Rare Funky Design: Citizen Leopard 28800

Citizen Leopard without the Leopard

I blogged about my another Citizen Leopard HERE and wrote quite an extensive and comprehensive piece. I won't go into Citizen Leopard but just this particular watch with some add on information I found on Citizen Leopard since August last year.

This is a Citizen Leopard from early 1970's as its design truly reflects the culture of that era. This is an all stainless steel automatic watch. The case looks like a shield or even a helmet. This case is lugless and is covered with a faceted mineral glass. 

When I was saying this watch has a 70's funky design, I was more referring to its dial. The dial is blue in colour with a lighter patch at the center. Is not really a gradient colour effect, nor is it a sun radiance effect. If you look carefully, there are somewhat messy pattern on the dial. It looks like someone scratching here and there or polishing the car in a wrongfully manner. I would classified this as a textile dial. 

The gold baton raised hour markers as well as the gold raised Citizen wording and the day-date window gold frame added character to the dial. 

This Leopard watch does not have the Leopard logo or drawing on its dial. But it is stated 28,800 and Leopard 26 Jewels. 

The stainless steel crown of this watch is at 4 o'clock position and is somewhat concealed inside the case. The crown is signed with "CTZ". 

Another merit of this watch is its stainless steel bracelet. The bracelet is a single link construction and is of very solid stainless steel. The bracelet is brushed polish to perfection. The folding clasp is signed with raised Citizen wording. 

The stainless steel caseback is screw in type. From the caseback, we know that this is the later Leopard variant that utilised the Citizen in-house 7700 movement. The same movement is also being used in the flagship Citizen watches that rival with Grand Seiko at that era. 

Be very honest about it.... I am more a classical looking watch fan.... A more standard shaped, a black or white dial or golden dial type....  I think sometime is more an impulsive collection urge that got the better of me. 

I shared with you, my internet finding of magazines' articles on Citizen Leopard....

Ending this post with a photo of a leopard slumbered on a tree.....

Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT± 223-88

I am sailing....with Ulysse Nardin GMT±

"I am sailing, I am sailing,

Home again cross the sea.

I am sailing, stormy waters,

To be near you, to be free."

A song that was so beautifully sang by Rod Stewart... That's how I felt whenever I encounter the brand Ulysse Nardin. The first time, I went into an Ulysse Nardin bontique, I was impressed and inspired by its naval and ship theme decoration...... Have to mention, the Public Relation Manager was super friendly, helpful and gorgeous sexy looking......

Founded in 1846, Ulysse Nardin was named after its founder, Ulysse Nardin, an accomplished watchmaker. In its over 165 years of history, Ulysse Nardin had been widely respected as a specialist in marine chronometers.Since 1846 the company has walked away with 4324 awards among which 18 highly coveted gold medals.

In 1994, Ulysee Nardin invented the GMT± with its signature plus and minus pushers to adjust instantly the hour hand to another local time; and the "Home time" window at 9 o'clock which displays the time at home when one is traveling abroad. The home time display shows the time in digits from 1 to 24 so you will always know whether it is a.m. or p.m. The GMT± Dual Time can be adjusted to a different local time without taking the watch off the wrist. In 1995, Ulysee Nardin introduced the Big Date double window display for easy reading of the date. The date can be adjusted quickly forward or backward using the crown.

One day a watchmaker friend sent me an email and asking whether I would like to own this used Ulysse Nardin San Marcos GMT ± Big Date with black dial and nice tritium lumed Arabic numerals? He was offering a price that I could not refuse or too good to refuse....... This is a well crafted time piece, and the attention to detail is excellent.

The 40mm stainless steel case is highly polished stainless steel and it is very well mirror finished. It measures 11.5mm in thickness. Even the space between the lugs and the inside surface of the lugs are immaculate. The crystal is anti-reflective coated domed sapphire. The hands are dauphne shaped with a generous tritium inlay. The second hand has a bright yellow tip.

The screw-down crown is protected by shoulders in the case, and the crown has a tiny yet perfectly engraved UN anchor logo with a beautiful blue material applied to add a bit of color and sparkle. I always thought that it is a sapphire or some precious stone... How wrong I was!!!

This watch is equipped with a stainless steel bracelet that is highly polished at the top, and nicely brushed at the back. 

The bracelet has a butterfly  deployment clasp and is signed with insignia. A series of links on either side of the buckle are held in place with screws that can be removed to size the bracelet.

The case back is of solid stainless steel and has the Lion of San Marco figure shown in relief. Each watch is engraved with a serial number. The case back is held in place with six small screws. The watch is rated water resistant to 100 meters.

Photo belows showed The lion of Venice of the Basilica of San Marco.

This watch is powered by self-winding UN-22 movement, and it is based on an ETA 2892-A2. The base 2892 movement contains 64 parts. Ulysse Nardin adds another 79 parts in-house to create the final movement consisting of 143 parts. This movement has 23 jewels and is tuned to 28,800 oscillations per hour, with 48 hours power reserve. A bit disappointed with the detailing works on UN-22 movement finishing..... At the retailing price, it warrants a bit more gold plating, polishing and highlighting.....

The GMT ± Big Date combines two of Ulysse Nardin's patented complications in one watch: the oversized double disk date and the hour hand adjusted via pusher buttons, with 24 hour home time display which can also serve as a second time zone. This watch is intended for frequent travellers. Most important, maybe the only few Ulysse Nardin watches that I could barely afford. 

Yesterday Beauty, Today Classic, Tomorrow Treasure: Seiko Crown

Seiko Crown J15002E

Woooooo this is a very handsome looking gold toned classic dress watch. It is a Seiko Crown from the early 1960's. The Seiko Crown was first released by Suwa Seikosha factory in 1959. It came in 3 variants of movement: the 19, 21 and 23 Jewels. All of which were mechanical winding watches using the calibre 560.

From a distance, this Seiko Crown looks like the first Grand Seiko GS 3180 that was released around the same era. An era of well made manual wind watches from Seiko. Many interesting names were used by Seiko during this period such as Skyliner, Champion, Lord Marvel, Goldfeather, and Crown. 

This Seiko Crown is measuring at 34mm without its crown and the case and caseback are 14K gold filled. At the caseback is an engraving of the wordings Seiko Crown, followed by the model number. 

Most of these hand-winding Seiko watches used the dome shaped acrylic crystal. One thing worth mentioning about this particular watch is that its crown is very artistically beautiful. 

This Seiko Crown has a very appealing silver sunburst dial decorated to perfection using gold baton as hour markers. The dial is clean and simple with only black calligraphic wordings of Seiko Crown and Diashock 21 Jewels. At the bottom of the dial is the word Japan. 

Matching this watch with a brown colour leather strap really gives it an elegance and noble taste... this is a true beauty of 1960's, a classic collection item of  2000's and a treasure for the future..............

Below is a photo showing Caliber Seikosha 560 that was used in so many Seiko watches..... This is the exact movement of my Seiko Crown. This is a high grade movement and is worth to collect.....

Below are various Japanese reference books' or magazines' articles on Seiko Crown:

Ending this posting with a video that I found on Youtube showing the mechanic of Seikosha Calibre 560 at work.....

P.S. I have focused on gold toned watch for the last one week or so....... Need to change taste for time being.......

Majestic Titoni: Titoni Cosmo King

Titoni Cosmo King Day-Date 747

Today is the Chinese Lantern Festival which marked an end to Chinese New Year 2014 celebration. The first full moon in Lunar calendar.....  Apart from eating and drinking, is about fireworks, fire crackers, Lanterns, floating lanterns, sailing lanterns, quality family time.....

And ohhhhhh ya this year, it is in conjunction with the Valentine day...... I could not recall whether I ever said or got the chance to even ask someone "Would you be my Valentine?".... See, the truth is.... usually I am the one at the receiving end hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa........

Is always easy to buy a valentine gift for a man...... Men's accessories are so limited.... I think if you conduct a survey, watches would be among the most common gifts for men. Nope, below is not a Valentine gift.... But if any girl wants to shower me with gift, a watch, a Titoni, a Cosmo King could not do you any wrong........

Here is a Titoni Cosmo King, my wife bought for me a few year back.... certainly not on Valentine day. This is exactly the same model as the one I posted HERE, but with a stoned dial. This is the last batch of Titoni Cosmo King that has the traditional Oyster style case and President bracelet. The case and the bracelet are all gold plated.

This watch has a beautiful champagne dial nicely decorated with 57 Swarovski stones. It also used 10 rubies as its hour markers. This magnificent dial is protected by sapphire crystal with a magnifying cyclops lens at 3 o'clock position. 

The crown is with Titoni's plum blossom flower logo and is gold plated. It is a screw and lock type for better water resistance. The back case is a beautifully engraved solid stainless steel piece and is screw in type.

With this final Monarchy batch of Titoni, the folding clasp has a Titoni's logo emblem on it and the word Titoni is laser engraved on the clasp just beneath the emblem. 

My wife paid a handsome RM2.3K for this watch.... is a little bit much, but is the only remaining "New Old Stock" for that particular shop. 

This is truly a good quality watch...... a gift that can last a life time..... a love that can be worn on the wrist everyday as a gently reminder of that special someone..........