Charity Watch

Bid A Watch & Help The Needy organised by a local magazine is interesting! Why not you get your fav watch & at the same time help some people? 
I wish to do my part too. Any organisation who's Raising Fund for a Good Cause, please contact me. I'm more than willing to Donate A Watch or 2!

Russian Watches

These few days seen many hundreds of Russian Watches, new & old! Their designs especially the old ones are unique, aircraft, war ship, red star etc. Well, even their 2 Top Brands, the materials used & finishings are below standard! Now I give up the idea to have one Russian Watch. Hope in the future they'll improve. 

Happy Watching. 22/8/13, 6.45pm.


24/8/13, 4.45pm:   I've a special liking for the following famous Russians & related:

1.   Yuri Gagarin - 1st human, cosmonaut, to the outer space. 12/4/1961.

2.   Politicians - Mikhail Gorbachev, & Vladimir Putin.

3.   Boxer - Ivan Drago acted by Dolph Lundgren, in Sylvester Stallone's film Rocky IV. 1985.

4.   Bears, Roulette, Winter Wears & Ladies. 

5.   Sports especially Water events & Ballad. 

Note:   I'm not a communist.

6/9/13, 5.30pm
 
With determination I trust I can find some good Russian Watches. YES! Found the following 2 of the 3 Top Russian Brands:

 MOLNIJA Pocket Watch Wolves:   Vintage 18 Jewels. I need a Pocket Watch because due to my job quite often I give Talk. It seems rude if I've to look at the watch often while speaking thus a pocket watch is perfect. Timing is always important in Talk. I recalled I was only given 12 mins to speak at Hilton/Conrad's
GM Convention! I put the wristwatch on the rostrum. The back of this 50mm piece has Wolves craving. So well done. Isn't it Beautiful?    

Much earlier on I'd scouted for Pocket Watches. Failed. They're either too costly, ugly or simply don't suit what I wanted. I'm very pleased with this new found.

VOSTOK KOMANDIRSKIE Navy Military Marine Ship Watch:   Brand New. It comes with box, instruction note & warranty certificate in few languages. 40mm, Anti-Shock & 17 Jewels.. Like Rolex it has Lock-Crown. Nice Back Picture looks like Bird maybe Eagle. The Red Star & War Ship are Unique.

Hope will enjoy both of them. On the look out for the final Top Brand of Russian Watches.

Happy Watching! 

Jaeger LeCoultre

If you feel that this watch is so Old-Fashioned, Tiny (21 x 38mm), & to the extent of Out of Place in this modern big watch era, I'm not at all upset but Very Glad indeed! My objective or goal is achieved. Surely Vintage, hopefully Antique.

This's a Pre-1950 (probably), Gold Filled (not as good as solid gold but better than gold plated), 17 Jewels Mechanical Jaeger LeCoultre, affectionately called JLC. Look at it carefully, a 60 over years old watch comes with Sub-Seconds at 6! Very Advance Technology in those days! In that era, watch must be small & thin (elegant & beauty). Tank model was believed to be transformed from such.

Let's find out what made JLC so Special & Honourable together with PP, VC, AP, they're International Recognised as the Big 4! Haha, in Chinese term, 4 Heavenly Kings.

Remarks on JLC by 3 famous local watch dealers:   1) its Master Movement/Calibre is so good that it's ordered by some other very high end brands & sold for much more monies. 2) IT should be the pick & not Rolex. 3) if your business deal is above $100k, you must wear a JLC. if it's below then a Rolex will do.

Last year at JLC Boutique, the manager showed me a simple stainless steel Reverso, costed S$9k+. She assured that Service or Repair can be done even for the Oldest Vintage piece! 

Their comments & assurance, & the following research moved me to put JLC to be one of my humble collections. Actually some years ago I was already very impressed by its Reverso. A watch that can be flipped over, originally meant for protecting the case when you do sports, eg Polo!

Collaboration between 2 families of genius watchmakers, Edmond JAEGER & Antoine LECOULTRE including his son Elie saw the birth of JLC in 1937. 

Well, long before the partnership, Antoine & Elie LeCoultre with French roots were already very established watchmaker. LeCoultre & Cie was founded in 1866. In 1903, Edmond Jaeger, a Paris-based watchmaker to the French Navy, challenged the LeCoultre about his Ultra Thin Movement.  Of course the LeCoultre took up the challenge. Two Chinese sayings best explained their Battle that turned into Friendship. 'No Fight, No Knowing Each Other' & 'Hero Respects Hero'!

Grandes Complications (Perpetual Calendar, Chronograph & Minute Repeater) were produced in mid-1890. 1902 & for the next 3 decades, LeCoultre produced most of the movement blanks for PP. 1904 for the next 15 years, movements made exclusive to Cartier. 'Galaxy' - an upmarket mysterious dial diamond watch was a collaboration with VC for the American market.

From 1932 to 1985, LeCoultre brand was meant for the North America market. After that JLC label was used. Recent Happening: 2004 - Gyrotourbillon. 2006 - Reverso Grande Complication. 2009 - Hybris Mechanical a Grande Sonnerse with 26 Complications, world most complicated wristwatch (maybe record already broken). 2013 - A Watch to Honour Antoine LeCoultre, 180 years Anniversary! Hundreds of Inventions & Over a Thousand Calibres to its name!

Currently JLC is very active in supporting many Social & Community events worldwide. 1st picture showed Singapore Celebrity Fann Wong's participation of a Charity Auction. Next one showed JLC support of Old Chinese Films.

In addition to Mechanical Watches, JLC also make Quartz pieces. Presently, they've 8 main watch lines: Reverso, Master, Duometre, Rendezvous, Master Extreme, Amvox, Hybris Mechnica, Extraordinary; & a clock: Atmos.

I'm happy with my finding, I'm happy with my Jaeger LeCoultre. 

Happy Watching, 16/8/13, 3.30pm.
  

                                                 

2nd Chance Watches

A large advt of Mido watch inspired me to talk about the 60s to the 80s. The golden era of Affordable watches. Quartz Culture & Strong Competition changed the Watch Scene later.

In those days, Popular & Economical Swiss Brands were Bulova, Cyma, Enicar, Eterna-Matic, Favre Leuba, Mido, Pagol, Rado, Tissot, Titoni, & Titus. Slowly their market share were taken over especially when consumers are richer. Also some new brands were born. 

Rado, Tissot & Mido are Lucky. Now they belonged to the Swatch Group. Cyma is now under a Hong Kong based holdings firm. Bulova, a subsidiary of Citizen. Titus belonged to a HK based Company. Eterna-Matic now a subsidiary of China Haidian. Enicar believed to be with the Swiss. Favre Leuba is with the Titan Industries. Most Unfortunate must be Pagol, the Coconut Tree brand, reliable information about it is Totally Unavailable. Many watch dealers, new & second hand shops, told me it Closed Shop!

Old Bulova, Eterna-Matic, Favre Leuba & Enicar watches can be found in second hand watch shops. Well if you're a Vintage Watch Collector, will you be keen in them?

  
Happy Watching, 10/8/13, 10.30pm