Seiko SCEB009 Bulhead Chronograph Video

Spotted a video of the Seiko SCEB009 Bullhead Chronograph on youtube.  It looks really good!

Hajime Asaoka -- Independent Japanese Watchmaker

Just read a great article on Purist Pro about Hajime Asaoka who is an independent Japanese watchmaker.  Self taught and a true watchmaker who not only makes all his own parts, but also many of the machines are made by him as well.  He is completely capable of designing, fabricating, finishing, and assembling all parts completely by himself.  Truly an incredible individual.  The post is definitely worth the read.

Click HERE to read the article.

Seiko Bullhead Chronograph Reissue

Seiko will be releasing reissue models of the vintage bullhead style chronograph of the 70’s. The bullhead nickname is derived from the location of the pushers at the top of the watch case which if you use your imagination, look like the horns on a bull. Uniquely styled, it does make the use of the pushers easier, especially for lefties.

SCEB009

WatchRecon

When you buy a lot of watches, it is inevitable that you will eventually look for opportunities to buy and sell second hand.  Craig's List and other local sites offer great opportunities for face to face cash transactions but have a audience with limited familiarity with watches.  EBay is the exact opposite situation and comes with a high transaction overhead.

Watch forums are a great avenue for second hand sales.  Unlike many other hobby forums, membership is free and no special privileges are required for sales listings.  There is a captive, well discriminating audience.  The problem with forums is the seemingly fanatical popularity of a limited menu of models and brands and also with the large number of forums all over the internet means considerable time required to shop around each one individually.

There's nothing we can do with anal retentive, myopic members, but web crawlers can help scan the forums and create a one stop shopping experience.  There are several crawlers out there, but my favorite is one called WatchRecon.  The website for WatchRecon can be found HERE.   WatchRecon scans all the popular sales sites and presents the user with listings including a picture, price, and seller's location provided that information is in the original listing.  The site search engine allows the user to search for brand, seller's name and location and even filter by price and date of listing.  WatchRecon is also available as an app for Android which can be found HERE.  The Android app offers not only same functions as  the web site, but also allows the user to program to receive notifications when a saved search yields hits.  This feature is particularly useful when you are looking for something rare.

For up to date information on WatchRecon, check out the Facebook page HERE where you will find that an Apple iOS app is in the works.

Just a final note that I don't have any affiliation with WatchRecon.  Just recommending the site to my readers.

Have fun and happy hunting.

Seiko: The Star Wars Collection

Jikan Watch Blog is always two steps ahead of all other so called "Watch Source Information" websites and here this morning we are pleased to serve a fresh breakfast brunch of the latest watch related news coming out of Japan to our loyal readers. Today is no exception, as Seiko Japan earlier announced a very cool "Star Wars" themed collection of limited edition timepieces highlighting some of the main characters shown in all 6 releases of this world famous movie franchise. If you happen to be a Star Wars fan, read on.

The Return of the Grand Seiko "Milgauss"

Grand Seiko "Red Logo" SBGX089 Limited Edition

(Photo: Seiko Watch Corporation)

That's right folks, Seiko Japan announced earlier this morning the return of the high performance anti-magnetic Grand Seiko watches after a hiatus of several years from the Japan domestic market. In the press release, Seiko announces the release of two new "Red Logo" models, one quartz sporting the thermo compensated caliber 9F61 with no date display (Rated to -/+ 10 seconds a year) and one mechanical model using the caliber 9S65 movement (Rated to +5/-3 seconds per day). There will be a total of  four variants (2 quartz and 2 mechanical) being introduced as follows:

Orient Star Classic Retrograde

Orient doesn't seem to get the attention that it used to a few years ago.  Its a shame really because most models deliver excellent value.

The Orient Star line is positioned as a mid range level of quality, construction and price.  I have an old model Orient Star Classic and it is a excellent piece.  Long over due for a review.  Easily at the level of a Seiko SARB.  Without question.

The Retrograde models were released a couple of years ago.  I never owned one, but I wanted to.  Based on pictures alone, I would say these are at the top of the line for the Stars.  Excellent casework and bracelet.  Ornate dial.  Sophisticated movement.  To be able to buy this for under $900 US is incredible.  Swiss made would easily cost double.

Click through to see more pictures and fantastic videos from Watch Tanaka and Orient USA.

Video Review Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT SBGE001

Japanwatchconnection has shared a video review of his Seiko Spring Drive GMT SBGE001.  See the previous entry for this model HERE.

Click through to see the video of this gorgeous model.

Casio Edifice 2012 Brand Book

Casio has released an online catalog for the Edifice line. Some interesting models. I've always wanted to try an Edifice, but never have.

Edifice 2012 Brand Book

EQWA1110DC-1 looks the most interesting to me.  Cool vintage 70's chronograph style with cutting edge solar charged and atomic reception inside.  A quick read of the manual shows that the main hands are actually used for the chronograph instead of the subdials and it is has memory for 10 lap times on the chronograph.  Alarm and world timer functions too.

Hands On Comparison Seiko Monsters New and Old

Redirecting to a blog entry from SJX with a hands on comparison of the new and old model Seiko Monsters.

Changes include not only the improved 4R36 caliber with hacking and handwinding, but also several cosmetic changes as well including a knurled crown, case finishing and a cleaner dial with less text and chrome trimmed index markers.  The painting of the hands also looks different and much better than the original.  The sloppy painting of the Monster hands always irritated.  It is obvious on so many examples and you can even see in his pictures the mispainted edges of the hour hand on the original Monster.  New Monster hands also look to be matte with a slight texture as opposed to the glossy finish on the original.

Already having an Orange Monster, I don't know if these changes motivate me enough to get the new model.  But in a time of major discontinuation of models by Seiko, especially Professional Diver's, its good to see Seiko recognize the popularity of this model and breathe new life into it.

For original post with lots of pictures, click HERE.