Cartier Santos De Cartier Large Watch Automatic Sunburst Jade Green Dial Ref. WSSA0062 - Feels Natural on the Wrist, A Review (plus Video)

The first Cartier in the collection. I am officially old as I have suddenly fallen in love with the design of the Santos. I used to smirk at the Cartier styling as I find it to be of a bygone era. Anyone that appreciate the design must be of an older generation. A bit of 'age-ism' on my part I must admit. Nevertheless, the design does have its good points that can slowly turned a 'hater' to an 'appreciator'. It happened to me.

The colour green pushed me over the edge to truly start liking the Santos. While browsing the Cartier Boutique at the Gardens Mall, I made friends with one of the dealers. She is also loves the hobby and we both clicked. Despite not an existing client of the boutique, she offered me the green Santos when it become available (June 2023). I took her up on the offer. In the back of my mind, I have my doubts.

 

True to her words, I got a call from her. When I said that I would come immediately she was surprised as the only example they have is a display unit. Anyway, she immediately made an order for me. A week later and the watch allocated to me was at the shop.

 

Unfortunately, the acquisition process got delayed again. As she was expertly showing me how to replace the bracelet and how to re-size the bracelet she noticed the gears for the manual winding wasn't engaged to the crown. She was so embarrassed that she apologized profusely. She insist in getting a replacement instead of repairing the watch.

Seiko Presage Automatic "Baby GS Snowflake 2" Limited Edition International Ref. SJE073 or JDM Ref. SARA015, The Best Reinterpretation of an Icon - A Review (plus Video)

When the Seiko Presage Automatic "Baby GS Snowflake 2" Limited Edition Ref. SJE073 (International reference)/SARA015 (JDM reference) was showcased at Baselworld 2018, I was hooked. It immediately became another 'grail' watch for me. Why a 'grail' watch you might ask? The likelihood of me snaring one of the only 1,881 examples made is slim considering how beautiful it is.

In many reviews, the SJE073/SARA015 has been given the nickname "Baby GS Snowflake". This nickname was already given to the SARX055 last year. It is not fair to strip it from the incumbent just because this looks closer to the GS Snowflake. I prefer to give the nickname "Baby GS Snowflake 2" to the SJE073/SARA015. I will provide a justification on this later.

This new Presage introduced an all new Seiko caliber, the 6L35. The new caliber is thinner and more accurate compared to the commonly used base caliber for Presage, the 6R15. The dimensions of the watch also took advantage of the thinner movement to make for a much thinner watch casing.

The photos of the watch taken at Baselworld 2018 and via the press kit provided by Seiko wetted my appetite even more. When Gnomon Watches sent me a product update newsletter with the SJE073/SARA015 available at the store, I jumped at the opportunity to get one.

The MSRP in Japan is listed at YEN240,000 (before taxes). Gnomon Watches listed it at USD2,100 which is equivalent to RM8,994.75 at the point of purchase. The purchasing experience is smooth as silk and the watch was on my desk in 48 hours.

Seiko Presage Automatic Blue "Tuxedo" Ref. SARX045 - An Elegant Gentleman's Watch, A Review (plus Video)

I am really into dress watches now. Having tasted the quality and beauty of Seiko's classy dress watches from the Grand Seiko line right down to the level entry Seiko 5 line, my hunger for more is insatiable. While researching the Japanese Seiko website, I came across the SARX045, a watch under the Presage line. This particular model is a JDM hence information can only be found on the Japanese website, not on the global website.

Not a lot has been written and commented on the SARX045. As part of the Presage line under the Prestige sub-category, the SARX045 has a MSRP of YEN70,000 and has a contemporary dress watch design. Made out of stainless steel, the dial is protected by a flat sapphire crystal with inner AR coating. It has a screw-down display case-back with Hardly crystal. It's width is 39.5 mm (excluding the crown), lug width is 20.0 mm, lug-to-lug length is 48.0 mm and a height of 11.3 mm. Although the crown utilises a push-in style system, the watch is still water rated to 10 ATM or 100 meters. Powered by a Seiko automatic 6R15D movement with manual wind and seconds hand stop capabilities, the watch has a power reserve of approximately 50 hours.

Orient Bambino Version 4 Blue Dial Reference FAC08004D0 (Options: FAC08002F0 & FAC08003A0), A Must Have For Watch Lovers – A Review (plus Video)

I have been fascinated with the Orient Bambino for some time. It was just the last year that the interest started to bloom more vigorously. The launch of version 4 of the Bambino series was the trigger that made me decide to get one.

Orient launched the version 4 in the first half of 2016 herald the fourth iteration of the classic Bambino collection by Orient. It is the first Bambino model to use the new automatic in-house Orient Caliber F67 type movement. It also has a number of changes from previous models.

The signature domed crystal is still there. However, unlike the previous models, the hour markers are rounded and diamond shaped. The hands are a lot thinner and the seconds hand has its tip painted red. It is also slightly larger, from the previous standard of 40.5 mm width on earlier versions to becoming 41.5 mm wide in this latest iteration. Concurrently, the lugs have also shifted wider to a more generic 22 mm from the previous 21 mm. Meanwhile, thickness is at 11.8 mm.

The version 4 is also the first Bambino to use the new automatic in-house Orient Caliber F67 movement. This is a new movement that has upgraded features, such as hacking and hand-winding. More about this later in the review.

Orient Star Open Heart Tonneau DAAA004W or WZ0121DA (other options DAAA002T/WZ0131DA, DAAA003B/WZ0151DA & DAAA001W/WZ0141DA) – A Suave Timepiece, A Review (plus Video)

This is my first tonneau shaped wristwatch. The Orient Star Open Heart Tonneau with reference number DAAA004W (or WZ0121DA in Japan) has a vertical cross-section barrel shaped casing seldom used by watch manufacturers due to a number of reasons. It has the classical aura of a formal timepiece which I find very appealing. This particular model was released back in April 2014.

Age must be getting to me. During the start of my watch collection hobby I was keened on dive or sports watches. Formal or dress wristwatches were seldom in my radar. However, in recent times, my interest in dress watches started to grow and I have been shifting my focus towards that genre ever since.

The Orient Star Open Heart Tonneau is a stainless steel construction with polished and brushed surfaces. It has mirror finished top surface and a matte finished side. It has a curved sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflection coating protecting the dial and a flat crystal glass as a display case-back. The case-back panel is attached to the watch casing via four screws. The signed push-in crown is located at 3 o’clock and the watch comes with a power reserve complication. It is powered by an automatic engine that can be manually wound. The wristwatch is paired with a black matte calf leather strap with crocodile embossing and signed buckle.

SEIKO Presage SARX019 Enamel Dress Watch - Simple and Elegant, A Review (plus Video)

After searching for an enamel-dial SEIKO in Tokyo, I finally found one in Narita Airport Terminal One South Wing. The MSRP was YEN80,000 but I got it for YEN72,000 (not a good discount but can't complain much).

The SARX019 is a dress watch with three hands and a date window. It is made out of 316L stainless steel and paired with a crocodile leather strap with folding clasps. The watch is part of Seiko's Presage line and is a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) piece. This wristwatch is one of the most difficult pieces to find as it is always sold out. The sole reason behind its popularity is its beautiful enamel white dial at a very unbelievable price point.

The enamel dial is the singular point of interest for the watch. Made by baking, the cast iron based enamel dial is smooth without any hint of imperfection. Easier said than done, such perfection requires a very tedious baking process. Generally, having this material would jack up the price considerably. However, Seiko is still able to price this watch one tenth of a Swiss made equivalent.

Seiko 5 6309-8910 - My first vintage Seiko and the first Caliber 6309A in my Collection, A Review

This is my second watch purchase from eBay. A vintage Seiko 5 6309-8910 square face model. Based on the serial number on the case-back, it is November 1973 production piece.

This watch was from a seller in the UK. I placed a bid for GBP25 and on 5 January 2014 I was informed that I won the bid. It was sent by tracked international post. The postage was inclusive of the final price.

I got the package through normal mail. The watch is wrapped in a normal envelope. I was initially apprehensive that it could be damaged due to the lack of a study box.

Parnis 44mm White Dial Swan Neck Hand Winding Watch - My first Chinese watch, A Review

Bank in October 2011, I happened to find information about Parnis, a brand from China. I was surprised to see the price quoted on the watches. So, on 28 October 2011 I made an order for the Parnis 44mm White Dial Swan Neck Hand Winding watch. Priced at USD85 + USD20 for postage, I got the watch within a week. My first Chinese watch.

The watch did not come with a display box. It was just bubble-wrapped in a normal brown envelop.  I was apprehensive at first but after taking it out of the packaging, the watch looks much better than it look in photos. Most importantly, it still works after going through the post as it did.

Seiko Brightz Starwars Yoda LE SDGC013 - A Noticeable Watch, A Review

In 2012, in conjunction to the 35th anniversary of the Star Wars, Seiko, in collaboration with Lucas Film issued six limited edition models. Launched on October 12th, 2012, the models come in various form from mechanical to quartz/analog/radio control and quartz/active matrix EPD/radio control variants.

I got a thing with anything green and the Yoda version (SDGC013) was my obvious first choice. As the whole series is a limited edition production run, the price is high. The list price for this particular model is YEN136,500 yen or RM4,282 (@ 16 January 2014).

Like the name suggest, this particular model commemorates the character Yoda in the movie. This character is associated with the colour green. There is an engraving on the side of the case using the Star Wars universe "Aurebesh" language with the name of the character. Apart from that, a motif of the character is painted on the transparent case-back of the watch.

Arbutus Propeller AR0055BB Automatic Watch - A Nice And Cheap Watch To Have With Many "Complications", A Review

The watch company Arbutus New York has a very interesting history. It started as a Western brand. After having spent almost thirty years studying and working as an apprentice in a watch factory in Shanghai, Albert Reed, along with his brother, founded the watch company, Arbutus, in the early 1980's. Mr Reed decided to name the company after his hometown in Canada. In New York, Reed and his brother imported all the watches mechanics, assembled and sold the timepieces in the U.S. In 1992, Mr Reed decided to retire.

The company Target Inc collaborated with Bomass Ltd to purchase Arbutus and start marketing Arbutus timepieces to Asian countries. In effect, Arbutus has become an Asian watch brand headquartered in Hong Kong.

I was first introduced to the brand back in December 2011 when I saw it on Bodying.my. I was intrigued by the number of complications as well as the low price point for the watch. I immediately made an order on 28 December 2011 for RM675.99 (all in).