How many enterprising investors could count on having the acumen or prophetic gift to beat the professional analysts at their favorite game of estimating long-term future earnings?
Chapter 1, The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham
One reason I bought the Seiko SBPY119 is there is a hidden feature behind the alarm clock – you can actually use it as a GMT if you don’t need an alarm.
Last week my “GMT” was running 2 minutes behind. It was probably hit hard by my baby. That triggered me to relearn how to calibrate to fix the error and how to make it a GMT in the first place.
The trick is in the calibration. Basically the way alarm clock works is you have to tell the watch that the main clock and alarm clock were pointing to a same time. They have to share a starting point first before you can move the alarm clock to a different time. This is the calibration process.
To use it as a GMT, you have to deliberately make a mistake. You need to trick the watch into thinking the main clock and alarm clock are in sync and sharing the same baseline. But actually they are not. Actually you are setting the alarm clock to a different timezone.
When you pulled the crown all the way out, you can press and hold the top right chronograph start button for 2 seconds. This will cycle through the baseline adjustment for chronograph minutes, chronograph seconds and then the alarm clock (wait for the clock to finish spinning a full cycle). When it is cycled to the alarm clock, set the GMT time. Then turn the crown to set the correct local time on the main clock. Push the crown all the way in when finished. This will trick the watch into thinking the alarm clock and main clock are now pointing to a same starting time. Alarm will not be activated.
Obviously this works for all V172 movement watches.
Got a great suggestion from this Youtube video today: Seiko SBTM series.
I always knew Seiko put some great stuff exclusively in their domestic market. This is aligned with what I observed in US. Foreign countries like to export low-quality stuff for low price to US (like China), or high price for mid and high quality. It is in their domestic markets (China, Japan) mid quality stuff for low price are provided. Because they can’t fool their own people I guess.
This SBTM series has some of the best pick-up-and-go, no-worries-in-any-condition kind of watches. Radio wave control, solar powered, thin case, sapphire glass with super clear coating, and amazing finishing. What more could you ask for in a daily watch?
From the most interested to less interested.
Model No.
Picture
Case size
Case height
Price as of 12/2023
Notes
SBTM217
37.8mm
8.8mm
~$349
Movement 7B52. Titanium.
SBTM341
39.5mm
9.5mm
~$451
Movement 7B72. Titanium, Diamond Shield.
SBTM323
39.5mm
9.5mm
~$267
Movement 7B72. There is also a beautiful green dial SBTM319 version with the same price.
One side effect of watching too many Youtube watch videos, is you can’t get Grand Seiko out of your head.
When I went to watch AD I always took a few minutes to look at Grand Seikos. But honestly they looked, kind of normal, or mundane.
Just like how they treat Tudor, Breitling or Tag Heuer, AD usually put an awful lot of Grand Seikos in a single cabinet. This really damages the beauty of dress watches like Grand Seiko. I think this is the main reason why I don’t like Grand Seikos in the store.
You need a lot of space to notice the tiny details of a dress watch. When you put so many “similar-looking” watches in a single window, they just look boring and insignificant. You don’t get the excitement. You are like shopping in Macy for some regular watches. There is no reason to spend thousands dollars on it.
Unfortuantely in the AD only Rolex got the real-estate for it to shine. Rolex probably made sure of it. The niche corner other brands got from these ADs actually do damage to their brands. But they probably have no better choice being in such a small but expensive market.
Good news is in the internet there is infinite real-estate. And Grand Seikos truly shines in that avenue.
So here we are again, giving yet another chance to Grand Seiko and looking to buy one potentially.
I am mainly looking for a classical dress watch that has a small footprint on wrist. I categorize my targets under the different reasons I got excited from them. Within each category I ranked from the most interested to the least interested.
Simple, elegant, and entry-level (cheap)
Model No.
Picture
Collection
Case size
Case height
MSRP
Notes
SBGW231
Elegance
37.3mm
11.6mm
$4300
Special cream dial. Kind of unique among all brands. However I am concerned this watch is just way too popular being on Youtube so much and so “cheap”.
SBGW301
Elegance
37.3mm
11.7mm
$4800
An updated version of the one above. I heard the dial color is slightly different. Good job on the price hike.
SBGW289
Heritage
36.5mm
11.6mm
$5400
Thinner than usual hands. Sakura dial. Limited. No see-through case back.
SBGW285
Elegance
37.3mm
11.7mm
$4800
Green. There are a few colors but this Green-dial one looks most interesting
SBGM221
Elegance
39.5mm
13.7mm
$4600
GMT. Automatic. Special cream dial. But it’s big and thick.
SBGW281
Elegance
37.3mm
11.7mm
$4800
Yellow seconds hand
SBGW297
Heritage
36.5mm
11.6mm
$5400
Radiating dial pattern. No see-through case back.
Looks like a King Seiko
Model No.
Picture
Collection
Case size
Case height
MSRP
Notes
SBGW305
Elegance
37.3mm
11.7mm
$5500
Silver dial.
SBGW291
Heritage
36.5mm
11.6mm
$5200
No see-through case back.
Not Grand Seiko. A King Seiko!
Model No.
Picture
Collection
Case size
Case height
MSRP
Notes
SPB279
King Seiko
37.0mm
12.1mm
$1700
Silver sunburst dial. 6R31 movement
SPB281
King Seiko
37.0mm
12.1mm
$1700
Silver vertical brushed dial. 6R31 movement
SPB369
King Seiko
39.0mm
11.9mm
$1800
Patterned cream dial. With date. 6R55 movement
SJE089
King Seiko
38.6mm
10.7mm
$3300
Silver sunburst dial. With date. 6L35 movement
Looks cool in picture
Model No.
Picture
Collection
Case size
Case height
MSRP
Notes
SBGA491
Heritage
40.0mm
12.5mm
$5600
Another gold on green? I must really love this color combination. Spring drive. US exclusive. There is another variant SBGA489 with a darker dial background.
SBGE295
Sport
44.0mm
14.7mm
$6200
Realistically I would never buy this one because it is so big and thick. But I have to say the color combination looks great.
As I grow and learn more about watches (A.K.A. watched more Youtube), my taste for watches has understandably changed. I am still a big fan of all-rounder and chronograph. Still not as excited as others about divers, GMT or military watches. However as I spent more time in watches I started to be willing to put more hard-earned money in watches. Last year I was a very budget-watch person. This year I started to really treasure the value of watch. Not resell value but more about the enjoyment and timelessness of a watch.
This is shown by the fact that I only bought 1 watch this year, and it’s a Rolex. Buying Rolex is kind of controversial given how much love and hate it received. Another controversial thing is I haven’t even got my hands on it yet. And it’s been months after purchase. I think I will write all about it later.
Order from latest interest to the oldest interest.
All-purpose
Brand
Model No.
Picture
Case size
Case height
Owned
Notes
Tudor
Black Bay 39 (M79660-0001)
39mm
??mm
For some reason I often prefer smooth bazel. Even in the Black Bay collection I think this is more interesting than traditional divers as well. Also I like it more than the Tudor Ranger. However the Tudor brand has been hurt badly in China because of its selling strategy. I don’t know if I would ever spend my money to get one. It is poisoned by Rolex’s success. MSRP $4025
Rolex
Explorer 40mm Oyster Steel (224270)
40mm
12mm
Was never my interest after watching a lot of Youtube videos. But I immediately fell in love after trying it on in the Rolex store. Much better than the Submariner when trying it on.
Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar (Ref 03.3400.3610/38.M3200)
38mm
??mm
No more weird different-color subdials. Daytona next best thing? A great upgrade from my Orient panda. Also an interesting 1/10 second chrono and moonphase and all the other complications. Is there a see-through case back? MSRP $13900
Hanhart
417 ES 1954 Flyback Reverse Panda 39
39mm
13.3mm
Heavily influenced by TGV… But this is a gorgeous watch.
It’s funny I had interest in this watch before I had any knowledge about watches. And I like it because it looks like a Seiko (not the other way around) a waiter weared. After I became aware of the Daytona situation I don’t think I will ever want to own one. It’s just not safe to wear it. Still this is a perfect look to me and I am impressed by the thickness which no other watch brand seems to be able to deliver. (Actually there are: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 26331ST.OO.1220ST.01 or .02. But they are self-winding and way too expensive.)
Dress
Brand
Model No.
Picture
Case size
Case height
Owned
Notes
Seiko
King Seiko SPB279
37.0mm
12.1mm
The look of the watch checked all my boxes. However I have already had another watch of the same crappy movement with only half the price… The movement is just not worth the price tag.
Cartier
Santos (White Dial. Medium Model)
Width 35.1mm
8.83mm
The medium model white dial Santos is just so classy. I used to make fun of a friend who bought it for being a “niche Cartier watch”. But after trying it on and getting more knowledge of its history, this becomes my most wanted watch now. I did hear some bad things about how fragile it is and I need a very good reason for another luxury purchase.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Reverso (Ref TBD)
For a very long time I wanted to own a blue-dial Master Control Ultra Thin Moon. But when I tried on a Reverso I immediately understood why this is the most popular JLC model. It’s just special.
A. Lange & Söhne
Lange 1 (191.039)
38.5mm
9.8mm
Maybe I will be able to get one before I died :) Who knows.
One of my first two watches. My original plan at that time was to buy a dark chronograph. Never thought about buying a light-color watch because I thought that was too ‘dressy’. However the first time I learned the white panda concept I couldn’t help but say this type of watch is just gorgegous. Then I learned about this Orient Neo 70s from a JDM watch Youtuber and the price blew my mind. I immediately ordered one from Amazon, giving up the plan I had for weeks.
Out of the 3 watches I bought on my virgin watch journey, I liked this one the most. The hands and the indices both shine. But the most surprising thing is the circle around the 3 subdials also shines under the light, even thought you don’t see anything if you stared at them directly. I am surprised to find this level of subtlety at this price range. At first I am a bit unhappy about the lack of Tachymeter bezel. After living with this watch for a few days I realized I would never use a Tachymeter and the lack of a bezel actually makes the watch less-sporty and more classical. I began to appreciate that there is no bezel.
The biggest cons is the bottom subdial is too small to read. I don’t understand why they would give the most important subdial (chronograph minutes) the least amount of space. Also all subdial hands are invisible under some light condition. The date window is also unuseable. One final thing is the lume is close to nothing. They might as well just remove any lume.
Order from most interested to the least interested for each category and each type of watch.
Chronograph
Brand
Model No.
Picture
Owned
Notes
Seiko
SBPY165
Didn’t bought this one because I already had the Orient white panda and I enjoyed that. This Seiko one is probably more robust but also more sporty. Not sure if I will like it or not. It’s JDM watch so I can’t easily return it. The international version SSC813 and SSC911 are double the price.
God knows how much time I wasted looking at pictures and videos about this watch. This one checks all the boxes (chrome and shiny subdials, brand) for me. I would have bought this one instead of buying the other 3 if I know this watch a week earlier. I spent a lot of contemplating if I should return all the othe watches and just buy this one. This is JDM so it’s hard to return. Also it seems the subdial chrome is much more slimmer than SBPY119. Not sure if I will enjoy it before I have my hands on it. In the end I decide to let it go.
If, a big if, I could buy a Rolex one day I would probably go for either an Oyster Perpetual or a Datejust. The design is simple but timeless. This one has better color than light-dial Datejust on the Rolex website. I have to admit I am influenced by the Timeless Watch Channel on Youtube. But sports series was just never my thing (perhaps it’s because I have never seen them in person). A potential alternative is the discontinued 116000 also from the channel. But that’s only 36mm.
I think Datejust is probably my favorite Rolex right now. Again I am influenced by The Urban Gentry youtuber I think. I love the cyclops and don’t see it breaking the balance at all. I also really like the fluted bezel. But maybe that bezel can be too shiny for me especially if I wear them every day. I am not even sure if I should consider the fluted bezel versions dress watch or all-purpose watch. There are many Datejust I like. Two tone gold version and smooth bezel version with light-dial can all suit me potentially.
When I saw this watch on the Seiko website, I fell in love with it at the first sight. I had no idea that this is the famous “Alpinist”. The green sun-burst dial and the gold elevated indices and gold hands are all perfect. It also has my favorite cyclops. There are also cons. The internal compass bezel has really bad quality. It wobbles when turning it. I don’t understand why it has a screw-down crown and 20 bar water resistence. Why would a mountain watch need that. I would rather it has an easy-to-use crown but I shouldn’t complain. The band is too stiff and does not fit the wrist comfortably. The case is 39.5mm but it looks much smaller than that. Also the watch is too thick (13.2mm) it looks like a big bump on the wrist. Overall although it was supposed to be a rugged mountaineer watch. It doesn’t feel like that at all. It feels more like fragile dress watch you can wear every day.
I hate the hunger marketing Rolex is playing. I know it isn’t worth it for me to play such an expensive game. But I have to say this strategy really works. I couldn’t help but want to fall into it and want to own a Rolex just like every other watch lover. I want to show it off and I also want it to go up in value, although I know this is the line of thought that makes Rolex so scarce (like houses) and keeps inflating in value (like Apple stock). Rolex claimed this is not their marketing strategy but they sure are benefiting from it and not doing anything to improve it.
To be honest with myself I probably would never want to own watches with this look if there isn’t a Rolex logo on it. I would prefer Grand Seiko. Not sure if I can ever get this idea of owning a Rolex out of my head. Rolex are making brands like Tudor, Omega, Breitling, Tag Heuer less appealing to me.
I have been deeply attracted to the idea of minimalist since high school. Never imagined that one day in my life I would start to get attracted to some objects that are so useless. It’s the opposite of minimalist.
It’s just so shiny and timeless I couldn’t resist it.
Ever since I started to look into watches I started to realize no matter how Apple advertise their products, almost of all them are just throw-away electronic junks :)
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