https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1ei9hx2
created by dreftzg on 02/08/2024 at 13:02 UTC
404 upvotes, 28 top-level comments (showing 25)
Hey people. Due to some formatting issues with the old posts, I'm now posting these daily news updates as a gallery with a detailed writeup of all the watches down in the comments. It’s a bit messy since I can’t pin comments, but they’re there, don’t worry!
Some of you found this way of reading the post in the comments a bit clumsy and have asked for a direct link to the post. Here you go[1], but keep in mind you do not have to click on the link that leads to the newsletter post. All the text is in the comments. This is only if you prefer that format.
Comment by Claude_Mariposa at 02/08/2024 at 13:50 UTC
142 upvotes, 3 direct replies
That Timex is very sensual.
Comment by [deleted] at 02/08/2024 at 13:26 UTC
93 upvotes, 9 direct replies
[deleted]
Comment by workahol_ at 02/08/2024 at 13:48 UTC
32 upvotes, 2 direct replies
A confusing Bremont? Buddy, these days the whole Bremont brand is confusing.
Comment by dreftzg at 02/08/2024 at 13:02 UTC
20 upvotes, 1 direct replies
It's Friday and we rarely get to really admire a watch made for women, but hats off to Timex. That just might take the cake at a lot of budgets.
If you like these updates, and would maybe like to subscribe to the newsletter so you get them in your inbox every day, you can do so by **clicking here**[1].
1: https://www.itsabouttime.email/
**Grand Seiko Brings Back Kira-Zuri Dial To The U.S. With Two Exclusives, The SBGA507 And SBGA509**
Both Seiko and Grand Seiko have this funny habit of not spreading out their releases throughout the year. Instead, they just select a couple of weeks per year and just dump everything they have been working on. And they don’t even do one week for Seiko, the other for GS. No, they do them both the same week, leaving me scrambling to cover everything, very annoyed. But here we are, with no major releases from either brand in a couple of months, and me being so happy that they’re back! I missed them! But on a more interesting note, Grand Seiko is releasing two limited edition watches exclusive to the U.S., the SBGA507 and SBGA509, with great looking dials, but, more importantly, a very interesting story behind them.
Grand Seiko, as we all know, was established as a separate brand from Seiko in the 1960s to offer a more high-end and luxurious experience. And for some reason, I always assumed that they had a great worldwide presence. What I didn’t realize is that Grand Seiko did not have an official presence in the U.S. until much later. Like, much, much later. Grand Seiko USA was established only in 2018. And to mark the occasion, Grand Seiko released a trio of U.S. exclusive models, of which the only steel version, the SBGA387, was admired for its Kirazuri style sparkling dial in a very light blue.
And it’s that US exclusive that Grand Seiko has had in mind with the release of the two new US exclusives, the SBGA507 and SBGA509. Because the new watches are bringing back the Kirazuri dials. Kirazuri is a traditional method used in Japanese woodblock printing that incorporates mica powder for a sparkling effect. But before we get to that, the case. Not much has changed on the outside. You still get the same 44GS stainless steel case that measures 40mm wide and 12.5mm thick. Of course, the case has a bunch of zaratsu polishing and you get 100 meters of water resistance.
Like most GS watches, it’s all about the dial. And like most GS watches, this one has an elaborate story of how the dials reflect some natural beauty of Japan. These two watches represent the transitioning sky as seen from Lake Suwa, where Grand Seiko is headquartered. There are two dial variants, both of which get the kirazuri texture that plays with the light. One gets a a rosy pink hue and the other a nice soft blue. You get all the other things you would expect — the polished hands, polished markers, power reserve indicator and date aperture at 3 o’clock.
Inside both watches is the 9R65 Spring Drive caliber. For those living under a rock, Spring Drive uses a mechanical gear train and quartz for regulation, one of the great advancements in watchmaking. The movement has a power reserve of 72 hours and is accurate within 15 seconds per month. Both watches come on the well known Grand Seiko three link bracelets that are widely criticised for not really being up to the standard of the rest of the watch.
The SBGA507 and SBGA509 are limited to 300 pieces each and sold only in the United States. Price is set at $5,600. See more **on the Grand Seiko U.S. website**[2].
**Bremont Pays Homage To His Majesty’s Armed Forces With The Broadsword Recon Bronze**
Usually, the biggest watch show of the year, Watches and Wonders, brings a lot of excitement over new releases. However, this year was a bit of a quiet year. Sure, there was some great stuff, but overall, nothing that blew our minds. Except for one brand. Bremont. The ramifications of what Bremont did at Watches and Wonders are heard up to today. They unveiled a completely new direction — and a new logo — for the brand, one that was not welcomed with open hands and brought questions on the future of one of the largest watchmakers in the UK. However, the new logo and model did not push out all of the old Bremont lineup, meaning that you can now, very confusingly, but a Bremont with the old logo and a new logo and new direction. And they just released a new/old watch, one that’s inspired by the military watches of WWII and one that pays homage to the UK military, all three branches of it. This is the Bremont Broadsword Recon Bronze.
The watch is part of the partnership that Bremont has with the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, which nobody is sure whether it will continue in the new direction of the company. Bremont’s Armed Forces Collection began in 2019 and has since released many watches with blessing from the MoD to include the signs, symbols and Heraldic Badges of the UK military units. This latest version is based on the Broadsword, meaning that it ditches the Trip Tick case in favor of a two-piece case made out of solid CuSn8 bronze with a brushed finish and three engraved lines on the side. It measures 40mm wide, 12.5mm thick and has a 47mm lug-to-lug. Water resistance is 100 meters and the watch will only look better with time as a patina develops on the bronze case.
The dial stands out from the other military inspired watches from Bremont is the addition of the sandwich construction to the dial. The bottom part is coated with a yellow-brown Super-LumiNova, giving a vintage look and a green glow, and that is then covered with a matte black dial with cutouts for the numerals and markers of the small seconds counter. The hands are as black as the dial, with lume inserts in the same color as the bottom dial. There’s a date aperture at 3 with a color matched wheel. Right underneath 12 o’clock is the old Bremont logo. We’ll see how long it sticks around.
Inside, is the fancily named chronometer-rated calibre BE-95- 2AV, which is based on the Sellita SW260-1. This means it beats at 4Hz and has a 38 hour power reserve. It also has a bit of decoration, but that’s irrelevant as it has a closed caseback, which carries the badges of all three services and states: “Approved by Her Majesty’s Armed Forces”. The watch comes on a black sailcloth strap with bronze pin buckle.
The Bremont Broadsword Recon Bronze is a limited edition of 100 pieces and retails for €4,150. A lot of money, but they sure will find 100 buyes. See more **on the Bremont website**[3].
Comment by April_Mattison at 02/08/2024 at 17:05 UTC
8 upvotes, 1 direct replies
The Timex is really nice. Its indices immediately reminded me of the Baltic MR01 lol
Comment by j_husk at 02/08/2024 at 14:12 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Love that blue GS!
Comment by MortalPhantom at 02/08/2024 at 14:16 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
That Casio is great
Comment by MortalPhantom at 02/08/2024 at 14:16 UTC
6 upvotes, 1 direct replies
That timex is even better
Comment by beardtamer at 02/08/2024 at 14:24 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
that timex slaps, I'm a man, but I would wear it is the bracelet was a bit more normal lol
Comment by QuietNene at 02/08/2024 at 14:30 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Love the Broadsword Recon. IMO one of the best looking field watches ever made.
I was hoping they’d issue it as regular (not limited edition) before their re-branding. I guess I’m glad they’re bringing it back? But honestly I’m not ready to shell out almost $5k for a brand with an uncertain future. I would have this time last year. Now, well, is Bremont the watch of the UK MOD or is it a Frankenbrand living on borrowed time?
Comment by HisOnlyFriend at 02/08/2024 at 17:16 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The blue GS is so nice. 👌
Comment by geokarbou at 02/08/2024 at 13:19 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
The Grand Seikos look great, especially the red/pinkish one! However I could do with the Spring Drive indicator on the back to make the dial cleaner and enjoy more of the texture. Bremont, no comments - don't like it. I don't think they even know the direction they are heading in, they are lost in their identity crisis.
Comment by TrafficOnTheTwos at 02/08/2024 at 14:13 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
That blue is just glorious
Comment by X-Next-Level at 02/08/2024 at 17:26 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
All these watches are making me want to purchase and that’s surprising considering one is a timex
Comment by Sergia_Quaresma at 02/08/2024 at 20:22 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
So Bremont already going back on their revolutionary re branding? They wanted a new logo, distance themselves from the military and their Britishness. This seems to do the exact opposite
Comment by Flybuys at 02/08/2024 at 13:36 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Boy that Bremont is dull and boring to me, I like the Casio though.
Comment by Dark1000 at 02/08/2024 at 13:39 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Those Grand Seiko dials are 🤮. They hit 9/10 times, but when they miss, they really miss. This is one of those times.
I can see the appeal of the Timex, but I think it's still very limited niche, even for women's watches. Obviously we're talking completely different price brackets and legacy, but the best feminine watch is the Serpenti, and it's not even close.
This was just not a great week for new releases. Like the GSs, they can't all be winners! Still thanks for the coverage.
Comment by dreftzg at 02/08/2024 at 13:51 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Hey, before this week is over, I just wanted to gauge your opinion on something. I never ask for anything here, but I have to make a decision on how to continue with the newsletter (nothing will change here). If you can spare some time, click on today’s post[1] and read the thing near the top in the red square and let me know what you think about that…
Comment by Phospherus2 at 02/08/2024 at 14:33 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Bremont just can’t figure it out for the life of them
Comment by ChrisBard at 02/08/2024 at 14:40 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Love the red. Look at that marbling.
Comment by Duke_Newcombe at 02/08/2024 at 14:52 UTC*
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
That Bremont was a sweet watch, and I was *this close* to purchasing it (on a cruise no less, a *horrible idea* all around) because the provenance and design behind it were so compelling. It's on the list.
The Casio TOMS watch isn't usually my cup of tea (frou-frou see-through complications and such), but this is strangely appealing to me (must be the back-face, and the "just right" colorway). Definitely worthy of an in-person look and feel test.
Comment by saumvaun at 02/08/2024 at 15:43 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I'm just wondering if some, not all, people buy one of these GS LEs to sell 5k more later! In the past I wanted an LE GS and when looked up noticed a few in new condition after 4 years and seller was basically selling at retail plus tax, and had to pay commission fee to chrono/ebay, not trying to generalize to all cases though ...
Comment by Difficult_Guitar_555 at 02/08/2024 at 16:08 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Grand Seiko needs to realize people care about more things than just a dial: fix that case shape, proportion and bracelet
Comment by X-Next-Level at 02/08/2024 at 17:29 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
That Casio TOMS is next level too
Comment by Inexpressible at 02/08/2024 at 20:57 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Thank you for your news-posts - i enjoy them!