Touch and Go

A beautiful classic, not so often seen in Singapore shops, Orient "Submariner" homage, water resistant to 100m with screw in crown. The blue unidirectional bezel is the sweetest blue I have seen on the Orient, coming close to the Blue Mako. However the feature of this watch that did not grow on me is the blue/off purplish dial.

So this Orient has spent less than 48 hours in my watch box before being shipped to her new home.

Good Things come in Pair!

What a pity I have sold off the 6138 "Panda" and the Arabic numerals "BFS"!

The Equation is about to be complete

(This adds on to my earlier post on the 8M series )

At 2 different locations that still carry some new-old-stock early Seiko quartz, I spotted 2 fine examples of the 8M32 - the Sports Timer Gold and the Soccer Timer.

SEIKO Quartz Chronograph
Sports Timer Gold-rimmed version (NOS)
Caliber 8M32-8030

The gold plated bezel, gold plated crown and gold plated push buttons add to the sporty-elegance of this early Japanese quartz. I am indeed fortunate to find this rare complete set with original Seiko leather strap, dated 1-year warranty (valid till July 2010) and the instruction manual.

SEIKO Quartz Chronograph Soccer Timer (NOS)
Caliber 8M32-8010

Found this watch (head only) in an old watch shop located in the central business district. Watches like these will not make passer-by stop to take another look, unless of course he is a collector. I am glad I stop to have a second look! A pity it does not have any papers nor the original Seiko strap. But I am quick to buy an original Seiko green waterproof leather strap (also a new old stock piece) from another hideout. This watch is after all a "Sports 150" series meant for getting wet!

Blood Pressure OK!

CASIO Blood Pressure Monitor BP-100

Module 900

This is Casio's 1st generation of the blood pressure monitor watch.

The accuracy of the readings depend very much on the initial data you key in. Of course, I couldn't be bothered with all the functions!

What attracts me most is the large screen and stainless steel caseback of this early Casio. This is an early Japan made new-old-stock manufactured in 1990 and the style adopted is consistent with early Casio design e.g. it uses the conventional small light bulb at the side for reading in the dark. The black resin strap is flexible yet extremely durable and I remembered my first watch was a Casio and it took a lot of beating to get the strap to break finally!

An interesting writeup of this watch can be found here. Scroll to the end to download a PDF version of the instruction manual. (Courtesy of gafortiby.com)

The Good and The Bad of Singapore watch hunting grounds

The purpose of this post is to keep the local folks (and potential WIS from other countries visiting Singapore) updated on watch-collector friendly hunting grounds and the not so recommended ones.

This is from my personal experience at the shops as a walk-in customer and are all based on real life encounters.

The Good Guys (in random no order of merit):

1. King Wah Watch & Pen (level 1 Peninsula Plaza): Friendly folks (look for Andy); good discount (so no need to and cannot bargain) on a wide selection of Orient, Seiko, Citizen and Fortis. I have lost count on the number of watches I bought from Andy.
   



2. Kwang Guan / Prestige Time (level 1 Bras Basah Complex): Friendly folks (look for Jack or Edwin); many new-old-stock Seiko and Citizen. You can find Sandoz, Tissot, Victorinox and Oris here also. I have bought a few new Seiko Automatic here at very very good price. Good after-sales service. Prices may not be very competitive if you compare with King Wah.
   



3. Hing's Watch (level 1 Bras Basah Complex): Friendly folks (look for Jimmy); good selection of Orient, Citizen and Seiko. Also carries Oris and Fortis. So far, I have bought many new-old-stock Seiko quartz here. Superb after-sales service.
   



4. Choy Hing (level 1 Bras Basah Complex): Friendly old man Mr. Lim. Sells lots of straps and bracelets cheap. Has vintage pre-owned watches. Do not bargain or low-ball here as Mr. Lim is very reasonable in his pricing. I have always like to come here to chat with old Mr. Lim and have bought vintages and straps here before. Mr. Lim's son, Joe, is also helping out at the shop, a friendly guy to chat with too.
   



5. Nanking Watch Dealers (level 1 Peninsula Shopping Centre): Friendly folks (look for David) always ready to bring the watches out to show you and serve all customers drinks. Has many new-old-stock Seiko and Oris (I bought many here). Also carries Fortis, Titoni, Tag Heuer, Tissot and Rado. I am their regular customer for Seiko and Oris. Very good after-sales service.
   



6. K2 Watch Co (level 3 Tg Katong Shopping Complex): Friendly watchmaker Mr. Goh is able to restore anything at unbelievable low price. Sells a few new Seiko and Casio at reasonable price. He sometimes has overhauled and restored pre-owned vintages for sale. You can try to bargain (a little) here. I bought many stuff here from vintage watches to straps. Good after-sales service.
   



7. Excellent Watch Co (level 1 Funan IT Mall): Friendly folks (look for Mr. Sam). Wide selection of Sandoz, Tissot and Seiko. I bought a couple of Sandoz here before. Very good after-sales service.
   



8. Watch Fashion (level 3 People's Park Complex): Many Seiko, Citizen and Orient here. Takes a little bargaining to get your target price but price is sometimes quite firm. The sales staff can be impolite and unpredictable often so always insists for their boss, Adrian.
   



9. J W Horological Gallery (1 Pickering Street, Great Eastern Building): Very nice watches, mainly pre-owned Swiss Made. The price is very competitive and the service you get is top notch. I always look for John Wang and/or his missus Angeline. Bought several high end watches here, so shop with confidence. For local collectors, please note that JW is only open from 12:30pm. If you are eyeing a particular watch, you better head down to queue early to avoid disappointment. JW will not reserve or take in phone orders.
   



10. Champion Time (level 1 The Bencoolen): Friendly folks (look for Eliz) always ready to bring the excellent condition pre-owned watches out to show you and serve all customers with a smile. Eliz is extremely knowledgeable in Horology and can give you a tip or two on watch buying and selling.
    



11. Mustafa Centre (Serangoon Road): Massive range of grey market and AD Seiko, Citizen, Orient and many other mid-range brands. I have bought grey market watches here many times although all are at fixed prices. No after-sales service here so check properly before you pay.

The Unfriendly Guys (in random no order of demerit, but does it matter??):

1. Goldenland Watch (level 1 Lucky Plaza): Many new-old-stock Seiko quartz here but all at out-of-this-world pricing. This shop sells all the watches at nett price so don't bother to bargain. Nice to look at the watches but do not buy here as the prices are inconsistent and out-of-sync with market. Friendly (at the start) people (depending on mood swings) but unfriendly pricing.
   



2. House of Time (basement 1 Lucky Plaza): The watches here are beautiful from new-old-stock to current models, but the people not keen to bring them out to show you. I was told off by the old lady that if I intend to buy will she then take the watch out for me to see!? Friendly at the start but after the 3rd watch you ask about, she became hostile.
   



3. Ang Mo Kio Watch (level 1 Thomson Plaza): Beautiful new-old-stock here but the folks here rather tell you the price range without taking the watches out. Unfriendly and not approachable at all.

So that's all for now.

Remember: You should always be happy when buying at a watch shop. If in any case you feel humiliated by the shop owners, you should put the watch down and walk away.

ORIENT "Double Dolphins" 200m Divers Quartz

I was on the hunt for a daily wearing quartz as I reserve my Tuna 300m for office desktop diving. Although earlier on I had bought a Citizen quartz but the "feel" did not grow on me.

In sheer stroke of good luck at my usual watch hunting ground, I spotted this ORIENT Quartz 200m Divers "Double Dolphins" (You will know why I gave her this nickname after you see the pics). When the shopowner installed new battery, I thought I saw the words "ONE JEWEL"!?!

From my understanding on Orient watches, those with the "Double Dolphins 200" signed caseback are ISO-rated divers watches. This watch is consistent with the following features I notice:

• Lume indices, hour, minute and second hands
• Unidirectional bezel with lume pip
• Screw in crown with crown guards
• Simple and clean dial layout enables easy reading
• Solid stainless steel bracelet with double locking clasp and divers' extension

I couldn't have ask for more at this price range!