THE PASSAGE OF TIME

Citizen Automatic Flyback Chronograph 8110A

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 01:32:00 +0000

Now I have not updated the blog or made any post for like 3 years! I apologize for that. Other priorities and commitments in life just took over. And I had not bought watches for a long long time.

Today, I just suddenly have the impulse and I remembered a particular watch that I hunted for, found and bought on ebay 5 years ago. I wrote about it here:
http://anton-c.blogspot.sg/2008/06/bad-ebay-purchase.html

And yes, back then the watch arrived damaged and was returned. But I never really forget my fondness for that watch however decided that I should be more cautious with my vintage adventures, coz its not just ebay but on flea market buys I been disappointed too.

So today I just feel like buying a watch, remembered this lovely vintage Citizen Automatic Flyback Chronograph I had for a while, ebay searched, found one. Clicked BuyItNow and paid immediately without much thinking.

I hope 5 years down the round this time, the purchase will be a smooth one.

Seller dates the watch to October 1976 and wrote that it is professionally serviced and running well with original parts. Good luck to me. (Seller's photo).

UNBOXING AN NEW OLD WATCH

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:59:00 +0000

Fellow enthusiast Klaus Hausmann had made a unboxing video on the Timex Datalink Model 150 watch. This model (sub model number 69721/69737) was used in space missions, eg on the International Space Station about a decade ago.

It is kinda peculiar and interesting to do an unboxing of a Brand New but Old watch, since the watch is around maybe 13 years old, kinda like opening an old present or parcel that has been late for a decade. Everything inside feels so yesteryear and brings realization on how fast and far has technology and the human race progressed. Check it out here:

Thank you Klaus!

RED12 STRAPS REVIEW

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:28:00 +0000

The best straps are those that are custom made for your needs. I recently received my 2nd Red12 Straps a couple of days ago and I would like to share some photos. When I said custom made, it means I get to choose the leather, the treatment/coating, the stitching, type of threads, color, the hardware stuff like buckle style, polished or brushed, etc. I get to have it my way.

Zack (aka oldskool) also discuss with me the design of the strap, single or double keepers, taper or not, the style of stitching... my wrist size, what type of watch I am using it for, my local weather, ahh the attention to details is simply amazing.

Here it is!
This particular leather was treated to withstand the hot and humid South East Asia weather here. The strap is water resistant. Zack actually soak it water and it took a few hours for it to get wet. I think this is a limited edition run, so if you are in similar climate like me, get it fast.
Despite the thickness, the leather is flexible and supple.
Click on the pictures anytime to view it bigger.
Take a look a the grain and stitching. I love it!
Zack's mark on the buckle.
I put it on my Precista Italian for the moment. It is a tad too thick for the Italian but I am going to see if it improves once the strap conforms to my wrist shape after sometime.
As I mentioned, this is my second Red12 strap. The first one (pic below) which have been on my Marina Militare for the past two years is still going strong. But now I have the flexibility to switch them around to create different looks for my watches.
Thanx for the read!

WATCHES FOR SALE

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 05:26:00 +0000

Selling three of my personal watches, you might be interested in these. Here goes:

Debaufre Nav B 48mm Flieger
Discontinued model from Debaufre. The pilot watch we raved about. Decorated Swiss Unitas movement.
* Stainless steel case
* Diameter 48 mm, including crown 53 mm, 13.8mm thick.
* See-thru case back with blue screws and a special "Cote de Geneve" engraving
* 3 ATM
* Sapphire crystal
* Black dial, and sub dial
* Figures with Super LumiNova
* Leatherstrap 22 mm with thorn buckle with screws.
* Unitas 6497 hand wind movement with 17 jewels
* Nickel plated with blue screws
* "Cote de Geneve" design
* 17 jewels
* Stainless steel case
* Diameter 48 mm, including crown 53 mm, 13.8mm thick.
* See-thru case back with blue screws and a special "Cote de Geneve" engraving
* 3 ATM
* Sapphire crystal
* Black dial, and sub dial
* Figures with Super LumiNova
* Leatherstrap 22 mm with thorn buckle with screws.
* Unitas 6497 hand wind movement with 17 jewels
* Nickel plated with blue screws
* "Cote de Geneve" design
* 17 jewels

Condition is Timezone Scale: LNIB 100% for the watch. Box and papers all intact.

The leather strap is slightly darkened from wear on the inner side (normal), looks new on the outer side.

Price: US$448
Payment: accepts Paypal - fees my burden
Shipping: Registered airmail from Singapore Post (around $12 to $18)
Email: antonc108 at gmail.com

Seiko Orange Monster
So popular and well known even among the wives of watch enthusiasts I got nothing much to say.
Condition is Timezone Scale: Mint 98% Light swirls on the bracelet and thats it!

Time keeping is very accurate however the only issue is the crown is a bit finicky when trying to pull it to position 2 for date changing, sometimes its hard to 'feel the notch' for position 2, but this had never been a problem, you may not even notice it.

No box, no papers. Zulu strap in picture is not included.

Price: Sale Withdrawn
Payment: accepts Paypal - fees my burden
Shipping: Registered airmail from Singapore Post (around $10 to $15)
Email: antonc108 at gmail.com

Seiko 6138-3003 Automatic Chronograph
Vintage Seiko automatic chronograph that dates from February 1978. Needs no introduction for enthusiasts. Folded link bracelet is original Seiko, but I suspect not original to the watch, full sized though.
Condition is Timezone Scale: Good 78%

Please expect dings, nicks and scratches on crystal and watch case, light swirls on the bracelet. Scratches on the dial (probably from past servicing), faded small hands and alga-ed lume from aged. Water resistant not expected. Once again this is a 32 year old vintage watch.

Time keeping is very accurate however, I had it last serviced in 2007. All chrono functions work properly and resets to zero.

FREE: Includes an unused NATO bond strap seen in the picture.

Price: SOLD!
Payment: accepts Paypal - fees my burden
Shipping: Registered airmail from Singapore Post (around $10 to $15)
Email: antonc108 at gmail.com

(PS: Compare prices on ebay, this model usually closes from $200 up for a beat up, to $400 for a pristine mint conditioned one.)
Thanx for the read, drop me an email if your interested.

I WON THE PHOTO CONTEST

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:45:00 +0000

You're probably tired of seeing this picture again...

But thanx to your votes, I won first place in ThirstyPhoto.com's Black and White contest.

Once again, many many thanx for your support and voting for my photo.

ORIENT WATCH GIVEAWAY WINNER!

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 10:07:00 +0000

The winner is Dan Meinhardt (DJM on the watch forums)!!!

Congratulations to the Orient fan!

Hope you enjoy your incoming new watch!

To everyone, thank you for participating! :)

ORIENT WATCH GIVEAWAY

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Want a free watch? Yes! Orient Watch USA is giving away the above watch free to a lucky reader of this blog. It is an Orient Automatic watch and its yours free if you win this give-away contest!

Commonly known as the Orient 3 Star, this is a 21 jewel Orient movement, (I think its caliber EMZO), which has an interesting day indicator where a disk rotates and shows the current day of the week as a red dot on the dial. Quick set date button at 2 o clock, water resistant is 5 ATM. Stainless steel 37mm watch case with 20mm lugs, mineral glass crystal. I think this watch got a retro, 70s look and will make an interesting addition to any collection.

To participate in this watch-giveaway contest, all you have to do is to check out this hot Orient CFM00003B and then post a comment to this blog post stating what's the one thing you like most about it and what occasions you would like to wear it for? (I personally think it makes a great daily wear watch.)

The selected winner will receive the free watch from Orient Watch USA, shipping cost will be taken care of too!

Important!:
* Your email address must be included in the comment post for purpose of this giveaway.
* Contest ends 2 weeks from now (8 April 2010 GMT time). Comment posts after said date will not be considered.
* Winner will be contacted by a rep/assign of Orient Watch USA for the receiving of the prize.
* This contest is only available to US residents only.

Good luck!

Update!!! Contest had ended, pending results. Thank you for your participation.

MOVADO AND INVICTA

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:40:00 +0000

The watch itch had struck again. I had been staying away from buying watches but I find my passion reignited when I kept bumping into watch enthusiasts here and there. Recently I was at lunch with an associate of mine and he was wearing this timeless classic.

He told me its a Movado Sapphire series with a Museum dial. So I did a web search and found it: Movado Watches

I must admit that I am predominantly a sports and tool watch guy (watchuseek forum influenced) so I don't have many 'real' dress watches for those formal occasions. So this Movado really attracted my attention with its clean, sleek design. And come to think about it, Movado watches had stayed true to their design for the past 50 years with its 'Museum dial' even today it still look so modern and timeless.

And one thing leads to another. While I was seriously tempted by this watch, I saw another great deal while surfing around; Invicta watches.

The Invicta 6348, Grand Diver GMT. I was attracted by the blue and yellow colors, and the very nice looking mesh bracelet. The bezel is a bit 'omega-seamasterish' and on first look seems to be a SMP homage, but its not. I love the sword hands and how the blue and yellow contrasts on the dial. A great looking watch. I imagine it will look nice on a blue or yellow strap too. IMHO a great candidate for PMWF.com's Top 20 list.

Looking at the specs, it seems to be a great deal at only about $82!

Specs:
Screw down crown
300m water resistant
316L stainless steel
47mm case
22mm lug
Mineral crystal
Swiss Ronda 515 GMT quartz movement

Thanx for the read!

NEW CANON PRINTER!

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:24:00 +0000

《攝印有咩好玩》四四正正盒仔人 x iP4760, originally uploaded by Canon Enjoy Photo.

Got a new printer! The Canon iP4760! Prints documents, photos and prints on CDs. Prior to this I had been waiting for the Epson Artisan 800 (also known as TX800W for Asian markets here) which is a more versatile AIO (All-In-One) printer, because it also does scan and fax too. But alas, while its already on clearance sale and heavily discounted in the US, it has not arrive at this region yet.

Considering the fact that I already have an older but fully functional Canon scanner, I gave up waiting for the AIO printer and went for the Canon iP4760.

For $199/- I get a $50 rebate in shopping vouchers, a free LED digital retro clock, and 15 months on site warranty. Pretty decent deal, not great, but good enough for me.

And print quality is much better at 9600 dpi since its a dedicated printer, thats quite important to me!

NEW WATCH

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:27:00 +0000

(Click on pic for full size)

New watch in the house. Hamilton Khaki Scuba. Haven't done watch reviews for a long time, so here goes a little first impression review.

Specs:
Model number H64551857
Screw down crown
100m water resistant
Sapphire crystal
Hour, minute, second, day and date function
Swiss Quartz movement - ETA/ESA 255.122-D12D6 (ESA 255.121 is possible but unlikely)

Well this is the same basic quartz circuit board they used in the high end Omega De Ville Prestige, (both Omega and Hamilton being sister companies under the giant SWATCH umbrella). Granted that Omega rhodium coats and modifies the movement further, and thus so they charges 5 to 6 times more. Lume is probably Luminova, it doesn't seem bright enough to be Super Luminova. I like the dial design, hours, military hours, minutes and seconds. The diver styled bezel does not rotate. No problem, ain't using it for diving, not that I know how to dive in the first place!

(Click on pic for full size)

I think it looks really cool and sporty with the splash of orange over silver. The orange markers and second hand's tip comes together nicely. The leather strap is a little bit too orange for leather to be, but the silver dial is really classy. Most of my watches are black dials, so the silver is a nice change of mood. I image with its silver dial it will also double as a pseudo dress watch if its put on a bracelet or a more sombre colored leather strap. But I like it sporty so I guess I might get a bright orange Zulu strap for it.

Dimensions:
Stainless steel case
Case thickness 13mm
Case size 40mm excluding crown, 43mm including crown.
Lug size 20mm
Lug to lug 50mm
Dial size 31mm

Some quick and dirty pics of the unboxing:
Thanx for the read.

SAMSUNG PRESTON S5603

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Just got myself a brand new mobile phone.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 02:32:00 +0000

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone.

恭喜发财!

万事如意!

新年快乐!

FOR SALE: DW5600C VINTAGE G-SHOCK

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:05:00 +0000

I am selling one of my DW5600C vintage G-Shock to fund the purchase of some camera gear. For more information about this watch, read here.
(Cell phone in photo not included of course!)
This piece is a Japan H, Module 901. All functions work as they should and the light is working. Watch condition is as follows:
There are scratches on the crystal, significant dings on the crystal too. This watch had seen time. Rate at about 80%. There are some light scratches on the caseback, the bezel screws are all present, and the case is clean. The strap and bezel are original and are in good condition surprisingly, with some light marks visible, keeper is present and intact.
Someone was selling the DW5600C on the watch forums at a crazy price of USD400 sometime ago.

I just want USD108 for this piece. You have to pay shipping. Let me know your location and your preferred shipping method to check how much more you gotta pay for shipping. I ship either by Singapore Post Registered Airmail (cheap but slow), or Fedex (fast but expensive).

I accept Paypal and I will bear the fees. If you don't have Paypal, I also take Western Union Money Transfer, but all fees will be borne by you.

Email me if you're interested. antonc108[at]gmail[dot]com

DW5600C THE CLASSIC G-SHOCK

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:41:00 +0000

There some really crazy G-Shock fans out there, you guys know yourself. Fess up! And among this group, some really die hard fans of the DW5600 styles. I personally like the classic DW5600C very much.
The DW5600C was produced from June 1987 to June 1996, it is one of the most iconic G-Shocks, and it is the last basic G-Shock with the screw back and full metal case. In other words, its built like a tank. In comparison, the contemporary version; denoted as DW5600E, uses black composite plastic instead for the case, and the steel back is secured on with 4 tiny screws. While it is still tough, its just no longer the same.

A yellow DW5600C, photo courtesy of Mike (OldHippie on watch forums), used with his kind permission.
The rarer DW5600B-3V (green) and blue DW5600B-2V (blue), photo courtesy of Wah (Wah_Wah_Wah on watch forums), used with his kind permission.

The DW5600C is most common in black resin, though it's also available in yellow, and the even rarer blue and dark green. And within the black version, there are the 'gold black' version, where everything is essentially the same except for the following cosmetic differences; buttons, screws and strap buckle are gold plated, and on the dial; instead of a silver color border, it has a yellow color border. Lastly, the words on the bezel are yellow instead of white.

The 'black gold' version DW-5600c-9CV, photo courtesy of Wah (Wah_Wah_Wah on watch forums), used with his kind permission.
The standard black version was worn by Keanu Reeves in the 1994 movie 'Speed', thus the watch was later referred to by G-Shock enthusiasts as the Speed model.
It is also known as the NASA model, because its worn by NASA astronauts and it is one of the four watches certified by NASA for space flight missions. The DW5600C on the wrist of astronaut Susan J. Helms, Expedition Two flight engineer, this is just one of the many pictures you can find of astronauts wearing the DW5600C.
Its well known among my watch enthusiast friends that I am a space watch fan, so I focused mainly on the standard black versions used by NASA. I can't see myself wearing the bright yellow version anyway, and the blue and green are too out of reach.

There are different versions of the watch just for the black version alone (this applies both on the standard black and the gold black), and this is what confuses some enthusiasts. The DW5600C is available in two modules; 691 and 901, and both were produced in two factory locations; Japan A and Japan H.

Module 691 were used from 1987 to the early 1990s and module 901 were used from 1990 onwards. The functions of both both modules are identical, though there are some differences. The three main differences between the two are as follows:
1)Module 901 has a slightly brighter light than module 691.
2)Model 691 uses the bigger CR2320 batteries where model 901 uses the smaller CR2016 batteries.
3)The module 691 will always have with mirror polished casebacks while module 901 will have casebacks with a 'milled ring' surface.
Compare them in the following two pictures.

Module 691, Japan H left, Japan A right.
Module 901, Japan A left, Japan H right.
As for factory locations, it appears that Japan A produced better quality. Regardless of module 691 or module 901, the DW5600Cs from Japan A always has a serial number on the caseback, whereas for Japan H, there are no serial numbers on the casebacks.

The lugs of the watch cases are different; Japan A is more refined with the sharp edges flattened and polished, but Japan H lugs remains sharp and unrefined.
And the case shape is different too; look at the sloops from the case down to the lugs, Japan A (left) has gentle and slopped steps, while Japan H (right) has crude and steep steps.
It would seems that Japan A pieces exist in lesser numbers and hence are more sought after by collectors. As for the modules; 901 were produced for only 4 years before Casio stopped making these watches, but the 901s appear more often. It could be that Casio increased production during the period they produced the 901s, or it could be that the 691s are just older and a normal user would probably just dump them after wearing for a few years, thus they got rarer.

These watches are easily availably on Ebay in various conditions, most looks beaten but occasionally a good condition one will appear. Missing strap keepers are common and it seems that the bezel succumb to resin rot more easily than the straps. One thing to note is that condition of the bezel and strap are not important because you can easily purchase a brand new original bezel and strap from Casio or on Ebay (sometimes they are sold with lug screws, springbars and gasket too). In fact many were sold on Ebay without bezel or even strap. What is important is that the watch works, the light is still working, and the four lug screws securing the bezel are intact, because these lug screws can be hard to source.

I hope these information will be useful to fellow enthusiasts.

BANG FOR BUCK PILOT CHRONOGRAPH

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 05:58:00 +0000

A good looking mechanical pilot chronograph watch for only USD300/- new? Yes, its possible if you forget the Swiss and German brands with four figure price tags and go Russian instead. Poljot is known to make lookalikes of many famous Swiss and German watches and this one looks just like Fortis' awarding winning Flieger Chronograph.

In fact, many of Poljot's Aviator series watches resemble models from Fortis' Flieger line. So much so that Fortis took Poljot to court, with the results of the lawsuit being an injunction prohibiting Poljot from selling their Aviator line of watches in Switzerland and Germany.
Of course, we are not comparing the USD300/- Poljot to the Fortis Flieger (retail USD2050/- street USD1400), but we'll just take a look at an example of what a Poljot's Aviator watch got to offer.

The watch came with a rather nice leather box. This actually varies from seller to seller and you don't always get the box, but who needs the box anyway?
The dial is very legible with a military look. The indexes are marked with arabic numbers in both hours and five minutes/seconds increments. The chronograph hands are in red, while the normal hands are in white. The size of the hands are very well balanced and suits the dial very well. In addition to being very functional, it is also very attractive. Well, who designed it in the first place? :D
The original Poljot strap (not shown) doesn't look very promising. I switched it to a Di Modell Chronissimo immediately. I feel that the Chronissimo strap enhances the look of many pilot watches and chronographs.
The crown is big enough for a handwind watch and its signed with the letter A, which probably refers to 'Aviator'. The chronograph buttons felt tactile enough even with gloved hands.
The watch is powered by the Poljot 3133 movement. The 3133 movement is based on the Swiss Valjoux 7734 movement and in fact its made with Swiss tooling. In the 1970s the Russians bought the machine and tooling over from the Swiss and made modifications to it, raising its thickness from 7mm to 7.35mm, adding 6 jewels to the original 17, and increasing the beat rate from 18000 bpm to 21600 bpm.

It is a very reliable movement that was eventually used for space flight missions. Although its rated for a power reserve of 42 hours, I am getting over 60 hours actually, which is pretty common. Accuracy is constant and very good, I am getting about +15 secs a day for this watch.

The watch came with both glass display back and steel back options. Mine came with both, here's the glass case back showing the P3133 movement; raw, unrefined, undecorated, but reliable and tough like a soldier.
With the steel case back, the water resistant is 50 meters instead of 30 meters. Oh yeah, Poljot often made 999 pieces of each model.
Lume is not something the Russian watches are good in. The application isn't very good nor consistent and the glow is weak. It also does not last long. I never had high expectations for Russian lume in the first place so I'm not really disappointed. This watch comes with white lume paint, there is another version with green lume paint, though both glows green however.
Here's a wrist shot of it on my 6.5" to 6.75" wrist. The case size is 39mm without crown, but actually wears bigger because its all dial and bezel-less. Someone with large wrists can always boost its size with a BUND strap if desired.
Here are the specs:
Case size 39mm without crown, 44mm with crown
Lug to lug 46mm
Lug size 20mm
Dial size 35mm wears big coz its all dial.
Case height (thickness) 12.5mm
Water Resistant 30meters with glass display back, 50 meters with metal case back
Mineral glass crystal
Sandblast stainless steel case with a pearly finish
In my humble opinion, this is an ideal watch for those in service. How many active servicemen wear expensive USD2000/- Swiss watches out there in the field?

Russian watch prices had been raising crazily in recent years, so I find these are really good buys before prices soar further.

Thanx for the read!

THE HOUR GLASS LAUNCHES SINN U BLACK

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:19:00 +0000

Received an invitation from The Hour Glass for the launching of the Sinn U Black on 3 October 2008 at Paulaner Brauhäus, Millenia Walk, Singapore.

This is cool! Fans of Sinn had been awaiting for the official launch for months. It had been a mystery on how the final looks of the watch would be, despite some controversy regarding the looks of the prototype photos that appeared on the watch forums.

I certainly hope to attend if I can make it that day and get some pictures if possible. :)

WATCH MOVEMENT CUFFLINKS

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:04:00 +0000

Like many WISes, I had always been fascinated by watch movements. Its amazing how these tiny parts work together to keep time. As a photography enthusiast, I am even more attracted by the intricate details presented in micro scale. Probably one of the reasons why watches with display back sells well.

Take a look at this cufflinks from watch-cufflinks.com. Vintage watch movements were converted into cufflinks and other accessories.

Omega.
Jules Jurgensen.
Bulova.
Elgin.
Lucien Piccard.
Wittnauer.
These are also available as necklaces, rings, tie clips and tie tags. The necklaces and rings would probably please the wife or girlfriend. Buying a ring version for the spouse gives one excuses to buy a matching set of cufflinks for yourself! :D

Necklace pendant made from a vintage Waltham pocket watch movement.
Ring made from an Anton Schild vintage movement.
Elgin movement made into a tie clip.
Waltham vintage movement made into a tie tag.
These nostalgic little trinkets will definitely made great gifts for any watch aficionados.

As a clumsy person who frequently break things, I was wondering if I can use such delicate artpieces. Since I am contemplating to buy a pair someday, I thought I ask the designer herself. Ricky Wolbrom replied that there is no glue used in her work, instead she used two-part industrial clear epoxy, the same formula used in steel work and the airline industry for bonding, one probably gotta use a hammer before weakening the bond.

She also assured me that the movements were savaged from non working time pieces that no longer serves their original purposes. Every piece is handmade, with many hours of work put behind each piece.

Above photographs used with permission from watch-cufflinks.com.

OMEGA SPEEDMASTER X33 WATCH REPAIR IN SPACE

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:00:00 +0000

Space enthusiasts, watch enthusiasts and space watch enthusiasts must watch this video.

Astronaut Don Pettit's Omega X33 watch broke while on orbit. The video shows how he fixed it while in space. See how the screws and parts float around at zero gravity while he does the repair, notice how the tools were affixed with Velcro to keep them in place, and how the free floating parts had to be taped to prevent floating and lost of stuff.

This is just amazing.

WATCHES' DAY WHEEL LANGUAGES

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:51:00 +0000

Ever bought a watch that comes with a foreign language day wheel that you can't read? When I bought my first Sinn, I personally have a problem reading the German days of the week. It was Tuesday and the watch shows DIE! Then I remember when I was looking around for Lemania 5100 watches, I chanced upon a watch photo with the word SEX in the watch's day window. I kept wondering why was that until I later learned it was the Portuguese abbreviation for Friday.

Seiko 5 watch with Portuguese day wheel; photo courtesy of Mike (OldHippie1968 on watch forums), used with his kind permission.
Seiko movements are especially known to come with bilingual day wheels, the common being English with Spanish, and of course Japanese Kanji, targeted at their own Japanese market, and even Arabic. Oris is known to be very Thai friendly and many interesting Chinese watches are also showing up in enthusiasts' collections. Thus I made a list below for quick reference and I hope to add to the list.

Please inform me if you know more and correct me if there's anything wrong below. Thanx in advance.

ARABIC

الأحد or يوم الأحد - Sunday
الإثنين or يوم الإثنين - Monday
الثُّلَاثاء or يوم الثُّلَاثاء -Tuesday
الأَرْبعاء or يوم الأَرْبعاء - Wednesday
الخَمِيس or يوم الخَمِيس - Thursday
الجُمْعَة or يوم الجُمْعَة - Friday
السَّبْت or يوم السَّبْت - Saturday

CHINESE

日 or 星期日 or 礼拜日 or 周日 or 星期天 or 礼拜天 - Sunday
一 or 星期一 or 礼拜一 or 周一 - Monday
二 or 星期二 or 礼拜二 or 周二 - Tuesday
三 or 星期三 or 礼拜三 or 周三 - Wednesday
四 or 星期四 or 礼拜四 or 周四 - Thursday
五 or 星期五 or 礼拜五 or 周五 - Friday
六 or 星期六 or 礼拜六 or 周六 - Saturday

DUTCH

MA or Maandag - Monday

DI or Dinsdag - Tuesday

WO or Woensdag - Wednesday

DO or Donderdag - Thursday

VR or Vrijdag - Friday

ZA or Zaterdag - Saturday

ZO or Zondag - Sunday

FINNISH

SUN or Sunnuntai - Sunday
MAA or Maanantai - Monday
TII or Tiistai - Tuesday
KES or Keskiviikko - Wednesday
TOR or Torstai - Thursday
PER or Perjantai - Friday
LAU or Lauantai - Saturday

FRENCH

DIM or Dimanche - Sunday
LUN or Lundi - Monday
MAR or Mardi - Tuesday
MER or Mercredi - Wednesday
JEU or Jeudi - Thursday
VEN or Vendredi - Friday
SAM or Samedi - Saturday

GERMAN

SON or Sonntag - Sunday
MON or Montag - Monday
DIE or Dienstag- Tuesday
MIT or Mittwoch - Wednesday
DON or Donnerstag - Thursday
FRE or Freitag - Friday
SAM or Samstag - Saturday

HINDI

रवि or रविवार - Sunday
सोम or सोमवार - Monday
मंगल or मंगलवार - Tuesday
बुध or बुधवार - Wednesday
गुरू or गुरुवार - ThursDay
शुक्र or शुक्रवार - Friday
शनि or शनिवार - Saturday

ITALIAN

DOM or Domenica - Sunday
LUN or Lunedì - Monday
MAR or Martedì - Tuesday
MER or Mercoledì - Wednesday
GIO or Giovedì - Thursday
VEN or Venerdì - Friday
SAB or Sabato - Saturday

JAPANESE

日 or 日曜日 or にちようび - Sunday
月 or 月曜日 or げつようび - Monday
火 or 火曜日 or かようび - Tuesday
水 or 水曜日 or すいようび - Wednesday
木 or 木曜日 or もくようび - Thursday
金 or 金曜日 or きんようび - Friday
土 or 土曜日 or どようび - Saturday

PORTUGUESE

DOM or Domingo - Sunday
SEG or Segunda-feira - Monday
TER or Terça-feira - Tuesday
QUA or Quarta-feira - Wednesday
QUI or Quinta-feira - Thursday
SEX or Sexta-feira - Friday
SAB or Sábado - Saturday

ROMAN NUMERAL

I - Monday
II - Tuesday
III - Wednesday
IV - Thursday
V - Friday
VI - Saturday
VII or Red Square - Sunday

RUSSIAN

ВСК or Воскресенье - Sunday
ПНД or Понедельник - Monday
ВТР or Вторник - Tuesday
СРД or Среда- Wednesday
ЧТВ or Четверг - Thursday
ПТН or Пятница - Friday
СБТ or Суббота - Saturday

SPANISH

DOM or Domingo - Sunday
LUN or Lunes - Monday
MAR or Martes - Tuesday
MIE or Miércoles - Wednesday
JUE or Jueves - Thursday
VIE or Viernes - Friday
SAB or Sábado - Saturday

THAI

อา or วันอาทิตย์ - Sunday
จั or วันจันทร์ - Monday
อั or วันอังคาร - Tuesday
พุ or วันพุธ - Wednesday
พฤ or วันพฤหัสบดี - Thursday
ศุ or วันศุกร์ - Friday
ส or วันเสาร์ - Saturday

*Added on 13 September 2008:

Some folks might have difficulty reading the non-Latin alphabetical characters due to web browser incompatibility, so I added this picture for Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Russian and Thai.

ANTIMAGNETIC WATCH MAGNETIZED?

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:46:00 +0000

Vostok Amphibian. Its gaining like 1 hour a day? Is the anti-magnetic word for real in the first place?
I guess it got magnetized by my radio set (which runs on Lithium-ion batteries), I think I slept with my wrist right next to the radio. Is it possible that it got magnetized this way?
This is not the only watch that got affected, the next night I worn my plastic watch Timex Ironman Datalink and slept in the same position, so I guess my wrist remains there for at least a few hours before I moved in my sleep. I awoke at 7am but the watch shows 8am.

I reset it and being battery powered, its alright now. But the Amphibian might need a trip to the watchmaker to get it demagnetized. Simple enough job though I just need to find time to make the trip...

BEST BANG FOR BUCK UNITAS FLIEGER

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 06:12:00 +0000

If you're looking for a budget Unitas 6497 powered flieger/pilot watch, especially a 'nine-eater', then you probably might had already heard or looked at brands like Ollech & Wajs, Trias, Jurgen & Gallai, or Kienzle to name a few. The problem is the really budget ones like the Trias are not nice enough and the really nice ones like Jurgen & Gallai or Kienzle can't really be considered budget watches. Anyway at the same price range people probably look at the more interesting Debaufre watches instead.

Enter the Altanus Unitas Flieger. It has the same style of nine eater dial like those offered by Jurgen & Gallai and Kienzle, cathedral hands and strong lume. The price is just right. However these seems to be rare and it seems really hard to find new pieces, though they sometimes pops up pre-owned on the various sales forums. Having no luck at the sales forums, I thought I should check out the original seller's Ebay store.

So while trying to procure a piece from the Swiss Ebay seller uhren_baron, who's the source of these Altanus watches, I discovered he's got another brand to offer. The Oscar.
It seems identical to the Altanus and the seller told me its from the same factory.
Comes with a display back. The Unitas 6497 movement is undecorated.
Lume is pretty good, I think it's Super Luminova.
The mineral crystal is slightly domed, the stainless steel case size is about 40mm excluding crown and lug to lug distance is about 48mm. The watch also wears flat at about 10mm height at the thickness part.
Needless to say I am happy with this purchase. I paid about CHF250 shipped back in December 2007. Thus far I had not see another similar piece, though I seen many other Oscar watches on the Unitas movement.

Till date, I think the Altanus is still the best bang for buck Unitas Flieger watch. There are some Altanus owners who are bothered by the 'anus' word on the dial, so the Oscar might be a better option if one could find another one from the Ebay seller. Though the sales forums might be more practical, since I had not seen either watches in uhren_baron's Ebay store for sometime.

*Update on 31 August 2008: I was informed by Chris (Ray Knight on WUS forums) that this watch was being sold on Ottofrei as a kit recently, though when he last checked it was no longer available.

QUICK & DIRTY SIZE COMPARISION PICS

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 06:46:00 +0000

James (Riker) requested for some Debaufre Nav B and Davidsen Marina Militare size comparison pics. So here's some quick and dirty pics of the watches.

Nav B 48mm, Marina Militare 47mm.
Nav B's flatter, MM's thicker.
The MM's a pseudo vintage diver watch, while the Nav B's a pseudo vintage pilot watch.
Many guys had concerns if these watches would be too big for their wrists. I have puny 6.5"-6.75" wrists and I don't care and wear them. Yes it might seems like I am wearing alarm clocks on my wrist but I think it just takes getting used to. Ultimately all that matters is that I enjoy my watches. :)

HOW TO FIX A MARINA MILITARE GLASSBACK WITH WATER RESISTANT PROBLEM

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:25:00 +0000

If you have one of those Ebay Marina Militare watches that comes with those flimsy glassbacks, you might one day encounter the same problem as I did. Basically these glass windows are just glued to the glassback's metal frame and very often, they were poorly done. There's no real form of sealing at all. Even those higher quality glassbacks from the custom Pamhom makers will eventually deteriorate, as my friend Chris Moy had experienced with his Pamhom watch.

Water got into the watch via the gap between the glass and the glassback's metal frame, take a look at these pictures of my old Ebay Marina Militare.
My problem came really fast because the glassback came with uneven gluing and you can see bubbles within the silicon. Water got into the watch during hand washing within just a few days of wear. As you would had knew, moisture would wreck havoc in any watch.
I decided to fix it myself and solved the problem, and was better than it was new after the operation. There are no more bubbles within the silicone and it looked perfect.
Anyway here's how I fixed the problem. Don't worry, its an easy fix. You will need the following:
1. Hot glue stick.
2. Lighter or some form of heater.
3. Cooking stove in your kitchen.
4. Old metal plate or baking tray which you no longer use.
5. Razor blade.
6. Pliers to grip the heated metal glassback frame (I use my Leatherman multitool).
7. Gloves to protect your hands, do not use materials that will melt with heat, eg: rubber.
8. About 20 minutes.

Here are the steps:
1. Remove the piece of glass from the glassback metal frame, just peel it off.
2. Remove the old glue residues from the frame, make sure it's clean.
3. Heat the glue stick and gingerly apply it to the metal frame at the location where the glass will eventually sit and let it dry. Ensure you cover the whole perimeter with hot glue. Do not apply excessively but it is perfectly alright to be messy because you can never make it look neat, which bring us to the next step.
4. Place the glassback metal frame on the baking tray bottom up (with the screw threads down).
5. Place the baking tray on your stove and turn on the fire. The baking tray will prevent the glassback metal frame from blackening, we just want the heat to transfer there so as to melt the hotglue.
6. Heat it till you see the hot glue melt into liquid form. Here's where the hot glue will even out smoothly and that is why its alright to be messy in step 3.
7. Turn off the stove and remove the metal frame from the tray with your pliers (unless you wanna burn your fingers)
8. Place it bottom up (with the screw threads down) on a flat surface (not your expensive tabletop, but some surface which heat will not cause damage).
9. Now place the glass into its original position on the metal frame and press it down, some hot glue will ooze out and that is fine. Protect your fingers from the hot metal frame by wearing gloves.
10. Allow it to cool down naturally.
11. Using the razor blade, carefully trim off the excess hot glue and it's done!

I really hope I can provide some pictures of the process for this tutorial instead of just words. But I already sold my old Marina Militare and I don't want to use my brand new Davidsen glassback for it since it never gave me problems, yet.

Disclaimer: Try this at your own risk, I am not responsible if you mess up your watch, injure yourself or damage your properties. It worked for me and I hope it will work for you too. :D

WON A PHOTO CONTEST ON PMWF!

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:18:00 +0000

Its a happy day! I just read that I had won PMWF's latest quarter of photography contest and my photo placed first position. I entered this recent pic of my new Marina Militare watch and thanx to the support of PMWF members, it was well received. :)

Thanx for the read!

MY DIGITAL SPACE WATCH COLLECTION

noreply@blogger.com (ANTON C) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:58:00 +0000

Well here is my digital space watch collection (non-G Shock, my G Shocks are here instead), most of them are Timex watches though I have some others. I hope to grow the collection over time and add more of those interesting Seikos.

First up is an anadigi actually, the Omega Speedmaster X33 3291.50.00 (Generation 2), one of the four official watches certified by NASA for space flight. There are many well-documented information online about this watch so I shan't waste time talking about it here.

What we've got next here is the Seiko A829 6010 Digital Chronograph. From the 1980s, the A829s are one of the rarest digital Seiko out there and I was lucky enough to land a mint conditioned one many months ago from a very good Hungarian seller.

The unique thing about this movement is that you change mode by rotating the bezel, which is pretty uncommon. This watch was also widely used by NASA astronauts in the 1980s for space missions. The exact one used were A829-6019 and A829-6029, though there are high possibilities that the 6010 was also included. All these cool factors, coupled with the rarity, makes this one of the most collectible vintage digital watch.

For further reading, please refer to this article on Timezone Italia written by my friend and fellow space watch enthusiast Cristiano (screen name Schirra). Its in Italian though so you need to use Babelfish to translate it to English. Cristiano is probably the most knowledgeable guy on the topic of space watches and his website had served as an important learning resource for many collectors.

And here are my Timex Data Link collection. For more information about these Datalink watches and their significance to space travel, please read my article here.

Timex model 70518, worn by Astronaut James H. Newman on STS-88.

Timex model 69737, worn by Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, Expedition 14, on the ISS. Yeah, mine ran out of batteries but I still went ahead and took this pic. Will update with new pic later when I change its battery.

Timex model 78041, one of the four official NASA certified watches for space mission. Widely worn by astronauts.

Timex model 78047, bracelet version of the 78041.

Timex model 78701, essentially the same watch as the 78041 and 78047, but of different color, this one's grey, there's a blue version too, which I don't have yet. Sorry I didn't remove the label on the strap for the pic coz its a collection piece kept new in box.

Timex model 69931, worn by Dr Daniel T Barry on STS-96. This is also known as the midsize model 150S, which was a more desirable model among the technically minded Datalink enthusiasts and programmers, I don't know the reasons why though, these enthusiasts are more gadget fans than watch fans. And indeed this model is much rarer. I was fortunate to get a new-in-box piece.

Timex model 70302, worn by Dr Daniel T Barry on STS-72.

Timex model 70301, essentially the same watch as the 70302, but this one is on a resin strap. There is an interesting Easter Egg on the resin strap, see the 101010 code-like numbers on the strap? Its actually an ASCII code which translate to 'Listen to the Light', how befitting since the watch communicates with the PC via light.

Timex model 69787, this is a not a space watch, but its one of the nicer Timex Datalinks that I decided to keep.

Timex model 69940; notebook adapters for the Datalink watches, both black and white versions. Not watches but I feel its importantly related to the Data Link watches.

Lastly here's there the Belarusian made Elektronika 55 watch. According to Soviet/Russian watch expert Phil (screen name 'ill-phill'), soviet cosmonauts worn these Elektronika watches in space during the 1980s and Phil got a pic on his website of cosmonaut Victor Mikhailovich Afanasyev wearing an Elektronika 52B.

I realized my piece was a remade version though, not a true vintage piece, the Ukrainian seller described it inaccurately. I wouldn't had bought it if it's a remade piece, and the accuracy is very poor. Even mechanical watches are more accurate.

Hope you enjoy the read and the pictures.