Homage Series: Citizen Automatic NY602151E Diver => Rolex Submariner No-Date

This is the first of the series where I present a famous iconic watch and its homage. If you are into dive watches, a famous iconic dive watch is the Rolex Submariner Steel Black Reference 114060. The Citizen Watch Company made a homage to this watch is the form of the Citizen Automatic NY602151E Diver.

Homage	Icon
Citizen Automatic NY602151E Diver	Rolex Submariner Oyster Reference 114060
Specifications Case Material: Stainless steel 316L Crystal: Sapphire Bezel: Stainless steel with aluminium insert Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with push-button lock and safety latch clasp Complications: Day & date Water Rating: 200 meters Production: Made in Japan Weight: 163 gm Width: 43.5 mm Length: 49.5 mm Height: 13.4 mm Lug Width: 20 mm Movement: Caliber 8203 automatic with hand winding but no hack function Jewels: 23 Accuracy: -10/+20 seconds per day Power Reserve: Approximately 50 hours	Specifications  Case Material: Stainless steel 904L Crystal: Sapphire Bezel: Cerachrom insert in ceramic Strap: Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Rolex Glidelock extension system Complications: None Water Rating: 300 meters Production: Made in Switzerland Weight: 155 gm Width: 40 mm Length: 48 mm Height: 12.5 mm Lug Width: 20 mm Movement: Caliber 3130 automatic with hand winding and hack function Jewels: 31 Accuracy: -2/+2 seconds per day Power Reserve: Approximately 48 hours

The Citizen Automatic NY602151E Diver was introduced to the market in mid-2011. I got the watch in 2013.

Based on the specifications, the Citizen Automatic NY602151E Diver is a relatively low end homage to the Rolex Submariner 114060. In fact, one can safely wager that one is not a homage to the other.

Head-To-Head: Bracelet Square G-Shocks - Composite (GW-M5610BC-1JF), Stainless Steel (GMW-B5000GD-1ER) and Titanium (GMW-B5000TCM-1JR)

In this short article, I will highlight the specifications of three square Casio G-Shocks made from three different materials. The watches are (from L to R): the Composite GW-M5610BC-1JF, the Stainless Steel GMW-B5000GD-1ER and the Titanium GMW-B5000TCM-1JR (click on the underlined to go to the full review of the specific watches). Although they look generally similar, there are a number of subtle differences.

Homage Series: Athaya Vintage AV002 Lamafa Diver => Seiko 6105-811X Diver

Since the Seiko 6105-811X dive watch (either 6105-8110 or 6105-8119; both are exactly the same, the last digit in the reference number indicates in which market the watch was originally sold) was introduced to the market in 1970, the design has been widely copied. Athaya Vintage, an independent watch company in Indonesia has made a homage to this icon. Its interpretation is the Athaya Vintage AV002 Lamafa Diver.

Athaya Vintage AV002 Lamafa Diver	Seiko 6105-811X Diver
Width - 44.3 mm Length - 48 mm Height - 13.5 mm Lug width - 20 mm Complication - Date (hidden) Movement - NH35A; 24 jewels Material - Stainless steel Strap - Rubber Crystal - Domed sapphire & AR coating Water rating - 200 m Crown - Screw-down Bezel - Unidirectional 120 clicks Weight - 107.4 gm MSRP - USD350 Produced - 2015	Width - 44 mm Length - 47.5 mm Height - 12.5 mm Lug width - 19 mm Complication - Date Movement - 6105B; 17 jewels Material - Stainless steel Strap - Rubber Crystal - Dual-curved Hardlex Water rating - 150 m Crown - Twist-and-lock Bezel - Unidirectional 60 clicks Weight - 70 gm MSRP - USD75 Produced - 1970

As you can see from the specifications, the AV002 Lamafa is closely aligned with the 6105-811X in terms of dimensions. Athaya Vintage does provide options of a watch with date aperture or otherwise. I chose not to have a date window (the date wheel is still there nevertheless). If you would like a real likeness to the original, you can order one with the date window as per the 6105-811X.

If you are a collector but may have problems getting an original 6105-811X. The AV002 Lamafa is an excellent proxy to the original.

Head-To-Head: Citizen Promaster Tough BN0211-50E versus Citizen Promaster Tough Chronograph CA0720-54H

This is a head-to-head between the Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Tough Black Dial Bracelet Watch BN0211-50E and the Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Tough Chronograph Stainless Steel Watch CA0720-54H. Both watches are part of the Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster series that has the designation of "Tough".

Homage Series: MWF-Gruppo Gamma LE Watch => Panerai 1940 Radiomir 1940 Case

The MWF-Gruppo Gamma limited edition watch was based on the design of the famous G Series by Panerai which was issued in 1940. Made for The Royal Italian Navy, the Radiomir 1940 Case is a simple design with a sandwich dial and two hands.

MWF-Gruppo Gamma	Panerai Radiomir 1940 Case
Made out of 316L stainless steel Screw down solid case back It is 44 mm diameter A lug width of 24 mm Miyota 8215 automatic movement	Made out of stainless steel It is 47 mm diameter Produced in 1940

Although the size of the homage is slightly smaller (44 mm versus 47 mm), I can more-or-less get a sense how the watch wears.

Marathon GSAR Government Diver Automatic - Rubber Reference WW194006 - A Lot to like and Very Little to Fault, A Review (plus Video)

When I first started my deep-dive into the world of watch collecting, the Marathon Watch Company was one of the first few brands on my radar screen more than a decade ago.

The genre that started the interest in this hobby was the diver and military styles watches. As such, Marathon's Government-issued Search And Rescue (GSAR) Diver’s Automatic watches are some of the most practical mechanical tool watches around. These watches are akin to the PROSPEX line by Seiko. Unfortunately, there wasn't any authorized dealer in Southeast Asia and I wasn't that comfortable to buy online for the amount being offered.

A decade later, Gnomon Watch of Singapore got the dealership from Marathon and I was instantly hooked. Currently there are only two models on offer on Gnomon's website (at the time I made the purchase on 20 March 2020), the bracelet version and the rubber strap version. An introductory price to celebrate the new dealership arrangement between Gnomon and Marathon was also on offer.

Rado Captain Cook 42 mm Automatic Green with Bracelet Reference R32505313 - Green Goodness, A Review (plus Video)

Rado started as The Schlup & Co. in Lengnau, Switzerland. It was founded by the brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner in 1917. The company began selling watches under the Rado brand name in the 1950s. After coming out with a number of iconic series such as the Golden Horse collection (1957) and the Green Horse collection (1958), the company came out with its first proper dive watch collection, the Captain Cook series. From 1962 to 1968 Rado produced the Captain Cook series with a patented case capable of 200 meters of water resistance.

Rado reintroduced their iconic Captain Cook line in 2017 with an reproduction. That model was very close to the original in terms of size (37 mm wide), material (steel) as well as the small touches like the red numerals on the date wheel and spinning anchor in the logo present at 12 o'clock. The watch also came with Old Radium SuperLuminova paint to complete the vintage look. Nevertheless, Rado did distinguish the new from the old with "HYPERCHROME" added to the name.  At the same time, a bigger brother, 45 mm wide and made out of titanium was also offered.

Steinhart Ocean One Vintage - A Beautiful Homage to the 6200, A Review (plus Video)

I have a number of Steinhart watches in the collection. The Steinhart Watch Company is a small outfit in Augsburg Germany focusing mainly on homages with a few of their own unique designs. Currently in the collection, I have the Ocean Vintage GMT, the TRITON 1000 Titanium Titan, the Ocean One Titanium 500 Premium and the Ocean One 3D Ceramic Bezel. Today I have the pleasure to add another of the brand's offering, the Ocean One Vintage or O1V for short.

The O1V is a homage of a popular old model, the Rolex 6200. The Rolex 6200 was one of the very first Submariners introduced in 1954. Before that point in time, dive watches were very large and provided the diver with no other additional functions except the current time. The addition of a rotating bezel enables a diver to accurately monitor the dive times. Nevertheless, despite having a similar dial, markers, bezel and crown designs, the watch is definitely sized to current contemporary dimensions unlike the original Rolex 6200 which only has a width of 35 mm compared to 42 mm for the O1V.

Seiko Superior SSA005K1 Flight Computer CYCLOPS (similar to SSA001K1, SSA003K1 & SSA007K1) - Classy, A Review (plus Video)

The Seiko Superior Flight Computer CYCLOPS series were first launched in 2011. Back than I was relatively NOOB in the world of horology. I did come across the series in the course of researching watches but I did not make an effort to get one. Back then, there were other 'grail watches' higher up the list of wants.

Nine years later, when browsing in the watch section in a major departmental store in Kuala Lumpur I stumbled on a gaggle of watches deemed as 'old stocks' with a 40% discount. In the middle of the pile was a SSA005K1. I couldn't pass up such an opportunity and within a few minutes, it was mine (definitely impulse buying <LOL>).

The Superior line has an illustrious history. Back in the days of the quartz watch revolution in the 1970s, Seiko has always equate precision with this line of watches. Unfortunately, after a rationalisation exercise of Seiko's sub-lines a few years ago, the brand has decided not to continue with the Superior line.

The nickname CYCLOPS was given to the watch by fans as the 24-hour sub-dial looks like a single eye on a face. Officially, it is called the Flight Computer due to its ability to calculate relatively complex mathematics using the circular slide rules incorporated in the bi-directional bezel.

Seiko Prospex King Turtle Diver SRPE03K1 (similar to SRPE05K1 & SRPE07K1) - An Upgrade, A Review (plus Video)

Currently in my collection there are three Seiko Turtles. The standard Turtle RP773K1 bought in January 2016, the Mini-Turtle SRPC37K1 bought in March 2018 and the re-crafted Captain Willard Turtle SLA033J1 bought in July 2019. All three are under the Seiko Prospex line.

The Seiko Turtle is a classic. When the first Turtle was introduced to the public back in 1970 with the launch of the now iconic Seiko 6105-811X dive watch (either 6105-8110 or 6105-8119; both are exactly the same, the last digit in the reference number indicates in which market the watch was originally sold), the watch buying public couldn't get enough of it.

The winning combination of technical capability and pricing put that Turtle and its progeny a 'must-have' in any self-respecting collection. Its simplicity, the wrist-hugging design and ruggedness give it an aura seldom seen in the watch world.

In early 2020, Seiko announced another series of Turtles for the market with a few major improvements or upgrades over the previous iterations. For the first time, sapphire crystal and ceramic inserts are now standard on the new models.

I was very surprised by the changes. The Prospex line is the professional tool watch line of Seiko and every material and design features are tailor-made to do a practical job and not for fashion-sake. Hence the continuous usage of Hardlex crystal (slightly less scratch resistance but better shatter proof and definitely cheaper than sapphire) and aluminum inserts for the bezel (not as scratch resistance but easier to manufacture and cheaper than ceramic). By replacing these traditional materials with sapphire and ceramic will undoubtedly affect the production cost and final pricing of the end product.