Thursday, February 8, 2024

I still love the Seiko Alpinist, but...

From the first time I laid eyes on it, I knew I had fallen for the Seiko Alpinist SARB017. With it's beautiful green dial, the gold cathedral hands, and the inner rotating compass bezel, I imagined the day I would have it on my wrist.


Fast forward a few years and still the watch eluded me. A year more and it was discontinued. My heart sank as I saw the prices skyrocket to oblivion. And it was then I realized I would never have one, unless someone gave me one as a gift, or I happen to chance upon untold sums of wealth, both of which are unlikely to happen.

With a broken heart, I searched the interwebs for something to fill in the blank space in my heart. Time and again I failed until one day I had a brain fart. Why don't I make myself one.

With the advent of online shopping, I navigated through countless bytes of internet rubbish and spent hours on end searching for the cheapest watch parts I could find. After purchasing a cheap movement, a watch case, a generic white dial, and some watch hands, I set out to build my first watch. It was then I realized, I needed tools. Many hours later and many more days of waiting, I finally had all the tools and all the parts I needed to build my very first watch. And it was nothing like the Alpinist.


After destroying 2 movements and a set of watch hands, I have proven to myself that I am capable if making my own watch. The only problem is that it is nowhere near the quality and reliability of Seiko.

With my watchmaking skills improved and with budget to spare, I searched for more watch parts that would be a bit closer to the looks of the Alpinist.

Behold the first green watch I have ever made. 


This is my first attempt to homage the now iconic and still out of reach Seiko Alpinist SARB017. I call this, "TUROD". Turod is a word that means, hill. A name fitting a watch I intend to use in the field much like Alpinist is a name fit for an explorer's watch.

Like the watch it is trying to be, TUROD has a green dial, cathedral style hands, sapphire crystal, legible hour and minute markers, screw down crown, but sadly, no compass bezel - A complication that is not easily replicated by a beginner watch maker that builds watches on the kitchen table after dinner.

The case is fairly generic. And by generic I mean spitting image of the Rolex Explorer case. Supposedly made of 316L stainless steel, it is shiny all over except for the back.

The crystal is supposedly sapphire, but I have no way of verifying this. However, I have not yet seen any scratches on the crystal.

Behind the sunburst green dial, that I modified to fit the case, beats a DG2813 Chinese movement, it keeps time just fine and it is just 1 jewel shy of the Alpinist's 23-jewel movement. Time will tell if it is as reliable as a Seiko movement.

The TUROD is no Alpinist, that much is certain, but it is a step in the right direction. In my quest to reach the height of the Alpinist is just beginning.

One might say, "Why not save your money and just buy one?". Well, that certainly is an option, but for what the Alpinist is, I don't think it's worth the moon and stars. I can make watches that I like for beach sands worth. 13 watches are, after all, more than 1.

I'm fairly certain I will find the dial, case and movement combination that will rival the Alpinist. In fact, I already have a dial, movement, and handset on hand. I'm just waiting on a watch case that has an internal rotating bezel and maybe I can finally put the Alpinist behind me and move on.

For now though, my heart is still captivated by the beauty of the Alpinist.

Monday, February 5, 2024

Citizen Cosmotron Special

This is the Citizen Cosmotron Special. It's an electro-mechanical watch from the 70's. It has a special movement that is battery powered, but regulated by a balance wheel instead of a quartz crystal. While Seiko went on to develop the quartz movement around the same time, Citizen was dishing out these unique watches that, as far as I can tell, no other watch manufacturer made.

Citizen Cosmotron Special. Circa 1972

At first glance, it looks like your typical automatic watch. Steel case, thick crystal, unassuming dial and hands combination, day and date complication. Even the ticking of the second hand is the same as an automatic - sweeping second hand instead of the 1-tick per second of quartz watches.

The particular example in the image above is quite old. It's all beat up. Crystal is all scratched. Original bracelet is gone. The watch is on an aftermarket nylon strap.


Back of the Cosmotron Special. There are 2 screws at the back. Under the larger one is the battery compartment. Behind the smaller one is the balance wheel adjustment screw.

This watch has a monocoque case. The case is one piece and cannot be opened from the back. I suspect the movement can be accessed via removal of the crystal and that is something I don't want to attempt yet given that I haven't found anyone online who has done it.

Judging from the serial number, it may have been made in November of 1972 and it may be the 5,475th watch in the batch.

Movement

The movement in this watch is the 7803. It's one of the many variants used in Cosmotrons. This one features a high beat at 36,000bph. and it has a button at the 8 o'clock position that resets the second hand back to zero.

The second hand reset button.

Unsigned crown at the 3 o'clock position.

Crown

The crown also has a special function. Pull the crown and that is the time setting position. However, when you press on the crown when it is set to its original position, you can set the date or day depending in the position of the watch.

To set the date, hold the watch vertically with the 6 o'clock position down. Press the crown and the date will move forward.

Hold vertically, right side up, press the crown (at 3 o'clock) to set the date.

To set the day, hold the watch vertically with the 12 o'clock position down. Press the crown and the day will move forward.

Hold vertically, up side down, press the crown (at 3 o'clock) to set the day.

 The quick set day and date functions are unique and very useful in setting the day and date without changing the time.

Caseback

There are different casebacks for the Cosmotron. So far, I have seen the monocoque case which essentially has no caseback. There are Cosmotrons with the regular solid caseback. There is however another type. It is a 2-piece caseback which can be seen in the photo below.

Caseback is a solid round plate held in place by a separate screw down ring.

In the above photo, the caseback text remains aligned horizontaly since the caseback plate doesn't rotate when the screw down ring is tightened or loosened.

Monocoque Caseback.

 
Common screw-down caseback.

Case, Crystal, Dial

The Cosmotron line came in different case, crystal, and dial shapes and styles.

Rounded square blue dial. Squared flat crystal. Square case.

Another Cosmotron with a monocoque case, but with a thick, faceted crystal.

Watch crystal viewed from the side. It has 5 facets on the top of the crystal.

Angular case with flat crystal.

 

Octagonal shaped case. Domed crystal. Sectioned gradient green dial.

Some examples that can be seen online have irridescent dials and funky designs and colors and I hope to get my hands on one of the more funky ones someday.

Dials have applied markers, applied brand and logo,

Battery

I did mention that the Cosmotron is battery powered. The examples I have shown so far all use the LR44 size battery. There is one minor issue though in regard to availability of the batteries. While LR44 size batteries are still plentiful and easy to obtain, they all have a rating of 1.55V. The Cosmotron with 7803 movement, on the other hand, was designed to use batteries rated at 1.3V. Unfortunately, 1.3V button cells are no longer made. Modern button cells rated at 1.55V will work, but the watch will operate slightly faster that usual. It is possible to regulate the watch, but I think the life of the watch might be shortened with prolonged use of 1.55V batteries. This remains to be seen though as there is not much info on the long term effects of higher voltages to the internal circuitry of the Cosmotron.


 

There is a solution and that is to purchase a battery voltage converter. It has the exact size of the LR44, but uses SR41W batteries which are slightly smaller. The converter/adapter functions as a jacket with a built in voltage regulator that drops the output from 1.55V to 1.35V. Unfortunately, they are quite expensive in comparison to one LR44 Battery and were primarily designed for use in vintage cameras. You can find the converter in the link --> Look for MR44(H-C) Battery Adapter.

Bracelet

The Cosmotron 7803 always came with a stainless steel bracelet with solid links. Almost all examples of cosmotrons I have seen, whether in person or on the internet, always featured as solid link bracelet. Something that is no longer common place today where most affordable watches have bracelets with folded links.





While the clasps and some end links are pressed and folded steel they feature the Citizen branding and the Cosmotron logo.

So far, all my Cosmotrons feature 18mm lug width and aftermarket bracelets and straps can easily be had to replace watches with defective or missing bracelets.

A lot of the times when buying Cosmotrons online, they have aftermarket bracelets or bracelets that came from other Cosmotron models. At this point in time there is no way to know if the bracelet is the original that came with the watch. Personally, I don't mind as long as it is a Cosmotron bracelet. Replacement, original Cosmotron bracelets will be hard to find though. I doubt there are any new ones being made by Citizen today.

Cosmotron clasp with Citizen brand and Cosmotron Logo. This one has a clasp extension (aftermarket) to fit larger wrists.

In a time where mechanical and automatic watches are favored by enthusiasts and battery powered watches are seen as cheap and inferior, the Citizen Cosmotron will remain a hidden gem for those who know about it and its unique quirks and functions. I surmize some languish in old forgotten places waiting to be rediscovered and hopefully get the recognition that these unique, battery powered, non-quartz, mechanical watches deserve.

Enjoy!

 






Friday, March 3, 2023

I like this Citizen Quartz watch, but... #citizen

 

 Buying watches online is a bit of a gamble. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose.

I bought a quartz watch recently. It's made by Citizen, or at least I hope it was legitimately made by Citizen. I was attracted to the dial and the caseback. This watch has a stainless steel case and a screw down caseback. Not the typical quartz watch I am familiar with from this brand. Usually, quartz watches from Citizen, at least at this price in the used market, usually have base metal case and snap on casebacks. This one is different.

I use this for more formal occasions, but recently I wondered, "Maybe it was meant as a field watch and not a dress watch." There are a few reasons why I think this is a field watch.

1. It has large numerals. The dial features large numbers in black - very visible against the silver dial.

2. It says "Water10BarResist" on  the dial. 10 Bar means 100 meters of water resistance. While I don't believe that to be accurate, I'm pretty sure the watch is at least splash proof.

3. Screw down caseback. Typically, a quartz dress watch has a snap on caseback. A screw down caseback means the movement is more protected from potential ingress of water. To me it also means a better quality watch overall.

Whether it was meant as a dress watch or field watch, this piece is pretty. I'm confident it can handle both being in a party and out and about in the field.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Seiko SARB033 inspired me to make this watch. Is it a fake?

There is a fine line between making a homage and an outright fake. Somewhere within that line, are watch builders like me. This is an example of a homage, but since it's not a 1 to 1 copy, it's not considered fake, in my eyes at least. Actually, it's not considered anything. It's a watch with no identity, no heritage, no brand, no value apart from the sum I paid for its parts.

While some welcome homage watches and even those modded ones where an original is slightly modified to look like something else, others are very critical. Take this watch for example. The Seiko SARB033 inspired me to make this watch.

My homage to the SARB033; 36mm case.

 

An actual SARB033; 38mm case

Looking closely at the above images, it is clear that I took inspiration from the SARB033, but aside from the shape of the hands and the approximate color of the dial, these have nothing in common. They are only linked by my claim that inspiration came from the Seiko, but the watch I made is its own watch. I specifically chose a dial that had no branding. The SARB033 has a date window, while my build has both a day and date complication. A complication that is very useful to me.

The cases don't even resemble one another. The SARB033 has a 38mm case while my watch has a 36mm case that obviously looks like a case from that brand that has a crown.

Honestly, my build looks more like the SNKL23 than the SARB033. A fact I'm not happy about. My objective was to homage a watch that, for me, is out of my reach, but I ended up making a watch look like a budget watch that I could afford. While my watch is slightly cheaper than the SNKL23, I went to all the effort to put this thing together, and if I factor in the build cost, it might not be that far from the SNKL23's retail price.

Seiko SNKL23

There are a few features that my watch has that the iconic SNKL23 does not.

  1. My watch has a Sapphire crystal. The SNKL23 has hardlex.
  2. My watch is powered by an NH36, also made by Seiko, but has hacking and hand winding - both if which the 7s26 in the SNKL23 doesn't have.
  3. My watch has a screw down crown. Which means better water resistance. I can potentially go diving with my watch.

I'm not saying that my build is better than Seiko. It may be called a homage, but it sure can't be called a fake. The above features I mentioned are surely things that even the most dedicated Seiko fanatic would want for their "originals".

For the critical watch enthusiast, my build may not be to their liking. They may outright say that it's a fake due to the fact that it was originally built with the SARB033 as an inspiration, but then again, all modern watches were inspired by something that was made long ago.

The only consolation I have is that Seiko still made some money from my build because of the NH36 movement that drives my watch. I'm not exactly sure what Seiko thinks of my build.

Is it a fake?

Make a Watch From Parts Ordered Online: My New Daily Driver Watch.

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Wednesday, September 7, 2022

In My Dreams

Hello,

It's been years since I last saw you in my dreams, but a few nights ago you came to me in my sleep. I can only describe the place as a conglomerate of the places I have stayed in, from our ancestral house in the province to the various apartments and houses I stayed in while in college at Baguio.

I was with my family. Surprisingly, my grandmother, who passed away in 2018, was there alive and well. I keep seeing younger versions of my family members and even myself.

To my surprise, you showed up. What a shocker that was for me in my dream. It was like I had a panic attack seeing you there. You asked for a place to stay for the night. You did not explain your circumstances and the reason why you were there needing a place to stay. Why come to me of all people?

"Hey!"

"Hi!"

With that familiar smile you asked, "How long has it been?"

My reply, "It's been 21 years, Kat."

"That long huh? Don't worry, I'll be gone in the morning." you said. "I need a place to stay just for the night."

Weirdly enough I had a key to a room in the middle of the house. A room that has not been used in a long time. Only I had the key which looked like one of those old keys for treasure chests in those old movies. The room was filled with cobwebs and spiders. I had to clean the room with my youngest sister and my grandmother. Cobwebs and spiders everywhere. They scrambled away as I swept the cobwebs from the ceiling with a long broom. The room had windows, but clearly they haven't been opened in years. A lone light bulb lit the room, hanging from the middle of the ceiling. It was lit, but I do not recall ever flipping a switch to turn the light on.

 I couldn't sleep that night knowing you were in the other room. I was clearly disturbed. I asked my Mom to pray for me. 

"What's wrong?", she asked. 

Before I could answer, my wife was suddenly there looking as young as the day I met her. 

"He's uneasy because she [Kat] is getting married tomorrow.", my wife says.

In my head I was thinking, "What!!?? Kat is getting married tomorrow?!!"

Apparently the guy you were marrying was RJ, or was it JK?

I did my best to go to sleep. I needed rest because I was suppose to go to my office early the next morning.

I didn't get much sleep, but I managed to wake up and prepared for work. Before I could step in the bathroom, I saw you. The door to your room was wide open you were preparing to leave as well. Then I saw the man you were suppose to marry. He was there to pick you up. You looked so happy to see him. You didn't notice me. It was as if I was never there. For me it was like watching a movie. I can see you, but you're not aware of my presence.

I awoke from my dream. I'm back in the real world. I couldn't make sense of what just happened in my dream. It was strange. Images of the locked room kept flashing in my mind. and your words, "Don't worry, I'll be gone in the morning.", kept ringing in my head. It was 12:45 AM. It felt like I had slept for over 6 hours. Beside me are my wife and little girl fast asleep.

Getting back to sleep was no problem. 5 AM came like 5 minutes later. I kept wondering what that dream meant. Why after so many years, you were in my dream? And why did I act the way I did in the dream?

Now I'm wondering where you are. Are you still out there somewhere? Are you well? Are you happy?


Mike

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Poems from the Book of Rage: "A note to my self:"

Disclaimer: This poem is not my own. This was written by someone I use to know. She was a budding writer back then, sweet and naive. This was how she let lose; a medium to get her mind off things that burdened her.
I advise you to read with your heart and understand what she means by her words and look past the grammatical inconsistencies.
I'm certain she won't mind me publishing her works. All credits go to her, but I will not identify the author.  Though she never wrote a poem for me, let's just say she is a big part of my chaotic yesterday.

... Ok, so its not a poem.

A note to my self:

I entered into a certain relationship without stabilizing my feelings so every now and then doubts conquer my mind as well as part of my whole being. Never had I thought things would turn out this complicated. The point is I don’t know my real and true feelings. Love takes time as they say but as for my part, I think I didn’t take it seriously by heart. I did it cause of curiosity that’s been tormenting me, It was a headstrong decision without knowing the consequences and finding the real true reason. 

The feeling of being comforted and loved in return which I long to feel and crave to have. Eagerness of being somebody’s precious most valuable possession, the idea of not being alone. Well I admit it’s my fault, I wasn’t so sure and yet I let my emotions get out of hand. The more I get close in knowing you and the time spent was unexplainable. I can’t even imagine staying in love with you for the rest of my life, worst I can’t accept the fact that you are worthy for me and having you as the one for the rest of my life. I’m sorry but what I’m trying to imply is that I wish for my freedom again, seceded from you, secluded from reality for a while to think and to find myself. 

Yes, I often tell you that I love you so much and I’m serious but later, it’s like every moment with you is . . . I can’t explain. I’m not comfortable with this kind of set-up, taking responsibility for someone. I guess I’m not ready yet for this certain kind of relationship. At first I was happy, excited and no other things seems to matter. I don’t know what went wrong; maybe it’s on me . . .. 

I keep on wondering and asking what, I can’t explain even if I tried to think for million times dissecting and defragging my feelings I came one with nothing. Maybe this wasn’t meant to be, maybe it’s just a dream, mere fantasy. I’m like a warrior fighting for something giving up everything struggling to survive this symphony and breakdown of what dreams I built and wished to be.  

I don’t know where to start it doesn’t feel worthy. I’m loosing my self as well as my identity, I wasn’t like this before, and it’s not me. I expected too much, rather we have expected too much from each another and it’s breaking me up. 

As I always say life is open ended and I leave this note likewise, hoping that someday I would slide my pen again and the answers to questions are clearly stated. 
















  For me I think “ Love never dies, it just leaves you behind”. Come to think of it, When you love someone this strong that the whole world seems not to matter. Focused on that certain person, who captured your love and affection, sacrificing almost all, I mean all that you can just to win his/her love. Sometimes it seems so unfair because love often drops you restless, alone and in despair. Just imagine a person you love draws back the love you long for what an ecstatic bliss of reality, but here lies the bitter sweet of the story, it doesn’t always end that way.

The pain is too much to bear, keeps you miserable living a life of poignant illness. In what I had experienced I never thought that it could turn out to something enormously outburst of rage and anger. Crafting my whole life to a perfect piece, away from the harshness and agony of reality. Pondering on the fact that I don’t love you and I never should have. Wishing for time travel to the extent of putting my self into momentary amnesia just to make my self-worthy again. Gains back my loss self-identity and wasted time. But too late I can’t the only thing I cannot change is that once you had become a part of me. Made a mark that etched me draws me to my unending battle of fate and heartache. Sometimes we must learn to say goodbye and let go, but it doesn’t mean that the love I had for you is far-gone . . . No! Cause you’ll always be here, here in my heart. It never dies it will stay with me as long as I live. I think it’s what they call unconditional love.

Look at the bright side even if the aspects are too few, I believe that there still something deep and special just for you.  Life can be so unfair sometimes and the things that your are going through is tough. Maybe if there is only one thing that I regret most, is that I wasn’t given the chance of telling you that I love you! but I sure glad that destiny curtailed me from committing that possible biggest mistake, who knows what pain again I would go through.

Friendship is the valuable precious gifts I can’t afford to loose, so I can’t risk the chance of loosing you as my friend.  I can’t stand to see your life wasted but what else can I do besides being a real and true friend to you . . .. I guess none, Any ways for all it’s worth I loved you and I will continue on loving you cause you are so special that made my life complete and had given it a certain glow. I just wished that I had the chance to taking care of you even if it takes a million of pain and trials again to go through.  Indeed it’s true that “some good things never last”.