We hosted four special guests from out of town and this is part 2 of our report...
For those who may not know, we have a theme around our gatherings and they were (1) Independent brands and (2) Dual time zone or Worldtimer. This blog post features all the dual time zone pieces. You may find the report on the Independents here.
What's interesting about this category is the variety on show - yes, you have the usual suspects but you also have some unusual ones like this Harry Winston Excenter Time Zone.
In a 18k white gold case, this is an earlier year Harry Winston dual time zone piece that is not only unusual but also a beauty. Comes with a manual winding calibre too. That's what's fun about these gatherings. You get to see some really unusual pieces... off the beaten track.
Then there are the usual suspects like the Rolex GMT II. But let me start with the more "unusual" GMT II. The GMT-Master II LHD also known as "Sprite".
It was my first time handling this piece and as anyone would have expected, I turned it wrong way round!
Coverted I am sure, but still feels odd for me that an icon like the GMT-Master II looks "upside down"... you know what I mean.
By the way, who comes up with names like "Sprite"? I'm sure Rolex didn't... Then there is the more "recognizable" Pepsi and I can see why they call it the Pepsi
How about 2 Grand Seiko GMT pieces - another brand that has many versions of the GMT
One an automatic Hi-Beat (below) and the other the "normal" GMT (SBGM029), both with yellow GMT hands.
Still on the same theme of double - Nomos Glashutte. First up, the Zürich world time Singapore edition specially made for The Hourglass and Watches of Switzerland. The salmon dial version was limited to 15 pieces and aptly names "The Little Red Dot".
Next is the Tangomat GMT. Simple but functional.
We know of Seiko 5 but Seiko 5 GMT? This is a first for me. If you want to know a little more about Seiko 5 and how the name came about, check out an earlier article I posted here.
Another not often seen timepiece is the Stowa Flieger Worldtime GMT. A pilot inspired timepiece with an added function of a second timezone indication. Comes with either a lime green GMT indicator or an orange indicator.
Now this is something you don't see everyday... a Tissot Navigator Seastar Worldtime - a vintage timepiece no less.
Released in the 60s, this vintage piece has a day/night indicator in the form of darker shade at the bottom half of the dial.
Another under appreciated brand and timepiece has to be Montblanc. This is the Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum World Map
Encased in a 41mm steel case, the dial displays the world map and with the world time scale appearing around the dial. This timepiece also comes with an in-house movement to boot. Actually, what Montblanc did to keep cost down was to integrate the world time mechanism into a Sellita automatic movement, rather than build a module on top of the base movement.
It is always good to have fellow collectors bring their prized possessions - price of the piece is not the focus here. It has always been the case with our gatherings - bring out those fun and unusual pieces. Watch collecting has to be first and foremost, fun. And as we mature, we develop a certain style. Not everyone starts their collection with high end pieces - I know there are many of you out there but for lesser mortals like us, we probably start with what we can afford and then slowly move up the "value" ladder. All said and done, watch collecting is very individual and nice pieces don't have to cost of bomb.
