So Casio EF-125D-7AV Bracelet Broke After 7 Years..

My Casio EF-125D-7AV's bracelet broke. Luckily, it was a spring bar that broke and fell into pieces, and doubly luckily, it was not on my wrist when it did. A simple fix. However, the 7 years of hard use has not been kind to the bracelet and spring bars.

Yes, the EF-125D-7AV is by no means a watch meant to last the eons, especially the folded metal bracelet construction, but it does worry me a bit since it has the integrated bracelet which isn't changeable when the time comes, the bracelet has gotten very loose from stretching and rattly over the years.

The watch may have stopped once in the past but that was probably due to accidental bumping of the crown. It's almost been 7 years to this day and the 10-year battery has kept ticking non-stop, with essentially zero maintenance. That is pretty darn amazing. Also, I have dropped it once to a tile floor from arm height, standing up. Dented the case a bit, but no other damages.

If you didn't know, the EF-125D was my first 'proper' watch I got for myself, back in late 2008. It is the watch that got me into watches.

Seiko 5 SNK793K1 - on crocodile strap with deployant buckle

Beautiful.

Gorgeous.

Seiko 5 SNK793K1 - on crocodile strap with deployant buckle.

  Yup, I went out and bought another Seiko 5. The SNK793K1 Blue Dial. I also got a deployant buckle for it, because why not. Well it turns out how wrong I was.

  I've discovered that a deployant buckle for a strap isn't exactly advantageous in any way AT ALL. Firstly, there's the cost of getting the thing in the first place. Then, the darn thing, when folded up, takes up at least 4-5 milimeters inside of your wrist, so an OK fitting strap becomes terribly tight fitting, or, if you use a looser slot, it ended up still too loose. Lastly, you'd still have to slot the end of the strap to the loop in the end. So you've just saved ZERO steps, while adding another (when clipping them together, gotta do one side before the other) so therefore in my honest opinon - deployant buckles are a complete waste of time and money. They do look cool though. So style points for that..

You can buy your Seiko SNK793 here.

Leather Strap & Deployant Buckle here.

Bitten by the watch bug

So here's how it happens. First you buy a watch, without knowing too much about watches.. your first watch. It's  quartz. You think, well that is gonna be my last watch, after all, humans only have two wrists, and you really only need one watch to tell the time. In fact these days it's not really a need as a smart phone could do that... but you accept it as a form of jewelry,for men. (Or woman, if you're a woman.)

Some time passed.. and then you look online at other watches.. some of them have nicer features.. then you buy one that you liked... like solar ability for example, or chronograph complications.. and you know, as an alternate watch, for other occasions. You justify it by saying, it's to save the tear and wear on your other watch..

Then even more time passed. By now of course, you're learning a great deal about watches.. watches to avoid, and watches that are highly recommended. You buy an automatic. Or two. And then a manual winder. And maybe a vintage, or two. You get the popular models and understand fully why they are highly acclaimed. You obsess over watches worn by characters in movies, shows and even documentaries. You begin to initiate watch talk to people. There are at least 5 watch-telated items on your bookmark or eBay watch list. You even try taking things apart and putting them together again.

And then, lo and behold, you are actually thinking of spending over $1000 on a watch soon. Your start looking for your "grail watch".

Congratulations, the final stage of the infection is complete....

Seiko 5 SNKK71

Stock photo

Yes, just joined to the Seiko camp by buying one, brand new. I got a SNKK71 for myself recently because I am bitten by the watch bug. The Seiko 5 series has the 7s26 movement with 21 Jewels, which is a very affordable and reliable workhorse movement. The SNKK71 has a black satin finished dial, and raised indices which are actually very beautiful and not captured by the pictures on the internet.


The caseback is hardlex and allows anyone to look into the 7S26 - which is nice, because this is the first time I owned a watch with a transparent caseback. And actually, even if they say it isn't decorated, the movement is finished in such a way that it still has some nice shiny bits to look at and admire.


I did not bother to get the bracelet adjusted, and immediately removed the bracelet and fit it with a leather strap as shown in my very poorly taken photo (sorry, this was taken at night, with room lighting:

Marvelous.

Bad picture

 Last post, I had the Orient Wingman on and looked like it has a huge overhang off my wrist. That's because I had the watch strap resting on top of the desk, and it was pushed upwards a slightly. And add the magnifying effect of my smartphone wide-angle(ish) camera, the watch looks like a huge clock on my wrist, and further made huge with the illusive wide dial of the Wingman. Add to that I was trying to get an angle without reflections. Which I assure isn't the case. The watch actually fits quite well on my 6.5++ inch wrist when all is said, the camera wide lens is the main culprit, followed by the slightly loose strap.

New Leather Strap for my Orient 'Wingman' CER2D001B

Got a new tan leather strap for my Orient 'Wingman' today.

The 'Wingman' gives a very clear and very readable dial, this version with the PVD so it remains readable in bright conditions. You could read the time from a mile away. And many times I have found people trying to read the time off my wrist as a result. Either that, or they are admiraing the Orient 'Wingman' CER2D001B.

The stealthily designed date window lines up with the white line at the 3 O'Clock, so it is not apparent at first glance but is there when you look closer, which is a nice touch.

Is there more nice touches? Yeah. Many in fact, but one stood out that I just found out : when you adjust the time, as you push the crown back after setting the time, the minute falls back to EXACTLY where it is supposed to be accordingly to the seconds hand! E.g. if the seconds hand is at the 30 position, the minute hands falls to halfway between the minute markers!

How about that for nice touches?



Specifications

*Self-winding movement
*21600/hour vibrations
*Date indicator
*Stainless steel case
*Mineral crystal glass
*Water resistant
*Diameter 41mm  (by my own measurements: 43mm)
*Lug width 22mm

Rainy Day..