My First Mechanical Watch

As I have earlier introduced at the start of kymwatchlog, the Tissot LeLocle Automatic is my very first mechanical watch. I purchased this watch in Swiss Union, Times Square Kuala Lumpur. I had initially intended to purchase the Tag Heuer Carrera but this Tissot's clean minimalist look called out to me. The original band was a solid stainless steel 5-link bracelet, too much bling so a plain leather strap was a better choice.

Recently I put her on brown croc leather which I find to be more elegant. Somehow, white dials plus brown straps never fail. I am more a leather person due to my small wrist which makes re-sizing of steel bracelet a challenge. Some people says leather bands are not suitable for Singapore's climate. My workplace is air-conditioned to 20 deg cel so perspiration at the wrist is minimal. I see leather straps as an expendable item and with so many low cost leather straps to choose from in the market, you simply "wear-and-throw".

Here is the clear caseback of the LeLocle. The reliable ETA 2824 is used here and the gold plated rotating winding disc adds more charm to this simple watch. Tissot is a company under the Swatch Group so is not independent. This is why I steered towards another Swiss brand which is standalone since 1912 and never manufacture quartz watches till now. What brand is this? Most of you already have guessed from the year of founding 1904 - ORIS.

An Early CITIZEN Complication

My dad bought me this Citizen watch in 1993. I remember the excitement I had over this new watch. Back then, the price was SGD170. It was a lot of money for a watch when people around you were only wearing Casio digitals.

This Citizen Complication (as I call her) has Pointer Date, Day / Night Indicator, Moonphase, Month and Day of Week subdial. The bezel is unidirectional if I remember correctly. This watch is running on quartz movement with a WR of 30m.

I knew nothing about watches back then but if I have this watch now, I will definitely put her on a brown tan leather strap! Well, I am glad she has already found her new home in the United States!

Do I regret selling this Citizen? Well, Yes and No. Yes, as it is a discontinued model. No, for the simple reason I am not a quartz person.

A gift for young Sister

I bought this Izax Valentino Hand Winder when I was holidaying in Japan. This watch has a nice white textured dial with silver sword hands and clear back. It has a Japanese manual winding movement.

I did try to sell this watch but was not successful. So when my younger sister asked me for a watch, I decided to give to her as her entry level watch.

My late Grandfather's daily beater

I do not remember my late Grandfather wearing this RADO. I guessed I was too young that time to notice. Furthermore, my interest in watches started many years after his passing.

One day many years back, I found this watch dead with a broken crown stem, badly rusted case and badly scratched crystal. The date wheel was also totally stripped of all the printed dates. I kept this watch in the original condition as a memo of grandfather.

Recently I got acquainted with Mr. Goh (K2 Watch Co) and he is an expert in restoring vintage watches and Rolex. I showed him the Rado and he is surprised the movement is still in very good condition. After a complete overhaul, the Rado came back to life! Although Mr. Goh was unable to find a suitable replacement date wheel, this watch is still as magnificent with her beautifully aged dial.

I present to you the RADO Golden Horse 93J in pristine restored condition:


Thank you Grandfather for passing down a wonderful piece of horological art. Kudos to Mr. Goh who returned the Rado to life!

Some of my past China Made watches

These are two China Made watches I bidded over eBay. It was my first time bidding and did not expect to win! One is automatic and the other is a manual winding watch.

The MICRONIC Regulator seems (from a distance) like a well made Swiss watch. Interesting open heart design at 6 o'clock to view the movement. I think it is mimicking a flying tourbillion concept. I think it makes a good watch to wear on special events but as a daily beater, I am not sure if it will meet expectations.


This is a Shanghai Hand Winder, from the Shanghai Watch Factory. I love the classic clean vintage design. The red dot at the end of the second hand adds uniqueness to this watch.

Both watches have found new homes!

TIMEX Expedition Watch from SAFRA Club

I gave this TIMEX Expedition Quartz to my cousin as I am not into quartz movements. Somehow this Timex gives me the feel of a Swiss Army Victorinox.

I received the watch when I signed up for a 5-year SAFRA Membership.



I have seen many Singaporean guys wearing this watch. In Singapore, all males (Singaporean citizen by birth) have to serve the army once they reach the age of 18. The SAFRA Club is set up to recognise the contributions of NSmen to the defence of Singapore.

Vintage NOS craze

For a while, I was into Vintage NOS, mainly Swiss Made and a few Japan Made. But gradually I start to streamline my collection of Swiss Made along modern & classic Oris designs. The Japan line will be mainly along Seiko, Orient and Citizen makes.

Vintages are low priced and pleasing to the eye imo. Most of them have medium sized cases around 32mm to 37mm and lug width around 16mm for some. These are the watches you will "put-on-and-forget" and you hardly notice they are there. Good for formal evenings as you do not want a massive Diver / Pilot watch to burst your cuffs.

So here is my Vintage collection and some have already found their new homes!

This is a CAMY Jumbo Jet 17J Hand Winder. The CAMY ticks quite resonantly. It seems most of the vintages I owned had very clear sharp ticking when fully wound. I supposed the early days steel cases are not as thick as modern watches and so one can clearly hear the "heartbeat"! The CAMY logo reminds me of a dove inflight carrying a rose. A symbol of peace perhaps? Swiss Made stamped Geneva on dial.

An elegant OCTO Incabloc 3422 Hand Winder in steel. A good collectible timepiece as it is lume-free, so no worrying about lume material collecting on the inside of the crystal after prolonged usage. This OCTO has a stunning silvery sunburst dial. At certain angles, the dial appears white and tones to a silver grey shade.

This is a pre-owned PAGOL 1000 SW506. It had a cross-hair black dial with the trademark Coconut Tree above 6 o'clock position. PAGOL was very popular in Singapore in the 60s - early 80s. A forum-er emailed me saying the PAGOL brand has been developed into a new branding named PAGOL-Elite and has some presence in Vietnam.

This CRONEL "Diver" 17J Hand Winder came with her original hang tag which has already turned yellow over age. Singapore's climate is hot and humid, and so it is very suitable for the development of mould on paper! Well, I don't think she is a real Diver due to the bi-directional bezel. The dial color is one of the rarest I have encountered - greyish midnight blue or sort.

Isn't this a photo-copier brand?! In the early days, RICOH made precision instruments like watches . This RICOH 21J Automatic has rounded edges, making the watch look bigger than fact. The doom cystal also adds to the depth and volume of the watch. There is a raised red flower above 6 o'clock. It looks like a Lotus, a symbol of purity rising among the filth in Buddhism.

Most Singaporeans associate Titus with Solvil et Titus, and the first watch shop that comes to mind is - City Chain. Solvil et Titus is a Hong Kong brand developing fashion quartz watches. So this actual old stock SOLVIL ET TITUS GENEVE 3983 is the real thing. I am amazed by the the high pitched spinning of the rotor. The dial is a textured blue with minute raised pyramids on them. The bracelet is also a Titus original.

But recently I have moved out of the Vintage craze! And this watch has just found a new home.