Hydro Mod any Digital Watch

I did some research online about Hydro Modding a Digital watch.

Benefits:
Better legibility
Increased water resistance

Things needed:
Silicone oil (they say the less viscous, the better. I got 10wt. Silicone oil from a RC shop. If the oil is thicker than 30wt. it might ruin the light)
Small container (to dip the watch in)
Digital watch

optional: syringe

Tips:
1.there is a debate whether to leave a small bubble inside the watch, specially for solar powered watch because there might be a risk that when you charge your watch under the sun and it gets warm, the silicone oil expand and might leak out. Destroying the water resistance of your watch. Since the watch I'm using isn't solar powered I decided to try not to leave any bubbles.
2. Some would heat up the oil to 60c before soaking the watch, better chance of reducing bubbles. (I didn't heat mine)

 Steps:
1 Open the watch

2.remove the movement (if using a solar watch, research because there is a wire that connects to the solar panel be careful.)
3. Put the case in the small container and fill with silicone oil till it covers the whole watch.
4. Slide in the movement to prevent bubbles. Sliding is much better than simply dropping in the movement. (I had to reopen the watch twice because there was a huge bubble)

5. also slide in the case back and screws.
6. Clean watch with soap and water to remove silicone oil. done.

Results:
trial #1 huge bubble (notice the difference on the part with the oil and with out)

 Trial #3 Perfect (Light still works too)

Excellent Angled view

Parnis 40mm Ceramic Bezel PVD Submariner waterproof test

Tauchmeister T0046 1000m diver watch

 

Tauchmeister became popular with their big watchs that has the same design with U-boats at an affordable price.  a few years ago they introduced 1000m divers for under $250, cheapest 1000m in the market. Tauchmeister is a German brand but uses asian parts. 

A Germasian watch as some people call it. Quality and finishing is very good for the price. A very handsome watch also looks abit seiko tuna-ish A real tough everyday beater watch.  

Specs for the T0046:

Case materials	Stainless steel
Water resistant	100 ATM / 1000 meter
Casesize(without crown)	46mm
Case thickness	14 mm
Manufacturer movement	Citizen Miyota 8215
Crystal	Sapphire
Lug size	22mm

Miyota automatic movement 8215

Helium escape valve for diving

Hands are by Citizen

My first 1000m diver

Union Classic Watch & Clock (Hong Kong)

Union Classic Watch & Clock is located at Kimberley Rd. in the Champagne Court, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Beside Mira hotel. 

They sell new/preowned watches. They carry and extensive collection of watches. Though some say that prices are somewhat high, hard to deal(haggle) and don't expect first class customer service unless you know the people there.

These are some of the watches on display (I estimate that these were half of what they had in the store that time) PRICES ARE IN HK DOLLARS. 

ROOs, Jaw dropping to see that many watches.

Extensive collection of Pams

Some vintage Rolex

, It's worth visiting this area just beside Mira hotel. There are more than 10 stores in this area. Worth a visit if you are in Hong Kong even just to take a look.

Parnis 44mm Submersible Modded

This is my first modded watch. It's a Parnis Submersible homage. Automatic movement by Seagull. My friend did the Bead blasting and the painting of the bezel.

Steps in Modding the Watch

1. Disassemble the watch and tape the glass and pearl lume on the bezel.

2. Remove movement

Keep in a clean container, you don't want dust to go into the movement

Ready for Bead Blasting

Bead blasting finished.

Before and after

Bezel Painted

Tool Watch

The results are amazing. It has transformed the watch into something new/different. Also I'm amazed that my Parnis Homage has good water resistance.(Hand wash, Shower) I've also seen an UN-modded submersible be used for swimming but the gaskets were lubed properly.

Photos by HAVOC

If you live in the Philippines and looking for Homages search ebay.ph or Sulit.com Search for Parnis. You can get one for a reasonable price.

Damasko DA36

Damasko is mostly known to WIS/ to those who are serious in watches. In the past they have been responsible for making watch cases for Sinn(another awesome brand). They started making watches in the 90s and became more known when they introduced the Damasko DA36 to the watch world. They sold this watch around 2006. It sold out immediately, selling 300-500 watches and stopped selling temporarily. At that time it was really hard to come by one. People had to wait for months to get one.(maybe problem with getting movements) You just have to look at the spec sheet to know why this watch is sought after by many WIS.

This watch has so much technical innovations. Ice hardened stainless steel case which is 4x harder than average stainless steel.  Anti-magnetic to 80,000 A/m. All gaskets are Viton™ seals. Scratch resistant damast coating.(not a single scratch on the case since I got it mid last year)

This is the first watch I acquired since becoming more serious in watch collecting. It is also my favorite watch. I love the rugged look, the neon yellow seconds hand, readability and really cool interpretation to a modern Pilot watch. It's my everyday watch and it's a permanent stay in my collection.


Specs:
Movement:
•ETA 2836-2, self-winding, mechanical movement
• Shockproof according to DIN 8308
• Anti-magnetic according to DIN 8309
• Regulated and Adjusted by Damasko

Case:
• Stainless steel, nickel-free, bead-blasted
• Ice-hardened to guaranteed 60 HRC or 710 Vickers
• Integrated anti-magnetic inner cage, anti-magnetic to 80,000 A/m or 100 mT
• Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, AR coating on the
underside only available on special request
• Crystal gasket resistant to UV radiation
• Solid screw back with O-ring Viton™ gasket
• All gaskets made from Viton™ which offers a premium chemical resistance
and which is superior to most other materials used in the watch industry
•Permanent lubrication of crown via lubrication cell
• Screw-down crown with protective shoulders, crown tube screwed into the
case for easy maintenance (“System Damasko”)
• Crown, stem, and tube hardened to 60 HRC
• Water resistant to 10 bars/100 metres according to DIN 8310
• Crystal has a secure fit even in case of a sudden negative pressure


Dimensions:
• Case diameter:40.00 mm
• Overall height: 11.20 mm
• Lug width: 20.00 mm
• Weight without strap: 72 grams

Youtube video of the Damasko DA36

Gnomon Watches one stop shop for Independent Watchmaker Brands

 Gnomon watches is Asia's gateway to premier Independent Watch Makers. Located in Singapore, Gnomon opened its doors in 2002. The Owners being avid watch collectors decided to go in to this business.They cater mainly to customers across Asia(They ship abroad)

Aristo Watches

Currently Gnomon is an 'Authorized Dealer' of the FF:

Archimede                          Ennebi                            Welder
Aristo                                 Laco
Aviation                              Ollech & Wajs
CX Swiss Military              Squale
Damasko                           Steinhart
Dievas                               Think The Eart

Gigantic sized watches!(Ennebi)

Damasko Watches

The brands they carry are popular with watch hobbyist across the world. Offering good value for money and excellent quality. They also carry a wide range of straps and accessories. They are one of the best places to buy 'Nato and Zulu' straps because of the variety they offer.

Probably the best place to buy Nato and Zulu strap.

Next time you go to Singapore, check out this place, its around 3-5 minutes walk from Suntec Convention Center. The owner Anders Tan and his Secretary are very friendly and accommodating. Go in have a look maybe something will catch your fancy. (After sales service is good)

Address:Gnomon Watches 100 Beach Road, Shaw Towers, #01-06Singapore 189702

Operating Hours:
Mon-Fri: 11.30am to 7pm
Sat: 12.30pm to 6pm 
Closed on Sunday and Public Holidays 

Website: http://www.gnomonwatches.com

Rado Diastar Ceramica

Sometime in the early 90's Rado released this new design of diastar. I believe that it was revolutionary at that time. The whole watch was scratch proof. It was made from high tech ceramics. If I am right the price for this particular model was around $1000+ US dollars. It's on the small size these days but still IMO one of the best/reconizable looking dress watch at its price point. It came with an ETA quartz which maybe accurate. I say maybe because it is difficult to see what time it is exactly. There are no markers. (looks 1, functionality 0)

Today, you can find a watch like this for somewhere between $700-$1000. It is worth it. The new Rado Diastar Ceramica looks a bit the same but bigger and more details.(Automatic also available) But if are looking for clean lines and/or believe that simple is best then get the original.

Orient Mako

Orient is a lesser known Japanese watch makes brand which has been in the industry for more than half a century. They produce excellent quality watches at a good price. In house movement, yes. History, young compared to swiss counterparts.

The Mako has been launced since 2006, price at around $100. At this time an age you think that $100 would get you no where in the watch market. But this mako has, in house movement, 200m water resistant, Stainless steel case and bracelet and a unique design. Unique in the way it doesn't copy the Rolex Submariner but just gets styling cues from it and pay tribute to it. It comes in various colors, Black, yellow, orange, blue and some limited edition(Thai edition)

The only complains are
a. It doesn't come with a sapphire crystal
b.Hollow end links
c.Hard to turn Bezel

But for $100, very few watches comes close to this at this price point. Maybe some seiko 5's not much else. It can be bought in various watch stores in the Philippines. Also a new variant similar to the mako was launched recently code name Orient Ray or Mako 2.(minor changes). Officially they say accuracy is with in 15-25 seconds per day but my experience(as well as others) have been great, Usually I hear people say their mako is accurate at around +/- 5 seconds per day.(Which is as good as some high end watches)

Watch Box Idea

Do you need an affordable watch box which will really keep your watches safe? Some people including me have been using hard cases as a watch box.

Hard cases usually comes with semi-cut foam. DIY how big you want it to be.

 

Hard Cases can protect your watches well, shock and water. Similar sized Hard Case cost between PHP700-4000 depending on the brand. but generally most hard cases are built well. Can be found in Camera equipment stores, CD-R King etc.