-resistant to 300 metres.

The dial also carries over a lot of the design cues and functionalities of the original, but it will be available in two versions. Both have a semi-matte base in black, but they can feature either faux-patina SLN with an emerald green minute track, or white SLN with a lagoon blue minute track. Time is classically displayed by 3 central hands, while the alarm function has its own red arrow-shaped hand. The alarm, in the context of a dive watch, has to be set prior to the dive, in order to let the diver know when it’s time to resurface. Divers will also be able to reference the Keller-Bühlmann table on the dial to determine decompression times and steps depending on the depth and duration of the dive

Inside the watch is the same movement as the classic Vulcain Cricket, the hand-wound calibre V-10. This movement, an evolution of the calibre unveiled in 1947, is exclusive to the brand. It has a twin-barrel architecture (one for timekeeping, one for the alarm) and the classic buzzing hammer system for the alarm. It also retains the Exactomatic, a patented device to equalise the friction on the balance-wheel axis in all positions by modifying the Incabloc endstones. Running at a slow pace of 2.5Hz, it can store up to 42 hours of energy when fully wound.

The Vulcain Cricket Nautical will be available as of September 21st, 2023. The brand has not yet unveiled the price of this watch, but keep in mind that the 2011 limited release sells on the second hand market around the EUR 4,000 range, while the 1961 original easily fetches up to EUR 20,000. More info should be available on the Vulcain website soon.

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Ianos And Chronopassion Work Together To Create A Limited Edition Mihanikos Dive Watch

One of the major advantages of microbrand watches is their freedom to experiment. They don’t need to sell millions of watches to break even, necessitating a rather conservative design that will appeal to the broadest range of people. They can create different things that a couple of enthusiasts will dig and buy. A perfect example of this is the brand Ianos and their Mihanikos dive watch. Drawing inspiration from brand founder Jacob Hatzidimitriou’s Greek heritage, and the sponge divers of the Greek island of Kalymnos it was definitely a different looking dive watch.

It seems that Laurent Picciotto, the owner of the Paris based watch retailer Chronopassion, is one of the enthusiasts that liked the Mihanikos very much, as Chronopassion has teamed up with Ianos to create a limited edition inspired by Paris.

Fans of the original Mihanikos will immediately recognize that the new limited edition keeps the original design of the watch, but changes up the color considerably for a very different impression. Instead of a dark blue dial, we get a slate gray combined with jet black lume filled hands. We still get the signature sterile bezel (made from a single piece of steel) with the ultra fine texture. One of the fun things about the Mihanikos is how every element of the watch ties back to the long history of Greek diving culture. The visual impression of the case and bezel is meant to evoke the scaphandre diving suits historically worn by Greek sponge divers. The dial is marked with indices shaped like sponges, and the running seconds indicator at 6:00 is inspired by the air pumps that allowed divers to be underwater for hours at a time.

Inside the watch is a Sellita SW360 movement with a 42 hour power reserve, and a date at the 12:00 position. The diameter of the watch is 43mm, with a thickness of 15.75mm and a lug to lug lenght of 50.84mm. As you would expect given the somewhat imposing size, the watch is rated to 300 meters of water resistance.

The Ianos x Chronopassion Mihanikos is a limited run of 30 numbered pieces, with delivery expected to run between now and September. The retail price without VAT is €2,416 and the watches will be sold exclusively through Chronopassion in Paris. See more on the Ianos website.

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The Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium Limited Edition Is A Collaboration Between The Two Most Polarizing Brands In Watches, But Don’t Dismiss It

It could be very easily argued that Hublot and Hodinkee are the two most polarizing brands in the watch world. Both have their passionate fans, as well as very loud detractors. Both seem to have a stereotypical buyer/reader and both are often made fun of online. But it’s also a fact that both are huge businesses that must be doing something right. I, for one, am equally not a fan of Hublot as I am a fan of Hodinkee. The first time Hodinkee announced they will be releasing a collaboration with Hublot, I didn’t think it could end well. Now that I see the Classic Fusion Limited Edition, I had to change my mind. It’s a great watch!

The backstory is just as great, and I have to admit this is the first time I’m hearing about it. In 2012 Hublot started making loaner watches. That is, when you brought your Hublot into service, just like your car, Hublot would give you a plastic, quartz-powered watch that would fill the void on your wrist. This was only available at Hublot Ateliers, and the loaner watch was unavailable for purchase, clearly marked with a line of text reading Not For Sale on the dial. A brilliant idea that people loved. In fact, they loved it so much they begged Hublot to sell them one, but the brand did not budge.

Enter Hodinkee, 11 years later. The Classic Fusion Limited Edition For Hodinkee is their take on Hublot’s iconic loaner watch that you’ll never have to give back. Or, as Hodinkee puts it themselves: “sticking as close to the design of the original as possible, we’ve added a few tweaks to make the design more hard-wearing and versatile than its predecessor. To add our own twist, we’ve reimagined the dial and strap in a monochromatic grey colorway that’s quintessential Hodinkee. We’ve kept the rubber strap – a defining element of Hublot’s disruptive influence on luxury – but instead of a plastic case, we’ve opted for the lightweight, grade 5, micro-blasted titanium to maintain the feel of the original while adding some durability to its singular porthole-shaped design”.

The dial layout is identical to that of the original except for one key element: the text above the 6 o’clock position now reads Not For (Re)sale. Which is funny because you know this watch has already been sold out and is being offered at likely twice the price on the second hand market. The case is made of titanium, like they say, and it measures 38mm wide and 9.85mm thick. This watch is powered by the self-winding, Swiss Made HUB 1110 caliber which has a power reserve of 42 hours and is equipped with a water resistance of 50 meters. It is Hublot’s version of the Selita 300. Nothing special, but you know it will work.

There will only be 100 units made of The Classic Fusion Titanium Limited Edition For Hodinkee and they’re all sold out already. Yes, it’s expensive for what it offers - $7,900 - but I really dig it.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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Hands on with the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 – 911 Dakar

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Reviews of the Christopher Ward C65 Dune Automatic And C65 Dune GMT

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The appeal of the Venezianico Nereide Avventurina is rather straightforward and simple to understand

The more artistic use of materials is the aventurine (avventurina) dial. Aventurine is a family of colored, mostly quartz minerals. It comes in both natural and synthetic forms. In many instances, the synthetic form is more attractive because it is created with beauty in mind. The aventurine dial used on this Nereide timepiece is a good example. In deep blue, it sparkles like a quasi-celestial display thanks to an artistic blend of reflective inclusions introduced during the material formation process. This and related mineral manufacturing techniques have been an Italian specialty for many years, and I believe the aventurine used in these watch dials is of Italian origin.

⏲️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 just one week, about 100 million people downloaded the app Threads, Meta’s and Mark Zuckerberg’s attempt to capitalize on Twitter’s large-scale setbacks under the leadership of Elon Musk.Instead of picking apart Threads, Ian Bogost and Charlie Warzel train their view on the entire landscape of social media. When the billionaire boys’ club continues to bicker online and direct our digital attention at their whims, do any of us really win?

• The first of Megan Cassidy and Gabrielle Lurie’s series investigating the San Francisco drug economy, this impressive undertaking focuses on Honduras’ Siria Valley, a collection of villages where poverty abuts expensive new homes dotted with 49ers and Warriors iconography. Such design choices aren’t rooted in sports fandom, but in the flow of people and money between the Siria Valley and the Bay Area; the latter promises financial stability, as long as you can make peace with selling fentanyl.

• I have no words about this last piece, except that you have to read it. You just have to. If you need more encouragement, let’s just say it’s about a guy named Ron and his rented apartment. An apartment that he has turned his rented apartment into what he thinks is a work of art and what others may considered a camp hellscape of Greek and Egyptain interior design. However, some believe it actually might be a work of art

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Patagonia, the company that makes fantastic outdoor clothes and those vests that finance bros just adore, is also a company that is deeply committed to environmentalism. They also make pretty awesome movies. Over the last 40 years, commercial overfishing and bottom trawling have turned Scotland’s once-thriving west coast waters into sparse, lifeless deserts. Patagonia Films’ The Custodians follows the work of four locals from the West Coast of Scotland are reclaiming their natural coastlines. They’re restoring wildlife, creating sustainable industries and showing us how we can work with, not against, our ocean.

💵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

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