Casio G-Shock MTG-G1000 : The Real GPS Wave-Ceptor (Middle)

A G-Shock enthusiast wrote to me the other day about this exact watch in the above picture. Apparently, he had been hunting for a new piece at G-Shock boutiques after reading about an earlier entry @ http://andywristwatches.blogspot.com/2018/08/gps-hybrid-wave-ceptor-casio-g-shock.html. Lo and behold, he finally found a piece last weekend. However, it was a shop display set that was recently transferred from another outlet to KL, and was being discounted at RM5,499 given its condition. This meant substantial savings compared to the regular RRP : RM7,200.

These were the models in the MTG-series i.e. G1000, S1000, and B1000. G1000 was the premium model with a hefty price tag, while B1000 was the entry-level model into the exclusive MTG ownership.

You could still get these watches new vide Amazon though- G1000 @ USD1,570, S1000 @ USD900, and B1000 @ USD800.

G1000 RRP : USD1,570

B1000 RRP : USD800

S1000 RRP : USD900

The display set piece had some hard scratches and as the G1000 model had since been discontinued in favour of the cheaper B1000 and S1000, which would appeal more to the masses with the lower price tag (but lower specs too). The reader asked if I could drop by the shop and take a look at the condition for him. Since the shop was not far from my home, I decided to accede to his request.

This was the B1000 and for a price tag of less than RM3k, it was a pretty good proposition.

Looking at the G1000 display set, it would appeared that the watch had indeed seen better days. The salesperson checked the system and confirmed that the model had been discontinued, and that the one in his shop was likely the only remaining new piece in the country.

Check out the size of this macho MTG!

As the eagle-eyed G-Shock enthusiast might have spotted, the G1000 came in a regular (read : large) size for G-Shock watches. One could definitely felt its weight and it looked decidedly premium, with massive presence on one's wrist. 

The B1000 on the other hand, was the downsized version- the Baby-G of the MTG series, if you will. Along with the down-sizing of size, it also had its feature watered down such that it no longer packed the GPS hybrid wave-ceptor. While the G1000 would auto-adjust its time anywhere in the world vide GPS connection, the B1000 needed Bluetooth connectivity to one's phone, or radio frequency to auto-adjust its time.

Think of it as the Ford F150 Raptor vs the Ranger if you will. Both would do the job, but the F150 would bring you to the intended location with style and presence, and opened up more doors amongst the well-heeled.

F150 Raptor could swagger into the yacht club parking at ease...

while the Ranger might be re-directed into the public carparks and plantation estates.

Given the technological advancements of the G1000, I would say that it would still be worth the add into one's collection, especially if he was a jet-setter and wanted a premium watch that could survive the snake pit of the typical boardroom, as well as the jungles of Borneo. Plus the exclusivity that came with it meant that you would not worry about bumping into anyone else sporting the same watch, unlike that of the more affordable G-Shock pieces.

I have this piece in my collection, but it has not really seen much wrist time as I tend to go for the automatic-winding movement watches. 

Therefore, if any collectors were interested in a 1-year old LNIB G1000, you could pick up mine for a song, and never worry about setting your watch anywhere in the world again.

Review : Merkur S/Steel Tuna Version 2.0 (SBBN015 Homage)

Further to the review on Sharkey's BT2.0 @ https://andywristwatches.blogspot.com/2018/12/review-sharkey-bronze-tuna-version-20.html, here was the second part in relation to the Merkur stainless steel Tuna version 2.0 ("ST2.0").

Merkur shot to fame with their Miyota-based SBDX017 homage some years back, with purchasers commenting that the quality was a notch higher compared to the Seiko-based similar homage from Sharkey, LTM, Hima, and the likes. They tend to produce in smaller quantities with a view to maintain quality control, so it was no surprise that their products tend to be sold-out relatively quickly.

I contacted its promoter during the design stage on ST2.0, and the piece incorporated some key features that modders like us tend to upgrade on stock Seiko watches that we purchase. Movement was vide the popular NH35A, it had a lumed bezel insert like that of the LCBI, and sapphire crystal was supplied in lieu of the lower spec hardlex crystal.

Therefore, for the sub-RM1k affordable price range that it was going for, one would be getting a lot of watch for the price indeed.

The Swiss C3 lume was generously applied such that the end result would give Seiko Lumibrite a run for its monies. Placed next to my SLA021J1, it could truly hold its own despite costing only circa 7% of the Seiko's Malaysia RRP : RM15,050 price tag.

As could be seen from the above pictures, the CNC stainless steel parts were of good quality with good finishing and fittings. The sapphire crystal was an appreciated upgrade over Seiko's hardlex and coupled with the robust NH35A work horse, time-keeping as observed over the 24 hours that I had the ST2.0 proved to be convincing, which was not surprising actually given Seiko's reputation. Merkur gave an international 1-year warranty towards its watches. 

All in all, this had been a great purchase towards the study on the design and I had taken the necessary measurements of the parts in order to assist me towards the proposed goal. At this point in time, I'm still unsure if I would keep this homage piece stock or mod it further into the Seiko Tuna that I envisioned.

In the meantime, do enjoy more pictures of the piece :

Review : Sharkey Bronze Tuna Version 2.0 (SBBN015 Homage)

NB : After getting this Tuna, I have decided to throw caution to the wind and net the massive SBDX014 Tuna instead. Will need to work on strengthening the wrist further then ;p

Readers would remember that I was pondering over some custom jobs for an automatic SBBN015 Tuna equivalent with an automatic NH35A movement some months back; and while I had located an Indonesian-based watchsmith i.e. Pak Ridwan whom could hand-make bronze and stainless steel Tuna cases, the relatively high cost (app USD500 per case, excluding cost of a genuine Seiko Sumo for him to harvest the parts) had me on second thoughts. For instance, if I were to utilise a Sumo as the base, I could be looking at circa RM4k as the overall cost. Some of his artworks included the following :

Over the years, I had been purchasing quite a few pieces of micro brand watches as I wanted to study on the reverse engineering and works involved. A goal that I had at the back of my mind, was to  some day tinker about and come out with a watch design based on the Seiko NH35A / ETA 2824-2 / Sellita SW200, that could serve as a common base for easy modding works with lots of available parts in the current market.

And earlier the week, I met a fellow watch enthusiast whom had a similar dream and he in turn had a few friends whom wanted to pool resources together towards such a project; so there could be some synergy working towards this end.

One of the design that I had always been intrigued with was the Tuna, specifically along the dimensions of the SBBN015 given its wearability (compared to the more massive SBDX014 Emperor Tuna); but instead of a quartz movement like that of the SBBN015, I wanted the Tuna to have an automatic movement like that of the NH35A.

As I researched about this matter, I found references towards Sharkey and Merkur, both of which produced homage watches including that of the Tuna. I contacted the promoter; and while Sharkey's version 2.0 design was purely based on what the factory had in mind, Merkur's version 2.0 was still under the pre-production stage so certain tweaks could be done. I ordered both the version 2.0 designs to gauge the end products.

This blog entry would review Sharkey's Bronze Tuna 2.0 ("BT2.0"), while a subsequent entry would review Merkur's. For starters, both watches were in the sub-RM1k price range and for that affordable price, one would be getting a lot of watch for that price. Do note that there would be another 5% SST charge on the inward parcels as documented @ https://andywristwatches.blogspot.com/2018/12/international-parcel-hub-lcct-5-sst-on.html.

I was a fan of LCBI lumed ceramic bezels and while Sharkey did not give the option of ceramic bezel insert on the bronze piece, they were able to lume the insert compared to the initial offerings. And the  Swiss C3 lume was generously applied such that the end result did give Seiko Lumibrite a run for its monies.

As could be seen from the above pictures, the CNC bronze parts were of good quality with good finishing and fittings. The sapphire crystal was an appreciated upgrade over Seiko's hardlex and coupled with the robust NH35A work horse, time-keeping as observed over the 24 hours that I had the BT2.0 proved to be convincing, which was not surprising actually given Seiko's reputation. 

All in all, this had been a great purchase towards the study on the design and I had taken the necessary measurements of the parts in order to assist me towards the proposed goal. At this point in time, I'm still unsure if I would keep this homage piece stock or mod it further into the Seiko Tuna that I envisioned.

In the meantime, do enjoy more pictures of the piece :