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Review of Citizen Scuba Fin BN0095-08E

I like it when the watch manufacturers give nicknames to their own products.  Saves all the arguing and hurt feelings for watch forum members with nothing more important to be concerned about. 

 

Some Comments about the Seiko Orange Monster SKX781

I wasn’t planning on writing a review of the Seiko Monster. Its been around for so many years and there’s been so many owners that the internet is already saturated with bad-ass Monster content. But its been a slow year and I’m running out of watches to write reviews for.

Review of Seiko Solar Diver SNE107

When it comes to Professional Diver's, quartz models are slim pickings so when I see something interesting I want to give it a try. I had been looking for something with a 3 o'clock crown, traditional case shape with a budget price tag for a while. I decided to give the Seiko SNE107 a spin.

Next Time Bring a Seiko for Space Travel

Or a Casio.  Or maybe even a Citizen.  Have any Citizen watches been to space?  I don't know.

Anyway. Happened across this video of astronaut Don Pettit making a repair to his Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 while aboard the International Space Station.  Not only did the crown break, but one of the buttons actually detached from the watch and was found later in a filter.

Now the video is a demonstration of Don Pettit repairing his watch under zero gravity conditions with a random assortment of tools.  I think I can hear the Omega fan bois already posturing with the, "Fuck yeah!  Omega X-33 is so cool you can fix it in outerspace with duct tape and a Leatherman!".  However, I may be in the minority which thinks that this the watch should not have broken in the first place and it is not a very impressive demonstration by a watch designed for use in space. Floating debris actually poses a significant risk for critical damage of space station equipment.

Don't get me wrong.  I think the X-33 is a cool watch.  But if I had one and happened to be going to space, I think I'd leave it on terra firma and bring something more reliable instead.

Kudos to Dan Pettit.

Omega Fail.

Seiko Kinetic Battery Replacement (5M42, 5M62)

My father had an old Seiko Kinetic sitting dead in his drawer.  It is a 5M42 which was an early generation model with a capacitor and a 14 day power reserve.  The current calibers of today (5M62 for example) have transitioned to rechargeable batteries with 6 months or greater power reserves.

I offered to try to fix it for him.  I typically don't do repair jobs for people as I break the watch more often than actually fixing it.  But since this one was sitting unused for at least 10 years and I have since replaced it with several other watches for my father, I thought there's be no harm in the potential failure of fixing this kinetic.  Since I could get the second hand moving with some shaking of the watch, I figured all it needed was a new power cell.

Review of Citizen Signature Flyback Chrono AV1000-57A

The Citizen Signature Collection was introduced in 2009 to North America, UK and Caribbean markets and was positioned under the Campanola luxury line. The Signature line features a cohesive design superior fit and finishing with hand assembly. A variety of Eco-Drive calibers are utilized and both men’s and women’s models are included in the line. Since its launch Citizen has been very controlling not only with the selection of authorized dealers eligible to sell this line but also with the simple availability of pictures of the models outside of the dedicated website. http://www.citizen-signature.com/

For the longest time the Signatures didn’t do much for me. I thought they were interesting but priced outside of my normal limit. The one day I discovered a little jewelry shop near my house was an AD so I stopped in for a visit and was pleasantly surprised. Having seen all the models in hand it became easier to justify the expense.

Of the models available, I would say that the Grand Complication, Flyback Chronograph and Moonphase Flyback Chronograph are the gems. The Diver and Perpetual Calendar models are nice and have the essence of the line, but at a little bit of a step down in the level of specialness. The Moonphase is very well done with a very subtle level of finishing on the dial that must be seen in person to fully appreciate. The Grand Complication probably has the most interesting caliber but is on the thick side to accommodate the special caseback necessary for the chimes to be heard from the repeater complication.

Do It Yourself (DIY) Mechanical Watch Demagnetization -- Video

My kid magnetized my Seiko Orange Monster (SKX781).  I was sitting on the sofa minding my own business and he runs up and slaps a strong bar magnet he was using for his science fair project right on top of my watch.

It was just for a second, I thought.

Professional divers are anti-magnetic, I thought.

Well I was wrong.

Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT Chronograph SBGC001

Compliments of JapanWatchConnection.

Much more after the jump.

Seiko Astron GPS Real Life Pictures and Video

Spotted these real life pictures and video of the Seiko Astron GPS watch.  Looks interesting.  Not as large as I was expecting and the finishing is impressive.  Check out the action of the second hand in the video.  Cool!

Video from leloche






Click to see pictures from Yabucchi Blog.