Shockingly Irresistible

Owning several mechanical timepieces from brands like IWC, Panerai, Rolex, etc. I can appreciate the intricacy and legacy of each, with heritage and brand identity shown through decades and century of product evolution around their core values. These are the companies that survived the quartz crisis, through persistence and conviction in producing what they believe in; bringing solid designs, constructions and innovations through the realm of mechanical watches.

Driven by love for love, many aficionados once embarked on this journey of haute horologerie, will pursue pinnacle in the likes of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin and Lange A.Sohne; from basic movements to grande complications that combines the holy trinity of tourbillon, minute repeater and perpetual calendars. Few will "look back" on the inconspicuous.

As for myself, I just have a fetish for G-Shocks. One obvious reason is the lack of funding, and before I started writing this blog, that's the only reason I can convinced myself with. But if you've followed my post, you would have discovered that behind those dark resin, resides the memory of my mother's love. It is exactly this feeling that I associates G-Shocks with; generations after generations of their products.

For all my trips to Japan, I've got this habit of going to Yodobashi electronic superstore, where the latest and greatest G-Shocks (and many many other watches) congregates. Most of the time, I manage to hold myself from falling into yet another crush, but failed terribly over my previous and current visits; the 8% tax rebate didn't helped, I succumbed to temptation. The products of choice, GA150-1A; anti-magnetic world time, which resembles so much like the one that my sister gave me as a present when I was in university (a memory of sibling's love which I intend to write as part of 'Brief History of Time' series, later), and GWN1000B-1AER; Gulfmaster with triple sensors and R/C synchronization to atomic clocks.

The Gulfmaster, which runs on solar power, is a gift from my wife. Designed to weather storms and nature's elements, with a heart that beats as long as the sun will rise... How else can her unfailing love for me be better represented than this?...

Classic Series: GA150-1A
Anti-magnetic World Time

 Master of G Series: GWN1000B-1AER

Gulfmaster

What makes you tick?

I'm sure we all have some form of passion for certain things; things that we spend most of our leisure hours in, and finds pure joy engaging. I've known of people who are so into their passion, it became an obsession. But have you wonder why so? What is it about that hobby or genre of artifacts that can fuel a person to persistently pursue, even to point of losing sleep and/or fortune over? You may disagree, but I choose to believe that it is all about love. Not love for the object itself, but the feeling of love that's attached to the object that brings love for it.

I've a good friend and colleague who literally breath on bicycles. He owns countless bikes that I'm sure it would take even himself awhile to count all of them; each and every one of different shapes, size and makes, for different purposes, terrains and loads. He organizes and goes on local (Singapore) and overseas road trips with his group from lovecycling.net extensively, but what I know of him is not just about the intricacy of mechanism of bicycles that drives him, rather, the reciprocated exchange of love he finds serving a community of like minded people.

And for me, it's all about the loving experiences and memories that watches bring, that's why I love watches for; its associating kinship, relationships and friendships. No other watch maker share my sentiment as much as 'Solvil et Titus'.

As you continue your passion pursue, may you discover what actually makes you tick. I would not be surprise if it is love indeed.

Love at First Sight

I'm a person who loves all things I have, and pursue all things I love. I'm not someone who compromises, and perhaps, that's why I treasure everything I have; I am very careful with all my material possessions. Even though the G-Shock commercial and the product itself looks convincing enough to handle the harshest of elements, I treated it with respect and care. I followed the dos and don'ts written on the instruction manual strictly; washing it with warm water after every pool immersion, and prevented it from drops and knocks as I would with fragile glassware. However, being an active teenager, it proves to be impossible to keep up with the up-keeping. There were accidental drops on hard surfaces, and there were forgetful presses of the buttons underwater, but it proved itself time and again for surviving those ritual! (In case you're not aware, it is not a good practice to press on those functional buttons underwater. Be it digital or mechanical timepieces, operating them underwater risk water seepages into the case. This is exactly why some chronographs, a good example will be the Rolex Daytona, have lock screws on the buttons to prevent accidental operations underwater). Slowly, I gain confidence of the beating the G-Shock can take, and relaxed my handling with it.

At one point, I was almost like a ambassador! With a tinge of showing off to friends and classmates in school, I mimicked its commercial with different sports; hitting it like a baseball, kicking it like a football, throwing it like a basketball. While many of my audience were convinced to have one themselves, mine was gracefully aging; its skin starts to dry, flake and peel. The strap actually gave in at 3 year mark, and I replaced it with a 3rd party strap. Ironically, only when it has lost its youth to my torture, did I begin to look after it better. Perhaps the naked metal is telling me that it can no longer partner me in stunts like before or perhaps, I just wanted to keep my promise to my mom, to have it as long as its battery last; I treated it like I first got it, again...

Its display dims towards the 7th year, and it gasped its last breath when I activated its light one day. Unlike my first love (the Mickey Mouse watch), I had a mixed feeling of its passing; I was sad but at the same time, proud of my G-Shock. Sad because it has watched me over a good part of my adolescence, and yet proud that it has accomplished what it was made to do. I actually contemplated reviving it with fresh battery, but as a gratitude to its lifetime of faithful service, I decided to let it rest in peace for good.

My mom was equally proud of me for keeping my promise, she initiated to buy me another watch as a replacement. We went to 'Ho Seng Cheong Clocks & Watches' (yes, it was the only watch shop my family knew and trusted back then), to pick the next watch I wanted. With my experience of the G-Shock, I'm sure I wasn't even looking at the mechanical pieces then at all. A sand blasted metallic case and polished gold bezel with rubber straps caught my eyes, and I fell in love, at once...

Citizen Pro-master Windsurf D120 (1991)

Digital Shock

I am a very sentimental person; whenever I'm in love with something (or someone), even if it is gone for whatever reason, it'll take me a long time to consider another thing (or another person) for the matter. My wrist was vacant for almost 3 years with the passing of my Mickey Mouse watch. Nothing really caught my fancy, that is, until I saw a commercial on the TV one day...

On the rink, there were 2 person dressed in ice hockey outfit; a defender in front of the goal post, and an attacker accelerating to full speed towards it. The camera took a quick glance at the "puck", a black circular object that was somehow flat. The attacker hit it hard with the stick trying to score, but the defender saved it at the top right corner of the goal. He opens his thick gloved hands to reveal a watch! The 1st ever Casio G-Shock! I was dumbfounded.

Casio G-Shock DW-5200 (1984)

My experience with the Mickey Mouse watch made me believe that all watches are delicate, fragile and does not live well with water. The commercial literally defies all that! That very moment, I knew what I was waiting for for 3 years, I fell in love again.

I bugged my mother every other day for that watch. One day, my mom took me along on one of her trips to Chinatown to do her shopping. I cannot recall how I coaxed her into going to 'Ho Seng Cheong Clocks & Watches' store to check if I can find the watch there, but I did. Model DW-5200, the 1st G-Shock looked better in matter than it was on commercial! It has a demure rubbery texture all round with a polished stainless steel case-back that hinted a solid no nonsense construction. The shop owner then briefed me a little of its functionalities; alarm, charm, stop watch, count down timer, date, light, and a 7 years battery life! I wanted it so badly! My mom was put off by its princely sum of $70 (which is a lot of money especially for my family in 1984), and refused to get it for me. We left for home empty handed.

For a good 1 week or so, the thought of that watch occupied my mind completely. Every repetition of the commercial intensifies my desire for it. Even though I did not bring up the topic anymore, I guess my mom must have noticed my disappointment.

I wouldn't classify myself a spoilt brat, just someone very persistent in love. I'm sure my mom (and I'm sure any parents would, to their children) felt the same towards me, she bought me the watch eventually. I promised her that I'll use it for at least as long as the battery last; 7 years, which I did. That watch served me well into my secondary school. Even when its skin has crumpled and fell, I kept the promise, as my way of saying 'I will not fail you mom, because I love you too...'