Parnis 60mm Brown Leather Crown Jumbo Pilot Auto SS Watch Reference PI58 – Cheap homage to the FL23883 standard, A Review (plus Video)

A few months ago in June 2016, I ordered two pilot watches from Parnis (www.parniswatch.net). Unfortunately, one of them, the Jumbo Pilot was not working (please refer to this link on the review of the other Parnis pilot watch; Parnis Black Dial Big Pilot Power Reserve Chronometer). After sending the watch back to Parnis, I received a new example which was working (more about the problems later).

This particular model conforms to the original specification of pilot watches under the German 'B-Uhr' Watch (or Observation watch) standard FL23883 of the WW2 era which calls for a watch that is 55 mm wide (excluding crown; with crown it would go to 60 mm) with a large crown. Under the A-dial format, it should also have a black dial with white Arabic numerals (all numerical markers filled with luminous material) and flame-blued sword hands also covered in luminous material. The designs also featured a unique triangle mark at the 12 o’clock position designed for ease of orientation in any condition. The movement must be capable of stopping the central seconds hand by pulling the crown. The watch should also come with a very long double-riveted leather strap.

Casio Edifice EFA-100 - A beater-watch, A Review

This Casio Edifice EFA-100 was bought in 1999 for my wife on the birth of our first child. It has a ana-digital interface with allows you to keep track of two time zones rather easily. An all stainless steel construction with bracelet, it has daily alarm setting and calendar programmed until the year 2039.

Made out of stainless steel, it is 37 mm wide and 47 mm long. It case height is 12.5 mm. the lug width is 18 mm. Total weigh is approximately 148 gm. The larger part of the watch face is allocated to the analogue portion while the digital part of the watch is located in two small windows at the bottom.

The crown to adjust the analogue hands are located at 3 o'clock while the two pushers to adjust the digital part of the watch is located at left side of the casing. 

The dial is protected by mineral glass.

The odd shaped casing do create some problems in the long run. Opening the case-back over the years to replace the batteries requires one to be extremely careful handling the rubber seals. However, as the rubber seal ages, over time, it has to be replaced. However, you may not be able to find spare parts due to the uniqueness of the casing. Despite having a 100 meter water rating, it is best not to chance it.

Overall, a simple watch to have as a daily beater-watch.

Seiko’s Grand Seiko SBGA011 Spring Drive “Snowflake” – The epitome of a classic dress watch, A Review (and Videos)

My love affair with Seiko’s top-end line, Grand Seiko continues. This time I was able to grab a classic Grand Seiko, the “Snowflake” with the reference SBGA011. Like a lot of my watch purchases, it was not planned. I happened to drop in one of my favorite shop to ask about something else when my trusted salesperson informed me a consignment of two Snowflakes to his shop. Within 24 hours I decided to get one.


All Grand Seikos are made at the Shinshu Watch Studio and located in the city of Shiojiri, neighboring Suwa and Lake Suwa in a mountainous region of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. This location is almost the center of the country where the weather is slightly different from the typical coastal areas of Japan. Here, the humidity level is lower which causes winter snow fall to be very light and airy. This allows the wind to sculpt the snow into beautiful patterns not seen elsewhere in Japan.

In recognition of the locality that supported the studio’s operations, the designers and artisans of the Shinshu Watch Studio decided to create a dial which resembled this light snow fall pattern. Hence, the SBGA011 Grand Seiko Snowflake was born. It uses a unique 6 step process to replicate the snowfall in the dial. While the most complex dial in the Grand Seiko line takes 12 steps to complete, this Snowflake still counts as one of the most intricate dials in the family. Moreover, using titanium to make it as light as a snowflake, and blue accents to contribute a cold feel reinforces the Snowflake theme.