Casio G-Shock G-5500C-3

Like yesterday's watch, my wife bought me this G-Shock for Christmas, but the similarities don't stop there. It's another one that I'd been considering for a while but didn't pull the trigger. It's not a limited edition, but it's not very common either, although this one can be found at substantial discounts over its $120 MSRP. Most unique about this model is the green display to match the green case, band and band printing. There's also an all red version with a red LCD. The full Vivid Colors Series also includes a white model but it has what appears to be a pretty standard LCD so it's the odd man out. I'm a fan of the 5500 design (I have two other 5500s) and I would definitely like to add the red and white models to my collection.

Casio G-Shock DW-5600LC-4

I hope you had a Merry Christmas or other winter holiday of your choosing. Today I'm wearing one of my Christmas presents from my wife, a Casio G-Shock DW-5600LC-4. This is a model that I've admired for quite some time. It was released in the spring of 2007 and was one of three colors in the "Summer Gradation" series. I was drawn to the orange color, but the standard module and lack of any other special features made me hold off buying it. It also had a relatively high price compared to other similar models. I was very happy to receive it as a gift as it was definitely something I wanted but was hesitant to purchase myself. It's my only orange G-Shock currently, but I hope to get some of the Men in Rescue Orange models (or the equivalent U.S. versions) in the future.

Just A Quick Update...

I didn't realize it until I read the date on the post below, but I've been wearing my Speedmaster for a solid month. It is keeping incredible time, gaining less than a second a day on average. The size and legibility make it very easy to wear on a regular basis, and the style has been appropriate for everything from my casual daily attire to semi-formal Christmas parties. I have a feeling I'll be getting a few watches as Christmas gifts (and even if I don't I have my eye on a few anyway) so I'll have some new stuff to post in the near future. Have a Merry Christmas!

Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph 3573.50.00

Well, I finally broke down and got another Omega. It's been a little over two years since I got my first one, a Seamaster Planet Ocean. I've always been a fan of the Speedmaster, not only for its connection to the NASA space program, but also its connection to motorsports. I've been seriously looking at Speedmaster Professionals for a number of months, trying to decide whether to get vintage or new, and if new, then which one? The 3570.50.00 is the model most like the vintage ones and those worn on the moon, with a Hesalite (acrylic) crystal and solid steel caseback. The 3573.50.00 is virtually identical to the other one but features a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, a sapphire exhibition caseback to view the movement, and a movement that is very slightly modified to look better (a small plastic piece is replaced with a metal one.) Ideally, I would have bought a vintage piece, probably from the late 1960s. Unfortunately, prices for excellent vintage pieces are high, and while eBay has lots of vintage Speedmasters, it's difficult to find one that is authentic, original and in good working condition without spending more than a new one. I was actually leaning towards the more "authentic" Hesalite-equipped model (what Omega refers to as the Original Moon Watch), probably because I saw it as being something closer to the vintage models I wanted, but then I realized I really wanted to see the movement and that I would probably also get a vintage one someday, and none of those have exhibition casebacks. Like my Planet Ocean, it took an excellent deal from a reputable online retailer (the same one I got my Planet Ocean from, in fact) to push me over the edge. It also happened that they had the sapphire-equipped model for less than I had planned on paying for the Hesalite-equipped model. So, I got the watch and it's fantastic. For some reason I expected the sapphire crystal to be shaped differently than the Hesalite one, but it's virtually identical. I'm also very happy with the exhibition caseback since unlike my other automatic chronographs there is no winding rotor to block the view, and I could probably spend hours just watching everything move, engage and disengage as the chronograph is started, stopped and reset. I was a little afraid that I would be disappointed with the size. If you've looked at my other watches you've seen I'm a fan of large watches, but while my Speedy Pro is smaller than my Planet Ocean (42mm vs 44.5mm diameters) it certainly does not feel small. "Sleek" might be a better word. Once again, the lack of automatic winding works well here as it is much thinner than any of my automatic chronographs. It lives up to all my expectations and I don't have any complaints.

Casio G-Shock DW-5000SL Spike Lee

I wore this one Monday but didn't get around to posting it until today. This is my newest watch, a Casio G-Shock DW-5000SL. The "SL" is for Spike Lee and this is his "signature" watch. It is the latest watch to commemorate G-Shock's 25th anniversary. You can see it is very similar to the 20th Anniversary DW-5000SP and the 25th Anniversary DW-5025SP-1JF. This Spike Lee differs from those as it has "Water Resist 20 Bar" on the dial instead of "Project Team Tough", has the "40 Acres and a Mule" logo in the backlight (Spike Lee's production company) and has Spike Lee's signature engraved on the screw-down caseback. It also came in a unique package, with a red, black and green tin with the logo and a box with maps of Brooklyn. I'm a fan of Spike Lee's films for the most part (and a huge fan of Do The Right Thing) and I'm glad to have this watch. I'm not sure how limited it will be (if at all) but considering the very similar DW-5025SP-1JF is very limited and very expensive (easily $400 or more) I'd encourange anybody who likes this classic G-Shock model to pick one up, even if they're not big fans of Spike Lee.

Seiko SKX779 "Black Monster" on Di-Modell Chronissimo Strap

You might recall a fairly recent post where I showed off my new Black Monster. I finally broke down and got one because it was pretty cheap, but was only available on the rubber strap. The strap is ok, but I started thinking it would be nice to get the factory bracelet for it (which I have on my Orange Monster.) Well, if you glanced at the photos here, I obviously didn't. I decided something a little more original was in order. This is a Di-Modell Chronissimo strap, 20mm at the lugs, and it is the "short" version. All I can say is if this is the short one, you' have to have wrists bigger that my ankles to need the "long" version. My wrist is about 6 3/4" and I have this strap on the second-to-smallest hole. The nice thing about this strap is while it's 20mm where it attaches to the lugs the total width of the strap is closer to 24mm. It does taper from the lugs to the ends, but has a wide buckle and an extra leather "flap" behind the buckle that keeps everything looking suitably bulky. This strap is a good match for the Monsters because it is a very chunky watch with lugs that are perhaps a bit too narrow. If you've ever seen a Monster on a NATO or regular leather strap (where the lug width is the widest portion of the strap) you know what I mean. Even the standard bracelet and rubber strap are wider than the lugs on the Monster. I can imagine this strap being too much on many 20mm-lugged watches, but on the Black Monster I think it looks fantastic.