E-mail from Reader : SBDX014 A Good Buy?

I received an e-mail from a reader in KL whom asked me if I thought that the Seiko SBDX014 was a good buy? His brother was coming back from abroad for CNY and was able to help him procure the said watch for circa RM10k, as pricier Seikos had been going for discounts after Christmas was over.

Well, I must say that I have always have a soft spot for the Seiko MarineMaster Tuna with its 1000m WR, and larger than life watch size. It was big and hefty, and won't wear well under the cuffs. But it was an attractive watch for the weekend wear nonetheless.

I checked at some shops that I had previously checked and the historical prices that I had previously blogged about and could see the following movement :

1) When it was first released circa October 2015, it was selling at USD3,300 :

2) By December 2015, price had reduced by 25%, to USD2,498 :

3) By January 2016, price had reduced by another 5%, to USD2,398 (circa RM10k) :

With more time, I believed that the real street price would further reduce to circa USD2k. But even at the current USD2k+ or RM10k, it would still be worthwhile if the reader derives pleasure from that piece. To wait or not to wait, that was for the reader to consider for himself really.

In fact, looking at the decreasing pricing, I contacted a grey seller whom had assisted me to flip a no. of my watches successfully, if they could consider bringing in the Seiko Turtle and Seiko Tuna MarineMaster at prices lower than the MYR RRP; and they were opened to the idea if there was demand from fellow readers. So it looked like we could get even more competitive pricing in due course.

Balls 4 Sale

The Malaysian economy ain't a walk in the park these days, and more and more investors were exiting to neighbouring countries with better prospects. It ain't easy operating in such an environment, but for true blue Malaysians, we'll find a way to weather the storm somehow.

Which also occurred to me that there were more ads for nice watches these days going out for a song, by owners whom needed fast cash.

Earlier the day, I spotted 2 Ball watches for sale as per the following :

Now, the Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon "Mad Cow" was an interesting piece, and I have missed this piece after flipping it back in 2014 @ http://andywristwatches.blogspot.co.id/2014/09/wts-ball-engineer-hydrocarbon-titanium.html. As I was currently overseas on rugged terrains, I saved the advert and made a mental note to contact the seller to take a look and probably take the unit off his hand.

This piece was a collectible, and I have seen collectors wanting south of RM10k for such a piece in better times. The owner stated in his advert that he needed funds urgently, which could explain the low asking price.

The Ball Spacemaster was also an interesting piece, although I would place a collectible premium more on the "Mad Cow" piece.

Let's see how things go- I may just add back a "Mad Cow" piece into my collection in due course pursuant to my return.

Good Deal : Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue x2 (RM8,500 - RM10,500)

Here I am, deep in the jungles of Kalimantan, and surprisingly to many, I still have Internet access vide satellite Internet here. So I could continue to indulge in surfing about watches as the crickets play Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in the background.

I have always been a fan of Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue and if there were any fans of the same watch amongst my readers, you were in for a treat.

Deal no. 1 @ http://www.malaysiawatchforum.com/index.php?topic=15595.0 :

There was a chap whom I had liaised before over a watch forum, and he had a mint 2015 Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue for sale. He had earlier placed an advert for the watch in Oct 2015 for RM13,200 but there had been no catch, so he had progressively reduced it till RM10,500 today. I had no doubt that it was a genuine piece, and if I was in Malaysia now, I would be contacting him to take the watch off his hands. If any of you readers were interested, you have to act fast as such a great deal would not likely last.

Deal no. 2 @ http://www.mudah.my/Tudor+Heritage+Blue+Chrono-43632888.htm :

The second deal was seen on Mudah, where another chap was selling another Heritage Chrono Blue for RM8,500. This was a no-brainer of a deal, and if the piece was a genuine piece, then it was literally a fire sale. I had e-mailed the chap to ask about the watch and apparently, he had the whole set but he was not willing to wait for me to return to Malaysia to deal with him. He was looking for a fast deal at the (non-negotiable) price that he had set, and he wanted the monies by the weekend. I don't know him so I can't speak for his watch; but if anyone was interested, it would be good to contact him and deal with him at an AD to grab the crazy deal.

Good luck to you readers in Malaysia now and make a quick grab for these watches if you were in the market for one. God speed.

Weekend Watches...

Casual wear for the weekends, I have just the answer here... Different shades of blue though.

Prometheus Blue now paired with blue Iso.

Seiko Tuna Bluefin, looking great.

Which Next Seiko To Add?

There are quite a few new Seiko pieces on the market, not to mention some LEs meant for other countries were starting to be sold in Malaysia, so we were really quite spoilt for choices. Previously, I almost always prefer to get my Seiko pieces from a neighbouring country as I was able to get good prices being a repeated customer, but the Forex these days meant that the savings was no longer as significant as the past. And if I don't bring it in myself, there was the GST that would kick in and that could wipe out the savings made altogether. Sigh...

Anyway, I meant to get another Seiko piece soon and had my eyes set on the new turtle i.e. SRP755 (black/gold with bracelet) or SRP759 (Pepsi with rubber), or SPB029 (Sumo Thailand LE). Weeks ago, these pieces were commanding a premium but the pries had since settled down to a more norm bracket. In Malaysia, you could get these pieces between RM1,500 - RM1,600. From an overseas forummer, I was informed that he could help me to get the Pepsi Turtle at USD250 (RM1,100)- so with courier and GST, it could be here for circa RM1,300.

Meanwhile, the Sumo Thailand used to go at circa RM4,000 but the prices on online stores were now in the region of RM3k+. A reader informed me that he managed to net his at RM3k after negotiation, and by cash payment (so no credit card merchant charges to the seller). I guess the demand was not as high as Seiko had anticipated, even though it was limited to 1965 pieces and released in Thailand only. The normal Sumo was around the RM1,500 mark minus the LE packaging, the snorkel mask, the cyclops, etc. Most collectors would there go for the normal Sumo to scratch the itch.

And now that the New Turtle was out from Seiko, modders whom used to sell the 6309 Modded Turtles were now charging lesser monies for their Modded Turtles. For instance, the Dagaz Modded Turtles were now going for USD375 (circa RM1,650) whereas they used to be able to go for a higher premium. Competition lowers the market pricing, which was good news to us collectors.

And then, there were some micro-brands coming along with Seiko's VK-series meca-quartz chronograph movement. This was an interesting movement in that it was a quartz movement but instead of having separate motors to control the chrono registers, there was a single motor powering the gear train that connects the hands. Therefore, the chrono was similar to the mechanical type whereby the second hand swept at 1/5th speed with instant snap-back reset; yet it had the additional benefits of better energy efficiency, stiffer and more tactile pushers, and the ability to set the time while the chrono was running.

I was pretty much sold on this 70s-inspired piece i.e. StuckX Bullhead Blue, which costs less that RM2k (pre-order price) inclusive of courier to Malaysia...

when I saw another vintage-inspired piece utilising the same Seiko VK-series movement, that just had to make me pull the trigger. Watch out for its review as it comes to our shore in a few months' time...

Rolex Submariner : Real Life Test

I read this story from the Rolex forum and thought that it would make a great share of a tale.

Apparently, the forummer was at his local RSC looking for any good deals on a pre-owned Rolex piece, but was made amazed by a Submariner that was under repair works.

The story went that the owner was fishing on the west coast of British Columbia when the clasp of the Sub got entangled to his fishing rod, broke a pin on the bracelet and fell over-board. He immediately marked down the coordinates on his GPS.

And near to the location was a dredging barge that moved sediment from the ocean floor. He requested them to assist to dredge the area from time to time at a cost of USD85.00 per hour, and an additional USD1,000 if the watch was found.

Well, 15 months later, the barge recovered the watch during their routine dredging and voila, after 40 winds, the second hand started ticking!

How's that for a real attestant of Rolex durability!

IWC Aquatimer WR2000m Homage : Prometheus Poseidon WR3500m

In the world of horology, us collectors are bombarded with plenty of watch choices on a daily basis. So which pieces do we spend our hard-earned monies on? Occasionally, some watch makers came out with re-intepretations of classic designs; with micro-brands leading the charge when it came to such homages. But as with re-interpretations, it would be great if the original design was subjected to changes or improvements; instead of a blatant copy being replicated upon.

And henceforth came to the story of our blog today- the subject being the Prometheus Poseidon 3500m.

Prometheus Watch Company (PWC) started off in 2008 by a watch enthusiast i.e. Mr Carlos. I've read in one of his postings in a forum that his first mechanical watch was an IWC; so it may not came as a surprise that the name PWC sounded similar to IWC's. However, thank goodness the name Prometheus was registered on the dial of his watches rather than PWC. If you looked closely at the above pictures, you would easily spot that there were similarities in the Poseidon's bezel, crown, hands and lugs with that of the Aquatimer's. The dial was its own though, and the minute track between dial and rehaut was an appreciated design. The Aquatimer had a WR of 2,000m. The Poseidon stated its WR at 3,500m. Was that a typo?!

Well, the Poseidon 3500m was Carlos' most ambitious project todate, which aimed to have WR of 3,500m. While it may not be impossible to scale towards deeper and deeper WR, to do so with a small budget in mind may not be the easiest of task.

Let's take the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller 116660 with its world-renown 3,900m WR. This was Rolex's famed engineering at its best, and it had to be housed in a chunky case and carried a price tag of circa RM44k, for one to have the bragging rights of having a diver watch with such WR.

The Poseidon achieved 90% of DSSD's WR, at less than 10% of its price tag. Yup, the Poseidon retails at just Euro629/RM3,000 (or if you preferred the Bronze version at Euro675/RM3,300). That's a steal of a price if you considered its WR rating.

The mechanicals used in Prometheus watches were sourced from ETA, Seiko and Miyota (Citizen), all of which were reliable and easily-serviceable movements that could be accessed by your preferred watch smiths anywhere in the world.

Of course, Prometheus had to keep its cost low, so it utilised the mass-made Japanese movement i.e. Miyota 9015. It's a great movement wth the below specifications :

• Automatic winding and hand winding
• 28.800 BPH
• 24 Jewels
• Hour, minute and sweeping second hands
• Second stop mode (hacking function) when setting time
• Shock absorber for balance staff
• Running time of more than 42 hours when fully wound

If you prefer the Swiss ETA movement, the 2824-2 with similar specs as per the Miyota 9015 was an option too. Prometheus had the ETA 2824-2 movement fitted into the Poseidon OceanicTime LE, with an asking price of USD950/RM4,200.

The Poseidon's current dial was finalised with watch enthusiasts' comments in forums. Initially, the dial was busier as per below :

It was a 3-liner instead of the current 2-liner.

And you could gauge that there were no lug holes for changing straps as per the early prototype as per below :

No lug holes for changing straps.

Subsequently changed to allen key lug holes.

An original buckle design.

The domed sapphire glass was an added bonus.

It finally transformed into the Poseidon 3500m that it was today, pursuant to much input from watch lovers. In a subsequent blog post, I shall write about the early impression on my Prometheus Poseidon 3500m Bronze. Keep your eyes peeled here.

Poseidon 3500m Bronze- blends in, whether at pool or mamak.

Want This, Get This : IWC Aquatimer or Steinhart Ocean Two

The original article was from Gear Patrol's Want this - Get this :

If you’re like us, you have a long list of watches you’d love to own. But reality (almost) always steps in, and your desires remain unfulfilled. Gear Patrol’s series Want This, Get This presents a lust-worthy timepiece along with a more affordable alternative that scratches the same itch. With IWC’s Aquatimer due for a refresh at January’s SIHH, we bid it farewell alongside a lookalike that costs a tenth of the price.

IWC Aquatimer Automatic
The IWC Aquatimer ($5,600) has seen several redesigns in its history, but it’s always remained a highly capable dive watch with distinctly Teutonic looks from one of the few big brands in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The most recent version, which debuted in 2009, has all the hallmarks of what a solid diver needs and then some: a clean, matte black dial, scratch resistant sapphire, luminous rotating bezel, a colored minute hand to match the bezel’s 15-minute counter, and about 1,995 extra meters of water resistance than you could ever hope to use diving in your backyard pool. The brutally angular 44-millimeter case allows for a large dial and bezel, and reminds you (and others) that you have a hefty piece of dive equipment with you at all times. A watchmaker known for elegant finishing, IWC manages to combine their trademarks with robust dive-ready qualities.

BUY NOW: $5,600

Steinhart Ocean Two

The $500 to $1000 range is littered with small-time internet brands putting out homage pieces of popular, more expensive watches. To be clear, Steinhart is no exception. They make watches reminiscent of revered Rolex and Panerai pieces, among others. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with homage watches — especially with the ever increasing price tags of higher-end brands. And Steinhart does homages particularly well, with excellent build quality, high-grade Swiss movements and unique styling touches that save their watches from being mere copycats.

With the Ocean Two (~$600), Steinhart has produced a timepiece that is unmistakably similar to the IWC Aquatimer. Like its inspiration, the Ocean Two has a luminous, rotating sapphire bezel and an easy-to-read dial layout. But Steinhart added knurling to the bezel’s edge and crown to increase the oh-so-important grip…you know, for those times when you’re washing dish — er, diving shipwrecks in Scapa Flow. The dial gets a contrasting chapter ring, elegant hands and markers and a porthole date window at 6:00. The Ocean Two is powered by an elabore (high) grade ETA 2824-2 versus IWC’s modified ETA 2892, which only adds a bit of height to the movement, though we don’t think you’ll notice on a 13-millimeter-high diver. With the Ocean Two, Steinhart puts a quality watch on your wrist without making you break into a cold sweat after seeing your account balance. And it might just be prettier than the Aquatimer (shhhh).

BUY NOW: $600

Sold : 2005 Tag Heuer Kirium Ti5 (Model No : WL1180, Serial No : AQ1668) @ RM4,000

I receive 2 overseas queries with regards to my earlier post @ For Sale : Tag Heuer Kirium Ti5, as to whether the said watch was similar to some of the classifieds as seen on the Net. There was said to be 4 other Kirium Ti5 for sale in USA and Europe currently.

I would re-produce the adverts from the links that were e-mailed to me, with prices ranging up till circa RM5,700. I would confirm that my watch was similar to the other Kirium Ti5 (titanium grade 5) watches on sale; and to the best of my knowledge, it was the only piece for sale in Malaysia in the interim period. This was the highest range in the non-chrono Kirium F1 series; and you would not spot many wearing the same watch so there was some exclusivity there. And the carbon fibre dial was quite amazing to look at!

Further, I have upgraded the watch from rubber strap to bracelet for longevity of strap life; although you could still get the rubber strap from LVMH and/or online vendors. To me, the bracelet works better as you would not have the rubber strap hardened over time. I could pass the old hardened rubber strap to the new owner for comparison purposes.

This was currently the lowest-priced (RM4,000 for real) Kirium Ti5 in the world, going by the adverts of similar watches on sale over the Internet. It was in good nick, worked fine, and had a great serial no. AQ1668 if it mattered to you. I would prefer to deal COD in KL or sell within Malaysia, for easier transaction.

Do e-mail me if you were keen to pick up this elusive piece for your collection. Cheers.

2013 - 2016 : The Flip List

Some readers remarked that I seemed to flip my watches rather regularly. The thing was... I like to procure watches, run through them (some on short-term basis, others longer-term), write about them here, and see how fast they could be flipped off when the right time comes about. It's akin to different stages of a process, and I drew excitement at the different stages.

And you don't necessarily have to lose much monies from flipping watches. It all depends on the relationship that you have built-up with the ADs over the years. Case in point, I have been offered 30% off for Omega, Tag Heuer, and Bell & Ross watches from local and/or overseas ADs. The best offer was 31% off a JLC Aston Martin LE piece from RM73k to RM51k, which would have made a great buy for a JLC lover. If you were a new buyer, you could probably get about 15%-20% off. So I could then sell off my relatively new pre-owned (normally within the warranty period) at good prices, which would be a win-win situation. I get back fast cash for the next watch, while the buyer gets a relatively new watch at a great price.

The only other collector whom had amazed me with his AD discount, was a rather known collector in this circle, whom managed to get a clearance brand new Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200m at 50% off i.e. from RM28,800 to RM14,400. This must have the deal of the year, and I was still amazed till this date. Suffice to say, if I chanced upon such a deal at an AD (the Ploprof was rare as a hen's teeth so this would be more akin to wishful thinking), I would make a quick grab too.

I started on my first micro-brand purchase in 2014 (Steinhart) and 2015 (Maranez), and I might be embarking on more micro-brands in 2016 (Prometheus and StuckX came to mind). After all, you could easily read about the bigger brands in international watch review sites and magazines; but the personal reviews of micro-brands were still pretty limited. I have lots to learn, and I am not afraid to share on the findings along my path, although I may looked like the kampung boy on his first outing to town.

Right, so let's see, this was the list of the watches that had been flipped since the start of this blog in 2013. Most were bought new, while some were bought pre-owned. And if you were starting on the pre-owned route, one golden tip to strictly adhere to, was to always buy the seller and not just the watch.

Previously-flipped :

Vintage (prior to 1983) :
1)  1972 Rolex Datejust 1601;

Diver :
2)   2006 Omega Seamaster Chronometer James Bond;
3)   2007 Seiko Perpetual Calendar SNQ043;
4)   2012 Ball Hydrocarbon John Hembel Limited Edition;
5)   2012 Rolex Submariner 116610LN;
6)   2013 Seiko Monster Dracula;
7)   2013 Omega Seamaster Chronometer Planet Ocean XL;
8)   2013 Tudor Pelagos Ti5;
9)   2014 Citizen Eco-Zilla;
10) 2014 Citizen Eco-Zilla Suppa;
11) 2014 Seiko Diver Pepsi SKX009J1;
12) 2014 Orient Mechanical Force;
13) 2014 Steinhart Ocean Vintage Military;
14) 2014 Steinhart GMT-Ocean Ceramic;
15) 2014 Steinhart Ocean Forty-Four;
16) 2014 Oris Aquis Date;
17) 2014 Edox GMT-Class 1 Ti;
18) 2014 Glycine Combat Sub;
19) 2014 Tudor Heritage Black Bay;
20) 2014 Seiko Prospex Kinetic GMT;
21) 2015 Maranez Rawai;
22) 2015 Citizen Promaster DepthMaster Suppa;
23) 2015 Seiko "Bluefin" Tuna 50th Anniv;
24) 2015 Seiko "Dracula" Tuna 50th Anniv;

Aviation :
25) 2013 Seiko Sportura Aviation Alarm Chrono;
26) 2014 Bell & Ross BR01-97 Reserve De Marche;
27) 2014 Seiko Prospex Field Monster Limited Edition;

Dress/Race :
28) 2012 Rolex Datejust Diamond;
29) 2012 Oris Artelier Date;
30) 2013 Tag Heuer Carrera Chrono Caliber 16;
31) 2014 Hamilton Vintage Chrono 3828;
32) 2014 Edox Les Vauberts;
33) 2014 Certina DS Podium GMT;

Sports/Fashion :
34) 2013 Ball Fireman Night Train DLC;
35) 2014 SevenFriday P3-01 DLC;
36) 2014 Casio G-Shock Riseman;
37) 2014 Casio G-Shock Riseman Wave-Ceptor;
38) 2014 Casio G-Shock Military Camo;
39) 2014 Casio G-Shock Digi-Analog.

From the above list, the top 3 pieces that were notably missed would probably be :

1) Tudor Pelagos Ti5;
2) Omega Seamaster Chronometer James Bond; and
3) Ball Hydrocarbon "Mad Cow" LE.