Orvis has a special place in many a fly fisherman’s heart. They make high-quality rods and reels, and brand loyalty among fans is strong. Orvis doesn’t make their own watches, they contract with companies, including Citizen, to make watches with the Orvis brand name on them. Yesterday I was lucky to find one of their field watches in excellent condition at a thrift store for $12.99.

My watch is the Orvis Zambeiz and retails for just under $70. It has a Japanese (Citizen) quartz watch movement. Several things about this model — and my particular watch — impress me.

The watch rides close to the wrist, its 34 mm wide case feels heavy and solid. It has a sapphire crystal, hands outlined in black for easy daytime viewing, and a nice crown. The movement feels good and tight when setting time or date.

On the down side, the watch is only rated at 5 ATM (165 feet water resistant), and the luminous paint on the hands doesn’t glow. Those are two pretty important things for a fisherman; a watch that is highly water proof, and that is easy to read in low light. But Orvis advertises this watch as a “casual” model, and for that purpose it shines.

It has a screwback case back, with the word “Orvis” in large print. Basically, you could consider this watch on par with a better Swatch, or a sub-$100 Citizen or Pulsar — with the important caveat that a Pulsar would have excellent luminous and water resistance.

While on the subject of those two Japanese makers, let me point out Orvis offers a hand winding chronograph for around $150 in their catalog. I don’t know who makes the movement (Swiss?) — but it just goes to show Seiko or Citizen *could* make a low-priced automatic or manual wind chronograph if they wanted.

Back to my watch, the strap tells me this watch was worn a bit by someone. But the case is in excellent shape, without a mark on it. The previous owner probably wore it for a few years, until the battery wore out, and decided replacing the band and battery cost more than the watch was worth. So it was “caught and released.”

I’m happy to snag this watch and it’s gonna be fun to wear. It’s a keeper — I won’t throw it back. If you’re interested in getting an Orvis catalog, click here.

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I received this Casio G-Shock GW-9200 yesterday and posted a couple of pictures of it on the Watchuseek G-Shock Forum.  “Bluegum”, one of the posters replied that it looks like “…the watch Batman would use.”  That description struck a chord with me and perfectly illustrates something I like (and I bet others dislike) about G-Shocks.

Because the watches are covered in plastic jackets, Casio can easily create a lot of angles, bevels, engravings and protrusions on the watch.  Similar, I’d say, to something like a Batmobile!

photo - Keith Lovern

Check out the Batmobile from the ‘Batman Begins’ movie.  Look at all the superfluous bulges, angles and (probably) un-needed styling cues.  I see the same thing in many of my G-Shocks.  While I can understand that some think of this style as crass, like the Batmobile, I interpret it as a fun excercise in design.

Take a look at the pictures below and see if you think this is a watch that Batman would use.  I think this watch would look great being worn inside a Batmobile.

GMT+9 reader “Tom” recently picked up the gorgeous new Grand Seiko Quartz SBGT021.  He was kind enough to send us some pictures along with a few words about the watch and his purchase.

Here’s what he had to say:

I owned a SBGT015 with the gold dial for about five years and was recently looking for another quartz or Spring Drive Grand Seiko with a black face. I wanted a watch with LumiBright, so my initial choices were the antimagnetic SBGX045 or the new Spring Drive GS Diver.

The antimagnetic GS is a fine piece with highly polished titanium making it look almost like a stainless steel watch.  However, the lack of the date feature was a major drawback.  The Spring Drive diver is also impressive, but it was just too big and macho for my mostly sedentary office lifestyle; I’d say the watch is as big as a Rolex Sea-Dweller.

I knew the SBGT027 would be available in early June, so I decided to check it out at a Grand Seiko Master Shop, thinking it would not be too big a deal as I’ve seen some PR material on it, and the watch is essentially the same as my SBGT015.  I was proven wrong when I saw the watch in person!

The white/silver dial on the SBGT027 gave it a cleaner, compact look versus the “luxurious” gold dial on my SBGT015.  The blue steeled second hand contributed in giving the watch a cool look and I was sold by the specially calibrated 9F83 movement advertised to deliver +/- 5 seconds per year accuracy with a free two-year calibration service from Seiko.

I also liked the fact that this is a numbered, 300 unit limited edition with a specially engraved, gold plated case back.  The deal was clinched when the watch dealer gave me a trade-in offer I couldn’t refuse.

Although it was sad to part with the SBGT015 which had been through a lot with me the past five years, it really didn’t feel as though I was getting a completely different watch either. I’ve worn the watch now for less than two weeks, so I can’t vouch for its accuracy yet, but I am counting on it to deliver better performance than my SBGT015 which at its best was +6 seconds or so a year. Also, this April, Seiko has officially started offering overhaul services for cases and bands in addition to movement overhauls for GS, Credor and Galante lines giving me some hope that I will be with the SBGT027 longer than the time spent with my SBGT015.

Special thanks to Tom for providing us with his impressions and photos!

Click above

Here is another recent G-Shock commercial from Japan, this one made with Japanese youth brand X-Large Clothing. I like the hip-hop tune in the “old-school” style. Enjoy!

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The Citizen models like the one above had an ultra-stealthy look — just the single word “CITIZEN” on the dials. Aside from the detailed case polish there was no hint the watches were special. And they had plain casebacks. But these were high-flying birds, with the most accurate quartz movement in regular production beating in their chests.

Four years ago the simple design changed. The first generation was discontinued and a second brood hatched. It’s the current production model, and features flashier hands and hour markers with the word “Chronomaster” on the dial in cursive script. And the caseback is fanciful. Nested there is a raised-bird-logo with the letter “C” on its breast.

A vintage Citizen from the late 1960s is the ancestor of the second generation. One sold last week on Yahoo! Japan Auctions for about $500. It’s also called the “Chrono Master,” and had an almost identical bird logo on the caseback.

The vintage Citizen Chrono Master was in competition with ’60s-era Grand Seiko and its gold-lion-logo caseback. The decision in 2004 to use the word “Chronomaster” on the dial of current The Citizen watches, and to use the bird logo on the caseback, continues the rivalry.

The Citizen is a favorite of our friends over on the High-end Quartz Forum because of +/- 5 seconds per year thermo-compensated-movement accuracy and classical styling. The original Chrono Master mechanical movement watch is a rare bird, so after it flew the auction coop, GMT+9 captured pictures here to document the genealogy.

Download a The Citizen catalog for more.

Photos:

1. Watch-Tanaka

2. asaitokei/Citizen Japan

3 & 4. explorer1_1968

5. Citizen Japan

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Seiko released information and photos on its Japanese Web site about four of its Grand Seiko designers. They are, from left, [Nobuhiro] Kosugi, Toshiro Matsubara, Eichi Hiratani, and Shinichiro Kubo. This post features Kosugi.

Kosugi is a designer of both the Grand Seiko Classic Line, and the Grand Seiko New Line.

The Grand Seiko Classic Line

The Classic Line includes the Grand Seikos pictured below. According to Kosugi, the Classic Line features watches that are “beautiful, gentle, have a feeling of warmth and practicality with classic lines.” In addition, they use dome-shaped (box) sapphire crystals specially designed for Grand Seiko. Seiko Japan worked for years on developing the glass to Grand Seiko standards of cut, thickness, and polish. Development of the glass began in 1996 and concluded in 2001 with the release of Grand Seiko SBGW001. Watches in the Classic Line use 9S Handwinding or Automatic/Handwinding movements.

The Grand Seiko New Line

Kosugi also designed — along with a design team of three other designers not named, and project leader Naoto Fukasawa — the Grand Seiko New Line models pictured below. The distinguishing characteristics of a watch in the New Line are the crown protector, and hour indices on the dial that have curved corners, rather than straight rectangular lines. Watches in the New Line use 9F or 4J Quartz, or 9R Spring Drive movements, and include both mens’ and women’s versions.

One fan of Kosugi’s designs is Japanese blogger Takaki Kuwahara. He shows photos of his Grand Seiko model SBGA015 Spring Drive from the New Line on his Web site at kuwahara.org.

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A Grand Seiko Fair will take place from Wednesday, July 2 through Tuesday, July 15 at Takashimaya Department Store in Nagoya, Japan. The 13-floor-high department store is part of the Nagoya Japan Railway Train Station complex (which has restaurants, beauty salons and barber shops at the top on the 51st floor).

The Takashimaya Watch & Clock Department is located on the 10th floor. Also found on the 10th floor are the store’s kimono shop and the jewelry department, along with an art gallery and exhibition hall. A special event is planned there on Saturday, July 5.

From 2 p.m., and again at 4 p.m., Mr. Junya Kamijyo (pictured below) from Seiko Epson Company’s “Shinshu Toki-no Takumi Kobo” (Horological Craftsmanship Section) will demonstrate how Grand Seiko Spring Drive watch movements are assembled. You may recognize Kamijyo-san’s picture from Seiko Japan videos that feature the Grand Seiko watchmaking section.

For those wanting to learn a bit more about Nagoya, you may want to look at an article GMT+9 featured about Alba watches last fall.

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Editor’s note:

Thought some might enjoy diving deeper into the Seiko Spring Drive Diver’s Watch movie. Perhaps this translation will give you a feeling of how these are being marketed in Japan. Click on the image above for the full translation. Enjoy!

***

Know the attraction of the

Spring Drive Diver’s Watch

With Seiko Diver’s Watch techniques

and Spring Drive’s high dependability,

merged into a supremely practical watch for men swimming through the city with toughness,

Grand Seiko Spring Drive Diver’s Watch.

In the midst of the wave (of humanity) in a large city

Click on the image above and watch Grand Seiko movies. Six different movies are available. When you get to Seiko Japan’s website, choose the movie you’d like to watch by clicking on images on the left hand navigation menu, and then hit the “start” button.

Movies are 3 minutes long. They include:

1. Grand Seiko Diver’s
2. Grand Seiko Chronograph
3. Grand Seiko 3 Days
4. Grand Seiko New Line
5. Grand Seiko Cal. 9R65
6. Grand Seiko GMT

Enjoy!

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Seiko has released a new 9F Quartz model with 5-seconds-per-year accuracy. It is a limited edition of 300 units, released in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the launch of the 9F Quartz movement in 1993. The watch, Grand Seiko SBGT027, retails for ¥399,000, and is only available in Japan.

The watch is powered by Seiko Quartz movement 9F83. It keeps time to +/- 5 seconds per year. Seiko will perform an accuracy check on the watch for free after 2 years of ownership.

The dial on the 15th anniversary edition features 15 vertical lines that Seiko says are inspired by rings inside a tree trunk that tell its age. This Grand Seiko also has a 5-pointed star on the dial that symbolizes its 5-seconds-per-year accuracy.

The caseback includes a 18k gold Grand Seiko lion logo in homage to the first generation of Grand Seikos from the 1960s. The watches are individually numbered.

For more, visit Seiko’s website.

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On June 11, Richard Garriott reported on his mission blog about his Seiko Spacewalk. Garriott is a video game programmer and son of a NASA astronaut, and will be the sixth private citizen to travel to the International Space Station. He’ll use the specially-designed Seiko watch that uses Seiko’s Spring Drive technology during an October 2008 mission.

I have had the Seiko watch with me for a couple months now and this is what I can tell you about it. I visited the Seiko factory in Japan in early March. During this visit I meet the amazing team that created this watch. In talking with them, and learning about what they went through in designing the watch, my enthusiasm and respect for Seiko grew immensely. My knowledge of what goes into making fine watches grew, and with that, my faith that the watch would perform very well in the unusual and extreme environments of space…. more »

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The Seiko Type II Quartz holds a unique place in the history of three watch companies: Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova. How’s that? And what does “Type II” mean? Two Japanese quartz watch fans provides clues on Japanese-language watch blogs.

The story begins in 1975, according to Mr. Teruo Isozaki, watchmaker and owner of Isozaki Watch Shop in Hakusan city, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. In a post on his store’s watch blog, he tells how lately he’s been getting requests to repair watches with electronic “tuning fork” watch movements, but since he can’t get 1.3 V (volt) mercury batteries anymore he’s not able to do so (entry No. 211). Then he recounts the death of the electronic tuning fork watch.

Like the transitional battle to create a standard between Betamax and VHS video tape formats in the early 1980s, and the recent one between Blu-ray and HD DVD in our own time — Isozaki-san says the release of the Seiko Type II in 1977 established quartz as a standard that made electronic “tuning fork” watches obsolete. What follows is a summary of his comments, translated from Japanese.

Fujiyoshida, Japan — Sister City of Colorado Springs in the USA

When quartz watches were first released in the early 1970s, they were very expensive. Citizen teamed up with Bulova in 1975 to build a factory near Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, at the foot of Mt. Fuji. It was a state-of-the-art, efficient manufacturing facility costing ¥90,000,000 to construct. It employed 320 people.

The factory was build to manufacture Citizen Hisonic watches. It produced 18,000 watches in its first month of production, and an annual total of 500,000 pieces. The reason this line was such a big hit was the watches were more accurate than mechanical watches but retailed for around ¥20,000 — much cheaper than Seiko Quartz models.

Image Courtesy Isozaki Watch Shop

When Seiko released its “Type II” model however, sales of the Hisonic short circuited. That’s because the Type II was an affordable Seiko Quartz watch, and was more accurate than the Citizen tuning fork model. Isozaki-san ends his account by writing he hopes electronic tuning fork watches will be mass produced again in the future.

This model featured a recessed crown

A quartz watch fan on a Japanese hobby forum fills in the rest of the story. The poster, who goes by the name “Cal.7743,” writes that by the end of the 1970s there were four categories of Seiko Quartz watches:

1. Bulky expensive models: Grand Quartz, King Quartz; Twin Quartz
2. Thinner expensive watches: like Credor, Dolce, Chariot, Seagull
3. Affordable models: Type II, Silver Wave (retailing for around ¥20,000)
4. Cheap base models like the Spirit

The reason I think this comment is instructive is it leads to the conclusion that the “Type II Quartz,” when it was released in the mid-’70s, meant “a second, affordable choice” in a Seiko Quartz watch. That connects with what Isozaki-san wrote about the Type II, when released, being revolutionary as an affordable quartz-powered watch — so revolutionary it led to the Citizen Hisonic “disappear[ing] from the market after a short period.”

Cal. 7546 from a Seiko SilverWave

There is sometimes confusion between the Seiko “Twin Quartz” movement and Seiko “Type II” model. The Type II didn’t have a high-end Twin Quartz movement. The 7546 caliber movement in the Type II (with 4 jewels — compare that to the Hisonic’s 15 jewels) was an accurate movement, and powered models including the SilverWave.

My Type II is over 30 years old, but is still going strong. It keeps time to +/- 4 seconds per month. Not bad for a “second tier” model!

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*Note: This article is dedicated to StratMan II, who asked what “Type II” means when I posted a picture of my watch on the Seiko/Citizen Watch Forum. He’s one of the forum’s moderators. Thanks Zami!

**Addendum — Aaron on the Seiko/Citizen Watch Forum shared a picture of his Cal. 3863 movement. That led to a quick look at my Seiko Quartz movement information. I saw:

1969–3500 quartz movement released

1970–3605 released

1971–38xx stream released

1972–3902 released

1974–4130 & 48xx stream released

1977–7903 & 75xx steam released

Here are three comparison shots in chronological order. It’s interesting to see how the movements evolved:

1973 — Caliber 3863 (Aaron’s pic)

1974 — Caliber 4843

1977 — Caliber 7546 (Type II)

“Oh Nooooo!”  That was my thought as I picked up my Grand Seiko yesterday morning realizing that it was dead.  Time for a new battery.  Well, I knew this day was inevitable; the day I would have to change the battery on one of my high-end Seikos.  I just wasn’t sure which watch it would happen to first.  I have a couple of Prospex divers that are 6 or 7 years old that I’ve been expecting to die any day now, so I was surprised to see that this 3-year-old Grand Seiko was the first to go.

Luckily, I was very prepared for this moment.  Quite a few years ago, I splurged and bought a nice case opener.  This Horotec is the best watch tool I’ve ever purchased.  If you use it properly, it would be impossible to mar a caseback (or crystal retaining ring) with it.

Once I got the caseback off, I was looking at the anti-magnetic dustcover.

I smiled when I looked at the inside of the caseback.  It’s actually nicer than what I’ve seen on some highly regarded Swiss watches.

Okay, here’s the shot everyone has been waiting for.  This is a Grand Seiko 9F61 movement.  I couldn’t help but notice that the “Seiko” on the battery was lined up with the writing on the movement.  I wonder if that was intentional or just a coincidence?

I don’t care if this movement is quartz or not, it’s lovely.  The screws are highly polished, all the edges are nicely beveled, every holes is perfectly chamfered, there’s a wonderful starburst pattern to the plates, and it’s properly set in its case.  I can’t tell you how many Eta/Valjoux movements I’ve seen that don’t get these simple things right.  Here’s a closer view:

Okay, the battery has been popped in, the watch looked very clean inside, which is not always the case.  The gasket looked great, but there’s no harm in putting a little grease on it.

Now the back has been screwed back in.  As expected, the Horotec left no evidence of its use.

Turning it over, I’m happy to see that it’s ticking away fine.  Feels good!

LOGAN put another new Casio G-Shock TV commercial up on their Web site. It’s called “Attack,” and features Casio G-Shock Mudman G-9000. Enjoy!

Citizen watches don’t get a lot of ink … er … pixals, on GMT+9. Petew’s recent review of a long-sought-after Campanola is a noteable exception. Without objection, I’d like to focus on another unusual Citizen today. The Citizen i:VERT is a digital watch that syncs with Sharp 3G cell phones — a combination remote control, pager, message displaying and storage device. Oh, and it also tells time.

Here are some of the things the watch can do via Bluetooth technology:

• Synchronize day/time with a cell phone

• Transfer up to 10 e-mails (70 characters per e-mail) from phone to watch

• The phone can be used to operate the cell phone’s camera remotely (pictured above)

• The watch can be set to vibrate when a call is received; the call can be paused, or hung up

• The watch shows caller ID on calls the phone receives, with up to a 10 call history

• Latest news stories can be read on the watch, received from the phone

• The cell phone can be turned off using the watch interface

• The cell phone battery level can be checked using a display on the watch

It’s easy to become blasé about new technology, but imagine the work that went in to designing the integrated circuit for this watch.

Released in November 2007, the model above sells in Japan for around ¥20,000 ($200 USD). It’s a large watch at 53.1 × 45.5 × 17.3 mm. The i:VERT works with Sharp’s 3G SoftBank cell phones, including models 920SH, 820SH,and 821SH. The phones use LCD technology developed for Sharp Aquos televisions.

Investors in markets from Mumbai to Wall Street are banking on mobile devices to lead the way in computer technology sales in the coming years. Sounds like Citizen, the company that in 1993 released the first watch that syncs with atomic clock signals, is leading the charge in here too. I wonder what Seiko and Casio have up their sleeves?

For more, visit Citizen Japan’s Web site.

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Copyright ©2008 Casio Japan

Here’s a 25-second-long video from G-Shock Japan’s website that highlights—again—creative G-Shock marketing to Japanese youth. The commercial features Japanese b-boy ISSOP (Satoshi Maruyama). Enjoy!

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Editor’s Note:

Chronograph.com launched in 1996 — at the dawn of the Internet era. It took remarkable foresight for owner Wee Wah Lee to realize online shopping would be the way of the future and to register the domain name “Chronograph.com.” Thousands of Internet businesses have come and gone; that Chronograph.com is still going strong is a testament to its outstanding customer service, and impressive selection of Japanese watches. GMT+9 is proud to present this interview with Mr. Lee, one in our ongoing series chronicling key members of the Japanese watch community. Enjoy!

Where is Chronograph.com located?

We are located in Singapore.

Do you have a “brick and mortar” store, or only a “virtual store”?

At the moment Chronograph.com is a ‘virtual store’ no bricks or mortar. That was a huge breakaway from the 28 years I did spend running a family owned ‘brick and mortar’ retail outlet. In the first few years of Chronograph.com (1996–2003) we operated from a retail store in Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road (started in 1978). Due to the long hours and workload I decided to take the work home. It’s now operating from the 3rd floor of my home office.

You started Chronograph.com in May 1996. Many people hadn’t yet started using the Internet then! When/how did you realize so early that the Internet was going to be so important for your business?

I’ve been having fun with computers since the days of Apple II (around 1978) and was going online via dial-up to BBS (bulletin board system ) so when Internet access was available to the public in 1996 in Singapore I saw the huge potential of this medium. Through the years of retail exposure to the tourist business I learned much about their buying habits and general preferences. Being an authorized Rolex retailer taught me the importance of trust, where not everything is written in black and white.

Do you remember the first watch you sold online?

We actually had 2 Seiko watches listed online when we started. The SKX427 which sold for US$75 was later discontinued and the SDWC31P1 with the 7T32 chronograph movement also discontinued.

What do you remember about the earliest days of your Internet sales?

Yes, those were interesting times where payment were made via bank transfers, Western Union and personal cheques. Trust was an issue as our customers don’t know us from crooks. Fortunately selling Seiko watches are a lot easier than high value Swiss watches online. When the first locally established payment gateway started we jumped in with them and started accepting credit card payments. Business online became easier. Unfortunately the payment gateway folded up after a few months in operation due to massive fraud charge-backs. We switched to WorldPay.

How long have you been in the watch business? Was your family (father or relatives) also in the watch business?

My father migrated from Hainan, China during the war years in the 1940s and started the watch business. He sold mainly to the merchant ships that ply through Singapore. Being a free port, watches were tax free and seafarers soon made good profit back home. That form of business grew for about 20+ years before the switch to retailing. I joined the business in mid-’70s as an apprentice. Help out in the watch repair section which was my favorite area of the shop. In 1978 we opened a branch and I managed it till 2003 when I decided working from home and online would free me from the family business and gives me more time for golf.

You specialize in selling Japanese watches. Why do you specialize in Japanese watches?

Unlike retail business, selling online is like sending the Viking probe into deep space. The watch must not fail and over the years I have depended and trusted Japanese manufacture. Affordability and value are major factors too.

Chronograph.com is the best place on the Web to buy Seiko watch parts, like replacement bezels for divers watches, Seiko watch movements, crystals, straps, and bracelets. How are you able to offer these? Do you have a special relationship with Seiko?

Getting these parts are difficult if not impossible. We buy from various suppliers worldwide, as always many parts are hardly available due to the short production cycle. Take for example the Seiko SKX171, we created these parts from one watch. Unfortunately now have more than 50 unsold steel watch cases due to this service.

Chronograph.com is also one of the best places to find “new old stock” (NOS) Seiko watches. You source hard-to-find, brand new, discontinued watches from time-to-time. How do you find these?

I do buy directly from retailers whenever I can when certain models are sold out. That translate to higher cost price for us which is inevitable.

What is the most popular watch (model) you sell?

The SKX007 is still our top seller.

What are the top three countries you sell watches to?

In the earlier years it was the USA, UK and various EU countries but due to the recent weakness of the US dollar the top three are all European countries. (Germany, U.K, France.)

Your photographs are excellent. Who takes your photographs?

Thank you, I took them. My main consideration is the size of the pictures. Sharp but yet no more than 30K bytes for the thumbnail size pictures and less than 100k bytes for the full size ones. Having to load a page of 15 to 50 pictures for a non broadband user would take a while. That would have driven some potential customers away.

What watch do you wear every day?

The favorite Seiko that I wear everyday is the Seiko Prospex perpetual calendar in titanium (pictured above, but with a black NATO strap). A watch for me now has to be reliable and accurate, not bling nor delicate. Pure utility.

Do you remember your first watch?

Yes, that was a Swiss made Titoni automatic lady’s watch my father gave me when I was 10. Don’t quite remember what happened to it …

Your name is “Wee Wah Lee.” What is your first name, and what is your family name? Do you have a “Chinese name”? (Sorry if this question is rude.)

The first name is ‘Wee Wah’ (in Chinese) and the family name is ‘Lee’. Nothing rude about asking — but must apologize for not able to write it in Chinese.

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Those familiar with the traditionally ornate look of Citizen’s Campanola line would be surprised to see the watch pictured above.  After all, this simple, time only pilot style watch is the antithesis of what collectors expect from a Campanola branded watch.  Just as surprising as the name on the dial is the caliber of the movement within.  This Campanola is run by Citizen’s super high accuracy A660 quartz perpetual module.

I first became aware of this watch through a picture in an old Campanola brochure from the year 2000.  The watch fascinated me both because of its anti-Campanola design, and its use of the A660 movement; a module that I had always assumed was used exclusively in “The Citizen” dress watch line.  To see an A660 in a pilot styled watch was quite a shock.  I was instantly intrigued, and the hunt began.

For years, I looked for this model.  My guess was that it was long discontinued.  It never showed up on any of the Campanola websites and wasn’t listed in any later Campanola literature that I’d seen.  Knowing it could be a tough search, I threw it in my daily que of search strings on eBay, Yahoo! Japan and various watch forums.

A week ago, as I occasionally do, I Googled the model number (CTS57-0701) to see if anything popped up.  Imagine my surprise when a new Citizen Japan link was returned right at the top!  I clicked on it and was astonished to see the watch notated first in a list of models slated for upcoming price increases.  I instantly emailed Katsu Higuchi who confirmed that yes, he could order the watch for me.  Wow!  Yesterday it arrived.

Enough rambling, lets get to the pictures and discuss the watch.

Like all Campanolas the case has a distinctly organic feel to it.  The characteristically hi-dome sapphire crystal and softly rounded case angles contribute to this effect.  I like the strong presence of the lugs and proportions of the crown are perfect.  It’s also nice to see some brushed surfaces on this case.  Often Citizen completely polishes their Campanolas to a bright homogenous shine.  The stainless steel case measures 38mm across without crown, is about 13mm thick (with crystal), and the lug size is 20mm.

The dial is pure inky black with a glossy mirror finish.  I was quite curious before receiving this watch to see the dial.  Knowing what Citizen does with the Campanolas, I was half expecting to see a fancy patterned surface.

The hands are polished bright and shiny and the lume is set inside polished markers.  Like all Campanolas, there are many reflections coming off of all areas of this watch.  Of course the screw in crown is signed with the Campania bell.

There’s nothing to see on the standard caseback.  Water resistance is rated as 10bar.  The strap is dark brown handmade crocodile with a polished and signed deployant.

Overall, this watch was exactly what I hoped for.  While its overall quality doesn’t match that of the Grand Seikos I’ve owned, you have to remember, it’s a lower cost watch.  My primary attraction to this model was the A660 movement which, with its 5 second per year accuracy, perpetual calendar and independent hour setting abilities does some things that the GS quartz modules don’t.

If you are interested in purchasing one of these, I would strongly suggest that you contact Katsu Higuchi soon for availability and pricing information.  My watch has a production date of 2000, so this is certainly old stock with a probably limited supply.  I had to wait a long time to find mine, perhaps you will not!

Another month has gone by and the watchlist is ready to be renewed. These auctions cover the time period of April 14 - May 20. The funky watch pictured above is a Ettore Sottsass design Seiko. Sottsass was a very famous Italian modern designer. Like the Guigario Seikos, the Sottsass designs also command large prices. This example went for 53,500 yen.

This is a nice early Laurel Alpinist. Price was just a little too high as it did not get an opening bid of 50,000 yen.

Well, it was only a matter of time before we saw a 6319 Seiko diver on Yahoo! Japan. Seiko never made a 6319 diver, but at some point, a faker made up a batch. We’ve seen a few pop up in Europe. Of interest on this example is that it has a different dial than the usual 6319 fakes that are normally seen. This one did surprisingly receive one bid after its second listing and sold for 11,000 yen. Check out that caseback!

I appreciated the nice clean look and condition of this 5740 Lord Marvel. 18,500 yen.

I thought this (probably) custom King Seiko 4520 was very interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a “hammered” watch case before. Nice custom caseback too. No bids at the opening price of 90,000 yen.

This is a rarely seen Orient Flash. The bezel actually lights up to aid in low light veiwing. Eat your heart out Casio with your EL technology! As expected, there was a lot of action on this auction. Selling price was 67,000 yen.

These gold Grand Seiko special editions are stunning watches with stunning prices. 501,000 yen.

Here is a fun one. This is a motorized display winder for Grand Seiko Springdrive models. Check out the mirror which allows you to view the movement in action! This novelty item sold for 12,500 yen.

This is just a typical example of one of the dozens of models released under the “Silverwave” brand, many of which are quite interesting. There have probably been more diverse styles released using this name than any watch in Seiko’s history. 16,000 yen.

I’ve never really understood the appeal of our next watch. It’s a Seiko Airpro. The concept was that the band was adjustable in that you could pump air into it to customize the fit by pressing on that black button. These Airpros were released maybe 10 years ago in what seems like dozens of styles. This one would be right at home in a Star Wars movie. They never have really caught on with collectors. 8,250 yen.

The “AutoQuartz” listed on the dial of this very early kinetic diver makes this one just a little more collectible. Sometimes these are called Starfish Divers. Price was 22,500 yen.

Neat pendant watch. 7,750 yen.

I suspect that this Honda dive watch is Seiko based. It’s got a nice tidy design with a definite Seiko vibe to it. Price was 39,900 yen.

This next auction was a surprise. It’s a 6159 diver in mediocre shape with the wrong hands installed. The surprise was the price. It was bid up to over $2,400.00. I would imagine it is next to impossible to find the correct hands for it.

How cool is this? This Casio DW-6100 has been retro-fitted with some kind of transmitting or receiving device. I think it’s legitimate. It was advertised as a spy watch, and its working status was unknown. It sold for $102.50.

I don’t quite understand the allure of these AGS divers. I think because they have a shroud, the collectors like to buy them, but to me, they are more like novelties. The build quality is not up to Prospex standards, and if you like esoteric kinetic divers, there are much more interesting alternatives like for instance, the Autoquartz pictured above. The seller should be thrilled with the $510.00 final price of this one!

That’s it! As always thanks to martback and Dima for their contributions.

Last week I found photographs of Seiko Spirit SBPB001 posted on a Japanese watch vendor’s Web site. I’m glad to see pictures of an actual watch, rather than just catalog images.

Some watches we categorize as “fun to wear,” and that is what Seiko Spirit SBPB001 looks like to me. The watch is all about style — sleek and modernistic. But it also has a utilitarian, easy to read dial.

Depending on where you work, a big, chunky chronograph that won’t slide under your shirt sleeve might be out of place. Looks like that wouldn’t be a problem with this watch — one that reminds me of a Rado.

For more pictures of this watch, including the white-dialed version, and other releases in the Seiko Spirit Power Design Project, visit Neel’s Web site (where these pictures came from) — click here.

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Photograph by Seiko

This new SBDD001 Kinetic Direct Drive Marinemaster is slated for a May 2008 release. Details are sketchy, but here’s what I can tell you:

Movement is the 5D22 Kinetic with handwinding capability. List price is 241,500 yen. Size is indicated as a whopping 49mm. This might include the crown, but I’m not sure yet. Thickness is 15.1mm. Cases are titanium with diashield like finish. Watches will be available with strap and bracelet, and there also is a black cased model as well.

This release tells us in no uncertain terms a few things. First of all, Seiko truly is committed to the Kinetic movement, and secondly, they are boldly pushing their lines upmarket towards the luxury segments with their pricing strategies.

The watch is clearly styled after the Spring Drive 600M diver with it’s sawtooth bezel and screwback case. The hour hand looks very similar to what we’ve seen on the new GS diver and the minute hand is similar to what’s used on the new Direct Drive Brightz model. It will be interesting to see if this model gains popularity with the Seiko collectors.

Welcome to GMT+9’s latest presentation of various auctions that we and our readers deemed interesting of late. These auctions cover the time period of March 7th - April 14th. The watch pictured above is a Seiko 5M45 Kinetic GMT Brightz. I believe that this was the first Seiko ever released using the “Brightz” name. It dates to 2000. The price was 25,550 yen. Do you see the resemblance to the Citizen Mission Antarctica?

Well speak of the devil! Here’s a Citizen Mission Antarctica. I’ve noticed that more than a few of these models have been recently listed with either bad batteries or having just returned from Citizen JP service with new batteries installed. These watches have been out now for about 8 years, so I guess they could be indicators of rechargeable battery lifespans in the Citizen Eco-drives. This particular model was dead, but was still bid up to 21,500 yen.

How about this Limited Edition SBCG003 40th Anniversary Chronograph. Nice watch, great movement, and there’s an old write-up about it here. This example sold for 240,000 yen.

This vintage Citizen Auto Dater Super Jet was slick. Price was 25,000 yen.

Here’s a 7C43 diver that you don’t see too often. I’ve never had one, but they have always interested me. They were higher end models in their day. Price was 21,000 yen.

These are getting harder and harder to find and the price has been creeping up. It’s a Seiko Landmaster 10th Anniversary Edition. The last Landmaster ever released. I sure wish they’d do a new one. I always thought that the Spring Drive movement would integrate well with the Landmaster line. Seiko, are you reading this? Price of this watch was 239,000 yen.

Nice colors on this Seiko Yacht timer. Sold for 15,000 yen.

The ending price of 51,000 yen, was reflective of the rarity and coolness of this older 1960’s stopwatch. This is probably my favorite of this installment.

With an asking price of 80,000 yen, this 600M Crystron diver just didn’t get any bids. Price was probably a bit high, but a very collectible diver for sure.

GMT+9 reader martback turned me on to this noteworthy Alpinist. The caseback is of particular interest. Very unusual. It sold for 14,000 yen. The almost identical model with standard caseback was also on a recent auction and it went for 15,500 yen.

Another GMT+9 reader (ptolmey) was kind enough to point this A828 Speedmaster LCD to me. I’ve seen these go for big bucks, but not as much as what this seller was asking. 220,000 was just too much as it did not receive any bids. Cool and rare.

Ohhhhh! How about this one. One of the most collectible of all Seiko sports watches. This 6215 diver looked pretty impressive. It sold for 321,000 yen. I’m actually surprised that it didn’t go higher. Nice example.

This 7c46 Scubapro sold for 106,000 yen.

Time to look at eBay. This one caught my eye because of the sterling silver case. I’d seen this on Seikos, but this is the first time I’ve seen Citizen do it. Final price was $162.70.

Great dial on this old Phynox Citizen. I forgot to track the price. I’m pretty sure it was under $100.00. If I remember correctly, Phynox refers to the alloy used in the mainspring.

The case and dial of this Citizen grabbed my attention. Never seen this one before. I’d guess that it’s an older quartz model. Selling price was $56.00.

This is an excellent example of a Citizen 8110 chronograph. These always attract attention. The winning bid was $273.78.

I saw a few 5717’s come up for auction over the past month. This one was one of the better examples. It sold for $898.00. Prices for good 5717’s seem to be pretty strong lately.

Last watch is an SUS model that I’ve never seen for sale on eBay. It sold for $140.74.

Photograph by Seiko

I’ve been thinking more and more about Seiko’s Spacewalk announcement and release. I’m starting to realize what a great marketing opportunity this could be for Seiko. So much so in fact that if I were Omega, I would be watching this project very closely.

As much as we all like to think that the Speedmaster is the end all to space watches, we have to remember that it won out in the space watch competition not because it was the clear cut winner, but really, because it was the best of the worst of the tested bunch. Based on my reading, none of the watches tested by NASA really performed admirably and anyone who’s read about these tests would have to agree. During one round of tests, the Speedmaster gained and lost up to 21 and 15 minutes respectively during one test, yet it was still picked as the winner since other watches actually did worse! I think that says a lot about the competition.

Seiko has designed watches for extreme explorations since the 1960’s. For the most part, they don’t adverstise this so the public doesn’t know much about where Seikos have been and what they’ve done. The Landmaster series of watches from Seiko were tested extensively in both the field and the lab, and it looks like the same could happen with the Spacewalk.

All aspects of the mission and their effects on the watch are being evaluated. In addition to the extreme environmental situations the Spacewalk will encounter, Seiko has tested launch and re-entry forces as well as ergonomic functionality.

I suspect that Seiko is not taking this mission lightly, and when Garriott performs his spacewalk, and when/if the Seiko performs flawlessly, you have to wonder if pressure could be put on NASA to add it to the approved list. After all, wouldn’t you want your astronauts to be using the finest equipment available?

What troubles me about Omega’s history with the Speedmaster is that all Omega ever did after they found out their watch was approved was advertise and promote it. Not a bad thing at all, but don’t you think that if you were really proud of an accomplishment like this and really were committed to creating a watch for space, you’d actually take the time and work with NASA to improve it? They never have have they? In preparation for this article, I even came across a few examples of Speedmasters failing on missions.

This new Spacewalk is the first watch ever designed from the ground up to perform in space. Chances are, it will not only perform admirably, but better (the limitations and effects of extreme temperature changes on mechanical escapements are well documented) than a Speedmaster in a Spacewalk situation.

If Seiko were REALLY smart, they’d buy a Speedmaster for Garriott to wear on his other wrist, and then test the two to see which watch really is the new master in space.

Photograph by Seiko

Kohei Sato at Timezone just reported that Seiko has announced the release of a brand new Spring Drive chronograph marketed directly at the venerable Omega Speedmaster. This no nonsense bullhead design is all about functionality. Super legible military style dial, lots of lume, cool hands and the best implementation of a Spring Drive power reserve meter that I’ve ever seen.

The Spring Drive Spacewalk is a Space inspired watch and Seiko spent a lot of time on making sure this chronograph could with stand the extreme environments of space. Special attention was paid to seals, ergonomics and temperature resistance. Unlike the Omega Speedmaster, which was already in production when it began it’s space use, this watch is quite possibly the first chronograph specifically designed to be used in Space.

Seiko’s involvement with watches in space started in the 1970’s with the 6139 series (worn by Colonel Pogue) which was the first automatic chronograph ever worn in space. In the 1980’s, the A829 LCD Digital watch was popular among space shuttle astronauts and in the 1990’s, Seiko released the 6M23 “Space Navigator” designed for long term stays in space measurable by a unique 31 day chronograph counter.

Seiko 6139 Chronograph

Seiko 6M23 Space Navigator. Photo by Tokunaga: http://www.tokunaga.ne.jp/

Seiko A829

Seiko expects to release the Spacewalk in December of 2008 in a limited edition of 100 watches.