C-segment Wrist Watches: June 2018

Saturday, 30 June 2018

The Defining Genre Piece

From https://www.facebook.com/datoandyblogger :

WTS : OEM Rubber Strap for Rolex Deep-Sea Sea Dweller

Previously ordered for a collector's Rolex Deep-Sea Sea Dweller watches but he has now sold off both the DSSD pieces. Brand new and unused. Soft and comfortable material. Letting go at RM150 per piece. Choose from Blue or Green stripe.

My other items for sale :

1) Rolex GMT-Master ii Pepsi Jubilee

2) Omega Speedmaster Ultraman LE

3) Bell & Ross Military Type

4) Metal Twisted G-Shock MTG-G1000

5) Watch Straps and Accessories

6) Prometheus Poseidon Bracelet

7) Seiko Turtle Reissue Hardlex Crystal

SOLD : Omega Speedmaster Panda (Under Omega Warranty till May 2020)

June #7 : Discontinued piece, full boxed set, and in good working condition. Under official Omega warranty for 2 years (until May 2020). Tendency towards price appreciation for this collectible piece (#051).

(NB : Current RRP : RM29k as per grey reseller website below, with 2-year ~~manufacturer~~ reseller warranty.)

Speedmaster Panda tends to appreciate compared to the normal Speedmaster. Examples on pricing of various Panda on the Net as per the following :

1) New Old Stock Panda from Bodying, note that it has only reseller's warranty

2) Other Panda models eg 35th Anniv Panda.

Friday, 29 June 2018

BR Chapter Continues : BR03-92 Military Type

Further from the earlier entry, I know that I want to add a BR that was certified Military Type (yes, there were actually specifications to be met in order to be categorised as such); so from the above models, that would pinpoint towards the BR03-92 Military Type. I liked that it had a ceramic black case the was non-scratchable, a green dial (readers would know that the Hulk was my Sub of choice for many years), and would generally be a low-profile and stealth watch.

Retailing at USD3,800 / RM15,200, the MT was not readily-available at just any BR shops. Searching online, I found that the prices tend to go between RM13k - RM14k. I asked around for ready stock and was referred to a fellow collector whom had a newly-purchased piece, with an additional bonus in a nice serial no (again, readers whom had purchased watches from me would know that I tend to buy watches with good serial nos. wherever feasible.) so we agreed to meet up for a chit-chat.

He was a real nice gentleman and showed me the LNIB MT. Seeing it in the flesh (or ~~metal~~ ceramic, to be technically accurate), there was no way that I would be going home empty-handed so I quickly made him an offer that he couldn't refuse. After going to and fro the local BR boutiques to find this elusive MT, I was a happy collector to have netted this piece today.

Below were the specifications of the said piece :

I'm looking forward to reviewing this MT over the longer run and would update further details of my first impression on the said piece hereafter. In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of the piece from the Net.

And in case your playground was at the desert, no worries and you could opt for its sibling-in-arms :

Keep your eyes peeled on the forthcoming review very soon. And here's a shot of the piece during my first wrist shot :

The Next BR Chapter : Priority Air Express, Fighter Jet Style

I probably should have wrote about this a while back, but I have been busy with work and family matters. And it took the news of Germany's exit being featured in all and sundry, that I remembered that I have an interesting parcel that I have yet to unbox.

Well, defending champion Germany might have bowed out from the World Cup 2018; but it didn't made it less exciting to retrieve the above big parcel all the way from Germany.

Of course my imagination was running wild for a bit, but I fathomed that a Phantom fighter jet pilot donning on his full gear and a pair of Bell & Ross Military Type could have rushed all the way to deliver this parcel.

Speaking of which, there seemed to be a vacuum for a pair of BR in my collection. My last pair of BR was the BR01-97 Reserve de Marche, which was quite large and too shiny to be worn as a low-key wrist piece. Between then and now, BR had since went from just stainless steel cases, to DLC cases (which was not the best in my opinion as these could still be subjected to scratches), and now to ceramic and carbon cases (which were a good combination for military/aviation-inspired timepieces).

Now do excuse me while I retrieved the contents of the parcel...

Thursday, 28 June 2018

Experimentation : Custom Hand-Made Quality Watch Straps

"Inspiration comes from not just within ourselves, but also from watching life around us."

Readers would know that I loved playing with watches; and I get a fair bit of queries on a monthly basis with regards to the types of watches to get, and where to get quality watch straps.

With regards to the watch straps, it was true that there seemed to be rather limited choices locally for good quality watch straps. We almost always have to import from overseas; and even then, the quality was often a hit or miss. And getting respite from overseas purchases were often a tedious process. There seemed to be inconsistency in getting good quality leather and rubber straps.

Given that I have been flipping a fair bit of Rolex watches, readers cum buyers have also been asking if it was possible for me to assist them to source for quality leather straps. After some time scouting around and liaising with various parties, I would be getting an initial batch of hand-made leather straps to be paired with my Rolex watches.

If the fit and finish were up to my communicated expectations, then I would start to assist my readers with getting the leather straps that they have dearly wanted to get their hands on. Let's see where it goes from here!

Tuesday, 26 June 2018

Japan Premium

Looking at the premium charged for 2018 BNIB Rolex sports models in Japan could be quite unsettling. RM54k for Batman, and RM62k for Hulk. Even if one factors in the 8% VAT refund, it's still quite a hefty premium.

My goodness...