I have the above International Watch Works-customized Seiko 6309. It’s been bead blasted, and has a sapphire crystal, with Plongeur hands. It was re-lumed, re-lubed, and timed. And Jack Alexyon, owner of IWW (click here to go to IWW’s website), stepped into the back room behind the curtain and did something that made it accurate […]

Seiko has made more than one true, certifiable masterpiece. Ones displayed in the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City. This is the story of one. It was designed not by one modern master of 20th century industrial design, but by two, Achille Castiglioni and Max Huber. Beat that.

The Alessi Record model […]

Editor’s note:
I recently wrote an article about the font on my Ricoh pocket watch being based on the handwriting of Thomas Jefferson. In comments to the article, my GMT+9 colleague Tempus Fugitive (Jim) asked for more information about the font. Part of our goal at GMT+9 is to raise awareness of […]

I acquired the two pocket watches above several years ago and I must admit a tinge of nostalgia each time I get reacquainted with them. The watch on the left features a central seconds hand and a 21,600 beats per hour (bph) movement. The other watch has its seconds indicator at the six o’clock position, […]

Today I want to showcase a Ricoh quartz pocket watch in many ways similar to the Riki Watanabe Alba I wrote about last week. This one is another example of Japanese ingenuity, and was designed and created in a spirit of democracy.

The watch is one of my favorites. I bought it new old stock (NOS) […]

Editor’s note:
Anyone who considers himself a serious aficionado of Japanese timepieces has certainly heard the name Katsuhisa Higuchi. Katsu-san, as he is known to friends and customers who shop online at www.higuchi-inc.com, has earned an enviable reputation as one of the “go to” guys for those who covet exquisite Japanese timepieces only sold in Japan’s […]

In just four short months, GMT+9 has become an international WIS sensation, drawing avid readers from every corner of the globe. Where do you—our deeply appreciated visitors and friends—all come from? The answer is an amazing reflection of our modern digital age.

The GMT+9 community now includes enthusiasts of Japanese watches from 1129 cities in 93 […]

The saying you get what you pay for contains a touch of cynicism, but is often true. It almost always means something cheap in price is bound to disappoint. To expect anything else is naive.
Alba model AABS028 is an encouragement to those who wish to think differently. It was designed by Riki Wantanabe, one of […]

Editor’s Note:
Most GMT+9 blog readers probably know Kohei Saito as a prominent Seiko collector and moderator of the TimeZone Seiko Forum. What many may not realize is Kohei is a highly respected collector of Swiss watches too.
Kohei’s vast knowledge of horology enables him to discuss various iterations of Lemania 5100-based watches just as comfortably […]