The People You Meet on Vacation...Nepro

Before I go too deep into Nepro's triumphant return, I'm gonna' hop into the way-back machine to 1978.

Way back when dinosaurs were roaming the earth, my grandfather decided that the one thing that every 10 year old needed was an LED watch.  So a very large, very chunky LED watch arrived and was given to me.

Courtesy of SMU Digital Libraries

I LOVED that watch, hitting the buttons incessantly.  It worked for all of a week before malfunctioning.  We sent it back to the folks at Texas Instruments and were told to wait a month.  Only to receive a BRAND NEW identical model less than a week later, swiftly followed by the original "repaired" model a week after that.  Spoiler alert - both watches died within a week of arrival.  

So when I came across the Nepro table at Time to Watches in Geneva, I at once felt pangs of nostalgia, hope, desire, and frankly? A fear of being "hurt" again...

I saw the Nepro on Saturday, befor the last day of the fair. And I was pretty much obsessed for the balance of my stay. Rational, reasonable thoughts were replaced by the absolute conviction that the Nepro was absolutely fundamental to my future happiness. Fortunately, one non-solar piece was found. Digital currency was exchanged, and it came home with me. 

Now in truth? I am not proposing that what will follow later this week will be a review. My attachment to my new Nepro LED watch is now a little too deep for me to be really objective. But with that said, it is my sincere hope that maybe - just maybe, you can go home again - and you're watch will actually make it to Christmas still working  - I have a good feeling about this one ; )

Stay tuned!

Numptys...

Per the Urban Dictionary -
Numpty:
Dialect, chiefly scots. A bumbling fool or one who is intellectually challanged.
(plural : numpties)
"they numpties couldnae organise a pissup in a brewery."
In reference to MSPs( members of scottish parliment). numpty by Gerry K. April 26, 2005

Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

Unlike most of my colleagues in the Fourth and Fifth Estates of Watch Town, I have held off on commenting on Hayek "the Younger's" latest thirst trap. By and large, I like Swatch, own a bunch, and even plumped for a Blancpain x Swatch as well as a Mission to Mars. They're fun.

And without going into the pros and cons of whether or not $420 American is wisely spent on this latest outing, I want to reflect on the shit-show that was Swatch's lack of common sense regarding the launch of the Royal Pop. Or to paraphrase James Corder's bon mots - Is human life only worth $420?

You can read his insightful commentary here, it is well worth your time -

https://www.watchpro.com/corders-column-somebody-could-have-been-killed-today-over-a-400-swatch/

While seeing crowds buzzing is good for business, I would like to think we have moved on from the Bernie Ecclestine / Hublot "if it bleeds, it leads" approach to marketing -

Courtesy of Hublot

And while many of us are sharing our feelings, curious to relate? It appears that neither Mr. Hayek, or Ms. Resta have been particularly forthcoming with coments following a highly anticipated, partially aborted launch capped off with near riots. Think I'm being overly dramatic? Simply put, riot police aren't typically dispatched to your neighborhood mall over a parking dispute, or a getting the wrong order at Orange Julius... 

While some folks will hopefully get and truly appreciate their new pocket watch, my sincere hope is that in Biel/Bienne and Le Brassus there might be just a wee bit of reflection on how this was handled, and maybe (doubtful, I know) maybe one of these two leaders can put their egos aside and accept the responsibility for the situation and offer some sort of acknowledgement.

I know, this is about as likely to happen as me being invited on an AP press junket ; )

Or to paraphrase the closing scene in one of my favorite films -

"Forget it, Henki. It's Watch Town."

Perhaps Just Under the Radar - The Epos 3408

Okay, spoiler alert - Epos has some really cool new watches coming soon. That's all I will say for now. But with that said, they have some true gems that might not be on your radar, but should! So let "the weekend of Epos" begin!

Courtesy of Epos

This is the Epos 3408. It is singularly perfect.

The case is of stainless steel and measures 39 mm in diameter. Simple, elegant, and wonderful.

Courtesy of Epos

The movement is the Peseux 7001.  Again, simple. But remember - simple is not dumb. Simple is elegant, only what is needed, albeit with a beautiful finish.

And finally? In these uncertain times, we are all more that a wee bit price sensitive. Well, Epos has you covered - priced at US$ 1'710 here in the lower 48.

Here are the pertinents -

Movement
Base Movement	Peseux 7001
Type	Hand-Wound
Execution	Decorated
Date Functions	None

Case
Material	Stainless Steel
Color	Steel
Diameter	39 mm
Thickness	5.9 mm
Lugs	20 mm
Front Crystal	Scratch-Resistant Sapphire
Back	See-Through Mineral
Water Resistance	3 ATM

Dial
Color	Muted Olive Green
Execution	Sunblasted
Hour Markers	Index Applied
Strap
Material	Leather
Color	Black
Buckle	Pin Buckle (Folding Buckle on request)

The BR-X3 Patrouille de France

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

This is the latest from Bell & Ross. For the past several years they have partnered with the Patrouille de France aerobatic team for a special watch. This year's version is limited to 250 pieces.

The asking is $8,100.

Here are the pertinents, straight from Bell & Ross -

Movement : Manufacture. Automatic Mechanical Movement. Power reserve of approximately 70 hours.

Functions : Hours, minutes and seconds. Date window at 3 o'clock and power reserve indicator at 9 o'clock.

Case : 41 mm wide. 13.30 mm thick. Satin-finished and polished steel. Screw-down crown. Crown guard. Decorative side pillar and bezel in blue anodised aluminium with micro-blasted finish. Sapphire case-back featuring a custom metallised Patrouille de France logo.

Dial : Three-plate construction – matt black base, blue and white skeletonised applique, matt black insert – with polished and rhodium-plated “Baignoire-style” applique indices, filled with white Super-LumiNova® BGW9 Grade X1 (blue glow). Patrouille de France logo at 6 o'clock. Power reserve window featuring the colours of the French flag (blue, white and red). Skeletonised rhodium-plated hour and minutes hands filled with Super-LumiNova® BGW9 Grade X1 (blue glow).

Crystal : Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

Water resistance : 100 metres.

Strap : Openworked black rubber and blue ultra-resilient synthetic fabric.

Buckle : Pin. Satin-finished and polished steel.

The calendario quattro anni (cqa)

From ochs und junior -

Courtesy of ochs und junior

In honor of their 20th anniversary, ochs und junior has released an annual calendar good for four years.

This is a pre-order item, deliveries are anticipated to begin in October. Initial price is: CHF 6,900 – Export price 

CHF 7,460 – incl. 8.1% Swiss VAT

Here are the pertinents -

Case:

Grade 5 titanium, 40 mm  

Dial: 

circular graining in oj blue patina with markers decorated with white gold | Hour and minute hands, adorned in white gold | Second hand in orange | Date and month display in orange  

Movement:

ETA 2824-2 

Strap: 

Enzian in Ecopell calfskin, with or without orange stitching, available in sizes small, medium, large, or extra-large 

Weight: 

65 g (with buckle and strap) 

Warranty: two years 

Non-customizable.

The BR-03 Green Steel

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

This is the latest in the BR-03 family. A three-hand automatic with date - in green.

The case is of stainless steel and measures 41 mm in diameter. The movement is self-winding with a power reserve of 54 hours.

Here are all the pertinents -

Movement : Calibre BR-CAL.302-1. Automatic Mechanical Movement. 54-hour power reserve.

Functions : Hours, minutes, seconds and date.

Case : 41 mm wide. 9.65 mm thick. Satin-finished and polished steel.

Dial : Green sunray with black gradient, coated with glossy lacquer. “Baignoire-style” applique indices and numerals filled with white Super-LumiNova® X1 (green glow). Skeletonised rhodium-plated hour and minute hands filled with white Super-LumiNova® X1 (green glow).

Crystal : Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

Water resistance : 100 metres.

Strap : Black-coloured box calfskin leather and black ultra-resilient synthetic fabric.

Buckle : Pin. Satin-finished and polished steel.

Priced at $4,100.

The Rallye Méca Quartz Chronographe GPFH 2026

From Lip -

Courtesy of Lip

This is the latest from the folks in Besançon. A new take on their Rallye chronograph collection.

In their own words -


LIP Rallye Chronograph Grand Prix de France Historique – Limited Edition 2026

The house of LIP has created a third exclusive model, in a limited and numbered edition, co-branded with the Grand Prix de France Historique to celebrate its third year as the Official Timekeeper. This season’s inspiration comes from the cyan blue run-off stripes that are iconic on the Circuit Paul Ricard.

The case is of polished stainless steel, and measures 39 mm in diameter.

The movement is a meca quartz.

Limited to 1,906 pieces, and priced at €349.00
Tax included.

The People You Meet on Vacation...Seven Days with the Manifesta

From Rotoris -

What I miss about BaselWorld, but am hoping to see more of in Geneva moving forward is the random chance meetings with emerging brands.

And one such meeting involved the founders of a watch brand that I had never heard of, but suspect will be the talk of watch fans moving forward. More about Founder and CEO Aakash Anand, and Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer Prerna Gupta in a later post. Today is all about the Rotoris Manifesta.

Courtessy of Rotoris

The Manifesta is an interesting paradox. It is an extremely well-crafted, beautifully executed self-winding watch that is priced well within reach of almost any watch fan from the thrifty yet aspiring to the deep-pocketed. And in truth? This is a watch that will appeal to everyone across the board.

Rotoris is driven by the ethos of creating a luxury watch in India. But (and this might just be my perception) there also seems to be a desire to make a product that is not beyond the reach of everyone. Let's call it inclusive luxury.  While many of the watch components are from outside of India, the Manifesta is assembled in India. 

The beating heart (in this case, quite literally) of the Manifesta is the RSGA01. This is a calibre developed in partnership with Seagull, built on the ST2502K architecture, but specifically modified for Rotoris.

Seagull has come a very, very long way in terms of quality and stability. And the performance of the Manifesta in terms of time keeping have been top-notch. It has had no significant deviations (loss or gain) in time keeping. But more than that, the setting and winding has been surprising - in a good way. The crown is tactile, yet very smooth and forgiving to the touch, and the winding is gentle, not brittle or scratchy sounding. 

But let's get down to brass tacks, wearing comfort. You could have the most accurate watch in the world, but if it is not comfortable to wear, it will sit in your dresser drawer. 

A lot of wearing comfort is down to design and execution of the case itself.

The Manifesta's case has a wonderful curvature, ensuring it sits comfortably on the wrist. The dimensions are what I often refer to as "Goldilocks" - just right ; )

It measures 40 mm in diameter, with gently curved lugs. It is of stainless steel with a gold pvd finish. The curve and shape are gentle. The crystal is sapphire, making the black onyx dial truly pop.

The strap is teju lizard and crafted in India.

It is paired with a matching deployant clasp -

So if you were hoping to get your hands on one, this is a good news / not-so-good news review. The Manifesta has come and gone (limited edition), but the good news is that Rotoris is playing the long game. Small releases, teased out one at a time, with wait lists that far exceed the production numbers. So if you missed this one, stay tuned - Rotoris has plenty more magic up their sleeves!

People We Meet On Vacation - Watch Town

It's now been a little over two weeks since I got back from my week in Geneva. For those of you reading, you might be thinking like I once did - "it would be soooooo cool to work for a watch brand!" 

Well, yes and no. It's important to understand that you will be working (literally) 12 hour days for a week straight. And in my case? You are using the vacation time from your day job to do so. So yes, I do enjoy it, but it is not lost on me that this is work.

This is all by way of telling you that one of the things that keeps drawing me back is the possibility of meeting what Billy Kwan (played by Linda Hunt) referred to as the "unmet friend" the film adaptation of Christopher Koch's novel, The Year of Living Dangerously. Now in Billy Kwan's case it was the hope of meeting an idealized version of some confidant you can share everything with. In my case? I like to think of it more like Ted Lasso:

"Congrats, you both just met a cool person".

This year was not different. Several old friends reengaged with, some of the usual suspects coming through, and some wonderful encounters, completely unexpected.

I will be sharing two of those with you, along with the time machines that set them in motion. Stay tuned!

MECHANICA CHRONO "NINE IN TEN"

From Done -

Courtesy of Done 

While I might have announced this in an earlier some time back, I actually got to take the Mechanica Chrono for a spin around the halls of Geneva.

This was originally announced this new piece last December, but now that I have had a chance to try it on and put it through its paces?

Let me put all doubts aside - YOU WANT THIS WATCH! I certainly know that I do!

In speaking with the man behind Done, Thierry Clottu, the Nine in Ten will start shipping in June.

As a reminder, here are the pertinents -

Watch diameter

40mm

Bracelet/Strap width

20mm on the case and 18mm on the buckle

Water-resistant

10 ATM (100m)

Movement power reserve

60 hours (±2h)

Crown

Engraved with DONE logo

Case back

Screwed with sapphire crystal and consecutive number

Movement frequency

4Hz

Hands

Faceted and diamond-polished with Superluminova C1

Case Material

Stainless Steel

Type of watches

Chronograph

Movement

Automatic chronograph L111

Watch box

Leather travel pouch designed to hold multiple watch straps