Lange One - Blue Blue Baby

There is Lange 1 and then there is Lange 1 - the Blue Lange 1!

The timepiece needs no introduction - one of the icons of the brand that was released back in 1994 when the brand was resurrected. The most iconic off centre dial timepiece in the world, I believe the Lange 1 is instantaneously recognisable. And lusted after by many too...

My discerning friend who bought this Lange 1 chose the white gold blue dial version - an astute decision. Rather rare in the market, you don't find many owners wanting to sell their piece and I can clearly understand why.

The dial is special - at different lighting conditions, the dial shows two tones...

And different shades of blue too...

Not quite 50 shades, but it is close.

This is the off-centre dial so many find it alluring.

And the finishing on the timepiece is as one would expect from the Manufacture - great!

Take a look at the large date window. Well polished window.

And what is a Lange without a movement shot...

A well patina German silver three quarter plate on this example.

And the Glashutte ribbing on the main plate. Talk about character!

And then there is the hand engraved balance cock - it is said no two balance cocks are identical. I was told they blue all the screws at one go to ensure consistency. And it adds so much colour to the movement.

I am green with envy but blue because I don't own this version of the Lange 1.

To many, myself included, the Lange 1 represents the first big foray into the world of luxury timepiece ownership. And a nugget of information for those who may not know - Lange only makes timepieces in precious metal (gold and platinum). Steel Lange timepieces are extremely rare as they were once loaned to owners who brought their gold and platinum watches for service. And the irony of it all, steel Lange timepieces are fetching far higher prices than their gold counterparts in auctions because of their rarity.

Watchnuts Getting Together at Bistro 1855

It has been awhile since we all got together for our get together. For the first time in 2016, us watch nuts managed to find time to meet and share.

This time around, we chose Bistro 1855 which is conveniently located at Suntec City. Owner of Bistro 1855, Patrick Sng gave us a "special" - buffet spread with free flow of beverages. As usual, I arrived earlier on to ensure the arrangements are all in order... early birds coming to help me here.

This time around, the theme was around "New Purchases" and "Non Steel or Gold" timepieces. This means we all have to be double wristed. First highlight of the evening was a "mini" Speedy gathering - 5 Speedmaster Pro and only one "original". The Snoopy Silver Award Limited Edition, the "original" Snoopy Apollo 10, another Special Edition From The Moon To Mars and then there is the original Speedmaster Pro.

It is usual for us to start with the food.

And the beverage...

Lots of chatting and sharing over everything under the sun... New purchases, special pieces etc. Amongst the early birds were owners of two Lange timepieces - an earlier Saxonia in platinum and the 1815 Saxomat in plat too. What a beautiful pair!

And the case back of the 1815 Saxomat...

Another special piece is the Made In Japan Seiko Nano Universe which is only available in Japan. Minimalist in their design, this belongs to a friend who frequents Japan a lot. Seiko did this in collaboration with the fashion brand Nano Universe.

Then there is the Ronin watch - another simple Pilot inspired piece.

Then of course there was the newest timepiece of the evening - The Seiko Prospex SRPA21K1 Diver's timepiece. The Pepsi Turtle was literally "hours old". Fresh from the AD.

We have our dinner and drinks and soon enough, it was display time! Hermes, De Bethune, Movas, Jaeger LeCoultre, Ronin, Seiko... many brands and very different price points.

Centre table and it gets more crowded... what can you spot on the table? Two very interesting Chronographs on the table. Both very iconic for their respective brands.

And at the end of the table the Speedies gather...

The nice thing about such gatherings is that you get to see and feel pieces you did not previously know about and is totally off your own radar. Take for instance this Rado DiaMaster. I normally associate this owner with higher end pieces but what intrigued him was the Ultra-light high-tech ceramic case of this piece and the black finishing on the back which features a UNITAS handwound movement.

These days, Bronze is the new steel... Dietrich, Heroic18, Movas, Oris, REC and Tudor. One is so new that the plastic wrap is still on!

And a few interesting piece like the RAW 2 from local brand Movas.

And another bronze piece from Movas - the Bronze Officer.

A beautifully guilloche De Bethune DB5.

The Oris Carl Brashear Limited Edition which features a multi-piece bronze case. Limited to 2,000 pieces worldwide, it has been sold out since its launch.

And the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity with their off-centre dial and visually arresting escapement on the front. Not only is it in front, the escapement is also made of silicon.

And you don't often see this combination in the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Rose gold and Tantalum and in 36mm size.

And all too soon it was 11pm! Too many timepieces and too little time to shoot them all. Many thanks to the staff of Bistro 1855 who were very accommodating and Patrick for making special arrangements for us. And thanks to all who showed up. Looking forward to having another GTG soon. Independent watchmakers perhaps?

Seiko Prospex Pepsi Turtle PADI Edition

Seiko is perhaps the largest watch maker in the world and they have the range to show for. In a collaboration with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), they release two new timepieces one of which is the Prospex PADI Automatic Diver SRPA21K1.

The Prospex PADI Diver also affectionally known as the Pepsi Turtle reference SRPA21-K1 is another beautiful addition to the range. PADI is the world's largest network of professional divers. Founded about 50 years ago, their network spans more than 6,300 dive centres and more than 136,000 qualified PADI professional instructors around the world. So it is interesting that PADI and Seiko has gone into collaboration as both are closely associated with diving - Seiko having had a range of dive watches since the 70s.

This particular diving watch is a Special Edition. No numbers have been offered by Seiko but what we understand is that it will be produced for a short period of time. Go to this site for more information about how the Seiko dive watch came to being developed. In short, the first Seiko dive watch was developed in 1965 and within 10 years, created the first titanium case Professional Diving watch able to withstand depths at 600m.

What was interesting was the textured bezel and dial as seen in the photos. I had first acquired this piece and was sharing this with friends at our get-together under dim light and had not noticed the bezel. But the picture is clearer - matt textured bezel and a sunburst blue dial. And typical of Seiko timepieces, the calibre number is found at the 6 o'clock position. Another interesting feature is the red minutes hand - that got my attention immediately! And was the one that sealed the deal too.

The case is interesting - shape reminiscent of the turtle shell, hence the nickname. Crown is located at the 4 o'clock position and the screw down crown is unsigned. The rotating bezel is unidirectional - anti-clockwise and advances every half a minute ie 120 clicks around the timepiece. Smooth and very exact as one would expect of a professional dive watch. And I believe the folks from Seiko has taken that into consideration.

On the top half shows the Seiko and Prospex logo. What would have been nice was to remove the two bottom rows "Automatic" and "Diver's 200m". Makes the dial a little crowded. Simple would have been better in this case.

If I had my choice, I would have moved the Prospex logo to the bottom half above the PADI inscription and removing the "Automatic" and "Diver's 200m".

Here's a close up of the dial showing the sunburst and textured dial and bezel. The timepiece also comes with a Hardlex crystal.

The red minute hand is well made and so is the hour hand.

A close up of marker also reveals that they are well made and especially for a timepiece at this price point. I have to say this over and over again. This is a timepiece that gives great money-to-value ratio. Sure hell beats many Swiss brands that are priced 10 times more. A particular P brand comes to mind...

Typical of Seiko timepieces with the day/date window, the Day indicator shows a Blue for Saturday. Look at the lovely red hands.

And for Sunday, the wordings are in Red.

And Black for weekdays.

And what is the Prospex Diver without a Lume shot?

The timepiece comes with a solid case back. Underneath is the Calibre 4R36 automatic movement which beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour. The only "downside" is the 41 hours power reserve.

The steel bracelet comes with a triple lock mechanism.

And just in case you are wondering on the colour combination, the blue and red is the colour combination of the PADI organisation.

The way the timepiece is designed is with large indices and broad hands for better legibility.

The next thing I need to do is to swap out the bracelet for a strap. My friend Sean suggested a NATO or Cordovan strap and I am leaning towards a NATO. Time to go a hunting again. The SRPA21K1 is retailing at S$667.70 inclusive of GST.

And then there is the Kinetic GMT Diver's reference SUN065. Also developed in concert with PADI, this features a unique Kinetic caliber, which, powered solely by the movement of the wearer's body. This piece comes with a GMT function and is accurate to +/- 15 seconds per month. Instead of a red minute hand, the GMT hand in this version is red. Look out for this one - hopefully coming soon.