quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
Another Komodo...with orange accents.

6guns, Beautiful Helm! Did you get a hand written note? The note that said something like “it’s always a pleasure to send one home to North Carolina” was a hell of a nice touch.

The founder Matt is originally from NC!

If you prefer the engineer style bracelet that comes on the Vanuatu as I do you’re in luck! Helm makes a 20mm Vanuatu style bracelet for your Komodo.





They look good on mesh as well.


Thread drift:

RogueJSK, here is that bracelet blacked out with brushing on the outside & polishing on the inside.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
Friends, I'm really enjoying this orange Samurai that stickman lent me.

Keep thee far from mine sight!

Orange Sam hit the river with me this morning.

quote:

Originally posted by BrianO:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
...I'm jealous of the 747 ride. Not a lot of passenger 747 options anymore.

I read that Lufthansa has eight 747-400s still flying, but they will soon be replaced with 777s. The article said they had 19 747-8s, and are the largest operator of those.

As a boy, I watched the land being cleared for Boeing's "new" factory, watched the building being constructed, and watched the roll-out of the first 747, named The Spirit of Everett after our city. It wasn't until several years later that I flew on one, a Northwest Airlines flight from Tampa Florida to Seattle via Chicago. That's the only trip I've had on a 747, and this upcoming one is likely to be my last.

My office is on the southerly departure path for IAH, so I get to see one every once in a while.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: P250UA5,

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
Another Komodo...with orange accents.

6guns, Beautiful Helm! Did you get a hand written note? The note that said something like “it’s always a pleasure to send one home to North Carolina” was a hell of a nice touch.

The founder Matt is originally from NC!

If you prefer the engineer style bracelet that comes on the Vanuatu as I do you’re in luck! Helm makes a 20mm Vanuatu style bracelet for your Komodo.

Thanks, stick. No note that I recall....though there may have been one in the first Komodo I got. This is the third. Page 447 has the white face with the extra bracelet....forget what they call it. I got the standard with this one and the strap shown.

So my orange Helm came, I strapped it on and decided it's too small. I would have just ordered the same Turtle Islander in orange but they are out of stock, I think the Islander Monster copy would be too small as well

I spent all morning looking at watches and ordered this 45mm Orient




The Helm

It doesn’t look too small to me. It’s thick so that smaller case does make it wear slightly better.

Helm looks sharp in orange. If it's Monster-ish in size, that's tempting for a future maybe.

Decided to switch-up, and go with the Phoibos Ocean Master.

Beautiful watch...and photo!

My favorite uncle is visiting and helping me do some electrical work on my house (new ceiling fans).

He has always been a Seiko fan and is the person who gave me my super sweet (totally original) 7002 diver with “mov’t Singapore, Dial Japan, cased in Hong Kong” text along the bottom of the dial.

This is his new watch. He absolutely loves it.

I really need a source for the BLACK with ORANGE center stripe NATO strap as shown above. NOTE: I have one but do not remember the source I purchased it from.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
I really need a source for the BLACK with ORANGE center stripe NATO strap as shown above. NOTE: I have one but do not remember the source I purchased it from.

See Blushark link

https://www.blusharkstraps.com...lon-watch-band-strap

BigSwede, thanks for the link. Which caused me to jump down the rabbit hole. HELM has the black and orange in their NS1 strap. Somehow I should have know that, but old age....

I didn't see this posted here, but I haven't been checking much either. I heard that Hamilton has returned to it's roots by coming back to Lancaster, PA..

A friend of mine went to Rolex school and is always buying, fixing, and selling watches. I asked him to find me a Hamilton khaki automatic. I love the simplistic face of a field watch and the khaki fits the bill. He likes them too, but for the ruggedness and ease to work on. If he finds one for me I'll be sure to post it here.

quote:

Originally posted by pulicords:
Stickman: I was wondering if you'd seen the new "Limited Edition-25th anniversary of the Caliber 9S mechanical watch movement", SBGJ275 coming out from Grand Seiko on September 1st?

The similarities between it and last year's SBGE275 are pretty stunning (as is it's looks), with what appears to be the same dimensions and a dial depicting, "...the layered sea of clouds that envelops Mount Iwate as dawn breaks", vs the snow fields on Mount Iwate. GS has done away with the power reserve indicator on the dial and replaced the 9R16 Spring Drive with a caliber 9S86 Hi Beat movement that (by all indications) offers far less accuracy and a diminished power reserve. Last year's SBGE275 was limited to 1500 pieces and this year's SBGJ275 is limited to 2000 pieces. Perhaps there's more to this than meets the eye, but I'm somewhat surprised and disappointed by what appears to be only a slightly modified SBGE275, with a lesser caliber movement. Is there something I'm missing here? Are there any pluses to using a Hi Beat movement vs the Spring Drive that I'm missing? Your thoughts?

BTW: The SBGH267 has a fantastic dial, but why offer this model with the Hi Beat when the Spring Drive certainly seems to provide better specs??? The price these two were offered at when introduced was/is the same.

Last year's SBGE275:



This year's "New" SBGJ275:

Whoa…. Those are amazing. VThoky and I handled one very similar to that at our local AD. It was a high beat. It didn’t have a dial quite like that if I recall correctly but I remember it was quite impressive. I think the spring drive offers the best performance and an amazing sweep of the seconds hand. The high beat is nice but I couldn’t discern any smoother sweep of the 36000 bph GS compared to my Christopher Ward auto’s 28800 bph rate.

To be honest it might even have been one of those models you posted I can’t be sure. My main focus was on the $11k titanium masterpiece also in the Grand Seiko case. The Grand Seiko reference SLGA015. I really wish I had taken pics of the two watches now. I’m planning a trip back to the AD to look at a Shogun so hopefully I’ll have pics soon.

Given a choice between high beat or spring drive I’d go with the spring drive. Some people don’t like how they are “hybrid movements” and not a “true automatic” whatever that means. To me they are brilliant movements and an engineering masterpiece.

Sometimes it's easier for me to decide on which new Omega not to buy...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yeah, I know... even if I could sell my current one:

...for what I paid for it I still would have a helluva time coming up with the $510,026.87 balance*!!

*not including tax!

Grail Seiko watch achieved.

I missed out on a chance to scoop up a Seiko Zimbe #4 last year from a seller in New Jersey. You don’t see these for sale state side too often. The Zimbe is VERY unique line of Seiko divers sold exclusively in Thailand. Some are hits others are misses but all of them tend to hold their value and sell well above their original retail price. Some of them have gone absolutely mental with their resale value.

The Zimbe Marine Master with the light blue dial….that’s one to dream of owning….

Back on subject. I REALLY regret not scooping up that watch as soon as it was listed because it didn’t last long. It was not NIB but it also was not beaten to hell either. It was a full kit, legit and close to 1/2 the price of the other NIB listings on Chrono24. ($750) These retail for $1200-1400+ on Chrono24 and eBay all day long.

When one recently popped up on Chrono24 with a full kit that was not NIB but looked to be in good shape and was priced less than the one from NJ I had to get it. I really was not planning on buying any more watches anytime soon but this is something you don’t see often at this price.

I kept telling myself I wouldn’t ever mod a Zimbe as that’s not a smart thing to do on a Seiko that WILL 100% be collectable in the future but the purple is kinda ghey. Slap a dark blue OEM or black bezel insert on one of these and I bet it would have been one of their most sought after sumos.


This dial kicks the shit out of even Omega Seamaster wavy dials and IMO is THE BEST dial Seiko has ever made.

I told myself I wouldn’t mod it with a proper bezel insert but the purple has not grown on me. I think as soon as I scoop up a minty unworn example (in a year or so) this baby is going to get a new insert.

The main Seiko watch group on Facebook basically screamed at me for considering modding an individually numbered run of only 1639 watches but you guys know I’m an idiot when it comes to modding.

I think eventually it’s going to get a new bezel insert. The bezel action is on par with the two Grand Seiko watches I handled a few weeks ago. I don’t know if all the Seiko Sumo’s have awesome bezel actions but this one sure does.

Behold the Seiko SPB055J / Zimbe number four.

I don’t know how to imbed YouTube shorts but this is a brief video on why I think this Seiko dial is the best they ever made. It takes the iconic Omega Wave and takes it to a whole new level of awesomeness.

https://youtube.com/shorts/fZp...?si=xcT93CDaTlpIac0B

quote:

Originally posted by petr:
Hamilton khaki automatic

Had one. Loved it. Sold it.
If the fella who bought it decides to sell it, I'll take a shot at getting it back. He knows who he is...

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Grail Seiko watch achieved.

Great Caesar's ghost, man! I read the first line of your post quickly and mistook the word "Grail" for "Grand." I thought you'd made the big leap this weekend!

How do you imbed a YouTube short on a message board?

VThoky that titanium Grand Seiko is one I will probably own but it’s going to cost me a hell of a hit to the collection.

I’ll own one by next year. The Omega and Rolex brand snobs bashing spring drive online more or less helped me make up my mind. I’d rather own one of those than a Rolex and I don’t think I’ll miss my Seamaster Chronograph to fund it so it’s eventually going to happen.

Only the most hardcore watch nerds will know what it is so I’ll be waaaay more likely to wear it when I travel overseas. Making memories with the watches is half the fun so yeah it makes a hell of a lot more sense to me than a Rolex Sub, Omega Seamaster or the Tudor Pelagos that’s been tempting me.

Gonna have to sell a hell of a lot of watches first though.

For the time being I am quite content with my first Seiko Sumo. I’m a fool for not getting one of these sooner!!!