Rolex, the undeniable crown in the watch arena. A brand synonymous with luxury, prestige, money, class, achievement. Show the crown and almost everyone knows the brand. Its the epitome of perfect brand equity, positioning and recognition.
However, behind the brand stands an unparalleled tradition of innovation, and pushing new frontiers. Rolex has came up with new and improved metals to use in its watches, improving the accuracy, durability and the reliability for it to live up to the Rolex brand.
Here, we will list some of Rolex SA in house developed metals explaining the base metals in it and its properties.
Parachrom :
An alloy of Niobium and Zirconium, fused together at 2400C in a vacuum foundry. Its an immensely brittle metal and difficult to machine. Its main properties is that its totally non magnetic and will not be affected by magnets at all. Rolex has perfected the technique to turn it into hairsprings, the heart of the watch. Parachrom hairsprings are fitted in all new production Rolexes.
Rolesor:
A Rolex term for the combination of 904L steel and 18ct gold models.
Rolesium:
A Rolex term for the combination of 904L steel and 950 platinum models. First introduced in the Yacht Master II.
904L steel:
A special grade of stainless steel that is extremely hard, corrosion resistant and strong. Its difficult to machine and form, but it holds the polish well and is rather difficult to scratch.
Everose Gold:
An alloy of gold, namely rose gold developed in house by Rolex. This grade of rose gold is able to retain its rose color for eternity. Normal rose gold will lose its color if it contacts chlorine, but Everose Gold remains the same.
Cerachrom:
A ceramic material that is designed to offer everlasting beauty and functionality even in the extreme conditions. Its a combination of ceramic and gold or platinum. Exclusively used in bezel inserts.
Monday, 30 March 2015
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Lunch time...@ RAW Pizza Steak Pasta
Alright today i'm going abit off topic, nothing related to horology, but what the hey??? Even a horology nut needs to eat right? Plus I brought my trusty SKX007 along, so here comes, a review of the place where I had a great lunch.
A friend recommended me this new place serving western food, and so on Thursday, we decided to mount a food tasting expedition to this new place. So on we go..........
This restaurant is run by two young men, which I can say is very capable, confident, friendly and open to improvements. Its truly remarkable that they have the endeavor to venture into the western food business, and best of all one of them is the In House chef and all food are prepared by him personally.
The first thing I notice when stepping in was the interior design of the restaurant, everything was functional, simple yet eclectic and chic. The floor was of simple screed cement but it mixes well with the overall look of the restaurant. The ambiance is great and conducive for business as well as a place to hang out and unwind.
As to service, the waiters and the two proprietors are very friendly, provide fast service, good conversationalists and are able to recommend the items available in their menu very well. The menu is well designed, well planned and looks very professional.
Food wise, everything is just GREAT. The presentation is very artistic, taste is Delicious, the pasta is cooked to perfection, and everything just blends in well providing an overall great experience. By the way, I ate the Pasta Bolognese. The house specialties are the hand made pizza, steak and pasta. Prices are affordable, especially for college students.If you love western cuisine, this is a place to try out.
At the end of the day for me, its a definite thumbs up and I'll return for more. Bank on me visiting this place in the near future. All the best !!!!
and.....some pictures to show.....
A friend recommended me this new place serving western food, and so on Thursday, we decided to mount a food tasting expedition to this new place. So on we go..........
This restaurant is run by two young men, which I can say is very capable, confident, friendly and open to improvements. Its truly remarkable that they have the endeavor to venture into the western food business, and best of all one of them is the In House chef and all food are prepared by him personally.
The first thing I notice when stepping in was the interior design of the restaurant, everything was functional, simple yet eclectic and chic. The floor was of simple screed cement but it mixes well with the overall look of the restaurant. The ambiance is great and conducive for business as well as a place to hang out and unwind.
As to service, the waiters and the two proprietors are very friendly, provide fast service, good conversationalists and are able to recommend the items available in their menu very well. The menu is well designed, well planned and looks very professional.
Food wise, everything is just GREAT. The presentation is very artistic, taste is Delicious, the pasta is cooked to perfection, and everything just blends in well providing an overall great experience. By the way, I ate the Pasta Bolognese. The house specialties are the hand made pizza, steak and pasta. Prices are affordable, especially for college students.If you love western cuisine, this is a place to try out.
At the end of the day for me, its a definite thumbs up and I'll return for more. Bank on me visiting this place in the near future. All the best !!!!
and.....some pictures to show.....
My Pasta Bolognese and my friend's Pasta Cabonara
My SKX007 also wants to eat pasta bolognese :D
and....also their Facebook page
Address:
25, Jalan Austin Heights 8/4, Taman Mount Austin
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Jaquet Droz - Ateliers d'art New Website
Jaquet Droz, the renowned Swiss watch brand known for its Haute Horolgerie timepieces which are meticulously hand crafted in the Swiss valley of La Chaux-de-Fonds. All their timepieces combine high watchmaking and exemplary hand crafting using traditional techniques perfected over the centuries to produce one of a kind watches.
Now, in order to promote and preserve the heritage of handcrafting and traditional techniques such as The Art of Painting, Engraving, Grand Feu Enameling, and Paillonné enameling; Jaquet Dros has created a website dedicated to the artist and the art of decoration. Its the Jaquet Droz Ateliers d'art .
Do visit this website to gain an invaluable insight into never before seen art of decorations, and to be able to appreciate better the dedication and meticulousness of the artists in creating these works of art.
Jaquet Droz - Ateliers d'Art
Now, in order to promote and preserve the heritage of handcrafting and traditional techniques such as The Art of Painting, Engraving, Grand Feu Enameling, and Paillonné enameling; Jaquet Dros has created a website dedicated to the artist and the art of decoration. Its the Jaquet Droz Ateliers d'art .
Do visit this website to gain an invaluable insight into never before seen art of decorations, and to be able to appreciate better the dedication and meticulousness of the artists in creating these works of art.
Jaquet Droz - Ateliers d'Art
Baselworld - Seiko - Seiko Premier Moonphase Kinetic Direct Drive
credit: ablogtowatch
Brand: Seiko
Model: SRX008P1
Seiko has introduced a new Kinetic Direct Drive model at Baselworld 2015 this year. Its launched under the Premier line. It costs around RM 4000 above but its truly a remarkable watch with complications at this price range. It houses the Caliber 5D88, Kinetic Direct Drive.
The Kinetic Direct Drive movement is at the mid to high end range of the Seiko quartz movement hierarchy, nearer to the Spring Drive counterparts. The Kinetic Direct Drive improves from its Kinetic counterparts in its ability to be handwound to charge the battery. The Seiko Kinetic technology utilizes the automatic winding principle of a mechanical watch and in turn uses it to charge a capacitor. In normal Kinetic models, the only way to charge the capacitor is to wear or shake the watch. In the Kinetic Direct Drive model, in addition to the normal winding via the rotor, the user can wind and charge the capacitor through winding the crown. This model includes a power reserve indicator that shows in real time how much charge is remaining. Maximum power reserve for this model is at 1 month.
The Caliber 5D88 includes a date via a subdial at 3 oclock, day of the week, AM/PM indicator as expressed via a synchronized 24 hour hand in the subdial above 6 o'clock, as well as a moonphase indicator under 12 o'clock.
The dial is classy with Roman Numerals and a good mix of rose gold hands and silver highlights for the subdials, which makes it look formal, classy and at the same time unique, All the complications are adjusted via the crown in various positions. The moonphase is adjusted by a recessed pusher set at the left side of the case.
It has the usual characteristics of the Seiko Premier line with the dauphine hands, case shape and slightly protruding lug screws, paired with leather straps and deployant clasp as default. The case size of this model is at 40mm, with a thickness of approximate 13mm. The size is very suited as a dress and casual watch, although abit on the thick side. It comes with sapphire crystal as well as 100m water resistance.
Overall its a great looking watch, however availability in Malaysia is TBC.
Sunday, 22 March 2015
Baselworld 2015 - Bulgari - Concept Watch 'Diagono Magnesium'
Latest updates from BaselWorld 2015, Bulgari has introduced a new concept watch, the Bulgari Diagono Magnesium.
Its a hybrid between mechanical watch and digital technology, utilizing NFC. I term it, smart-mechanical watch. It features the Wrist Vault technology, where the owners personal data and identification is stored in an encrypted system in the watch. Hence it enables the watch to function as an electronic key, able to be used to unlock cars, make credit card payments wirelessly and transmit owner identification purposes.
It is still in the concept stage, no word has been given on the retail availability at this time.
Check out this Youtube video from the Bulgari Channel.
And also this video where Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin describes the concept and idea behind the Diagono Magnesium.
watchpro.com
Its a hybrid between mechanical watch and digital technology, utilizing NFC. I term it, smart-mechanical watch. It features the Wrist Vault technology, where the owners personal data and identification is stored in an encrypted system in the watch. Hence it enables the watch to function as an electronic key, able to be used to unlock cars, make credit card payments wirelessly and transmit owner identification purposes.
It is still in the concept stage, no word has been given on the retail availability at this time.
Check out this Youtube video from the Bulgari Channel.
And also this video where Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin describes the concept and idea behind the Diagono Magnesium.
Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Hublot Magic Gold
Hublot, a watch manufacture in Switzerland known for its cutting edge design, innovative technology and striking designs has once again topped its achievements with the introduction of the new Big Bang Limited Edition 250 pieces in Magic Gold.
It can be said that the most iconic Hublot watch is the timeless Big Bang, which in its first introduction offered a unique combination of gold and rubber. Since then, it has reappeared in various combinations including titanium, ceramic and now Magic Gold.
Before we move into the new Big Bang Magic Gold, lets find out what IS Magic Gold.
Magic Gold is an innovative new type of gold alloy invented by Hublot scientists alongside the prestigious EPFL Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. After 3 years of research, they came up with a Gold Alloy, called Magic Gold which is the only Scratch Resistant gold in the world, at 1000 Vickers hardness.
Although its an alloy of Gold, it has been 'certified as 18 carats by the Central Office for Precious Metals Control'(hublot.com, 2015) Therefore, in all its form, it is considered as Gold.
Hublot is now able to manufacture and finish this material in house with the installation of a high tech foundry in its Nyons facility.
For further information, you can read the full article here:
http://www.hublot.com/en/news/hublot-unveils-the-big-bang-unico-full-magic-gold-the-world-s-only-scratch-resistant-gold-watch
It can be said that the most iconic Hublot watch is the timeless Big Bang, which in its first introduction offered a unique combination of gold and rubber. Since then, it has reappeared in various combinations including titanium, ceramic and now Magic Gold.
Before we move into the new Big Bang Magic Gold, lets find out what IS Magic Gold.
hublot.com, 2015
Magic Gold is an innovative new type of gold alloy invented by Hublot scientists alongside the prestigious EPFL Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. After 3 years of research, they came up with a Gold Alloy, called Magic Gold which is the only Scratch Resistant gold in the world, at 1000 Vickers hardness.
Although its an alloy of Gold, it has been 'certified as 18 carats by the Central Office for Precious Metals Control'(hublot.com, 2015) Therefore, in all its form, it is considered as Gold.
Hublot is now able to manufacture and finish this material in house with the installation of a high tech foundry in its Nyons facility.
For further information, you can read the full article here:
http://www.hublot.com/en/news/hublot-unveils-the-big-bang-unico-full-magic-gold-the-world-s-only-scratch-resistant-gold-watch
My Favorite Brands
When it comes to watch brands, every one has their own preferences. To me, it is divided into two categories:
1) Brands which I like and can afford at the moment.
2) Brands which I like and maybe acquire in the future.
So lets take a look at my brands which goes into these two categories.....
1) Brands Affordable Now
1) Brands which I like and can afford at the moment.
2) Brands which I like and maybe acquire in the future.
So lets take a look at my brands which goes into these two categories.....
1) Brands Affordable Now
- Seiko
- Orient
- Citizen
- Tissot
2) Brands For Future Acquisition
- Rolex
- Omega
- Patek Philippe
- Nomos
- Damasko
- Audemars Piguet
So what's your favorite brands??
Thursday, 5 March 2015
How it all started......
Hi all, those who are reading this. Welcome to my new blog.
Here I will be going on about how I practically stumbled upon the fascinating world of watches or in the more regarded term Horology. It all started around 5 years ago when I was browsing through a watch shop here in Johor Bahru.
I saw a Seiko 5 watch and it was going for around RM 200 if i'm not wrong, the sales person approached and said, " Hi, you want to buy watches isit ? This one good, no need change battery for ever." I was like, What??? never needing to change a battery? Then I asked the shop keeper, he took the watch out for me to look and showed me the movement seen through the exhibition casebacks found on Seiko 5.
He said "You shake the watch and this thing ( the rotor) turns then your watch will work. If stop, then just shake again. " I was like, WOW. This is something new, and the price is almost the same as an entry level Seiko Quartz. However, I did not buy that watch at the time as RM200 was quite a fortune for me ( a secondary student at the time). What it did was pique my interest in watches.
Then I went home and Googled about automatic watches. VOILA... a whole ton of information descended upon me. I was like, WOW, there's a whole different world of watches out there. There were, blogs, forums, websites wiki articles and pricelists which go to the extreme $$$$, all about one thing; Mechanical Watches. After a few days of reading and visiting sites, i was totally fascinated with the world of horology and the watches themselves, hence the decision for me to join the Malaysia Watch Forum and also Watchuseek.
Five years on, and 5 automatic watches later, here I am.... starting a blog on my journey into horology world and my future travels in this realm. Do stay tuned as I will update my blog on the latest info regarding watches and my ever expanding collection. hehehe, always on the prowl for the next acquisition.
By the way, for those who are interested, I am a great fan of Seiko watches, followed by Orient. I am a fan of Rolex, Omega, PP also Nomos. However, my collection currently only includes 4 Seiko and an Orient, as these are affordable, stylish and quality products. Maybe the Swiss might join in at a later stage when I have the ability to do so, however for now, its Seiko all the way !!!
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