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.

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