Disney Parks Authentics Mickey Watch - A Simple Yet Fun Watch, A Review

This is one of the few times that I would get myself a pure quartz watch.

In January of 2013, I got the opportunity to re-visit Disneyland Anaheim after a 17 year hiatus. It was a nostalgic moment for me as 17 years ago, it was the honeymoon destination for me and my wife. Now, 17 years later, we are back with 3 kids in tow.

Unfortunately, 17 years ago, I wasn't into watches. Back then, Seiko was supplying to Disney automatic models unique to Disney but not anymore. Now, such automatic watches are fetching sums exceeding USD500 per unit!!! So, one of the mission that I have with the visit is to get myself a Disney themed watch.

Unfortunately, the only mechanical watch available was by Ingersoll. A re-issue of a model first issued back in the 1930s. Every other watch was quartz. :(

Nevertheless, my wife decided to get one for me as part of my birthday gift. What she got was by Disney Parks Authentics, with a Mickey Mouse dial and the option to change into 3 different bezel and straps/bracelets.

Rolex Milgauss 116400GV - Short Video On The Second Hand Movement

A short video of the movement of the second hand of the Rolex Milgauss 116400GV. For more, visit: Rolex Milgauss 116400GV - Solid And Youthful, A Watch Review



For more on other Rolex models in the collection, please visit: http://westernwatch.blogspot.com/search/label/Rolex.

Hamilton khaki Field Officer Auto H70615733 - An Unassuming Yet Strong Character, A Review

This was my first experience with this iconic American watch brand. Now part of the Swatch Group, Hamilton continues to offer watches with American styling.

The Hamilton khaki Field Officer Auto H70615733 comes with a sapphire crystal window covering a 44 mm stainless-steel watch casing. With an exhibition case-back, you will be able to see the automatic ETA 2824 movement with handwind and hackable capabilities. The lug width is 22 mm and the strap used in  black leather. The dial colour is black and there is a 24 hour sub-dial in Arabic numerals. Water resistant depth is set at 100 m or 330 feet.

What I like about it is the big hour markers with inner military hour markers and outer minute markers. The hands are simple and effective.


The casing with a brushed finishing. Double layered leather strap, thick and sturdy plus a double buckle hole system compliment the rugged look. The engraved crown is also a nice touch.

Ingersoll Mickey Mouse 30’s Collection Watch – So Cute And Full Of Magic & Wonder, A Review

I was in Disneyland California in January of this year. However, the choice of mechanical Mickey Mouse watches was limited. What’s available was so expensive. Nevertheless, the power of the internet allows me to search for the same item at a fraction of the cost that was sold in Disneyland Resort. Trust Amazon.com to have it!

Deep Blue Pro Seadiver 1k Blue Dial - An Excellent Practical Sports Watch, A Review

This watch gave me my first experience of Deep Blue, a brand from America (Subsequently I got another Deep Blue. Click here to see a review on that model). I chance to see it on Amazon and the price quoted of approximately USD250+ got me interested to know more. Two specifications that stood out were the use of automatic movement in a casing that can withstand 1,000 meters of water pressure.

After making the decision to get it, I made my order and within a week it is on my table.

Buran Special Edition Soviet Space Shuttle Quartz - A Cheap Watch But A Workhorse Nonetheless

In 1988, the Soviet Union built its own version of the space shuttle called “Buran”. Launched in the same year, it was its first and last flight. To commemorate the event, a quartz watch was made with the figure and name of the spacecraft on the dial complete with the colour of the Soviet Union.

Deep Blue Depthmaster 3000m Green - A Monster From The Deep, A Review

Apart from my Rolex Deep Sea Sea Dweller which I reviewed earlier, I do own another extreme dive watch with a depth rating of 3,000 meters. From the brand Deep Blue, the Depthmaster 3000m Green is cheaper, bigger, heavier and more tool-like when compared to the Rolex DSSD.

This watch is designed with a singular purpose; to enable extreme divers make it their first choice watch for diving. Deep Blue went on to make its creation tool-like and affordable for the normal Joe.

Rolex Milgauss 116400GV - Solid And Youthful, A Watch Review

I have to declare upfront that I do not work as a scientist. Therefore, the likelihood that I will ever need a tool watch that could withstand intense magnetic fields is close to zero. Nevertheless, I am a techno geek and a watch nerd. The thought that it is possible to combine anti-magnetic properties into a watch intrigues me immensely (Anti-magnetic watches are defined as watches that can still operate in highly magnetized environment).

I got myself a Rolex Milgauss 116400GV where "GV" is glass verte or green sapphire glass. This model is under Rolex's professional series but is the only one dedicated to scientists.


The first Milgauss was introduced by Rolex back in 1954 to help scientists work in the highly magnetic charge research environment of CERN (it was postulate that it was CERN that requested Rolex to come out with the Milgauss but it has yet to be proven. For more on the earlier history of Milgauss visit: http://www.timekeeperforum.com/threads/review-of-the-rolex-milgauss-116400gv.2174/).

Zeppelin 7360-1 Features Series Flatline - Axis Watch Which Is Truly Value-For-Money

Back in 2011, after serving for 5 years with my company, I was rewarded with a service award in the form of a wrist watch. What I got is the Zeppelin 7360-1 Series Flatline watch. A made in Germany watch with a Japanese automatic movement and Italian leather strap.

The watch is an 'open-heart' design with the opening scene at the 7 o'clock position. You are able to the the balance wheel via this opening. On its right is a similar sized sub-dial that houses the second-hand.

The dial is white with anthracite digits / markers and 12 green luminous dots. However, the hands are not lumed.

The case is made out of stainless steel, designed for an extra slim look. Its dimensions of the watch casing are 40 mm wide (excluding the crown) and with a height of just 12 mm. Water resistant rating is approximately 5 atmosphere.

Aristo Flieger Automatic 3H114 Pilot Watch - German Construction Quality But Poor Paint Job Spoils An Otherwise Excellant Watch, A Review

The first "pilot" watch as well as my first German watch that I got was the Aristo Flieger Automatic 3H114. The design concept is similar to the vintage German flieger watch with clean dial with luminous markers and luminous sword hands.

PierCarlo d'Alessio Quartz Dress Watch - Nothing Spectacular But Does Have Some Styling Cues; A Review

I only knew about the PierCarlo d'Alessio watch brand when I got this watch in my hand. Honestly, I didn't buy it - I wouldn't, there is nothing at all particularly intriguing about the watch. I got it as a gift when I renewed my Readers' Digest subscription.

I trolled the internet but after the third search page I couldn't be bothered anymore. If you are not on the first 3 pages of Google, you are nothing.

This watch is just a cheap quartz watch. Very simple dial with 3-hands. The case-back is the push-in kind. I doubt it is water proof tested. 

Nevertheless, at 42 mm wide and with a cheap leather strap, it does exudes some form of sophistication. In fact, I used it a few times at work and it looks good with a suit.


I have yet to open the case-back but I suspect the quartz movement is Chinese made. Nevertheless, I am impress with the accuracy, after many months, it still able to keep the time.



So, why would you ask would I list this watch under "My Western Watch Collection"? The listing is just because of the brand. If anyone could shed a light on the history of this company I would be most grateful.

Battery

For this watch, the battery used is the SR626SW.






Photo Gallery

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36mm Plastic Crystal Non Quick 1601 - Keep Running And Running; A Review On The Immortal Classic

I own a Rolex Datejust 1601. An old watch and based on its production number it was manufactured in the early 1960s (1962 is the best approximation).

Schroeder Joailliers 1877 GMT Automatic Watch - An Elegant Piece Steeped In European History

In a small state of Luxembourg, there is a homegrown watchmaker called Schroeder Joailliers 1877. Founded in 1877, Maison Schroeder, suppliers of the Royal Family of Luxembourg, has a long family tradition. With two retail outlets in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in the city centre and in the City Concorde shopping mall, Maison Schroeder also has a design studio in Paris. The company has created its own "Pas de Deux" brand of jewellery and leather goods, and its own "Schroeder Timepieces" watches. These "made in Luxembourg" collections are updated every season.

I happened to visit its Luxembourg outlet and after going through the collection, I was impressed. So impressed that I walked out of the shop with this one...

The Schroeder GMT Automatic. This is a stainless steel watch with automatic movement, second time zone, a date window, exposed mechanism (see-through back plate), silvered dial and leather strap.

Sapphire crystal glass covers the dial as well as the display case-back. Nevertheless, the sapphire crystals were not provided for anti-glare protection. The glass protrude slightly above the side walls of the watch case. Any grazing hit with hard objects could mean the crystal taking the brunt of the impact.

Tissot Gents T-Classic Le Locle Automatic Watch Reference T41.1.483.53 - Uncomplicated And Classy

This is the watch that I got from Switzerland in February 2011. The Tissot Gents T-Classic Le Locle Automatic Watch has a nice classic look to it. It has a stainless steel case, grey-tone stainless steel bracelet with black dial with roman numerals.

The Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea Reference M116660-0001 - A Technological Marvel And A Brute To Wear

The Rolex Deepsea was designed with the singular purpose; to enable extreme divers to make it their first choice watch for diving. Rolex incorporates the need for styling to cater for connoisseurs.

The Rolex Deepsea is water resistant to a depth of 3,900 metres (12,800 feet). The 44 mm case is made out of 904L stainless steel with thick 5 mm domed sapphire crystal and unidirectional rotatable bezel with a 60-minute graduated, scratch-resistant Cerachrom insert in ceramic, numerals and graduations coated in platinum.

Featuring the Rolex 3135 Automatic movement, this one undoubtedly a robust watch with a tough movement that already certified by COSC and featuring stop-second and quick date change. Its balance, that receives an accurate microstella screw setting, beats 28.000 alternations/hour and is now endowed with the Parachrom spiral. The rotor moves in both ways for a better winding.

Laco 1925 Squad Atacama “Ninja” Reference 861632 - A Black Ops Watch With Major Flaws

The company LACO (Lacher & Co.) was founded in 1925 by Frieda Lacher and Ludwig Hummel in Pforzheim. After Mr. Hummel left the company, Erich Lacher took over completely in 1936. The "Erich Lacher watch company" manufactured the legendary Pilot watches of the 1940's under the brand "LACO". The models were DIN certified and famous due to their precision and reliability.

I always admire companies and brands with strong historical past. As my first direct exposure to this brand, I decided to acquire their Squad Atacama “Ninja” model.

Laco’s Squad series are technical watches designed for the rigors of military service. Designed to be stealthy and capable for diving up to 500 meters, I was drawn to these specifications.

Bell & Ross BR02-92 Pro Dial Diver Watch - A French Connection (Updated)

Recently, I got the chance to acquire a new Bell & Ross BR02-92 Pro Dial dive watch courtesy of a closing down sale at a high-end watch shop in Kuala Lumpur. It was damn good deal.

The shape of the BR02 is a mix between the iconic square case of the Aviation series and the traditional round case of the Vintage series. Coupled with an internal bezel instead of external like other typical dive watches, it is quite common for people to initially assume it to be a sports watch or even a dress watch before recognizing its true design role.

Victorinox Dive Master 500 Black Ice Mechanical - A Well Balanced Dive Watch Design

Victorinox is synonymous with its famous red pocket knife. This is a company over a century old. Not a lot of people know that the company also has a watch division established in 1989. For the last two decades, a number of notable watch designs were introduced. One model that got me interested in this brand is the Dive Master. In 2012, I got myself the 500m Black Ice Mechanical in blue.

Lum-Tec 500M-2 Dive Watch - A Watch That Can Take On An Extreme Environment And Within The Means Of The Normal Joe

When it comes to watch brands, due to the prolific manufacturing capacity of original equipment manufacturers (or OEM) in China, many new brands are born every year. I tend to disregard these upstarts until they have proven themselves with a clever design that tickles my fancy. For me, one brand that fulfill my criteria at the moment is Lum-Tec. Established in 2008, this company is currently owned by the original founder, Mr Chris Wiegand - President. A USA based company, Lum-Tec has a watch making spirit that is seldom seen in many brands.

The model I have from from Lum-Tec is the 500M-2. This watch has a depth rating of 500 meters and come standard with rubber straps. Powered by a mechanical movement, casing made out of 316L stainless steel and with sapphire crystal to cover the dial.

When I got the piece, the package also included a personal letter from the Mr Wiegand expressing his thanks for the purchase. I felt honored by that gesture.

For more visit: http://www.lum-tec.com/about-lumtec.

IWC Ingenieur Reference IW3236 - A Substantial Watch With Historical Ties to Great Names

I will focus and provide a hands-on opinion on IWC Ingenieur Reference IW3236 watch, commonly known as The Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth i.e. the IW323604 version.

This watch is substantial. The case diameter is 46 mm (excluding crown) while its height is 15 mm. With such dimensions, you need to have a good size wrist to carry it confidently. In my case, my wrist is 7.5 inch in circumference and yet, the watch still looks sizeable.

The Gérald Genta design philosophy can still be seen in this particular example. The original Ingenieur designed by Genta (the SL1832 Ingenieur and its reproduction, the IW3227) was just 42.5 mm in diameter. This supersized version has two notable additions to make it pleasing to the eye. The first are the crown guards and the second is the lack of sharpness on the edges of the casing. The former makes this watch looks sporting while the second helps it from not getting easily snagged against cuffs etc.

In the picture below, the 15 mm height of the case is not that obvious because it is masked by the substantially thick stainless steel bracelet. Due to the smoother edges, it moves in and out of shirt cuffs easily.

Omega Speedmaster Automatic Chronograph Reference 3510.50 – Is Not a Reduced Speedmaster Professional But A Completely Different Watch Altogether

I have always wanted to get a Speedmaster in my collection. The original idea was to get a Speedmaster Professional “Moon” watch due to its romantic tie-in with the NASA moon landings. Although stories abound on how the Omega was chosen over other brands, the two important criteria, accuracy and the inability of the crystal to shatter and create dangerous floating debris in zero gravity makes the Omega the first choice. If this were the only two important factors for a “Moon” watch, I realized that Omega has another similar looking piece that fulfills the original scope set by NASA. After a lot of thought, I got a pre-owned piece.

The Omega Speedmaster Automatic Chronograph Reference 3510.50 or sometimes called the “Reduced” Speedmaster Moonwatch looks very similar to the Speedmaster Professional. The watch uses the Omega 3220 as a base movement with a Dubois-Debrois chronograph module mounted on top. The case is polished stainless steel, with brushed sides. The case width is 39 mm (versus 42 mm for the Professional). Its height is 11.7 mm (versus 14.4mm for the Professional). Meanwhile, the “Reduce” comes with a domed Hesalite crystal, which is made out of acrylic. The case back is solid and is a snap-on (for the Professional it is a solid case back but screw down).

Invicta 3045 Grand Diver Watch – A High End Piece from Invicta With Some Acceptable Shortcomings (Updated with corrections)

This 3045 Grand Diver is my second watch from the Invicta brand. I chose model 3045 because of the vivid blue colour. It’s bright and the colour really pops out.

Let’s gets the specification of the watch out of the way first. The watch is made out of 316L surgical stainless steel. The diameter is 47 mm minus the crown (adding the crown, the diameter of the watch jumps to 52 mm). Case thickness is 14 mm. Comes with easy to read blue dial with thick Tritnite 5-Minute Indexes and hands. The crystal is “Scratch Resistant Flame Fusion Crystal” (as advertised by Invicta but in reality it is just mineral glass with some chemicals spread over it). There is a date window at the 3 o’clock position and a magnifier is provided. It also has a display case back where you can see the NH35A Miyota 9105 movement in action. The Miyota 9105 movement is hackable with 24 Jewels and operates at 21,600 VPH 28,800 VPH (or 8 hertz). The heavy duty bezel is precise and clicks nicely (120 60-click gradation). The watch is water rated to 300 m.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer 39 mm Reference 214270 – An Improved Incarnation Of A Classic

Recently I acquired my third professional Rolex Oyster piece, the Explorer 39 mm Reference 214270. With this acquisition, I have 3 of possible 6 Cyclops-less Rolex professional models in my collection. For high-end watches, I go to an authorized dealer to get it. Although it would be cheaper to source it from other channels or even get a second-hand piece, I don’t mind paying the premium because that is also part of the experience of owning such a watch in my opinion.

Although the Explorer series have been in existence since the 1950s, the modern Explorer evolved in 1989 with the release of the 14270 that introduced Sapphire crystal, gloss dial with white gold surrounds to the markers, a redesigned 36 mm case and the 27 jewels Cal 3000 movement. The 114270 followed in 2001, upgraded with the 31 jeweled Cal 3130 and solid end links to the bracelet, but retaining the 36mm case and pressed clasp.

Another major upgrade to the Rolex Explorer range came in 2010 with the release of the 214270. The most obvious change being the increase of case diameter from 36 mm to 39 mm. The movement was also upgraded to the Cal 3132, along with changes to the dial, bracelet and clasp.