GTG With Special Guest - Romain Gauthier - Part 2 - Dual Time Zone

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.

Seiko 5 Military Red Dial - Amazon Edition

Seiko makes perhaps the most number of watches bar none - makes them affordable and makes them well too. The Seiko 5 range comes in all styles but the Military series is recognizable with their hands and styling.

When Seiko and Amazon collaborated, what they came up with was a unique red dial edition housed in the Seiko 5 Military 37mm case. Until recently, I did not know the reason for the name - Seiko 5. Why Seiko 5? Well, when Seiko debut the range, they had intended for the watch to possess 5 key characteristics - a self-winding automatic movement, resistance to water, a day-date in a single window, a recessed crown, and a durable case.

A limited edition reference SNKM95, comes with a blue canvas strap and meets all the criteria of Seiko 5.

Coming with the day and date display, the Seiko 5 Military gives great value at around US$100.

The automatic movement comes with 21 jewels and what's surprising is that the movement is Made in Malaysia!

The movement is the automatic 7S26-02J0 but the watch is probably assembled in China (lost the box and papers for this one). Power reserve on this movement is a decent 40 hours.

Rated as one of the more robust and reliable mechanical calibre out there, the 7S26 movement also includes Seiko's "magic lever" technology, which improves the efficiency of winding, much like the Pellaton winding mechanism of IWC. With the magic level, winding of the movement occurs whether the rotor rotates clockwise or counter-clockwise thereby improving the efficiency of the winding mechanism.

One down side of this movement is that it does not work with manual winding. One has to shake the watch for awhile to get it going and there is also no hacking seconds.

The stainless steel case comes with a mixture of brushed and polished surfaces and both the front and back are fitted with Hardlex crystal which is Seiko's patented name for mineral glass.

The Seiko 5, as with many Seiko timepieces out there are all great tool watches and a good way to start a mechanical watch collection. Truth be told, the first mechanical watch I bought for my son was a Seiko 5 - at Toa Payoh Hub no less. It was an incentive for him doing well in his studies.

Above the Seiko (missing the 5 on the dial) I bought for my son and below the one I bought for myself as I like the cream coloured dial.

What is really nice about the Seiko 5 and for that matter any Seiko, is that they are affordable and "discrete". Discrete enough to be worn for travels and you won't get into worrying challenges. For instance this Seiko 5 Sports which I wore when we drove into Malaysia. Rugged enough with a bracelet and also water resistant to 100m - good for when you get into the pool and without having to take it off.

On the one hand, they do not attract too much attention and even if I had lost it, it would have been easily replaced and won't burn a hole in my pocket.

Speaking of travel watches, do you wear an expensive timepiece when you travel? Personally, I tend to be on the safer side preferring to wear more discrete pieces. Nothing flashy or loud just so we don't attract the wrong attention. But this discussion will be for another post...

Hope you like the Seiko 5 Red Dial Amazon Edition and the Seiko 5s I listed here. The Price-Quality-Ratio for these timepieces are excellent and it would be hard pressed to find even more affordable timepieces that meet the 5 criteria.