Breaking the hundred: Westar Day Date Automatic

Something special for me on my first 100 posts...
Westar Automatic Day Date

Yes this is my 100 posts.... It took 4 years after the birth of  Watchopenia blog. A lot happened during this time and I have my up and down. Initially I started off as a fun, a way to pass my time.... Now I see it as a way of keeping records of the watches that I safe guard for the next generation. I have the obligation to transfer not only the watches, but also their history and their values to whoever inherits them in the future.....

Westar is an Indian watch company established since 1985. It mostly produces quartz dressing watches. In the middle of 1990's it came up with a batch of automatic watches using Swiss ETA movement. This batch is particularly rare and I have not found anything similar on the internet.

I bought this watch in 1998 at a friend shop. That shop and my friend had since moved to a far away city. I was just started working in my home town and my salary during then was pathetic. Barely enough to feed myself. I used approximately half of my monthly salary on this one; paying RM490 for it. Was supposed to buy a Titoni Cosmo King which is another hundred ringgit more.... Due to budget constrain, I was happily settled for this one.

Here is something shocking.... I bought this, because my friend sacrificed in combining parts from 3 different Westar watches of same style to come up with this magnificent piece. OK the dial and the movement are from full gold colour Westar (Rolex president type with president type band), The case is from a duo tones with plain day date dial (without diamond  like indices)  and  duo tones president like band. Finally the duo tones jubilee bracelet is from another Westar date only watch. Basically, this is a customised watch, it would be hard to find an identical twin. 

I wore this watch almost daily while working in a local hospital. Was extremely busy rushing for time and gasping for air.... On numerous occasion, I dozed off staring at the second hand sweeping by smoothly in meetings and at conferences. This particular watch also witness one of my bitter relationship.....

Worth mentioning is, this watch is full stainless steel with sapphire glass on top and a mineral crystal at the case back. It has a screw in crown and screw in case back. The watch has a water resistant of 100 meters. It uses Swiss ETA 2834-2 25 jewels automatic movement with a beat rate of 28,800 bph. The movement is gold plated with Westar being engraved on the rotor.

The bracelet is Rolex's jubilee style. The construction and quality of this bracelet is considered superb.

The clasp is properly signed with Westar logo. 

I have made some modification for this watch. The gold plated signed crown has had its time and was replaced with an universal stainless steel crown, I wrote to Westar about replacement spare, but to my dismay, they never replied. I guess that set apart the reputable watch manufacturers and some Ali Baba's companies. 

Also I have changed the original very short and ugly second hand with a longer hand. 

Thinking of further modding this watch. May replace the crown with a gold colour aftermarket Rolex crown and also change the hour and minute hands too. Stay tune for future post on this watch.....

Revised March 2014

Further Touch up in August 2014:

Change the crown to a gold plated Rolex Replica crown and also changing the second hand to a black colour Titoni's second hand to give it a better contrast....