Pilot Log Version 4.0

• heavy strainless steel construction, with solid links and end links bracelet and diver extension, 20mm lug size
• Seiko's own hardex crystal
• 3 hands + day (Monster got date as well)
• applied indices
• uni-directional bezel
• wonderful lume
• screw down crown at 4 o'clock

• brush finish on hands, and day wheel
• polished edges on indices
• 1 piece case (no screw down caseback at all)
• Seiko in-house 8L35 26 jewels hackable hand windable automatic movement
• more adjustable diver extension (though I put Seiko Marinemaster's clasp on my Seiko Monster so I have the nice diver extension on my Monster as well)
• better anti-mag property
• better attention to detail through out the watch

Well, more G-Shocks are coming: DW8700 (as seen in the movie "Speed 2") and DW6100 (with module 974, which should be earlier production than my current DW6100 with modele 1414). Also a Timex 100-lap ironman (which should replace my Timex Ironman 8-lap 200m Shock resistance)

I have acquired another Casio G-Shock DW6100 themometer to build up my vintage G-Shock collection.

One thing about collecting G-Shock, the funds for the Seiko MarineMaster alone will get me a long way (unless we are talking about some rare models in mint condition along with original box and paper :p )

• Got a Vintage Casio G-Shock DW-5600C-9BV "Yellow Speed" with module 901. As the name suggest, it looks just like a DW-5600C "Speed" but with yellow bezel and strap.
• Got another Vintage Casio G-Shock DW-5600C "Speed" with module 901 (with regular black bezel and strap). Along with the package, it got a bunch of spare 901 module and parts. That's nice cause you never know what you will need later on.
• Got [yet another] Seiko Marinemaster 300M automatic (SBDX001). Great watch that I want to give it another shot.
• Got two (2) Seiko Black Monster (SKX779) with bracelet coming in (will evaluate the accuracy and see if I should keep one or sell them off).
• Sold Seiko Black Titanium Samurai (i never get used to the shiny finish on the hands and i wish for more lume :p ).
• Sold Hamilton auto chronograph (just way too big for my wrist).

Gone is the Citizen Eco Drive Mission Antarctica and the Seiko Orange Samurai. Both are great watches. I just wanna down size and reorganize my collection.

I never thought I would sell my Citizen MA. But ever since I got the Citizen Eco Drive Navihawk Duratect Ti, Citizen MA isn't getting much wrist time. And they have some major functional overlap. Both are with Eco Drive (navihawk even have a battery level meter), duratect ti with bracelet, sapphire crystal, more than 1 time zone (Navihawk got world time as well), comfortable to wear (thanks to a great size for great fit and light weight titanium construction). Citizen MA does have good looks and one-piece titanium case. Citizen Navihawk makes up the ground with a DLC coating uni-directional rotating bezel (with better and more secure "clicks" than MA), stopwatch, countdown timer, alarm, perpetual calendar, and auto-synch analog hand and digital clock (works great with world time). At the end of the day, the Duratect Ti Navihawk simply offers everything that MA offers and then some. Both are great watches, but I've decided that I am going to keep only one of them and the Navihawk won.

Pretty much the same case for the Seiko Orange Samurai. It just didn't get enough wrist time ever since I got my Seiko Black Samurai. And with my plan to reorganize my collect, the Seiko Orange Samurai has to go ... first. I may let the Seiko Black Samurai later on if I proceed with my plan.

Still here but going to go is the Hamilton auto chronograph (42mm). It looks great and works great, but the lug-to-lug size is just too big. So it has to go, nothing personal. :p

With my still growing G-Shock collection, I got another one of my old watch back. That's a G5600GH "Solar Viper" with green LCD. This is kinda of a risky move I have to say cause I realize the rechargeable battery inside that module could be of higher risk of failure and I didn't get much of a deal with this watch. But I got it anyway cause I want think the green LCD is pretty unquie amount G Shocks and it goes with well my other 5600's. :)

With reoraganization in mind, I *might* considering to aquire in the future either a:

• Omega Seamaster Professional (300m black dial and bezel with speedmaster bracelet), Planet Ocean (most likely 42mm black dial and bezel),
• Rolex GMT master (black dial and bezel), Explorer II (white dial), Submariner (with date), Seadweller,
• Tag Heuer Aquagraph auto chronograph (hopefully with the diver's kit as well),
• Fortis B-42 Marinemaster on bracelet, or other B-42 series offering with a rotating bezel,
• Sinn 142, EZM 1 / 3 / 4 (may or may not, having send the watch back to german for any warranty or service just may not be a good idea).

But if I want a big toy with a manual transmission and 4 wheels later on, I'd better not go too crazy on my other smaller toys (i.e. watches, flashlights, etc) :p

The Black Samurai can almost considered to be my "poor men" Landmaster auto replacement. They both have date-only automatic movement,black dial, applied rectangular indice, simular hands (except for the second hand), titanium case (with crown @ 3) and bracelet, WR 200M (which equates to 20 BAR of the LM auto) and both are comfortable on the wrist. For about 7 times more of the MSRP price (street price is about 5 times more), the Landmaster auto will also have a 8L35 hackable and hand windable automatic movement (better manufactorer claimed out of the box accuracy, high jewels and bph as well), one piece titanium case with anti-mag design, even more detail on construction (e.g. brushed hands, etc), flat sapphire crystal (may have AR coating on the insider?), a clever adjustable diver extension on the titanium bracelet, and Landmaster auto could have brighz ti finish (more scratch resistance) as well. Things that Black Samurai does better is that its of a lower price (a lot lower! That means I don't have to worry about scratches and damages as much. A service/repair on the Landmaster auto alone will cost more than the Black Samurai itself!), the case is thinner and thus sits lower on the wrist, lighter weight, and I expect better lume on the Black Samurai (since its a diver watch and diver watchs usually have better lumes).

The only reason I got rid of my Landmaster auto was that I want to keep the *investment* on my collection *low-er* (,which I successfully did. I got more number of watches but the total *investment* is less than half of Landmaster and Marinemaster combined). My watch *collection* is a hobby and its just for fun, so there's no point to break the bank here, so to speak. :) I am not opt-ing out of higher-end watches, just always hunting for the next watch ...

If you ride your SUV off-road all the times, more power to you. For the rest of on-road / city SUV-people, hope you will agree with us some day. :)

My Casio G-Shock DW5600C with module 691 arrived. Everything is in good working condition. It got some marks on the screen and caseback, but overall still in decent shape. I was able to remove the like new DW5600C bezel from my DW5700c part watch. The bezel fit right in and now the 691 is ready for action. Unfortunately the OEM style strap that it comes with isn't a great fit. But that can be replaced with ease, so that's no biggie.

I been got a G-Shock 20th Anniversary red LCD DW5700 model. So more G's for me. :)

I have sold my Timex alti/baro/themo watch. Since I am getting back into the G-Shocks, I can't have too many watches laying around so that one got to go. And one thing about the weather forecast function (cased on the change in the history of atmosparic pressure in the pass hours) are not accurate at all. I have seen rainy forecast with sun shine all day long and the otherwise. :p Regardless, just not enough wrist time to keep it.

I am in the process of letting go watches that I don't wear too much / am not going to wear much ( :p ). And see what else I can that I *might* be interested. :) I am generating a lot of business for USPS. They need me ... lol

Well, that's just my rant. I *knew* some of the update before hand. I am not looking to replacement any of my cars soon. My point is just that I miss driving a car with manual transmission. :( On my expensive toy list in the future, it should consist of the last generation Honda Prelude (2.2L DOHC VTEC), early model Acura RSX Type-S (2.0L DOHC iVTEC) or TSX w/ 6-sp manual transmission (2.4L DOHC iVTEC), Mazda Miata (1.8L NA or NB), Toyota MR2 Spyder (1.8L VVTL), etc ...

I've got a great deal on a GW-5600BJ-1JF. That's the tough solar/atomic version of a DW5600, it has atomic solar, world time, stopwatch and countdown timer (too bad its only 60 min), auto EL and alarm with snz. This particular model also has a inverted LCD meaning the screen is black with inactivited and white when activited. So you will see white letters on black. Kinda of cool looking but in fact its harder to read the time on occation. One good thing about this atomic solar is that it is able to receive radio signal in my room (I had like 3 atomic solar G's before and none of them can receive radio signal in my room, or any room in the house the matter in fact).

The Ollech & Wajs Mirage III is running fast, very fast. It will need to see a watch maker before its operational. And seems like the bill is not going to be cheap. :( I am still hoping for the best.

I have another G-Shock DW5600c "Speed" coming my way. That is a module 691. Module 691 is an earlier model than the module 901 and uses CR2320 battery (instead of the more popular CR2016 battery in the module 901). I really wanted these G Shocks in my collection and I have searched a long time for them.

With the growing number of watches, time to regulate the number a little bit. The Citizen Eco Drive Duratect titanium Perpeutal Calendar (I am wear my Citizen Navihawk and MA instead of it) and the Seiko Orange Monster (The Seiko Orange Samurai is so much nicer and I will probably ended up wearing it instead of the Orange Monster) are the ones to go. And I will limit my G Shocks to Frogman, the 2 "Speed" and the G2310.

I am getting another Casio G-Shock DW6600 coming in. Though it was a good deal, I don't know if I would keep it.

I can probably take up to about +15 seconds per 24 hr, anything more would be too much. (That's over a minute faster per 5 work days already!) And I perfer watches to run fast than slow (I rather arrive early than late, though its seldom the case. lol :D )

I have finally located a working Casio G-Shock DW5600C with the stainless steel body and screw down caseback as seen in the movie Speed. Its in good working condition but I believe the condition is fair to good (well I didn't pay premium for it so that is to be expected). I have been looking for this particular model for ages and I finally can acquire a working sample. I hope I can local a new bezel and strap for it as well. The watch will come as is without strap. Luckily I have a pair of aftermarket OEM style strap from my DW5700 parts. I can't wait for it to show up.

Boy ... I have been doing quite a number of watch deals lately ... the good old days. lol :D

Oh, I just had to make a couple of web pages to talk about my Toyota Camry Solara and Honda Accord Sedan. Just a handy online log for the cars. :)

I have 4 watches on the way. 1 Seiko Black Monster (SKX779) on bracelete, 1 Seiko Orange Monster (SKX781) on diver strap, 1 Seiko yellow diver (SKXA35) and a Casio G-Shock Frogman Black spot (GW200-RB). 3 out of 4 watches (except the SKXA35) are the ones that I had before, I just like them so much that I need to get them again in my collection.

Though I am buying watches all day/week long, the funny thing is that the total cost still doesn't equate to 1/2 of the cost of the *cheaper* Seiko Master that I sold. lol :D As a result, I am still looking for a titanium Samurai on bracelet (most likely black or blue dial, couldn't decide yet), and an automatic chronograph. I am still hoping that I can acquire a relatively low cost automatic chronograph (most likely will be a Swiss made VJ7750 movement) so that I can keep the $$ of my collection *relatively* low.

As a result, now I have a Timex Expedition Alti-Baro-Ttemp watch and a Casio G-Shock G2310.

The Timex Expedition is just like a Casio twin sensor with the built-in Barometer/Altimeter and temperature sensor. It has a 30-lap stopwatch, a 24 hr countdown timer (nice!), dual timezone and 5 alarms. And an icon will indicates a 6hr weather forecast based upon the barometer reading from the last 12 hr. I will use it for running and see how well the altimeter-chronometer package works. If I find it working good enough, it might replace my Timex Ironman 200m 8-lap.

I had a Casio g-Shock G2310 before, I sold it and got out of my G-Shock collection. Now I am ready for the G-Shocks again and the G2310 is the first one that I buy. The reason is pretty simple, G2310 has a complete timing function in a reliable tough solar (I have heard of no G2310 rechargeable solar cell failure so far, unless the famous G5600/5700, GW300, some triple sensor and other non G-Shock solar atomic) G-Shock package. It has "Everything that I want, nothing that I don't". (ok, maybe I don't really need the tele-memo function. But heck, at least Casio didn't cut corners to put that in, so I don't mind :p ).

Since I don't have an automatic watch that I usually wear anymore and my watch winder is sitting there doing nothing, I am still on the hunt for some automatic watches: most likely Seiko automatic diver's, Hamilton/Fortis/Sinn automatic chronograph, Oris automatic diver or chronograph, I might even be interested in Omega Seamaster as well.

Well, I've sold my Seiko Landmaster auto and MarineMaster auto. This is totally a crazy move since I really like both watches. But I think for now I will stay with lower cost time piece (since I rotate my watches so often, I would hate to high priced watches sitting on the winder and not get wrist time). As a result, I am thinking of getting a Monster, titanium Samurai, and maybe an automatic chronograph from Hamilton or Fortis just for the hack of it. And of course, I am in the market for a G-Shock or 2 as well. That will bring the number of watches up, but the total cost will still go down. More watches might come and go.

I don't spend as much resources on flashlights anymore, seems like my current collect fit my needs pretty well. Maybe I will shop for some rechargeable R123 batteries and charger later on for some guilt-free lumen, but for now, my NiMH AA is serving me very well with the 2 sammie with MM host.

I have put a pair of 5300K HID on the solara. There are glares but not too bad. I did adjust the aim of the beam to shine more light to the group. I will see how well they works. I also did a "air host re-route mod" that I found on the Solara Guy Form to eliminate some of the throttle lag due to the actuation of a secondary intake. It seems to work (at least the throttle lag has gotten a little better) but the gas milage also seems to go down by just a little bit (small price to pay). Again, I will keep the simple mod for a little whilte longer and envaluate if I would keep it this way or bring it back to stock.

The Accord V6 is sitting in the garage now since it needs a pair of fresh front brake pads real soon. And the tires are due soon as well.

I've got a pair of H11 HID headlight for my Solara for quite some time already and I still don't have time to get them installed. The HID are 5300k *only*, I do want the white color temperature for increased illumination without the *ricy* blue tint. I wished Toyota would offer HID as an option for Solara, but apparently they want to leave it out (my guess would be they want to reserve HID for the next generation of Camry and Solara). One more thing about the Solara and Toyota that I couldn't figure out. Toyota won't offer the SE Sports ground effect kit to the public (its a dealer installed option for SE, SE Convertable and SLE Convertable). At least they won't offer it at a reasonable price, here's an example: as an option for the above 3 models, the MSRP is $995 installed and they came painted. Some people enquired the same kit from the dealer separately and receive a quote of about $2,400 (!!) with paint or installation. Holy cow! That's ridiculous. This is definitely NOT the way to keep happy customers. I am still keeping my finger crossed that TRD will come up with a ground effect kit.

There are scripting error popping up here or there. I am just too busy to fix them. Soon I want to give the site a simple fresh new looks (nothing fancy, I just want to keep it going :).

These are the lights that I brought and used a lot.
Inova 24/7:
Its handy with the lanyard for carrying around and hanging it on the wall. I have to run it in on high white most of the times cause low white is simply too dark for walking and inside the cabin except for reading. And I set it to beacon mode at night so that I know the exact of at least one of my flashlights in complete darkness. I didn't need the rest of the modes though.

Ultra G:
It's absolutely wonderful to use. Its plenty of bright for the inside of the cabin and it runs for a long time. This is really all the light you need inside the cabin. I have 2 and they are more than enough. I kept it by my side all the times.

1W Q3 MM+ sammie w/ NX-05 on mmag host:
This light is great for walking. Not a throw monster but it will light up where you are heading. And it throws long enough so that you don't have to get real close to read the cabin number. People are amazed at how bright this little mmag is. :D

These are the lights that I brought and either used little or not used at all.
3W MM sammie w/ 20mm reflector on mmag host:
Throws a LOT better than the 1W sammie w/ NX-05. And the reflector gives you enough side spill to see whats next to the host spot. But when it comes to a walking light, I picked the 1W sammie w/ NX05 instead.

Q3:
It was my spare and didn't see the day of the light (or night)

SF G2Z w/ P61 (w/ spare carrier & P60): Nothing (or nobody) that I need to shine a brinding light on, but it was kept in my bag with me at all times.

Some other lights stayed home but maybe they will get their chance the next time around.

How can it be with watches:
I wore my Citizen Land Promaster Eco Drive Perpetual Calendar (BL1164-55E) on black Zulu strap. The watch was never off my wrist and it was light (thanks to the titanium) and comfortable the whole time. I don't have to worry about rough use (thanks to the 20BAR WR, sapphire crystal and Duratect). It remains high legible day and night. I didn't charge the lume up deliberately but it remains legible at 5:30am (and sun rise not too much later on).

It was a great trip to see the huge Sequoia in person. Its simply amazing how big it is. It gives us the proper prospective on how small we are (literally) and how we should appreciate the nature.

And to start off my week, I am wearing my Seiko Landmaster auto on thick liberty leather strap.

I finally got my class registered, and I still got one more text book to buy (the instructor must have a lot of stock on book publisher cause he wants us to get two (2) test books. :(

Another job interview on Wed, so at least I need to get my work done, go to class, get some rest and *look* smart (somewhere to that extend, and hopefully will act like I am smart as well :p )

I like Citizen Eco Drive a lot cause I never have to wind it and never have to change battery. I can set the watch down, and pick it up to wear it when I want to. I don't even have to wear it from time to time to keep it charged (it can be charged while you are NOT wearing it :). The newer ones even have power saving function that will preserve the power by stopped the hands but keep the internal function ticking and have up to 4 yrs of battery life in total darkness (in power reserved mode). Another bonus of the Citizen watches is the Duratect finish. Duratect is a very tough finish and have very scratch resistance. Its still not scratch-proof but it comes very close. Combined with titanium case/bracelet and a sapphire crystal, it puts together a very good watch package.

And for the Sekio Kinetic (mainly 5MXX movements on Landmaster and Scubamaster), I still think they are great, but fell short in the detail. The newer 5M65 Kinetic movement have power reserve upto 4-6 months in a full charge, but only the Kinetic Relay movement has the power saving function. From my personally experience on the 5M45 Kinetic movement in the Scubamaster, keeping the capacitor (not a battery, that's what Seiko calls it) charged with movement is proven more difficult than keeping a mechanically movement winded. Because of this, a regular watch winder designed for automatic watches won't work on Kinetics. But having to *wind* a Kinetic movement means I can't just pick it up and wear it any even after a long time of inactivity. For the 5MXX Kinetic movement with GMT hand, one feature that it lacks is the quick set date. The first click of the clown is for setting the GMT hands forward or backward. The second click is for the time. So the only way to set the date (at least once every 2 months) is to set the time via turning the hour hand past 12 o'clock twice for every 1 day. Imagine you haven't wear the watch for a while and the watch stopped at 1st and you need to set the current date to 15th, thats a lot of turns to make.

So for me, Citizen Eco Drive fits me better and I will go with Seiko for their automatics offerings. Just like today, I wear my Citizen Perpetual Calendar Land Promaster Eco Drive to the office (where I sit in front of the desk all the times and won't be doing much movement to wind the watch).

What I need from my car:

• Some kind of control over the gear change (Manual was be ideal, but sequentual automatic is the minimium. Since I won't be the only driver of the vehicle, automatic takes priority. <-- sad but true)
• At least sits 4 with decent comfort (so tiny backseat won't cut it.)
• Ability to carry my bike in the trunk with a fold down backseat (not a must, but it would be nice not have to use bike rack all the times)
• Reasonable gas milage (I am not looking forward to do 20mpg on the freeway :p )
• Looking for a trouble-free vehicle (good reliability history and projection).
• Naturally aspirated (turbo is good, but it adds more items for wear and tear, and potential problem.)
• Loaded with active and passive passenger safety features (side-curtain is a must if its offered as an option)
• Within/close to my preset price target.

The following vehicles comes close but lose out to the Solara:

Lexus IS300
• New design is right around the corner for 2006. A loaded new 2006 model should crank up the price fast (at least for a couple of years). Real bad gas milage (though the engine is strong and proven). And the rear seat is not foldable (can't carry my bike unless with a bike rack).

Acura TSX
• The 2.4L 4 cyl iVTEC engine's weakness (lack of low end tq) becomes apparent in a test drive with 4 adults and the A/C on in a hot summer day (4 cyl is still no match for low end tq with the V6's bigger displacement). And I got the Solara at a lower price as the simularly equipped TSX with Navi.

Honda Accord
• When compare with the Solara, the Accord lacks a sequentual automatic gear box (at least gives me some kind of control :p ), the Solara got much tq @ 240lb-ft (bigger 3.3L motor yield more tq), more backseat space for Solara, and I like the styling of Solara better (with the SE aero kit). Accord does offer dual zone automatic climate control, better looking interior design, i like the Honda navigation system better, aftermarket market is better with Honda vehicles, and remote all-up-'n-down windows. (It was a tough call between the Accord and Solara.)

Nissan Altima
• The backseat lack a adjustable head restrain. Solara got better gas milage, built quality and material. Altima does have a great engine with power all over the place, I might like Altima's sequentual automatic gear box just a tiny bit better (still not my favourite) and HID is offered as an option. But for the same price, I rather get a Toyota than a Nissan (totally a personal preference. I've got a great deal on the Toyota, a simularly equipped Altima would actually cost more.).

Toyota Camry
• What? My Solara IS a Camry. :) But the reason why I didn't option for a Camry sedan is the exceptionally plain interior, lack of some kind of control over the gear change, and tht 3.3L engine was not offered at XLE trim level (Navi is offered ONLY in the XLE trim level).

It has a 225hp/240lb-ft of tq, 3.3L VVTi V6 engine and 5 sp automatic transmission (with sequential shift) that can also be found on the Lexus ES330, RX330, and other Toyota offerings. The back seats have plenty of rooms for a coupe that is compariable to a sedan (that's how big the car is!). And the trunk is pretty useable.

Now comes the things that I wished it has: The Navi could have been better (this one doesn't have voice activiation, and the DVD map that comes with the car is almost 3 years old and resulted in some incorrect navigation already! I think the Navi from other manufacturer offer better Navi than this.). I wished I could have a SE trim level (which has a "sports tuned" suspension and lower spoilers all around. I would imagine I would like the "sports tuned" suspension better.) with the Navi and everything. (I had to opt for the SLE cause Navi was not offered with SE trim level). The rear view is less than optimal. There is a lot of throttle lag (it will take a little time for the car to response to throttle inputs). The steering is kind of numb and offers no information on the road.

I do hope that in the future I would be able to put underbody spoiler all around to give her a little more a agressive look (more likely), maybe work on the suspension and rims a little bit as well (less likely).

I do miss driving my old Corolla GT-S (which has gone to its new owner already, sad to see her go :( ) and I missed driving a manual gear box (which gives me into the powerband I want when I want it). At the end of a long work day, I would say having a comfy and quiet ride is making the ride home just a little more relaxing (not that getting stuck in traffic for an hour is much relaxing :p ).

There are more going on but the browser crashed on me and I have no mood to re-write the whole thing again. So I will save it for next time. :)

I am still working a bit, job searching a bit and school won't start until 3 weeks later ... and still "Dude, where's my car?"

Sold the Seiko Orange Samurai and Casio G-Shock AW571. Looks like I am going to use my Timex Ironman 8-lap Shock Resistant 200m as my exclusive beater.

I wore the Seiko Marinemaster for a week. Its a very nice watch, very read-able and very heavy. The lume is really good, it will last through the night to at least 5am in the morning when just charging with light inside the house. I would love a Seiko Flightmaster automatic as well, but with the expenses that I am having/going to have, I think I have to wait ... (unless I lost my mind again :p ) I will be wearing the Citizen Navihawk this week. :)

"Dude, where's my car?" (I am doing car shopping as well, but I don't quite enjoy it this time around.)

The Marinemaster is a solid watch. First I thought the Seiko Black and Orange Monsters are solid and heavy. Here comes the Marinemaster and blow them alway. Some consider Marinemaster and Landmaster to be simular but they are in fact very different. The only thing that they share similarity is the 8L35 movement. Both are big, thick and easy to read but the Marinemaster is heavy (I guess weight is not a big issue when you are under water)and has a classic diver look (the crown is at 4 o'clock location).

The Citizen Sky Promaster Navihawk Eco Drive is very cool as well. It has AR coating under the Sapphire crystal. Its very well made. The duratect bracelet is quite different from the Citizen Land Promaster series with the end link rotates on the spring bar, links are more spaced out and round edged, and its a lot lighter than that on the Land Promaster. It looks good and very functional. My small complain is that the crown is a little small so sometimes its hand to turn it to select different mode.

2 great watches and I am happy with them. :) (they just add to my already-too-many-watches-and-don't-know-which-one-to-wear problem :p )

I just ordered a Seiko Marinemaster (SBDX001) and also a Citizen Sky Promaster Navihawk Eco Drive (PMK65-2211). The Marinemaster is different from the Landmaster by the stainless steel case and bracelet and Hardex Crystal. The Citizen Eco Drive Navihawk is limited to 1000 pieces per year with a Diamond-Like-Carbon (DLC) bezel, it has Duratect titanium case and bracelet, sapphire crystal, 20BAR WR, world time, 3 alarms, timer, stopwatch and up to 4 years of power reserve.

Conclusion, I have lost my mind. :)

Meanwhile, actually a while ago, I like the Citizen Duratec titanium so much that I got myself another Citizen Land ProMaster Super Tough Eco Drive. This one has a Perpetual Calendar (BL1164-55E). It will automatically set the date to the month and year and I don't ever need to adjust the date (so no more setting the date at the end of a month, at least not until maybe 2100? :p) It has most of the Citizen MA features (one piece Duratec titanium case, screw down crown, Sapphier crystal. 20BAR WR) minus the GMT hand and uni-directional rotating bezel. And this one has a power saving function that will stop the hands in the dark so that the watch can "sleep" and don't have to worry about running down the battery (at least not too much). When it comes out from the dark, its cool to see the hands dance and race to the current time. :) Very comfy watch and I am thinking should I get a black leather strap for it or should I wear it with the original Duratec titanium band. The funny thing is that my Citizen MA has a aftermarket Citizen Duratec titanium band that looks exactly like the one on this Perpetual Calendar model.

Now I am busy with [some] work and doing job search. I am indeed ready for getting a new job.

Got myself a Seiko "Orange Samurai" Titanium Automatic Scuba 200m (SBDA005) with Seiko diver strap to fill in my diver watch slot. :) It got a titanium case and 21 Jewels 7S25 movement. Its much lighter than the Seiko Monster Diver watches that I used to have. It has a "square edged" case and has a "tool watch" look to it. The titanium case will be scratch magnet (that's why I didn't go for the titanium bracelet), I would have to figure out how to refinish the case just in case (it still has minimal scratch on it for now, keeping my finger crossed). Compare to Seiko Monsters, this made in Japan diver has good detail (fine markers on chaper ring and polished edge on applied indices) and good lume (Monster is still lume king nonetheless). The 22m lug size (verses 20mm on Monsters) makes the strap looks more substantial. The Orange Samurai is getting significant wrist time now. :)

• Final exam coming next week. And still have 2 projects due ... -_-
• Casio G-Shock MTG-900 is gone.
• Casio G-Shock DW6100 is gone.
• Casio Protrek Triple Sensor PRG-80T is gone. The titanium band isn't all that comfy. And its big! I mean its BIG! (Maybe too big) I may still shop for a leather band version of it later on because of the complete function package. We'll see.
• Seiko LandMaster 10th anniversary (SBDX009) Automatic is gone.
• Got a dark brown Hirsch Libtery thick leather strap for my Seiko Landmaster automatic (SBDX007) and found new love with the watch all over again.
• Got a automatic watch winder and some watch tools.

• Got some old school Orange Road OVA. Boy, does that bring back memories. (the good old times when I was just a kid ...)
• Casio G-Shock DW6600C is gone.
• Casio G-Shock AW571 analog and digital combo is here. Big watch, but comfortable.

• School is busy. Very. And work is picking up at the wrong time. So its adding oil to the fire ...
• Flashlights - Nothing changed
• Watches - Big changes.
  • Seiko Scubmaster master "pipin" edition is gone. Very special watch. Love the look and the beautiful dial, and the fact that it is limited ... But the unknown reliability of the older Kinetic compacitor (or the potenital high price tag for repair if it fails) forced me to sell it.
  • My beater Shock G5600 tough solar is gone.
  • The Protrek triple sensor PRG-80T is here and its huge! And I mean HUGE!
  • Got a G-Shock MTG-900 tough solar waveceptor and give the atomic another try.
  • Got a G-Shock DW6600C and a DW-6100 themometer for old school/time sake. :p
  • Got some G-Shock spare parts with the deal as well.

I never though I could get a watch nicer than my Seiko Landmaster auto. Well I did. :) I am getting a Seiko Landmaster auto 10th anniversary (SBDX009). The difference of the 10th anniversary limited Landmaster auto seems to be the textured dial, gold hands and indices, light color PVD case, (possibly) a ceramic bezel, individually numbered and limited to 500 in production.

More updates on my G Shocks, my 3 G Shocks has arrived, and are up and running. The yellow DW6600 is in fact a DW6630B with Japan everything and a bezel protector. The DW8500 codename has Japanese character as well (which my ex DW8800 Codename Cipher doesn't), and its also Japan everything. The last one that was uncertain before is the DW002, with Japan leather and nylon band. I think its one of the early capsule (sp?) design. Very interesting.

And the DW5700C-9V deemed a lot of effort to fix. I have tested the 901 module and its working perfectly. One interesting thing is the alarm spring contact is on the front of the module that makes contact to the front of metal case (instead of the rest of the 4 screws backcase that has the alarm spring contact at the back of the module and makes contact with the backcase metal piece), as a result, the alarm sounds a little difference from the rest of the watches. I guess my quest for a vintage DW5600C/DW5700C continues ...

My DW5700C-9V finally arrived. But I would have to say this is my first time that I encounter a troublsome G-Shock. The band is not original (but looks quite like a real one). The 4 screws that holds the bezel to the case: 3 are gold in color and 1 in silver. 1 gold came off ok, 1 silver came off ok, 1 gold broke :( , and the last gold one is stuck. I can see the seal is broken (some stuck at the seam of the case back). So, this watch needs A LOT OF work! The only "good" thing is that I got it got for lunch money. I will open up the case and use it as parts, sell the bezel and band to recover some of the "investment" (if i can get the last screw out) ... Lesson learnt here: vintage screw down case back G-Shock are not for the faint of hearts.

Speaking of G-Shocks, I have another 3 coming in: a yellow DW6600, DW8500 (first gen. codename without Morse Code function) and a ??002? (I forgot the number :p ). All needs new batteries (which I can handle).

And my last Seiko Orange Monster has gone to a new home. I simply have too much watch, too little time. :p At least I am "trying" to keep the number of my watches under condition ... :D

Ever since I got the bunch of straps for my watches, I have been wearing my Seiko Orange Monster with a grey NATO strap. Its a *okey* color combination. I tried a black Rhino on the Seiko Orange Monster and it just doesn't go well with it. I still want to try out my other watches with the straps I got. (they are all black except for the grey NATO that's on the Orange Monster already).

I have a old school Casio G-Shock DW5700 on the way. It has a module 901 with screw down back case, gold color buttons, yellow trim on the face of the watch. So I think its a DW5700C-9V (comes with white "PROTECTION" AND "G-SHOCK" lettering and yellow for the rest of the letters). I got it at an *okey* price but not without risk. It comes with the wrong DW5600C-1V bezel, and the band is of unknown condition and don't know if the color of the buckle is of the correct gold color. I do plan to restore the watch to its original spec and plan to send it to a authorized Casio Service Center to have the battery and seal replaced and have it pressure tested. I still hope that I will some day locate a DW5600C-1V, but for now, if the restoration of the DW5700C-9V succeed and can be done within my budget, then this is a keeper for me.

I am getting a couple of straps in different style for my Citizen MA and Seiko Monsters'. They are more comfy and I don't have to worry about scratches on the bracelet. I think I will still wear the watches with bracelet most of the time. They just look soooo good on bracelet. :)

My school is pretty busy for this semester, a lot of homework assignment, writing assignment (the prof. relate those to "fulfilling our graduate level writing requirement" ... -_- ), projects and mid terms (since finals are always there, I will just take that as a part of the deal). And this is no joke, I seriously got to hit the books this semester. In order to do that, I will be cutting back on my "forum time". :p So help me God. Amen. :)

The GT-S needs smog and re-new registrator. I am keeping my finger crossed for the smog test and hope it will pass (its a 15 yr old car afterall), but I am enjoying the low cost of owner for the registration re-new. :) Its still taking the stuff I throw at it pretty well. At least I still enjoy driving my GT-S coupe more so than the more powerful Accord V6 (it must be the combination of stick shift, lighter chasis for the quicker response and handling).

I got the Seiko LandMaster Automatic (SBDX007). I have to say that its beautiful to behold of. The detail on the rotating bezel is amazing work on titanium. Its heavier than I would imagine for a titanium watch but yet feels comfy on the wrist. And its very easy to read. Absolutely amazing watch.

My poor Casio G Shock collection, I have limited to only the G5600, DW5300 and DW8400 Mudman to stay, the rest all got to go. G2310, DW6600 and DW8800 codeman are gone, and my DW6900 with Japan band and buckle also got to go to. My 5th DW9800AR Wademan ARTI with kavlar band came ... and gone quickly.

Since I already have 2 Seiko Masters', my next target is Seiko Marinemaster (SBDX001) with the same 8L35 automatic movement as the Landmaster, one piece stainless steel case and WR300M. And I don't know what else I can sell for that. :p

Seiko Landmaster on the left and Marinemaste on the right:
 

I am letting go some of my flashlights as well, the 3W 3AA flashlight is gone. And maybe more have to go ...

And once again my G-Shock collection is going through a tough time. Not that I am going to beat them up but they are having a tough time staying with me. Some of them may have to go and make room for a big Seiko heading this way: Seiko Kinetic Scubamaster (SBCW007) Diver 200M - 1997 "Francisco Pipin Ferreras" limited edition with only 1000 pieces ever made. Its made for the Francisco Pipin Ferreras freestyle diving record in 1997. It has a one piece titanium case, 5M45 Kinetic movement and GMT hand. It has a beautiful dail and comes with a special box set.  

The G-Shock G2310 is already sold. I am planning on selling the G5600 and DW6600 as well. In the worse case, the Seiko Orange Monster (SKX781) will need to go too ...

Also, for the 4th time, I got myself a DW9800AR Wademan ARTI with kavlar band. Since I am in a G-Shock collecting fever now, this may as well be a keeper. ;)

I still have at least 3 movie G-Shocks that I haven't gotten yet ... search takes time. :) Here is my 200M Club (must be WR200M or WR20BAR to enter >>

 

I have yet another Casio G-Shock DW9800AR Wademan ATRI (American Rescue Team International) coming in, and this one is too sold even before it arrived. This makes the third brand new in box ARTI Wademan that I have sold. :) They claimed 400 pieces were made for the US and I have involved in 3/400 of them. LOL :D

And my movie Casio G-Shock collection continue to grow. An incoming Casio G-Shock G2310 (as seen in Alien vs Predator) will be part of collection soon, which makes it 5 in total and 3 more to go (so far :). Coming along with the G2310 is a G5600 to fill the empty space for DW5600 while I am keep looking hard for a DW5600C screw down case back.

• Happy 2005! :)
• Big change in my world of watches. I dropped all my existing G-Shocks and start acquiring new or vintage G-Shocks that appeared in movies or TV series. Here's my finding so far (as of 02/09/05):

  Movie/TV series	Casio G-Shock	Status
  Speed	DW-5600C	searching
  Speed 2	DW-8700	searching
  Italian Job	DW-6600C	acquired
  24 (TV)	DW-6600	^ same as above ^
  Mission Impossible	DW-5300	acquired
  Mission Impossible 2	DW-6900 (modified)	acquired
  Stargate SG-1 (TV)	DW-8300	searching
  Resident Evil	DW-8400 Mudman (modified)	acquired
  Alien vs Predator	G2310	acquired
  Basic	Varies G-Shocks	not really interested in those :p
  Cable Guy	DW-6600B	not really interested in this edition :p

• Got myself a 3AA 3W LED with 30mm optic flashlight. The batteries are arranged a side-by-side cylinder (3AA-1D adapter in the size of a D-size battery). Its still in transist but I expect it to be brighter than my 2AA 3W LED flashlight. One down side is that the new 3AA 3W flashlight is not regulated. I think it shouldn't be too big of a problem since I can use AA NiMH batteries and can recharge them when the output gets dimp.
• Got a cutdown 2AA mini-mag to become a 1AA micro-mini-mag. It works quite well with the LED sandwich bulb replacement that I got. This is the 2nd one I have and the machinary of the light is cut with correct length. The first one I had was returned to the seller cause the length was not correct and I can't fully close the tail cap with the sandwich and battery installed. For now, I have the Madmax Lux III sandwich in the micro-mini-mag host.
• Some replacement parts and oil change for my Corolla GT-S
• New school semester starts today (classes start tomorrow since I only have class on Tuesday and Thursday)