Casio PROTREK Adventure Titanium Triple Sensor Ver. 3 PRW 3000 T7, A Continuation of the Super Tough DNA of a Casio Protrek, yet Capable of Doing More by Virtue of its Smaller Electronics and More Contemporary Design, A Review

It has been a long time since I bought myself a digital watch. The last time it happened was back in August 2009 when I got my Suunto Heart Rate Monitor watch. If I recall, my purpose of buying that watch was to fulfill a need - to track my heart rate as I prepare myself for my first marathon.

In reality, I am not an anti-digital watch-hater that only appreciate mechanical watches. Far from the contrary, I love gadgets and the Casio Protrek series have been on my "must-have" list for a long time. The ability of a watch to locate accurately North has been one of my theme for my watch collection. Currently. I have six watches that could do that (using time and sun). The collage of the collection is provided below.

You will note that all are Seikos. Although I would like to have a watch that could do the same from another brand, the various Casio Protrek models that weree on offer were too big and garish for my liking.

Seiko SKX779K1 200m Black Monster (similar to SKX781, SKZ203, SKZ213, SKZ243, SKZ277, SKZ331, SZEN001, SZEN002, SZEN006 & SZEN007) - A Must Have For Any Serious Collector, A Review (UPDATED: February 2019)

The SKX779K or commonly known as the “Black Monster” by Seiko watch collectors around the world is a total departure from the classic Seiko diver lineage when it was first launched back in the year 2000. It became an instant hit with watch collectors around the world.

It is hard to pinpoint what is the attraction on this watch. Some say its the looks, while others say it is about the price. Whatever it is, the overall package is what makes this diver a sought after piece.

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.

Citizen 7 Eagle Automatic Day/Date 21 Jewel Vintage - Value for Money, A Review

Vintage watches are usually not my thing. I like new and modern designs. However, I made an exception for this particular specimen. With a reference "4-286740 KT 60600988 GN-4-S Japan" this Citizen is though to have been manufactured in the 1970s.

How I got the watch is also interesting. This is the first time I used eBay to make an acquisition. Although I have been a member of eBay since 2005, I never have gotten the fear of facing problems when making purchases. After getting through this barrier, I decided to get something small first. The Citizen 7 was the first that caught my eye.

The seller was from United Kingdom and I was able to get it for just GBP25 all in (or RM141.71) on 3 January 2014. After waiting for two weeks, I got the package as pictured below.

Solvil et Titus 06-1107-004 - A Practical Watch But One With No Soul, A Review

My wife and kids bought this watch for me many years ago. To me, this was the first time that I've heard about the brand. After a short internet search I got the following:



 "The brand Solvil et Titus was born in 1887 when Paul Ditisheim (1868-1945), an extremely prominent figure in the Swiss watch industry of his time, named one of the initial models he created. Solvil, an abbreviation of Sonvilier, is the Jura village in which a factory for making watch components stood and Titus was a highly talented and skilled Roman Emperor of the first century.

The well-known watchmaker and inventor was extremely successful in researching and manufacturing chronometers, which hold records for precision as deemed by the prestigious international trials carried out by the Royal Observatories of Kew-Teddington and Neuchâtel. His products ranged greatly from navigational-purposed watches to chronometers with automatic display of sunrise and sunset time to the minute each day; from watches with perpetual calendars to ones that could strike and incorporated chimes, from chronometers with equations of time to many others with many complicated features.

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).

Seiko Kinetic SKA475P1 - A Comfortable Watch, A Review

My first Seiko Kinetic that was bought for me by my wife for my 28th birthday (early 1990s) met a horrible death. Due to catastrophic failure of a gasket, seawater got in and fried the electronics. Below is the crown of the said watch. This watch has a reference code of 5M43-0C80.

Due to the age, Seiko could not repair the watch as per original.

The water rating was set at 5 Bar or 50 meters. Above is a picture of the destroyed watch with the dial crusted with salt deposits.



Recently, Seiko informed me that they have a movement that is of the same type that is similar to the shape of the original crown. Due to the effects of the saltwater, even the dial was destroyed. Instead, they suggest a transplant of the Seiko Kinetic SKA475P1 casing to my original bracelet. Above is a picture of the model which Seiko suggested I transplant.

MWF-Gruppo Gamma LE Watch - A Well Made Hommage To A Classic, A Review

The Malaysia Watch Forum or MWF has completed the second watch project. Made by Gruppo Gamma*, a limited run of just 50 watches was delivered to proud owners last Saturday, 11 January 2014, in conjunction to the 5th Anniversary GTG/annual dinner held in the Angus House restaurant in Starhill Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. I was lucky enough to be one of them.

*Gruppo Gamma is a boutique watchmaker based in Singapore. They a dedicated to modernizing the design of tool watches issued to Italian Navy commandos in the middle of the 20th century. 

When I got the watch, I received this very functional watch box or travel pouch. The skull and rose is the logo of Gruppo Gamma (the red hat is only incorporated during the Christmas season).

Seiko 5 Sports FC Barcelona SRP303K1 - A Legendary Pedigree For Both Watch And Club, A Review

One of many ways to teach the concept of responsibility is to play a game where give a group of people something precious or fragile (sometime both) and see how they manage that item for a period of time. Some of the well know learning games which a lot of people know is with the use of an egg.

In my case, I was trying to proof a point with my second daughter on this concept of responsibility and the item I chose for this life lesson is a mechanical watch. The first thing that came to mind is a Seiko 5. It has all the hallmark of an excellent mechanical watch for a first timer and it is built to last. At that particular time (2012) this particular model was just launched. Since my daughter was small then, a canvas Noto-like strap that comes standard was a good start.