C-segment Wrist Watches: 2015

Thursday 31 December 2015

Happy New Year 2016!!!

Saturday 26 December 2015

Pre-Order : Ball Engineer II Genesis 125th Anniv LE

Ball will be celebrating the 125th anniversary of the time its namesake founder i.e. Webster Ball, was commissioned to set the railroad standard of time-keeping in USA. To commensurate the important occasion, Ball is doing a pre-order for the Engineer II Genesis 125th Anniversary Limited Edition till 31st December 2015; afterwhich the actual watch would be sent to the pre-order customers in March 2016 (to coincide with the month of the said anniversary).

If you have reservations on the actual look and feel of the watch, you could always wait for the watch to be sent to Ball ADs worldwide come May 2016 (3 months after the pre-order customers receive their watches). RRP : RM7.1k (depending on Forex in May 2016); and at the rate that local economy and currency was doing, it may be a tad higher by then.

Enough about the economic doldrums then. The good news was that customers of the pre-order got to purchase the watches at a discounted price of circa RM4k, and with the additional customisation (quite rare coming directly from a Swiss watch manufacturer) as per the following :

1) Choice of 3 dial colours;
2) Choice of bracelet or leather straps;
3) Choice of case size (40mm or 43mm);
4) Free name engraving at the caseback.

If you have always wanted to get your own Balls, all pun intended, this was the best time to put in your order and get yourself a great bargain and a historical piece in the process. Enjoy the following pictures :

Yes, the picture above was accurate- 1mm-thick micro gas tubes on this 125th Anniv piece, as compared to the 0.5mm commonly used in Ball's other watches. This piece will really shine like the Christmas tree, going by the experience that I have had with Ball watches previously.

I used to wear my Ball Hydrocarbon for biking activities given its renown anti-shock capabilities, and Ball Fireman for the occasional casual evening wear. The micro tubes on both of them were quite something to behold. My 2 pieces of Ball watches were as per the following :

I am sure that the Ball Engineer II Genesis 125th Anniv LE would make a great addition to my collection. The review would be forthcoming pursuant to the receipt of my watch come March 2016.

Pre-Order : Would you pay for pre-order watches and wait months for its delivery?

I received an e-mail earlier today, from a reader asking if it was wise to pay for pre-order watches and then wait for months for the delivery? Especially when there was no real, physical watches to try on and gauge if one may like it; so it was pretty much a risky affair.

Indeed.

“So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?”, as quoted from Hunter Thompson.

It may be hypocritical of me to just give the reader a "yes-and-no" answer, since it was going to be his monies in exchange for a watch that he would own. No sirree, I would just share on my own experiences instead. Perhaps he may draw some references from my experience.

Readers sometimes inform me on the latest watch pre-orders that they have chanced around from word-of-mouth or sites, and some would thereafter forward those to me in case I may be interested to pick 'em up. Some of those that I had been interested were as per the following :

1) Maranez WatchReport Limited Edition #9 and #68 @ USD440 each

This being a limited edition titanium piece, I took the chance to order 2 pieces and was allocated #9 and #68 for it. Unfortunately, there were too few takers so the pre-order had to be cancelled. T'was a shame, but there would be other pieces. Cest la vie...

2) StuckX "The Rock" @ Euro 495 each (+ Euro 40 delivery)

StuckX was a relatively unknown European micro-brand, but it's pioneer piece was quite something. I got to know about the pre-order after the pre-order window period was closed; but otherwise I would have taken it up. Price during pre-order was Euro 495; now it was Euro 660. It was a brute of a piece, using a Swiss ETA piece- it ain't practical, it probably won't allure to most common collectors, and it would probably be tough to flip it off easily. But heck, look at how it looked!

Owner's picture posted on StuckX's FB.

3) StuckX "The Bull"@ Euro 280 each (+ Euro 40 delivery)

The earlier buyers of StuckX's Rock were reportedly starting to get their watches, and the micro-brand was creating their second product i.e. Bull. The Bull was reminiscent of bullhead watches from the 70's and really looked quite cool. There were 3 models utilising mechanical and mecha-quartz movements from Seiko; and I was attracted to the mecha-quartz models and was still pondering between Blue Bull, Sparkling Bull (champagne colour), and Dark Bull (75-pieces DLC limited edition). I have actually placed an order for the Dark Bull yesterday but there was an issue with the payment page, so I have more time to ponder over. Which one would you go for?

Dark Bull order confirmation page @ 25/12/2015.

Dark Bull LE.

Blue Bull.

Sparkling Bull.

Panda Bull.

Black Bull.

Funky Bull.

Lemon & Bloody Bull.

Being a micro-brand, the discount allocated ain't too significant so don't beat yourself if you miss the pre-order. The 1st 100 customers get to buy the watch at Euro 250, the 2nd 100 customers would buy the watch at Euro 280; and the subsequent customers could buy it at Euro 300.

Readers should be aware though, that the local GST would automatically kick in when the watches arrive in Malaysia and that you would need to factor in an additional 6% on top of the price that you have paid to the company, to pay to the Malaysian authorities. Just imagine how much more extra in GST you have to pay for this hobby of ours, when you go for higher-priced premium watches. That was the reason that I have made a conscious decision to mainly play about with watches below RM10k per piece (with the exception for overseas purchases whereby I get to claim back the VAT), unless I so chanced upon a piece that I really, really could not resist.

Unless the local socio-political and economic environment improves, the 116610LV, 216570, 25500TN, Speedy Panda, and PAM0005 currently in my winder, would be the only pieces above RM10k that would accompany me for the interim period.

Sold : Seiko Tuna 50th Anniv SE model no. SRP655 @ RM2,200

Readers would know that I received a pair of Seiko Tuna 50th Anniv for Christmas. Well, today is Boxing Day and I like to flip off one of the Tuna for an European micro-brand, which most people in Malaysia had probably not heard off. Is it wise to do so? Probably not (warranty would be a b*tch to claim if needed to); but oh well, I need to get fresh watches to keep my reviews ummm, fresh and interesting. And if it doesn't quite speak to me, I could just flip it off for another watch thereafter.

So, here it was... Seiko Tuna 50th Anniv model no. SRP655, also known as Dracula Tuna amongst its fans, thanks to the blood-outlined shark teeth on the dial. It's good as new; ticks beautifully; comes with full boxed set, warranty card and manual; zero scratches, dings or dents; and ready to freshen up your collection.

Not easy to net in the ADs, with RRP : RM2,650. Am letting go at just RM2,200. Pretty good deal, if I do say so myself. COD in Mont Kiara preferable.

Now for 'em pictures, enjoy the following :

Others are selling it for some RM2,550 on the Mudah, so I believe that my price is quite the bargain. Do send me a PM or e-mail @ toyotaharrier240g@gmail.com, if interested. Cheers.

Wednesday 23 December 2015

Tough Tactical Timepiece : Casio Military Camouflage model no. GD-X6900TC-8

I received a few e-mails from readers if I would recommend any other Casio military-themed watches for Christmas gifts, something more affordable in the region of below RM1k- after my previous post waxing lyrical praises on my Casio Rangeman Military.

And I do have just another watch in mind. This was the Casio Military Camoflage GD-X6900 series, which should cost circa RM850 in the market. Mine was the Camo-Grey, and it came in 2 versions i.e. Negative display with Black illuminator button, or Positive display with Metallic illuminator button. The functions on both watches were the exact same, so your purchase would tie in simply to your own preferences.