WristWatching

2015 was the year that smart watches taken flight. Started in 2001, The first few smart watches out in the market lacked integration with our daily lifestyle devices and hence have been generally unpopular amongst the general public back then.

Today, smart watches have not only integrated with our lifestyle devices but our daily activities as well. They have proved to be functional and a form of luxurious convenience to our lives.

Taking a break from one of those big brands out there like Omega and Rolex could prove to be not such a bad thing if you actually took sometime to look at what some Indie watchmakers offer.

As fancy as your AP and Cartier pieces are, it doesn't mean that indie watchmakers can't rival them in terms of build quality when they obviously already attain a huge victory over this big brands in terms of affordability.

Homage timepieces are pieces that are normally inspired by a more costly timepiece which is normally out of reach for majority of collectors due to the hefty price tag.

Do not confuse homage pieces with replicas as they are not quite the same. In fact, very different.

Started off as pocket watches with bracelets, wrist watches has been around for many many years with many many different perspectives on its true purpose on the wrist. Today, I will give you a brief insight on my watch collection as of now.

It struck me that the Seiko 6105-8110 will never to complete without the vintage waffle strap from Seiko, the ZLM01.

Commonly recognized as the bond on a tight budget watch, the Seiko Sea Urchin might deceive onlookers from afar.

Overwhelmed by its sheer weight and size, the Seiko SLD005p takes the crown for the largest watch I've ever put on my wrist till date. It measures up to a whopping 52mm. The fact that little people knows about this amazing diver shows that Seiko has a great multitude of amazing wrist watches to offer yet to be discovered by the general public of watch fanatics.

Born from the Seiko 7S movement, both the 6R and the 4R have way superior specifications as compared to its predecessor. But which is better?

A simple Google search will tell you that the 6R is way more superior than the 4R. But Why?

Having tried the 4R15,4R36 and the 6R15, Im here to give my thoughts about each of the movements


(4R15) VS (4R35,4R36)
The functional difference between the 4R15 and the 4R35/4R36 is that the latter offers handwind and hacking in its movement. But why is the 4R15 deemed as more desirable instead?

The 4R15 have the exact same mainspring as the 6R15, giving it 50 hours of power reserve which is 9 hours more than the 4R36 which uses the traditional mainspring. Moreover, the accuracy of 4R36 is -25/+35 compared to the -15/+25 that the 4R15 and 6R15 offers.

(4R15) VS (6R15) VS (4R35, 4R36)

Effectively, getting a 6R15 is like getting a 4R36 with improved power reserve and accuracy as it has handwind and hacking.

The 6R15 is also the 4R15 with hand wind and hacking.

The 6R15 is probably like getting the best of 4R15 and 4R36 combined.

If you can afford the 6R15, go straight for it. If not, go with the 4R15. If you just started looking at watches, maybe you can start with a 4R35 or 4R36

I was Graced with the opportunity to help restore a 6105, the holy grail for Seiko lovers, I'm really excited to see this timeless beauty come back to life.

I went ahead to K2 Watch co, a well renowned Seiko repairman in Singapore. Located at Tanjong Katong complex, its a 5 minute walk away from Paya Lebar. If you have vintage Seikos that need servicing and you're situated in Singapore, do swing by!


Apparently i learnt from him that this 6105 didn't have original hands and lume. Other than that, the dial, the movement, the bracelet and the case were all original. The movement is rather rusty but its not something that Mr Goh can't fix.

If you're looking for a watch that is extremely reliable that requires no battery changing and no servicing that is absolutely affordable, please read on. Oh and also if good looking is in one of the requirements of the watch you're looking for as well, please hear me out.

Citizen Eco drive E101-S064783 is the answer to all your requirements mentioned above.



Solar powered, it charges up with any kind of light, be it natural or artificial. A full charge will enable you to keep time roughly for about 6 months in the dark.

Equipped with a low charge warning function, the seconds hand will move in an erratic fashion during low charges. On the other hand, it comes with a over charge function to prevent damage to the lithium ion battery inside.

Besides being so functional to people leading busy lives, this watch always helps dress up their wrists. The orange just compliments the matte black case so well.

Discontinued since 2008, the samurai has been around for 11 years. This iconic watch that captivated the hearts of many Seiko fans comes in many different versions. But, I will be focusing on the black titanium version in this post.

The Samurai got its nickname from it's sword-like hands. One of the most attractive hands on a dial in my opinion. However, I feel that its nickname fits the its clean and sleek look as well.

Sounding like something that came from star trek, this watch is as likeable as the film franchise. However, as unbelievable as it seems, this watch has been discontinued.This rare gem that previously costs about $200-$300 now will cost you $500-$600 due to the huge demand.

Owning this watch is like having the best of both worlds. Having the dial of a pilot watch and a case of a diver watch is how it got its name. Its just like having a spoon and a fork combined together, giving you a spork!

The spork is one of the first few pieces that were fitted with the Seiko 4R15 movement. The 4R15 movement is basically the 7S25 with an upgraded mainspring that allows it to have a longer power reserve just like the 6R15. However, I still find it a bummer since it doesn't have the hand-wind option like the 6R15. I mean, who doesn't like having options in life?

More importantly, it doesn't have hacking! That would mean that I won't be able to stop the second hand to synchronize the time with atomic time and also significantly harder to track the accuracy of the timepiece.

                               

The emperor tuna! The best way to describe it is to call it a Rolex in a tuna can. Besides looking so good, its also driven by the best Seiko has to offer.

Using Seiko's 8L35 movement which beats at 28800 vibrations per hour, the accuracy of this masterpiece is remarkable at +15 to -10 seconds per day.

The reason behind this remarkable accuracy is obvious. The 8L35 movement by Seiko is used in Grand Seiko models as well!


                                 
The emperor tuna lives up to his name by also being huge. Measuring 52mm in case diameter is not why its so huge. Its huge because of its 17.4mm case thickness!! Imagine how huge it is compared to the already big sumo with 13.5mm thickness. So if you're thinking of formal wear with this watch you can probably dismiss that thought right now.

But its perfectly understandable why it has to be so thick. It has to withstand the immense pressure at 1000m deep underwater. How can any normal watch do that?


As usual, Seiko's Lumibrite technology never fails to amaze me.
                                       

Its lume is able to glow like stars with just a little light exposure. The lume on this will last 3-5 hours with just a little bit of natural lighting. I really like how Seiko is not stingy with the paint on the hands and the indices.


Although I do not currently own a Seiko Emperor tuna because its obviously not cheap, I will probably work towards one and hopefully get it one day! In my opinion, probably one of the best dive watches you can get your hands on. If you can afford, don't hesitate!

Bookmark this page as I will update this page more regularly in future. 

                               


Driven by the 6R15 movement, the Seiko sumo is a beauty with an impeccable ability to keep time. Beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour, it has an impressive power reserve of up to 50 hours thanks to the spron 510 spring.

The Spron 510 spring is used in mid range and higher Seiko movements. That is probably the reason why they are Japanese exclusive pieces.

Owning one of these absolute beauty, I have got to say that the weight and the feel of the brushed steel feels surreal for a watch that costs 600SGD.

But I guess that is what Seiko's goal is. Making accurate quality time pieces affordable for everyone.

I really like intricate details which they put effort into making, like the S engraving on the crown.


                     

I mean, that just shows how much pride they put into their work.

The lug of the watch is 20mm. Pretty small for a 45mm watch if you ask me. At first I had my doubts about what it would look like with the huge difference. However, I am pleasantly surprised by its size as it complimented my tiny wrist incredibly well.


                               

The consistent brushed finish for the sumo case back is delightful to look at as well. However, due to the engravings, dirt and dead skin is normally a hassle to clean as they get stuck inside. Constant cleaning is needed to make sure that no dirt gets trapped in the engravings.

When I'm free, I love to rotate the bezel to listen to the crisp click sounds as it rotates. The sumo, like all Seiko divers are know for their crisp bezel actions which makes it such a joy to play with when I'm just trying to kill time.

Overall, I would recommend this watch to anyone because its one of the watches that is worth every single cent paid for. In my opinion, the only thing its missing is a power reserve indicator to make it the perfect sumo.

I hope you enjoyed my review and do swing by again to check out my updates!