The results are exactly what I wanted - a customized strap to go with the black yellow combo.
Looks a little softer than bracelet. Here's another look with the JnS Strap.
You can read the original post on the Moon Monster. But I like this one more!
The launch was held at the Fullerton Hotel in a private suite and some friends were invited to the party. The collection in a trunk.
Amongst all the watches on display, I liked the Oceaner II in red the most. The final dials for the Oceaner is still not confirmed as Sean is still trying out a few others. The Oceaner is rated to 30 ATM.
The Oceaner in red is still a prototype as Sean wants to make some changes to the markers. The date window is at 6 while the day indicator is at the 3 O'clock position.
Coming is three variants, the Oceaner also has a blue inner bezel. In this version, the dial is a sandwich dial as opposed to red version which uses appliqués. According to Sean, he is still not satified with the blue bezel so some changes to the colour will be forthcoming. And it will also be likely that the blue will be launched next year.
Notice how the day display is in Chinese? Interesting as not many watches has this feature except Seiko.
Then there is the regular black version. Although the picture shows crowns are not fully flushed, I was told by Sean that the final version will have them identically flushed to the crown guard.
The open case back reveals a China made movement from the Seagull Watch Company - ignore the Shanghai Watch Company rotor. The movement is pretty well decorated - perlage. The Oceaner was supposed to be launched earlier but Sean had issues with the case so it took him time to fix those issues before he re-launched the Oceaner. I can say that it is ready!
The new launch was for the Diver VI Bronze. What was on show were two variants - an all bronze case and one with black bezel.
Featuring a green dial and a similar layout as the Oceaner, the Diver VI Bronze is as chunky as it looks. Definitely a diver's watch. First the all Bronze Diver VI.
Then the black bezel version. So which one you like better? Well, I was told the black bezel version may or may not happen as Sean is still trying out various colour combinations.
Personally, I prefer the one with the black bezel. A little more contrast lends a totally new look and feel to the watch. Coupled with a matching green strap, the watch is rather pretty. More watches to come and another the Prodiver is also in the works. Stay tuned when I have more.
Fore more information, visit Sean's website at MoVas.
The Longines has a version of the Czech Air Force watches which this watch probably replicates. A cushion-shaped military watch with rotating bezel and a red pointer, the Precista is close to the original.
The Precista PRS-9 is a manual winding timepiece with the AS1130 movement underneath. According to the brand, the movement is a New Old Stock, Swiss made with 17 jewels and beats at 18,000 beat per hour. The movement has a power reserve of 41 hours. In true military style, the strap comes with rivets and is made of padded leather.
The front crystal is acrylic and that gives the watch a more authentic "old" look of the past. The Squelette hands are coated with super Luminova. The dial is matte-black and the case stainless steel. At the back of the case is a well engraved case back.
The Arabic numerals are well coated and the dial is legible. Watch is water proof to 30m. Oddly enough although it houses a Swiss movement, the dial says Great Britain and the brand says the watch is made in Germany.
Comes with a nice presentation box.
Shall be slapping on a nice brown leather Nato Strap soon!
Nomos probably has one of the most varied range of Limited Editions many of them for the Germany company Wempe. So when I was in Hamburg several years back, I walked into a Wempe store and what greeted me were the last few pieces of some Nomos Limited Edition pieces. Oddly enough, the LEs are priced cheaper than the regular range Tangente!
The three pieces available were the BBQ, Rosemarie and the Picknick. BBQ because the checkered patterns resemble that of a table cloth used for outdoor BBQs. The two BBQ and PickNick look nice as a pair.
The Rosemarie has an intricate rose motif and the blued hands lends a nice contrast to the pinkish dial.
The limited editions come limited to 100 pieces and are engraved at the case back. But I understand that Nomos is willing to do limited dials in as small a quantity as 20. Nomos changes the dial and hands colors to create different LEs.
The open case back reveals the Tangente Manual winding Calibre Alpha. Featuring the Glashütte three quarter plate with Glashütte ribbing. The Alpha is an in-house developed movement.
One feature of all Nomos watches is the strap - they all come with Shell Cordovan hand made straps. And the buckle is also engraved with the brand name.
Nomos also makes automatic pieces they call Tangomat. I am particularly taken by the grey yellow combo of this piece. So three for my wife and one for me - fair right?
The dark grey dial with the contrasting yellow numbers and markers is outstanding. Clean. This version is called Tangomat Ruthenium. The watch measures 38.3mm across. As with the Tangente, the watch comes with a Shell Cordovan leather strap.
At the back houses the in-house Epsilon automatic movement. As with the Alpha movement, the Epsilon comes with the Glashütte three quarter plate, Glashütte ribbing and NOMOS perlage. The movement features a bidirectional automatic rotor.
Nomos makes honest watches - they don't charge an arm-and-a-leg for their watches. I consider them reasonably priced especially when they are developed in-house and the level of finish is better than many Swiss brands 3-4 times more expensive. I recall the outrage (for most except the hardcore supporters) several years ago when a particular P-brand fitted an unfinished UNITAS movement into their Limited Edition piece and sold it with a closed case back hoping no one will be none the wiser. Well, all I can say is that Nomos stands far higher than the P-brand.
And in recent years, they have develop some more interesting pieces like the Tangomat GMT, Zürich Weltzeit (world time) and lately the Lux and Lambda range. For more information, please go to Nomos website. And for the limited editions, here is somewhere you can check out Nomos Limited Edition.
Zen Restaurant is located in UE Square but facing the side of Unity Street. Friends started streaming in at 6pm - Harry being the first this time around. Sorry Jo, you lost that distinction. Zen serves up a Ala Carte Buffet and they have a nice variety of dishes.
Some of the early birds.
And while we were waiting for the rest to turn up, Zen served us the kawaebi which is fried small shrimps. Great with beer!
And while we were getting ready for dinner, someone is already revisiting the menu! Guess who?
Dinner started at 7pm. In order to ensure smooth flow of the food, I had pre-ordered some dishes. First up was the daikon salad.
The sirloin beef steak. It was a crowd favorite and the group made several orders for this dish.
Ginger pork which was done to perfection. Just the right amount of ginger juice to spice up the dish. The chef used the belly pork for this dish.
Another crowd favorite was the grilled squid - combine that with beer, great combo.
The salmon aburi was also pretty good. Not as good as the one at Sushi Bar in Far East Plaza but good enough for a buffet restaurant.
Next up the salmon sashimi. Decent fare.
The chicken and pork yakitori are also nice. A surprising from the grilled skewer section was the chicken liver. Done just right on the outside and mushy soft on the inside.
Two main meals I strongly recommend are the Unagi Chahan (Eel Fried Rice) and the Zuwai Chahan (Crab Fried Rice with Gravy). The unagi fried rice was cooked with good wok hei and the taste of unagi lifted the fried rice. Sorry I have no picture of the fried rice. By the time I got to the table, only a small portion was left for me… darn! What is also nice is the crab porridge. Sitting atop the rice is a deep fried short shell crab. Great flavor and a must-have dish.
And before long, we were all stuffed. How good was the food? Well Jo ate more than he drank! So that was how good the food was. At our table, you can trust David and Larry to order the good stuff. So we started to get ready the table shot.
This time around, we thought two good themes would be "The First Mechanical" and your "Latest Mechanical". Some surprising watches in the "Latest" category. Three Seven Friday - all three of the same variant P2-01. What a coincidence! And three Seiko Monsters - 2 anniversary pieces and one Moon Monster.
Some "First" pieces include Oris, IWC, Omega, Baume & Mercier, Tudor just to name a few.
Also a Timex, Seiko 5 and then some like the Patek and Habring in the "Latest" corner.
A close up of the Sorna Bullhead Chrono. In gatherings like these, one gets to see watches previously unknown especially to a newbie like me who only started in mid 2000.
A Tugaris automatic Day/Date.
A Timex
An automatic early edition of the Tag Heuer.
An IWC "Baby" Portuguese ref 3531 in steel and black dial. What a classic!
An Oris Pointer Date.
Another Oris but this time an anti-magnetic piece.
A Tudor Oyster Price Day/Date.
An Omega Dynamic vintage - sorry for the poor photos as these were taken in restaurant setting without flash.
Another rather interesting piece by Seiko 5 - somewhat resembles a Rolex.
And in the new corner, the award winning Habring Pilot Quartz… hahaha, it is a Dead Beat Seconds.
And one would have thought this would be a "first" but it actually was bought recently in China. A Chinese chronograph. A 21 jewel manual winding chrono.
Then there was the Patek Nautilus Annual Calendar. Not under a "First" category but the "Latest".
A Dornbluth…
Almost full table shot. Can you spot the Rolex 5513 and a Wempe Chronometer?
Unfortunately, I could not take pictures of all the watches but suffice to say it was another interesting gathering - a gathering of sharing and partaking of good food and drinks. Happy New Year to all watch enthusiasts and have a Happy Horological journey in 2014!
Z'en Japanese Cuisine
205 River Valley Road, UE Square #01-75 (facing Unity Street)
Singapore 238274
Telephone: +65 6732 3110
