Vintage Modern

Money is something some people just have in abundance. Every industry, there are people who just knows that and provides them a solution for having too much money.

Vintage modern seems to be something most people want these days, guitars that are intentionally relic-ed to give the vintage look is sold at a premium over its stock production guitars.

In this case, its a pocket watch.

POCKET WATCH TOURBILLON GMT CERAMICA / PAM00446

Borrowed image from google.

This isn't just a pocket watch, its a tourbillon gmt. Made of ceramic, supposedly very hard and the satin look is just subtly reeking of class beneath all that ruggedness. 59mm of casing.

But it still has a tiny movement, its funny isn't that why Panerai had a big case in the first place? store big ass movements? This could mean that they just went to Swiss and bought a over the counter tourbillon and changed some colours of the parts, engrave abit..BAM! PAM00446!

Despite that, the chain is similar to anchor chains that is just badass. But most people will not be receptive of it. Hell, from what I gather, even Paneristis think Pams today aren't even real Pams much less a design as such. 

Maybe someone should have a case similar to fortis flippers sans the cheerful colours so that it can still rock on wrists and the chains can go with a wallet or act as bracelets. 

I hereby patent this idea as above mentioned. 

Yes? Panerai please contact me for these ideas and designs I have for this watch as accessories! Haha...

More of this watch here: Panerai Pocket Watch Tourbillon GMT Ceramica

My Watches (Part 2 of many)

NAUTICA

Here's a piece not on everyone's wrists.

This one is my debut watch. It was around the time where my boss just got his B&R and it looks amazing. Although now I'm aware of its mediocre watchmanship, nonetheless the design is just attention grabbing, looking like nothing of its time (Wasn't seeing Panerai yet).

Thus as you will see that this watch has all the basic influence, it was the closest thing you can find to a B&R that is not a replica. Its more like a homage or running in that style. This watch has several good features to it from packaging to the build quality.

Firstly the packaging I don't have the sponge inserts nor the stock straps anymore. They were the most uncomfortable things ever. It made me regret my purchase. But here is a picture of the watch borrowed

My watch is not in this flashy tiger look. Instead, take a look at the box, its a ammo box of sorts, it has a locking clasp which works nicely. The box coating however deteriorates over time.

It comes with 2 straps. For mine, since it was the military themed colour, my straps were in olive green and sand colour.

Here's a look at the actual watch.

B&R + Rolex bezel + Some chronograph watch's bastard child

Its square casing and 4 corner screws is a nod in the direction of the B&R which I so crave. Albeit that it has a ceramic looking bezel + contrasting screw colours.

Lume strength wasn't a deal breaker back then but it has a faint and not-long lasting lume going on its thin strips of hour markets and quite honestly nice minute and hour hands.

light colour on the dial makes the watch look abit softer

Now for the question I get the most when people examine my watch: "Why your second hand is not moving liao?" Then I will go on and say: "The center one(thin second hand) is for the stop watch(no one will use chronograph, at least for Singaporean non-watch aficionados, no one understands chorometers too not even most WIS). The 6 o'clock eye then is the second hand of the watch and the 12 o'clock eye is the minutes of the stop watch."

Enough of functions, this watch is a quartz, 'nuff said about movement. Oh did I mention that Timex manufactures Nautica watches, maybe not back then but this watch out lived a timex so what the hell right?

Design of the casing as far as ergonomics goes, surprisingly, big wrists will not enjoy it. This watch is made for allowance of the stock straps given which is thick and very uncomfortable and poorly made so its lugs pushes the case upwards, so if u lay the watch on the table, the case back doesn't touch the surface.

If you can see from the poorly taken picts, the watch stands on the lugs like a 4-legged android. It actually also promotes the apparent thickness of the watch and holds the nato strap in place. For thick heavy watches on nato straps, it feels abit funny as you move around the strap between your wrist and the watch actually will make the watch move around, if you get what I mean.

This watch went through mostly original Nautica straps which now I find is getting lousier in quality, the last one I bought, though very nice, had already creased on its surface showing that the leather was not bonded properly and also because no where can I find PVD straps.

 Nautica's logo on the screw down crown, but tightened, it is upside down #weirdo

The watch is now leashed on using a 3 coloured 'bond' nato strap, which I find is this watch's best match just a shame the originals were so lousy.

Also sports a tachymeter that functions I will never use, like algorithms in maths.

This watch apart from the design, is just ordinary. But in a good way. I feel that Nautica watches today have declined in QC and increased in price. This piece sets me back a mere S$180 from Ebay brand new including shipping.

Abit of this piece: I have had this watch since 2008, It has never spoilt only require one battery change in 2011, because since 2008, I left the chrono running.the second hand sweeps like a mechanical movement.

This watch has dropped a few times, the edge is abit nicked but it doesn't show a shiny body underneath. Most likely its a pure PVD case not coating only.

Only issue is that its screw down crown (yes, a screw down crown) will dig hard into the back palm. But I love this watch more than the pain so I eventually got used to it because with wear, the watch rides up just enough to not look nerdy and also will not try to embed itself into your wrist joint.



Now for the section people reading above and stopped once they saw the chronometer comment.
Chronometers is not a watch that is more accurate than a regular automatic movement. In fact, like any other mechanical watch has error.

Onboard ships, only chronometers are allowed as main time keeping instrument. No one was trending wrist watches back then. The clocks and pocket watches back then were all mechanical if anyone could afford one. So even if adjusted and wound, by the end of the day, the times are most likely to mis-match.

Wrist time

The chronometers are used for navigation apart from time keeping. How it is done exactly, I don't know but it is something to do with certain time of the day, the sun/stars are suppose to be in what position to find true north.

Read: Chronometers are mechanical clocks/time pieces with a constant rate of error. 

In the era where all watches are bound of have error, even the same clocks made next in production line. So to have a measurable, consistent rate of error, we are able to have a true time by correcting for the rate of error, making them very accurate in that sense.

I am not some snob, maybe I don't know any better myself, I just happen to be taught this during my poly days when the lecturers were teaching basic ship navigation. There are details where says each chronometer are also bound for random errors but that is not what this blog is about.

In conclusion, this watch is my first watch bought with my internship pay, I have never had to the intention to sell any of my watches and even more so for this piece. Will keep it and service even if it costs more than the watch itself.

 nato-ed

Coin-edged bezel just speaks volumes

My watches (part 1 of many)

Seiko Black Monster
Watch hunting nv ends.
Always have a grail that you can never have, yet you won't stop trying to achieve.

lume shot in ION toilet

Previously mentioned, I have a thing for watches that lume like a torch. Many people were saying the buy the coveted Seiko SKX781 aka Orange Monster. Its in almost everyone's collection. I tend to shun mainstream stuff, not trying to be hipster, neither am I trying to look like everyone, blending red paint into more red paint.

I wanted a watch that is versatile for all occasions and I don't like the 'boomz' of orange, my best friend tho, has orange hair.

So I was snooping around shops, its really hard to find cheap watches to me its below S$300 a pop. But I keep hearing about monster selling BNIB for less than $250 in shops, not forum sellers mind you. More research was needed.

I found out that Seiko produces watches in Japan (Asia's equivalent of Swiss). But I'm not one to nit pick: "SONOFABITCH! MY WATCH IS +/-5 SECONDS A DAY!! I WILL BE LATE!!" Turns out I don't know how and don't want to measure as well. Neither do I want to know how many stitch per inch my tailored shirt has or how high my guitar strings are from my 12th fret.

Some other Seiko are made around the region, where exactly, I don't know. But mine is definitely not made in Japan because of the price, lack of the word made in japan all that. Mostly price, it damaged me slightly for <$250 (bracelet version). Cheap by many standards. Here's the watch pictures first before more words.

black subtle character that is brings out class in all accessories used

The black is this comfort zone of watches, some people prefer white/silver but I like black, it's suave, slick, sexy, s-word something, seductive as well. It makes the watch easy to match with wide variety of straps.

Some pros and cons:

+ good clean look
+ good heft and feel
+ drill lugs makes it easy by 1000x to change straps
+ 4 o'clock screw down crown doesnt ribs into the back of the hand, since i wear the watch tight and as near to the hand as possible, not high up
+ LUME is bright, bright, BRIGHT!
+ slightly domed hardlex(hardness between mineral n sapphire crystals) makes it an eye candy even under water
+ the stock spring bars are the thickest ones I have seen and it feels rugged
+ bezel clicks nicely
-  bezel is abit tight, should be 120 micro-clicks to go 360°C.
-  the screw down crown is abit tight and not smooth, I'm afraid I might damage the thread if I screw it up (pun intended)
-  aesthetically, the hands are white hands with the lume, if they could be black with lume it'll be even better just a small pet peeve i have.
-  the chapter ring spills abit too much into the dial face.
-  the thick spring bars although thick is abit troublesome to fit into most straps.

-  non-hand wind-able movement, I'm used to it since I have a fortis with ETA movement 

-  non-hackable or hand wind-able movement, I'm quite used to cranking mvts

Another thing to note for small bony wrists people, most watches have these protruding 'horns' where it is the lugs for big watches, the closer your 2 springs bars are to each other, less awkward it will look on small wrists. For this black monster, the design is such that the spring bars are to be fitted under the round body of the watch, there is no gap between the strap and the body. Making the strap look 'fitted' if you will. Look a top shot of the watch to see what I mean.

The lack of gaps makes the watch fit the strap nicely on tiny wrists.

24mm strap cropped the sides to fit 20mm, should do it for more watches

Like I said I cannot comment on the movement's accuracy, not that I care, from what I see, it does keep time exactly with my phone's time. So it's good enough I'd say.

The day/date functions fine, day has 2 language, I assume it is spanish? not that I give a damn. At around 2, the movement will first switch the dates following which, date will move into the alternate language one then move into the correct day before 1am (note for inter-time-zone travellers).

 full frontal shot

 the thickness of the case and the slight dome of the hardlex

notice also how short the lugs are to the body

generic 'genuine' leather strap from bencoolen (one of the watch havens in singapore)

case back is screw down with a wavey pattern too

This watch is great versatile, I have nato straps but it doesn't sit well, heavy watches tend to slip, I find it quite nerdy if the watch rides up your arm, so no picts on that. This watch is my first bracelet watch, its very solid but bracelets aren't mean to be worn tight without abrasion so I'll keep it for my dad if he wants one, also bracelet has a divers' extension, 10 points for Seiko!

This watch is bought from skywatches.com.sg (at their brick and mortar shop) in people's park complex 3rd floor. *Not an advertisement, I will post where I get my watches from.

This watch is as mainstream as it gets, as cheap as it is, I have to say that the unique design itself is a heritage alone which other watch brand markets around. In house solid movement, unique design, killer lume (I said lume like 100 times already, not sorry at all), divers watch. Rumor has it that Seiko movements do not require servicing to it every 5 years (Swiss made ETA movement requires 2-3 years service once), some even worn for 10 years without having to service it at all. 

My Watch Fire (prologue)

To start of everything, here's my inventory of watches. When i started out watches, around me was surrounded by watches such as the bell n ross (when it first came out, pre-phantom days):

my boss snag this from hour glass. at that time, B&R were going for SGD4.5k or so. It came in a nice long box, had a leather strap on the side with rubber straps on. It was big, flashy and most important of all quite earth shaking for a 18 year old who had no interest in watch ever n grew up around ppl who wore traditionals (uncle-ish watches).

another colleague of mine had this on, probably a long time wearer of that watch. wears it day in day out.

a good point to note is that everyone had I worked with is from a shipping background at one point in time they were sailing on merchant vessels some of them were captains, they were running a small broker shop but ship brokering is not by the size of your shop but your stuff, but I digress, back to horology.

anyhow, these are the sweet child o mine watches, the few that pushes u into the world of micro-heartbeats running on springs, gears cogs, tickers, sweeping hands, LUME, simple clean looks. no redundant functions, just good old fashion watch with  day/date functions if possible.

after which i have no idea when, dive watches start to attract me more than aviation watches or dress watches except for bell and ross. (more on that another day).

hi all,

i'm just a simple watch loving guy. i got into it when i was 18 my internship company had bosses who were flashing corums, bell & ross, audermars, 1st gen welder and what not so from there i decided to get into watches.

my wrists is just 6.5 inches hence mostly leather, rubber, nato straps instead of bracelets which is funny, rigid n in my girlfriend's words, making me look old.

wat works for me is simple clean looking watches, chorograph is a good to have but i have 2 g-shocks for that so ya.