Yema Unveils Five Beautiful Pilot's Watches In Collaboration With French Air Force; Seiko Updates High-tech Astron; Girard-Perregaux's First Titanium Laureato; And New Perfect Lap Inspired Ollech & Wajs

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. Yema does know how to split up a crowd down the middle. Some hate them, others adore them. I can just say that these are some of the more attractive pilot’s watches you can get, especially in this price range.

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In this issue:

• Yema Releases Five Great Looking Pilot’s Watches With Some Interesting Movements

• Seiko Updates Their High-Tech Line, The Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronograph With Four New Watches

• Girard-Perregaux Gets A First-Ever Titanium Case With The Laureato Chronograph Ti49

• The New Ollech & Wajs Rallychron Chronograph Pays Homage To Perfect Laps Around Classic Circuits

Today’s reading time: 6 minutes and 56 seconds

👂What’s new

1/

Yema Releases Five Great Looking Pilot’s Watches With Some Interesting Movements

A very short look into history. The french watch brand Yema was founded in 1948 and reached it’s peak in the 60s when they were the top exporter in France, selling more than 500,000 watches per year. The brand went under but was later revived to much enthusiasm - steadily approaching 100,000 watches sold. During the hayday of the brand, they have worked with numerous French organisations and institutions to create watches for them, and they continue this tradition now. The French president wears their watch, they make watches for the French military and the French space program. Now they’re introducing five new references in two model lines, dedicated to the French Air Force. These are the Yema Flygraf Flieger French Air Force & Flygraf Bi-Compax French Air Force and they’re beautiful.

Let’s start off with the more simple Yema Flygraf Flieger French Air Force, which is as traditional as a pilot’s watch can get, almost verging on being a field watch. Made out of Grade 2 titanium, the case comes in at 40mm wide, just 9.4mm thick and with a very comfortable 46mm lug-to-lug. It’s a fully round case with a miniscule bezel on top that allows the watch to be almost all dial. On the right side is a slightly oversized crown for easier handling when wearing gloves and on top is a double-dome sapphire crystal, for a vintage look.

There are colorways of the Flygraf Flieger. While all the numerals and hands remain the same, you can have a choice of black, blue or green dials, with al of them having a very slight fume finish - a lighter color in the middle turning into a darker shade on the edges. On the edges of the dial is a railway outer ring printed in cream, the same color you’ll find on the sword-shaped Flieger hands and the triangular marker at 12 o'clock, sunk into the dial as if it were a sandwich dial. The large arabic numeral indexes are printed in slight relief with a steel finish and at 6 o’clock there’s a nicely integrated and color matched date window.

Inside is the brand’s in-house Yema2000 calibre, which is their version of the basic ETA and Sellita movements. Yema was heavily criticised online for their in-house movements that have had quality issues, but these problems seem to be limited to their older movement and the issues appear to be handled. It beats at 4Hz and has a power reserve of 42 hours. The movement is regulated in 4 positions to a precision of -/+ 10 seconds/day. The watches come on canvas straps with a titanium pin buckle, black for the black dial version, blue for the blue and cream for the green.

Moving on the Flygraf Bi-Compax French Air Force, this is a very interesting piece, but more so for the insides than the outsides. That’s not to mean that the outsides are not great. The watch comes in a case that almost exactly matches the dimensions of the Flieger (40mm wide, 46mm lug-to-lug but slightly thicker at 9.5mm), but in this model it’s made out of stainless steel. The case oversized crown and pushers feature a matte satin finish. On top is the same simple bezel, but it sorrounds a hesalite double dome crystal for even more vintage vibes. A lot of people are disgusted by acrylic crystals, but I love their soft look, especially on chronographs.

There are two dial options for the Bi-Compax, one blue and one black. The bi-compax has a slightly unusual arrangment where the subdials are arranged at 12 and 6 o’clock. The large hour markers are rendered in a cream color, just like the baton hands. The running seconds subdial at 6 o’clock has a red, white and blue surround, and the outsides of the dial feature a Tachymeter scale.

Inside, things are a bit different than the in-house Yema2000. In this one Yema uses the Seiko VK61 meca-quartz caliber. I believe that part of the reasoning behind this movement could be the fact that Yema doesn’t make an in-house chronograph movement (they do use the ETA 7750 in other watches), but also the long-standing request from militaries around the world to buy quartz watches for ease of use and precision. And the VK61 offers the best of both worlds - the precision of quartz and the smooth sweep of the chrono hand. The watch comes on a blue or black canvas strap

All five of these watches are on sale right now and in unlimited quantities and at interesting price points. Without tax, the Yema Flygraf Flieger French Air Force is priced at $990 and the Flygraf Bi-Compax French Air Force is priced at $429. See more on the Yema website.

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Seiko Updates Their High-Tech Line, The Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronograph With Four New Watches

There’s a really good reason why Seiko is a favorite among enthusiasts. Even if we set aside their rich history, great designs and capabilities, it’s just fun to see how wide their catalogue is. From super simple mechanical watches that you can have for a few hundred dolars, all the way to hyper high-tech pieces from the Astron line, you can really find something for everybody. Now Seiko is updating the Astron line with four new watches that carry the usually ephemeral Seiko names - the SSH151, SSH153, SSH155, and the limited SSH156.

If you’re not really into the Seiko Astrons, you might see these as just a colorway update, but it’s a bit more than that. This is the first time that the Astron gets GPS Solar Dual-Time technology with a chronograph, which means a new movement. But more on that later. All four watches come in titanium cases with ultra hard coatings and measure 43.3mm wide and 13.4mm thick. The lugs curve down and have an almost integrated bracelet. Two versions, the SSH151 and the SSH153, come with a silver-colored case, while the SSH155 and the limited SSH156 come with black cases. On top is a double-domed sapphire crystal, and all of them are water resistant to 100 meters.

The dials are different on all of the models. The SSH151 has a black dial, the SSH153 a silver dial, the SSH155 once again a black dial but slightly different, just like the SSH156, which has a black dial with gold accents. Around all of the dials (except for the limited edition) is a 60-minute scale on the bezel with five-minute gradations. The limited edition also gets gold main hands, gold rings around the subdials the Seiko logo, chronograph pushers, and the lower layer of the bezel.

Now, more about what’s inside. The new movement is called the 5X83 which features subdials at 6, 9, and 12 o’clock and is solar powered. Since it has GPS capability, it connects to satellites twice daily to sync the time, and the watch also displays an additional time zone at 6 o’clock, in the same subdial that turns into an hour totalizer when the chronograph is running. At 12 is a sub-dial that displays chronograph elapsed time in 1/20th of a second. The dial at 9 o’clock shows chronograph engagement, charging status, in-flight mode, and the day of the week. Lastly, you will find an AM/PM indicator and a date window between 4 and 5 o’clock.

The new Seiko Astrons have gone on sale and are priced at €2,600 for the SSH151 and SSH153, €2,800 for the black-coated SSH155 and a whopping €4,000 for the SSH156 which is limited to 1,000 pieces. See more on the Seiko website.

 3/

Girard-Perregaux Gets A First-Ever Titanium Case With The Laureato Chronograph Ti49

Yesterday I wrote about a new Girard-Perregaux, the Laureato 38mm Copper Diamond Bezel. It was a really nice mid-size integrated bracelet sports watch in steel, with a beautiful copper dial and a pretty funky diamond bezel. I loved the thing, but a lot of you weren’t as enthusiastic. I still maintain that the GP Lauerato is among the better of the steel integrated bracelet sports watch with geometric shaped bezels (what a category), I just wish they gave their watches more options. And not even a few hours after publishing that, Girard-Perregaux introduced a new watch that really is something else - the Laureato Chronograph Ti49.

For the first time ever, Girard-Perregaux is bringing titanium to their Laureato line. The new Chrono is made out of Grade 5 titanium, an alloy of titanium that contains aluminium and vanadium to make it tougher than the usual Grade 2, and it measures 42mm wide, 12mm thick and with a 50mm lug-to.lug. Those dimensions are not really in step with what’s going on in the market, but I’m sure GP will be bringing titanium to their smaller watches as well. The finishing alternates between brushed and polished surfaces, with a brushed octagonal bezel sitting atop a polished circular plinth.

The dial gets the expected GP Clous de Paris pattern, this time in a grey uniform color that matches fantastically with the titanium of the case. The subdials at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock have a deeply grooved snailed pattern and there’s a date window at the dreaded 4:30 position where it looks particularly bad as it breaks up the pattern of the dial.

Inside is the Girard-Perregaux in-house caliber GP03300 which uses the brand’s existing automatic movement with an added chronograph module. With that in mind, the 12mm thickness actually seems pretty fair. The movement beats at 4Hz and has a slightly old-school power reserve of 46 hours. The watch comes on an integrated brushed titanium bracelet with polished center links.

The regular Laureato Chronograph is priced at $18,600, so it’s expected that the the titanium version would command a premium. But how much? Well, the new Laureato Chronograph Ti49 is priced at $19,400 which is really not that bad when put into context. See more on the GP website.

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The New Ollech & Wajs Rallychron Chronograph Pays Homage To Perfect Laps Around Classic Circuits

Most of the watches made by Ollech & Wajs follow a pretty similar template - they are a skin diver-style case made with heavy vintage inspirations and cool uses of colors. They grasp deep from their history as much is linked to military and professional services. Their watches were worn by scientist Wernher Von Braun and NASA Group 6 astronaut Dr Anthony Llewellyn and In 1965, they became the most widely used ‘unissued’ watch brand by military personnel in the Vietnam conflict, delivering up to 10,000 pieces a year. What they might be a little less known for is their passion for racing. Well, Ollech & Wajs is fixing that by releasing a new Rallychron that is a love letter to the golden era of motor racing and the legendary circuits that bore witness to the most memorable moments in the sport’s history.

The watch comes in a 39.5mm wide and 15.3mm thick brushed 316L stainless steel case that has widely spaced and short lugs that give off a very nice 1960s and 1970s vibe of sports watches. On top is a sapphire crystal and the talking piece of the watch - the lack PVD-coated rotating, bidirectional bezel. The bezel features a tachymeter scale on it’s inner half, which is to be expected, but on the outer track are the names of 11 of the most iconic racetracks from the 60s followed by the mathematically derived ‘perfect lap time’. None of these lap times actually ever happened, and have been calculated in collaboration with Hervé Charbonneaux, a well-known classic car collector and author. He has analysed a huge number of races from the 1965-1969 seasons at each of the 11 tracks accounting for race conditions and derived that these were the hypothetical best times achievable in period. It’s a completely useless function, purely decorative, and I love it!

The dial is rendered in a great grey color with a tri-compax layout with black subdials. The central hours and minutes have race flag inspired markings, while the central chronograph hand and the arrow on the hand on the 3 o’clock subdial have orange tips. There’s a date window hidden in the 6 o’clock subdial.

Inside is the OW PRECISION 5 movement, essentially the Valjoux 7753 automatic chronograph, which is in turn a descendant of the legendary Valjoux 72 calibre which Ollech & Wajs used in several chronographs during the 60s. The movement beats at 28,800vph and has a power reserve of 54 hours. The watch comes on a vintage style perforated leather racing strap or you can spring for the additional mesh bracelet.

The new Ollech & Wajs Rallychron is not limited in production, but the first 56 made will feature numbered crowns. Price is set at CHF 2,356 for the leather strap and CHF 2,482. See more on the Ollech & Wajs website.

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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A review of the Certina DS Action GMT Powermatic 80

2/

Hands on with the Vero Workhorse Chrono Hooligan

3/

A review of the San Martin SN004

⚙️Watch Worthy

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

The Praesidus DD-45 does justice to its wartime inspiration while delivering modern utility

It’s an attractive case, presenting an appealing mix of polished and brushed surfaces, tapered lugs, and an undercut that makes it appear even slimmer. The DD-45 information page shows a photo showing all of the twelve WWWs. Each is slightly different. To my eye, the Praesidus closely resembles the Cyma, which is not a bad thing in the least. As Praesidus was producing a modern watch for modern use, it wisely upgraded certain aspects to meet contemporary standards. The aforementioned sapphire crystal is one such feature. You can also add to that list 100m water resistance and a layer of Super-LumiNova so thick the numbers stand proud of the dial.

Read the whole review on The Time Bum

⏲️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

• Thirty five years ago, the biggest celebrities on earth opened a chain restaurant. Twenty five years ago, I almost chocked to death in one of their locations. But that has little to do with this story. For a few years, Planet Hollywood was the hottest ticket in town. Then it went bankrupt. Twice. The brains behind this pop-culture phenomenon explain how it happened.

• Nearly two years after he walked away from tennis, Roger Federer has found a different rhythm to life—and an exciting new set of challenges. Now, in his most wide-ranging interview since his retirement, Federer reflects on his old rivals, his new passions, and the fresh sense of urgency that drives him: “I feel minutes matter more now than before.”

• It’s been a pretty universal rule that technologies live and die depending on how well they are embraced by the porn industry. VHS beat out Beta because you could easily get pornography on VHS. The internet is so huge and so fast mostly because people are horny. The future of AI, or generative image and video creation, might just as well depend on it. However, it’s already being used for very malevolent purposes. Kolina Koltai goes behind the scenes of a secretive global network of non-consensual deepfake pornography.

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

Fallout is one of the best video games of all time. That’s why I didn’t put much hope that the TV show they’re making based on the Fallout universe would be any good. Well, looking at this trailer, it seems to be absolutely fantastic. Despite being directed by Jonathan Nolan.

💵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 Ōtsuka 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