Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Maranez Bangla Titanium Blue Dial No Date - A combo package that is a winner in my book; A Review


It all started when I was doing research on independent micro-brand watch companies around the world. I have experienced with some of them and all the offerings that I got the opportunity to get did not disappoint me one little bit. From the US, I am familiar with Deep Blue, Lum-Tec and Ocean7; from Singapore its Gruppo Gamma and from Luxembourg, Schroeder 1877. I then stumble on a micro-brand that hails from a country North of mine, Thailand.

This micro-brand is called Maranez Watches. Its website, http://www.maranez.com/ is very vague to its origins. Based on some reviews I found on the internet, it would appear that it is a company operating out of Phuket, Thailand based on the names of their watch collection that are main points of attraction in Phuket (Layan, Bangla & Rancha). However, this is still debatable as the address that was printed on the courier docket was from a Hong Kong office. Anyway, here is the contact detail of the company if anyone is interested: maranezwatches@gmail.com.

In 11 April 2014, there were only the Bangla and Rancha models available for sale. However, what got me interested was the fact that this company works with three different materials, stainless steel, brass and titanium. As it so happens my brother's birthday was coming up, I decided to order a Bangla in brass (for him) and a Bangla in titanium for myself. The price was just USD299 + USD50 via FedEx for the brass and USD349 + USD50 via FedEx for the titanium. More about the price later.


Monday, April 7, 2014

Seiko Prospex 300MM SBDX001 Marinemaster - In a league of its own, A Review

This is one of my grail watches. The Seiko Prospex 300MM SBDX001 Marinemaster as been touted as the most versatile dive watches that can rival the best the Swiss industry could muster. This watch is capable on land, sea and air in all situations such as casual or even formal functions.

This watch is the only Marinemaster watch that actually says "Marinemaster" on the watch. As this is a JDM (Japan Domestic Market) watch, you can only obtain it in Japan from official dealers. Nevertheless, if you cannot make it to Japan, you can still get one via online. For me, my source of JDM watches is www.higuchi-inc.com.


The Marinemaster uses a Seiko in-house 26 jewel calibre 8L35 self-winding movement that is the base movement for the higher end 9S55 calibre Grand Seiko. With manual wind and hacking second mechanisms, 28,800 vph, 50 hours power reserve, it is unadjusted, rhodium plated and has an accuracy rating by Seiko of +15 ~ -10 seconds per day. The 8L35 is one of Seiko's best automatic movements. Accuracy easily matches certified chronometer levels, and often exceeds them.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

CITIZEN Promaster Eco-Drive AQUALAND Titanium Divers Watch JV0055-51E - It sits well on the wrist and is a very capable little dive computer. With its unique shape, it is an excellent conversation starter, A Review

I have yet to have a dive computer as part of my watch collection. Although there are a number of brands offering such a product, I decided to get the Citizen JV0055-51E as it offers a number of firsts for me. Apart from fulfilling my requirement of having a dive computer wristwatch, it is also uses the Eco-Drive technology which is uniquely Citizen. The use of titanium as the base material for the watch was also a reason behind this choice. Coupled with the unique case design, I was sold to this model.

Sourcing this watch was a major undertaking. The current retail price in Malaysia as listed by www.bodying.my is RM6,170.00. This is a price that I would not be willing to get.


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