Ninja Turtle: Seiko Prospex SRPC49K

Black Turtle aka Ninja Turtle

Is that time of the year again..... Wishing everyone A very Prosperous New Year with abundance happiness!  Suppose to put up this post on the first day of Chinese New Year...... Hahahahaaaaaaaa lazy bone....

Ahem.... see what watch arrived during this festive time. I ordered this in December 2018 and only arrived days before Chinese New Year. Alamak... blew my tight budget; broke again....

My black turtle came somewhat late. Everyone posted their turtle in their blogs, on their facebook and almost everywhere..... But I am certain that I am the first in my town and first in my state. I usually do not fancy watch with PVD coating casing. Maybe was traumatized by scene of old black watch peeling off their paint. 

However when I learned Seiko is going to launch the black turtle, I just could not resist this black beauty. This was the advertisement that cast a love spell on me....... Prior to this, I already have the SRP775 and the Seiko Turtle PADI SRPA21. I just picked up the SRPA21 during Christmas 2017. 

Well this is labelled as Limited Edition, but Seiko never specify how many are there..... Anyhow this is still a gorgeous 45mm diver whether it's limited or non-limited. 

Most Japanese Ninjas wear black attirese. The stainless steel case is PVD coated with a mix of matt and gloss finishes. Matt finishing on the anterior and mirror finishing on the sides and posterior.  This watch also has a matching monochromatic black bezel.

The bezel is uni-directional. I think the bezel insert is kind of dull with its grey and black colour scheme. Another feature that this Ninja stands up among all the other turtle is its dial. 

The dial is classic Seiko diver, with the Suwa sword at 12 and the Prospex logo above the six. What differentiate this dial than the rest is in its colour. Seiko used a more retro creamy orange Rumiburaito (Lumibrite) paint on its hour indices. The orange colour minute hand is evocative and down right sexy. 

The glass is a hardlex mineral crystal.... Maybe is time for Seiko upgrading its drivers's glasses to anti-reflective coated sapphire crystal. 

Turtle case are pretty robust. The thickness is about 47mm. This watch due to its strap, it is weighting only 109gm. Personally, I felt the case is a little bit rubberized from the PVD coating. 

The new silicone strap of Seiko is very comfortable in wearing. It is soft, super flexible and not heaty after long hour of wear. But I think it is collecting white dust easily. The strap has a black metal keeper with Seiko engraved on its. The stainless steel buckle also has a matching PVD coating and is signed with Seiko. 

This watch also has a matched black beauty screw down and lock crown. This ensure the watch can withstand water pressure until 200m depth. 

Oh ya, this watch is also anti-magnetic. 

This watch has the day and date function at its 3 o'clock position. 

The back case is a screw down chunk of stainless steel. At the centre of it is a very beautiful engraving of tsunami wave. Limited Edition is stated at the case back. 

This diver is powered by Seiko 4R36 movement that has 24 jewels. 4R36 can be handwind and with hacking function. This movement is beating at 21,600 bpm and has a power reserve of 41 hours. 

Wrapping up this post with a new resolution for this Chinese New Year..... "Think of it; and GET IT DONE!!!"

P.S. Wonder whether Seiko will come up with a sexy red female Ninja????

Citizen Eco Drive Diver 200M

The watch that Asia's Richest Man Wore

Li Ka Shing is one of the Asia's richest man. Yea, one day I want to be as rich as Uncle Li...... (day dreaming). Why is Li Ka Shing presented here in a non-financial, non-economic related blog?

In an interview with Bloomberg, Uncle Li showed his daily wrist watch to the interviewer..... A citizen eco-drive with PVD coated case and bracelet. According to Uncle Li, that watch was bought at USD500.

Forbes estimated Li Ka Shing to have a personal wealth of over 20 billions dollar! I would be more than content with a fraction of his wealth. 

I am looking up to Uncle Li..... he is my mentor.....  I want also an Eco-Drive.......

Citizen BN0190-07E Promaster Diver

The saying that every watch tells a story, couldn't be further from the truth with this particular one. This watch is supposed to be retailing at RM1000++; at Lazada.com or Ebay, the cheapest is about RM850++. I bought this one for RM600 brand new. 

It all started with Mr FOAF (Friend of a friend) went to ABC watch gallery in a premier shopping mall. Mr Foaf placed RM8,000 as a deposit for a Rolex. He later found out that he had been ripped off and charged exorbitantly. He promptly cancelled the order and demanded for refund. However, the shop owner refused to back off........ 

Negotiation after negotiation...... Don't know whether is the gentlemen type or corporate type negotiation or not? Overhead it involved Mr Dragon and Mr Tiger..... Or locally we called them Ah Beng and Ah Seng.

Mr Beng and Mr Seng are very effective liaisons. They could broker a peaceful settlement in no time. The shop-owner finally relented and agreed to refund on one condition. Mr Foaf needed to purchase a watch from the shop on RSP (Recommended Selling Price) without any discount given. 

So finally Mr Foaf chose this Citizen Promaster Diver BN0190-07E. Mr Foaf went on to buy his Rolex from my friend and asked my friend to help him sell off this watch.....

It was few days before Chirstmas 2017, I was hanging around friend's shop before this Citizen caught my attention. Being an excellent salesperson, my friend offered me to name him a price for the watch. I offered RM500 playfully. He said Mr Foaf wanted RM800, but he would deal with me in between. That's how the RM600 came about.

By any standard, the simple design of this ISO Compliant Promaster Diver’s watch is sure to turn heads. This watch is actually quite huge. Its diameter measuring 45mm with 12mm thickness. The watch weighted 104gm adding enough density to one's wrist. 

The Stainless Steel case is equipped with a bold uni-directional Rotating Elapsed-Time Bezel and a matching black dial. As it is a dive watch, the hands and the markers are heavily luminous painted. 

This watch featured anti-reflective coating mineral crystal and is water resistant to 200M/20Bar. 

Its crown is screw down type and is signed with promaster's logo. 

One of the distinctive feature of this watch is its black polyurethane strap. The strap sits precisely in between the lugs.  

Despite being quite thick, the strap is surprisingly very comfortable in wearing. 

The stainless steel buckle is designed ergonomically. The word Citizen is engraved on the buckle. 

The stainless steel backcase has all the information regarding the watch. I am happy to know that this watch is anti-magnetic (DC field up to 4800A/m at 5cm). Sound like suitable for super agent.... Bond, James Bond..... Nah, Mr Bond has more exquisite taste.....

The heart of this watch is the eco-drive E-168 movement. Eco-Drive can generate power from any light source, artificial, natural and even dim light to keep watches running without ever replacing batteries.

Theoretically, this watch should be able to serve you very well for the next 15 years to come. Once fully charged, E-168 can be functional for up to six months. The movement also has the function of low charge warning and over charged protection. It is quite a bulletproof movement. 

The date can be quick set and also it has a hacking function. The accuracy is about ±15 Seconds / Month. One word of caution thou, with any Solar powered watch, you always need to expose them to some light.... so never store them inside your drawer, or vault. If you stored them too long inside darkness, you probably need to fork up some cash to change its battery or capacitor.