Behind the wheels of my Outback, today I have on my new Casio Oceanus OCW‑T200S‑7AJF that I picked up at Bic Camera Yurakucho near the Ginza district. I swapped out the strap for a blue FKM rubber which really compliments the dial and makes it pop. Really loving this watch!
So I had my mind set on getting the Skyflake 9F when I was in Tokyo and almost missed my opportunity. I waited too long to get to the Wako store and they had already sold the last one in their stock. I did a mad dash to their nearby Grand Seiko boutique because it was closing soon and was lucky enough to get the last one they had. The clerk had a surprised look when I basically said I’ll take it without going through the motion. I would have kicked myself for not having purchased it earlier when I had the chance but had waited and almost blew it.
Fast forward to the next day and as I was perusing in Bic Camera Yurakucho, I stumbled upon The Citizen AQ4091-56W which there are only 650 made with the green Tosa Washi paper dial. I asked the clerk if that was the last one and he said they had 2 in stock. I had wanted to order this specific one from Citizen’s website but it was sold out online.
I was already well above my budget but decided to get it as well because it was tax-free and the clerk said that I could also get the additional 7% off with the coupon I had with me. Sold!
Do I need two extremely accurate high end quartz watches from the top 2 makers in Japan? Probably not. But that’s the joy of collecting watches isn’t it?
Also, who knows when I’ll get back to Tokyo and what the exchange rate will be by then. Now I just have to wait for that credit card bill. 😂
I was at Bangkok’s Bang Sue vintage mall and came across this Technos that was selling for $60. Needed a little work so I took it to a repair place that I found who did a great job of cleaning, servicing, and fixing an issue with the crown. His cost to do this was a little over $50. So a vintage Technos running great all for around $110. I love this country!
Found this beautiful 1972 Citizen Bullhead with the 8110A flyback chronograph movement while at a vintage mall in Bangkok. The flyback can be operated while the second hand is moving if you push the right button and will continue to track until the left button is pushed to stop it. Running perfectly and just love this orange panda dial. Perfect for a Chicago Bears fan such as myself.
So I really just started to really get into vintage watches and it all started because I found an old 90’s Seiko and Pulsar from when I was younger. After scouring the net from eBay to WhatNot and local places I have put together some watches that I have really enjoyed.
This is just part of it since I have about 12 more I need to service and 3 more coming in the mail. I’ve tried to arrange them in chronological order based on trying to date them correctly. Some are easier than others without having to open the case-back and inspecting the movement. They range from American, Japanese, Swiss to unique interesting pieces. All are running well after servicing and regulating. Hope you enjoy them. My favorite here is probably the 1965 King Seiko.
Top Row
1957-9 Benrus Square Tank gold plated
1959-61 Elgin 23 Jewels Automatic
1963-64 Delaware Automatic
1964 Wittnauer Genève
Sept 1965 King Seiko 44KS Ref 44-9990 Medallion Shield Daini Factory
Middle row
1968 Bulova Waterproof M8 ref. 6-15280
1967 Citizen Auto Dater 7 Para 40m Water 25 Jewels Ref ADSG-1404
1968 Omega Seamaster De Ville 14K Gold
~1969 Bucherer incabloc Swiss Felsa 465N movement
Nov 1972 Seiko Lord Matic green dial
Bottom row
1972 Glycine Vacuum High Frequency ref 343-112 gold cushion case
October 1973 Seiko Advan Burgundy
1974 Lausanne Swiss Jump Hour
1974 Timex Mechanical
1974-5 Glycine High Frequency ref 344-181
Today’s wrist shot of my Citizen Paradex BU4013-53E. Chunky eco drive that sits nice and big on my 7.5” wrist. Got it on an auction site for around $100, gave it some sunlight and good as new.
I picked up this near-mint 60 year old Sportsmatic and couldn’t be happier. It’s a true original JDM with a kanji only date wheel. Such a gorgeous piece and strikes a contrast to my King Seiko 44KS from the same year (see my previous post.) putting together a nice mid century colllection of vintage Japanese watches.
So to add to my vintage collection I was able to get this 1965 King Seiko 44-9990 Daini medallion back that arrived today. Very good condition and the shield medallion on the back is still prominent. Just a really great watch that was designed by Taro Tanaka that would help define mid-century Japanese watchmaking.
So I’ve been waiting for a while to receive this from a vintage dealer and couldn’t be happier. The watch is super clean and in great condition for its age and runs well. Even the lume still shows but faintly. Such a unique piece to the collection! I’m really starting to appreciate these 60’s and 70’s Citizen and Seiko watches.
So I ended up returning my C63 Sealander GMT because the timekeeping was off by over 2 minutes per day. Since I had to send it back to the UK for any type of service work, I just decided to go ahead and asked for a refund because a brand new watch should not have been sent with that much of a discrepancy. That’s just bad QC. I still think their watches are very good and just marked it as an anomaly. However, I was told that the refund process will take around 14 days after they had received and inspected it. I’m not sure why this should take so long so this really does make me reconsider getting one in the future. Not sure if anyone else had experienced this. It’s a shame because I really really liked that watch.
So I ordered this Explorer from an Ali Express reseller late last year and thought that it his was just a bad rep with the Explorer in the wrong location over the 6 o’clock marker. After doing some research, apparently there is a model referred to as the “Oddball Explorer” ref. 214270 Mark-1 which was released between 2010 to 2016 with this placement. I put it on an FKM strap and voila. Since I like to consider myself as somewhat of an oddball, this was appropriate for today. Happy Father’s Day to all the Father’s out there.
Got my first Vaer today and now just waiting on my Atlas. Living this watch! Giving it some power and loving the lume.
It’s been awhile since I wore my Wise Adamascus AD815A. The sun is out this morning and forgot how gorgeous this watch is when light hits it. Quality and detail in the materials and craftsmanship. Waiting on an order of their Asura black dial with Thai numerals and can’t wait to wear that on my wrist.
Just to show the versatility of the watch, I’m posting some photos with a new black sailcloth with white accents on the Sealander. It looks great with the bracelet, with the black leather, and now with this sailcloth. I’m really happy with this white dial.
Beautiful sunny Summer morning so decided to wear this today and give it some power. Stretto Solar Chronograph.
Gorgeous morning today here in the Chicagoland area so decided to take this baby out for a ride. ZF Royal Oak ref 15450 37mm silver/white dial on my 7.25 a 7.5” wrist.
I posted earlier in the week that I had just received the C63 GMT 39mm white dial. When I ordered it during the Minutes+Hours show in Chicago, it included a free leather strap. Here are some photos with the strap as well as the original photo with the metal bracelet. Love how it seems to give it a different look and feel. Both are comfortable so tremendously happy with the purchase. Been wearing it all week including just getting back from a business trip. The GMT hand came in handy.
So it came today. For reference, I had ordered the previous version when they were here in Chicago for the Minutes+Hours show. Got a small discount and a free leather strap by ordering at that time. A week later, I received the email about the new version of the C63 Sealander GMT. Made the decision after reading some of the posts to change it to the new version in 39mm white dial and paid the minor price difference, but still with the discount and free strap. This was around the first week of this month. Delivery indicated that it would ship in June, but it arrived today.
The ilink bracelet took less than 5 minutes to remove 3 for my 7.25-7.5” wrist. The micro adjustments provided a perfect fit and this is one of the more comfortable metal bracelet that I have worn. The dial is gorgeous and the proportion is perfect for my wrist size. As you can see from the photo, the lume is also very nice.
Customer service and communication was great and I didn’t have any issues. My first CW and can’t wait to go visit the new Chicago store that just opened. May have to look at the Bel Canto next but the wife isn’t a fan. 😁 Thank you, Christopher Ward.
Somehow I was fortunate to be able to snag this watch when it first went on sale online. I have been waiting anxiously for this and it didn’t disappoint. May be my new favorite or at least Top 5. I had been looking into their watches before but was disappointed that every watch in their collection was sold out. So when they announced that this was going to be available for purchase, I made sure to mark my calendar for when it went on sale. To my surprise I was able to get in right away to place my order. The the waiting game began because it took about a month before they were able to ship it but it finally came.
The cream color dial along with the details on the dark Breguet numerals really pops. The use of the “Mune” ridge as an architectural element for the 12 O’Clock position is unique and distinctive. The proportions are perfect for my 7.25-7.5” wrist. Can’t stop looking at it and praising the quality and craftsmanship.
I just wish that they were a larger shop and not have to resort to issuing only 650 or so pieces at a time. The process to buying it online felt like trying to buy concert tickets to go see BTS or something like that. But if it’s a devotion to details and quality in order to be able to deliver that perfect watch then I can’t blame them. Just a shame that it’s mot available to everyone who is into watches and getting it for the price point thay they are asking. Maybe someday they will be as big as Kuoe is getting.
I’ll be in Tokyo in August and will be wearing it and maybe popping in to their place to show it to them and show my appreciation.
Love love love my my OCW-S100-1AJF! However, my main complaint is the bracelet. Had a heck of a time removing 2 links to fit properly and reinserting it because of the pin and collar system that it uses. This means that during the day as my wrist size changes, even slightly it starts to feel uncomfortable even though it’s very light because of the titanium construction. Has anyone had this experience and how to correct it because of the design, are there any secondary market straps or other bracelets that you can replace it with?