I shall attempt to post pics of all my watches here with rationale behind each piece. Yea, it’s another oppressive day. Wonder if the warring parties will stop eating us alive. So here goes something more productive then… [updated with different strap combos]
Dad's old Bell-Matic from the early 70s. He used to wear this watch all the time when he was a postgrad in Canberra (where I was born and raised) and well into his job as a professor of medical science at UKM whereupon he purchased this Revue Thommen automatic chronograph.
I bought this Q&Q moonphase quartz because I needed that complication for as little cash as possible, under $20. This watch really feels cheap and looks it, close up, mainly due to the bottle-glass domed crystal which is slightly hazy. Very happy on its yellow lizard.
One of my favorite watches, and so cheap, the Casio MQ-27 on a faux croc Bonetti strap. Looks like a Reverso dial albeit in a black resin case with 18mm lugs. Elegant and not the least a misbuy. If I had the money I would own a Tank Must.
Bluetooth step counter, the GBD-200. Love the soft PU band and the beige color. The display is MIP (memory in pixel), which is far classier compared to segmented LCDs. I don't wear it enough because it's a bit on the broad side. Prefer a 5600 sized case. For a bit more, you can also get the GBX-100 with moon and tide data but this was on sale.
Casio 800h digital, with full time and calendar display, 10-year battery life. A practical watch that I liked to own because of the F-105 Illuminator I had in university. This is its bigger brother, also very well made despite being cheap black plastic, CBP.
My first foray into AliExpress led to my owning a Baltany D12 for $99. Chinese watches can be rather soulless and overly sterile. It looks believable as a military homage which I sometimes use as a smarter looking beater.
This Tenor-Dorly was my first Swiss watch. There aren't many on the market. The story behind it was that I had to have a square watch on an exotic leather strap after seeing somebody with one. I did a double take and soon ordered the TD off Carousell from a seller in Kelantan. It arrived much abused and in need of a service and new parts for its ETA 2789, early 70s.
I bought this Carbon Core G-Shock 2200 in lieu of a MudMaster as Sunrise Time Centre didn't have stock of the model I wanted. Had to leave with something. This is a watch one can fall in love with. No seconds hand while the minute moves every 20s. The marbled / dirty gray looking resin is on an aftermarket stretchy NATO, very comfortable.
I had always wanted a Protrek -the watch with all you need for survival in the mountains, or the urban jungle. I wore this one on numerous 'adventures' and it remains one of my most loved timepieces. Just a little ugly-looking therefore non jealousy inducing. Due to budget constraints, I could only afford the entry level model.
I used to own a MudMan 9000 blackout which I loved because it was tough / rugged and nondescript. Now I have its bigger brother with moonphase, compass, thermal sensor, and solar charging. Worth every penny. Just a little bigger than I usually wear my watches. It should be a practical Tribulation EDC.
My mother bought me this Tissot PRS516 from an AD for my birthday after I was released from rehab. Features the Powermatic 80 "disposable" movement. My only watch with ceramic (bezel). Opened my eyes to Swiss workmanship over Japanese which I'd been collecting up till then. Swiss is somehow just that much organically classier.
I don't dive yet I impulse bought a dive computer by Citizen for 800RM off Shopee. It's a very nice watch provided you get the official rubber strap version. Love the ana-digi dial and the thick red hands. However I can't help feeling overdressed / under-skilled whenever I wear it. Guess people shouldn't repurpose out of the ordinary things like this as casual wear.
My first automatic was an SKX007 from Seiko. When it eventually bit it, I rushed to replace it. The AD only had an 077j for around $800 versus the $100 that Mom had paid for the 007 for me back when I was 25. A watch with niggling problems that never justified its price. A little research would have been better but I was shortly to enter rehab, being disorganized mentally. Eventually, it became my daily driver as of early 2024.
Q&Q Smilesolar 200m diver with push pull crown. It's well-made and has a unidirectional rotating bezel, all cast from resin. The tolerances are tight, even its lugs are drilled, but mostly people turn up their nose at it as it does resemble a Mr. DIY $3 watch. Maybe I was hasty buying it as I rarely wear it out except maybe to places which respect my personality more than my watch.
I had to have a Swatch Sistem51 automatic. It's a great piece to hold in your hands and admire not just for the smart, svelte and minimalist Swiss designed case and dial, but also the unique movement with 51 parts and a single screw visible through the display back. According to the salesperson, it can be showered with, at least mine can, with its biosourced resin strap. Took a while to figure out the buckle catch and release method.
It's hard to say goodbye to watch buying but I promised that this Orient TriStar would be my last piece. It holds a special place in my heart as it is automatic and compact with a striped sunburst dial and big gold markers and gold hands. It's also thick, and has a workhorse 469 / 7005 movement invented in the 70s. Cost me 360RM, on Shopee faux black lizard.
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