Saturday 24 January 2015

Review: Citizen Seven Star V2 4-770781TA Vintage

“I have been a big fan to vintage Seiko for so long. But, apparently vintage Citizen is interesting too. Not on Orient mechanical yet. Forget Casio - a computer circuit watch! These three Japanese big names (Seiko, Citizen and Orient) have been very successful in producing good mechanical watches during mid 60s to early 70s. The mechanical finesse of Seiko and Citizen during that era is no rival by the Swiss. At time where most Swiss mechanical are so cumbersome to set the calendar, these two Asian’s house of horology makes time-setting so much easier. I am not saying Swiss are no good but these Japanese have been ahead of them for so many times throughout the modern horology history. Good watches make good statement of the manufacture. Each vintage, regardless of brand, model and price reveal the quality of the watch-maker. Honestly, the Japanese vintage is more interesting than the Swiss. Being a collector, having a complete 100% genuine parts and good working condition of a vintage watch has always been a treasure. I did vintage watch profiling. Time-keeping testing is part of the profile. Read my simple review on this vintage Citizen Seven Star famous line - the V2. Enjoy.” – thetick-thetick

Specification
Model Name: Citizen Seven Star V2
Model Number: 4-770781TA
Production Date/Location: June 1973/Japan
Movement: Cal. 7700, 3 hands, calendar, automatic 22 jewels, 6bps/21,600bph
Power Reserve: continuous operation, 42 hours
Time setting: Hand-wind, hacking, crown-setting
Calendar setting: Quickset, crown-push day-date
Calendar: Japanese Kanji and Standard Gregorian English
Case: Stainless steel, screw-down case lid
Case Dimension: 38mm dia., 42mm lug-to-lug, 18mm lug width
Crystal: Acrylic
Bracelet: Stainless steel, straight end, signed Citizen folded clasp with extension slide
Accuracy: tested – 1 day normal wear, observed 1 day face-up static position +18s per day
Note: tested – power reserve degrading at +/- 40 hours due to aging mainspring elasticity
The crown side profile. Satin brushed case top with polished case side. Polished bezel. Straight-end hooded lugs.
The crown (signed CTZ) is positioned between 3 and 4. Quite small to hand-wind the movement but easy to push-in for calendar setting. 3 straight push will advance 3 calendar date and alternate between Kanji and standard English day. Cumbersome!? The case side is polished. See those dented marks and scratches... what do you expect from an old machine? But I love vintage steel.. blue steel. A real quality Japanese steel - not like the Swiss that turned yellowish after long time.
It is not easy to find a clean and perfect dial. The polished bezel, shiny crystal and mint dial - a clean look. Actually I love watches with this kind of design - a 100% steel. The dial, the hands, the marker, the calendar window... 100% steel and black lining.
The calendar window or aperture - separated in two sections for day and date. The background, look at the textured dial - well preserved!
The case back. This is transition model between the late 60s and early 70s. The Parawater is Citizen's trade mark for water proof winding components. The 7700 represents the watch caliber and the 4-770781TA is the model number combining the movement and the case used.
The early 70s Citizen. Most of the models come with hooded lugs strapped with stainless steel bracelet.
The Citizen clasp comes with slide extension for the bracelet.
Caliber 7700. 22 jewels. From my observation, Citizen is among the earliest manufacturer to add 1 jewel on the movement main plate to mount the mainspring barrel. It makes the mainspring dispersing smoothly and that makes it 22 jewels and not 21 jewels. Most Citizen hi-beat capped with even numbered jewels. Only lately we found the new modern Seiko movement upgraded to even numbered jewels!! Running at 6bps/21,600bph... acceptable for time-keeping accuracy.
With rival countryman - the Seiko Lord-Matic. Both running at 21,600bph. Both are remarkable rival to the Swiss during their era. My preferred collection - 100% steel.
"Good vintage hunting requires passion and knowledge. A collector or a trader need to know their stuff. Getting a 100% is tough. Do some research on the internet. If you are lucky enough you may find a good seller selling good vintage. If the watch is 100% original, it goes without saying. Restoring the steel will not be an issue. Service is a must to keep it running good. Thanks to Maro. This review is dedicated to him. For his passion and connection with friends working in Japan, bringing back these Japanese treasure to Malaysia. Keep hunting bro... offer to fellow watch enthusiast. Bekkk... haa, amacam? Dah restore balik jam nih. Aku buat kat rumah jeh!!! Lepas ni aku nak perosah jam Seiko 6308 Cikgu Amar pulak. Baru jeh Poslaju hantar sebelum aku post artikel nih. Wait for my next article. Thanks for reading." - thetick-thetick

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Review [BM]: Citizen Eco-Drive Military BM8475-26E

“Haa… ni salah satu koleksi jam malas yang aku ada. Tapi satu jeh. Kalau malas pakai, simpan dalam kotak nanti jam tuh tidur! Tak jalan. Nak bagi dia bangun kena letak kat bawah lampu selama 40 minit atau lebih. Tak pun pakai masa siang terang benderang. Haa... itu laa dia teknologi Citizen Eco-Drive yang menggunakan teknologi cahaya. Aku tak kata dia pakai tenaga solar (cahaya matahari) macam Casio Tough Solar dengan Seiko Solar... ni memang pakai cahaya. Sikit cahaya pun boleh caj balik jam nih. Kalau Seiko Kinetik lagi hampeh... kena goyang gerudi macam dynamo basikal baru bole charge bateri jam. Yang ni kena cahaya lampu dah cukup... bole caj batteri. Jam Eco-Drive nih paling aku minat. Military design. Sesuai pakai kasual atau santai. Apa yang aku suka pasal jam nih? Ada gak part yang aku tak berapa suka. Haa... selamat membaca pictorial review aku untuk Citizen Eco-Drive BM8475-26E nih! Gambar lebih bekkk… baca santai!” – thetick-thetick

Spesifikasi
Model: BM8475-26E
Movement: Eco-Drive E011
Time-keeping Accuracy: +/- 20s per month
Function: Analog 3 hands with day-date calendar
Driving Power: Lights and Storage Battery, Quartz time-keeping
Case Diameter: 42mm
Case Diameter termasuk crown: 45mmB
Strap and Material: Leather, signed Citizen buckle
Band Width: 22 mm
Crystal: Mineral Glass
Water Resistance Depth: 100m/10bar/333ft.
Lug Size: 22mm
Thickness: 11 mm


 Jam military-pilot. "Black coated" stainless steel case. Nampak macam jam Bell & Ross BR123. Kena plak tali kulit warna "tanned brown". Nampak rugged.
 Crown besar. Bunga cam bawang! Mudah untuk setting.
 Tali kulit tebal. Case pun tebal jugak. Memang ngammmm!
 Buckle ni aku rasa buat pakai aluminium - black coated. Ada brand Citizen. 
 Matte black dial. Orange index. Pukul 12, 3, 6 dengan 9 pakai Arabic index. Jarum tuu pun matte black finish! Hehe... luminous compound warna oren bekkk... nanti, kalu gelap warna hapa jadinyeh!!?? 
 Kasi close-up. Nengok index marker... memang military standard 1500h kat pukul 3 tuhh. Index kemas... mudah nak set timing!
 Calendar window - ada hari dan haribulan. Alamak... kanji Jepun! Aku tak berkenan satu jeh... calendar window dengan  calendar dia kecik laaa... aku ni dah laa rabun dekat. Payah nak baca. Kebetulan dial disc eco-drive ni tebal. Nak mandang haribulan dari angle tertentu memang payah. Pasal apa dial disc dia tebal? Pasal kat bawah dial ni ada photo-cell untuk serap cahaya. 
 100m water-resistant case back takde black-coating. Polished stainless-steel case lid.
 Memang patut dikategorikan sebagai jam military-pilot. Aku memang minat kombinasi hitam dengan warna brown.
 Takde la beso sangat... okey jeh kat tangan aku yang size sedang nih. Sekarang nih jaman orang pakai jam yang godang-godang... sapok beso kata orang Terengganu.
 Dalam kesamaran cahaya... haaa nengok tuhh orange marker dengan jarum tu rupenya lume dia warna hijau daa... walaupun tak seterang Seiko Lumibrite... Citizen ni terang gakk lume dia...
Haaa... Military Pak Tam dengan Military Pak Tih... Pak Tih ni nama dia ODO Schmeichel. Jam quartz yang menggunakan movement Citizen Miyota. Kira satu kilang laa... cuma ODO-S nih murah laaa... cuba carik!
Haa... jam Junkers GMT nih dulu aku beli dengan Wak Hassan Detikduabelas... dah ke tangan sahabat aku yang kebetulan seorang soldadu. Macam aku dulu laa... sekarang ni dah reput. Hehe... bahasa sojar pencen.
"Leceh laa wak. Hassan Detikduabelas whatsapp aku... memang leceh bekk. Jam-jam jenis eco-drive nii memang kena selalu terdedah pada cahaya. Kalu tak nanti dia tidur... kalau dah lama tidur memang payah laa nak gerak. Tidur dalam kotak! Hehe... sesapa yang suka kumpul jam tapi tak pakai aku nasihatkan jangan laa pakai jam nih. Kalau minat beli laa... wa suka, wa punya pasal laa... hehe. Hmmmhh... artikel apa pulak lepas nih... " - thetick-thetick
[Semak dan susun semula 27 Februari 2020]

Monday 5 January 2015

Review: Seiko Prospex "Baby Tuna" SRP637K1 200m Diver

"Bekkk... aku ada satu. Model baru. Macam Tuna! That was what my fellow H4U blogger Hassan Detikduabelas told me. Actually, I haven't bought any brand new watches for almost two years! Curious... I asked him to send me the photos. Wow! From the photos, I know this must be big - a masculine diver. It looks like the famous Tuna diver. It looks like the Seiko Monster too. Browsing Yeoman's Seiko website I found that this newly launched diver interesting. Hah haa... curious, I can't wait to see the real thing. I called Hassan, agreed, we met after midnight on January the 3rd. Midnight!? We actually met early morning on January the 4th! The real deal is to get my new year's watch. Not so expensive but the quality worth to pay with thick fifty ringgit bill! Thanks bekk... jam ni memang cunnnn.... hah ha. He suggested to me, bek... buat review simple simple jehh!!! Hee hee... I guest I don't have much time blogging lately, read my simple pictorial review of this what they call the 'Baby Tuna" diver. Hmmmhhh... Baby Tuna? I guess this hybrid of Tuna and Monster diver would be more appropriate to associate with an incident where a monster stuck in a tuna can! Joking... read my pictorial review on this shrouded diver SRP637K1. Enjoy..." - thetick-thetick
Specification
Model No: Seiko Prospex SRP637K1 200m Diver
Movement: Calibre 4R36, 24 jewels, hacking for time-setting, 3 hands - hour, minute & second, and day-date display
Driving System: Automatic and hand-winding
Vibration: 21,600 vph/bph
Power Reserve: approx. 41 hours, continuous operating time
Magnetic Resistant: 4,800 A/m (60 gauss)
Watch Case: Stainless Steel, 47.5 mm diameter excl crown, 14 mm thickness, 50 mm lug-to-lug
Watch Lug: 22 mm
Watch Crystal: thick flat Seiko Hardlex mineral glass
Scuba Bezel: Stainless Steel engraved, 120 clicks uni-directional
Case Back: screw down diver case lid
Bracelet: Stainless Steel 22-20 fitted with Seiko diver's clasp with wet suit extension
Water Resistant: 200m
Using the Seiko Monster's typical dial and engraved bezel, the 'Baby Tuna' diameter extended by the stainless steel shrouded case. 47.5 mm! Not too big and not too ordinary. Well, nowadays... big is beautiful!
Side profile. See from the crown side, typical Tuna with 14 mm thickness. Rugged but the outer shrouded case is beautifully constructed with satin-brush finishing. The unsigned screw-down crown is well protected under the outer case - perfectly fitted. The outer case can be detached. Look at the watch shoulder... so recessed to allow the case to wrap nicely on the wrist. I like bro... you know why? My wrist is not that big laa...
Look at this masculine baby! Baby? Yaa... smaller than the standard Tuna maybe... he he. I like to see the watch from this angle. It shows the entirety of a solid modern diver's watch construction. 
The other side... see the two big screws and the space to expose the bezel tooth for time-elapse setting. Hmmhhhh... looks like a crab!
Another side profile. Look at the shoulder from this angle. The symmetrical design for both lugs is superb. A very solid construction... but bro, isn't it looks heavy?
The case shoulder and the lug... the shorter lug is proportionate with the watch case and height.
The case back. Standard. But look at the diameter extension. The outer shrouded case enlarges the watch base. Sorry brader... jam baru. Wa tak bukak lagi plastic kat penutup tuu... Jangan marrah heh!
The screw-down crown is protected by the outer case.
Like Sumo... like Monster, using the SS bracelet clasp with wet suit extension
The watch crystal is flat - thick mineral glass. Look at the minute index. Very clean and visible.
Fitting the SS bracelet. This Baby Tuna is resting like a giant. Grab one! See this recently released shrouded diver in action. Don't ask me about the performance of 4R36 Seiko work horse. It is proven and reliable movement enhanced from the 7S26 caliber.
My wrist is not that big. But this Baby Tuna wrapped nicely around my wrist. Thanks to the recessed and short case shoulder. A truly beautiful construction that can fit smaller or bigger wrist.
Side by side with other sibling... the Baby Tuna and the Sumo. Looks almost similar size. The time-keeping work horse! 4R36 is powering the Baby Tuna... 6R15 for the Sumo.
"Cunn braderr.... cunnn. Bek, kalau ada orang nak order camna? Hehe, soalan aku pada Hassan Detikduabelas. Rasanya boleh dapat... replied Hassan. Actually this newly released mid-entry level diver is new to the Malaysian market. Honestly, I like it a lot. It is an affordable big shrouded diver. Compared to the current Monster line, this one is really masculine with good aesthetic design for a modern diver. I guess this should be the real Monster for the 200m diver's line - not the normal Monster we have seen previously. Check-out for other variants that come with various cosmetics and Z22 strap. Okies, hoped you guys enjoy this pictorial review. Bek! Amacam? Okey tak review aku nih? My first article for 2015. Happy new year to fellow H4U bloggers and my blog followers. Wait for my next article." - thetick-thetick