DOXA TUSA and Seiko SRP043K2

I have been silent for a while because I have been busy with this thing called "Work." Go figure.

I received two new divers in one week.

The first one I received was a Seiko SRP043K2. This Seiko is phenomenal IMHO. Runs within COSC specs, excellent looks, great visibility. The flat caseback makes it a joy to wear. The AR coating is very well done. The only thing it needs is a sapphire crystal. It is worth all of $289 I paid for it.

The second one is a 2008 DOXA SUB1000T TUSA (Limited Edition of 100). I just got this today via a trade. I have to say, I also like this one too. It's a bit small especially when compared to the Seiko, but classic looks, excellent lume and the bracelet is awesome. This is my first DOXA but it will not be the last.


Enjoy the comparison picture:

A Classic Diver: Seiko SBCM023 200m Perpetual Calendar Quartz

Omega X-33 Prices Out of this World

A while ago, I wrote an article about the Omega X-33 prices. You can find that article here. I have been watching the prices for these discontinued timepieces on both Ebay and also several watch forums. The prices are generally trending up.

I just saw this one sell on Watch-U-Seek for around $2200. This is for a sample with excellent documentation, but no titanium bracelet. So here is my reality check pricing estimates for the X-33:

1. Gen-1 X33, excellent condition, with boxes and papers, $2000-2500. Expect to pay more for a watch with the titanium bracelet versus the not-so-durable Omega kevlar.
2. Gen-2 X33, excellent condition, with boxes and papers, $2500+. Again, expect to pay more for a watch with the titanium bracelet.
3. For watches in good condition, I expect to see samples around $1700-$2000.
4. In 2007, you could find used/worn examples for around $1000 on Ebay. Not anymore, even well worn examples are going for $1400 or so.

Things to watch out for.
1) Crown is known to collapse in the Gen 1 watches.
2) Backlight goes out

Either of these defects will require service by Omega.


Happy Hunting.

Review: Highgear Altis Titanium, my new favorite ABC Watch

I recently received a Highgear Altis Titanium as a gift. I had also purchased an Altis Stainless Steel for myself and ended up keeping the Titanium as it was much lighter and more comfortable to wear.

The strap sits great on the wrist. The watch is very legible and the display is highly customizable. The barometer trend graph is much more useful than my Casio PAW1500 and the readings seem to be very consistent with my local airport. Size-wise, the head is a bit large but due to the lightweight titanium material, no issues with weight. The stainless steel version was a bit top-heavy.

My picks with this watch: lack of a sapphire crystal and countdown timer. I can sort of understand the lack of the sapphire crystal due to the price point, but the countdown timer is a brain-dead omission since the cousin of this watch from St Moritz seems to have this feature AND a sapphire crystal at a relatively similar price point.

Timex Solar Shock -- 1 Year Accuracy Update

This is the first anniversary for my Timex Solar Shock.

I have to say, I am more than impressed with the accuracy of this watch.

After one year, it is only seven seconds (+6 + 1 leap second adjustment) off the official US clock at time.gov.

For $70, it seems like a very good buy.

The detailed review is here:


http://timereport.blogspot.com/2008/04/timex-solar-shock-ironman-50-lap.html

Citizen Promaster Sky Accuracy Update

So far the Promaster Sky is running about 0.1 seconds per day. Not bad for a quartz.
I was hoping for better accuracy, but happy with what I have seen so far.

Review: Citizen Promaster Sky Navihawk PMK65-2211 & PMK65-2212

This is my newest Citizen. Japan only Citizen Promaster Sky (PMK65-2211). Titanium case and band with Duratect coating, and a DLC bezel in a limited edition of 1000 per year. I believe this is due to the limited manufacturing numbers of the Diamond-Like-Carbon (DLC) coated bezel.

There is also a version with an ordinary titanium bezel with the model number PMK65-2212.

The Box

I purchased the watch from an Ebay Japan seller. The seller was excellent and the watch was received in 4 days via USPS Express Mail delivery. The watch was triple boxed with a standard shipping box on the outside. When I opened that box, I saw a nicely done outer cardboard box and the owner's manual on top.



The inner box looked like this:


And finally, I saw my watch:




The yellow light that can seen is a reflection from my camera.

The owner's manual is in both English and Japanese. It is easy to read and readily understood.


The Case

Either model is fully coated with the Citizen proprietary Duratect coating. The case size listed at the Citizen website as 43 mm. The lug size is 20mm and the case has standard lugs which means you can use your favorite 20mm strap including a NATO strap. You can see the case, dial and the crystal here.

The lugs on the case are curved downward so that even if you have a small wrist, there should not be undue pressure on the wrist. The caseback (screwed down) is also made of titanium and coated with Duratect. In nearly a month of ownership, there are no scratches on any part of the case, bezel and bracelet. This coating definitely works. I wish my IWC GST Chronograph Titanium was also finished with this coating. In fact, I wish the caseback of my IWC did not stick out as much and the lugs were curved. But hey, that's another review. Getting back to the Citizen, despite the 43mm size, this watch wears no differently than my Rolex Explorer II on the wrist except it is lighter. It is not paper light, but it is about 1/2 the weight of the Rolex. The lugs and the case are beveled to be smooth and not to dig into the wrist. I wish my Kobold Soarway Diver had such a nicely smooth case, but I am sure Mr. Kobold has his reasons for why the edges of the lugs are razor-sharp. The bezel rotates smoothly (uni-directional) and has a lume dot that glows pretty much all night long at the 0 minutes position.

The case is completed by a SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL coated with anti-reflective coating on the inside. The sapphire crystal is domed and looks beatiful. I have no idea why Citizen only brings in mineral crystal versions of their world time watches to the US.

The Bracelet

The bracelet is also made of titanium, and tapers from 20 mm to roughly 18 mm at the clasp. The clasp is milled and not stamped, has a very solid feel and has the required safety foldover. The bracelet attaches to the clasp with spring bars that seem to be made out of titanium (at least the color matches the rest of the bracelet). Like the case, the bracelet has tapered and beveled edges which makes it comfortable to wear with no digging into the skin and no hair pulling. It is light but still feels substantial, overall quality is very high. In fact, I would go out and say that this bracelet would not feel out of place on a watch that costs $5000-10000. Coated with Duratect, there has been no scratching over a month of daily wearing.

My only pick is that is uses the pin and collar method of fastening and much like my Omega X-33, I could not adjust the bracelet myself and had to take it in to my watchmaker (yes, we are on a first name basis by now) to get it fixed. If you want to adjust it yourself, you will need an extra long pin punch and a press to insert it back. The supplied bracelet will fit up to an 8 inch wrist. My watchmaker took out two links to make it fit my 7 inch wrist. There are 3 micro adjustment wholes on the clasp for seasonal (too much Turkey this thanksgiving !!!) adjustments.

The Movement

This watch comes with the Citizen C651 caliber Eco-drive world time movement. This movement is very similar to the US specification C650 except all the annoying power saving features have been toned down. For example, the seconds hand will only stop after being in complete darkness for 30 minutes as opposed to the C650. The power reserve has not gone down from 3 bars during the last month. The dial has a nicely done golf ball texture and the solar panels underneath are not visible unless you know what to look for. The LCD display is easy to read especially when compared to my Skyhawk AT. The edges of the LCD display holes on the dial are coated with black which makes this dial more professional (and less pronounced) looking compared to the Skyhawk AT . The lack of the battery reserve subdial also means that the 24 hr clock and the UTC clock are easier to read since they are bigger.

The lume on the dial and the hands glows brightly all night long and once you get used to the blue green color, the brightness is similar to my Seiko Monster (orange dial). The hands are finished with a matte-white coating which presents nice contrast with the black dial and makes them easier to read.

Unlike the Skyhawk AT, the crown can be used without pulling it out one click. This is the way it should be. I have no idea why the Citizen design team changed this from C651 when they designed the Skyhawk AT.

The Citizen C650/1 are covered in many places on the web, so I will not discuss the functions in detail. In a summary, the movement has 3 alarms that can be set in any timezone (31 time zones), a functional timer, a chronograph and obviously a perpetual calendar. Additionally, I also use the diver bezel to time things. So you can be timing three things at the same time which I do use occasionally.

My only pick on this movement is that Citizen should bite the bullet and put the UTC hand with the main clock hands (like an Explorer II) and increase the size of the LCD display to be even more legible. Again, Citizen design team, if you let me, I can design a really usable professional watch line for you. No payment necessary, consider it volunteer work.

The Conclusion

Normally, every watch I own, I have things that I don't like, except maybe the Explorer II which has been through thick and thin with me and is about perfect. This watch joins my Explorer II as the only other watch in my collection where I have no reservations. Titanium so it is strong and lightweight. Duratect coated so it does not scratch easily. AR-coated sapphire crystal and a DLC bezel. I simply love this watch. Get one soon as I am sure Citizen will discontinue this timepiece once they exhaust their supply of C651 movements. At a bargain list price of 82000 Yen, it is too good to pass-up.