Time has changed, but my watch hasn’t

Technology brings us to a world to advanced communications.

In 80s, if you need to call Hong Kong from Dalian or Shanghai, you have to go to the China local Friendship Store, or Telecommunication office inside a Post office.

You have to book the number through the operator, once the call was established, you have to talk as fast as we can, as they charged about FEC * 15 Yuan a minute!

And …the whole process of calling for 3 minutes took me approximately two hours. As we needed to take a taxi to the Friendship store, booking, waiting and calls.  At that time not so many hotel was equipped with IDD calling services….

I could still remember I worn a 14 kt 34mm solid yellow gold Bubble Back Rolex Oyster watch.

It was a nice watch made between 1945-1952, I bought it with HKD$5,000 from HK Famous watch maker Mr. Kiu Tai Yu.

After 30 years, the watch is still a sought after Vintage selection from Rolex and it worth many times more that the amount I spent on it in 80’s.

Now our electronics industry is so advance that just with a “Click’ you can almost practically talk to anyone in the world, leave a message to him or her, send him a picture and or video. With a Click you can watch Movie on your gigantic 7” Smart phone screen!

The Electronics gadget is amazing an that keep us terribly busy, we had no time for cinema, no time for family gathering , no time to sleep, sarcastic part of it is your customers keep chasing you mail asking why you don’t reply… Gad damn it, should I stay hooked on to the computer replying mails all night long mail… what is my private life!? - Sorry no more since you get into this internet world, I had a colleague who went hiking with, he brought his note book computer and replying mail on top of Tai Mo Shan....LOL!!

One Executive sends us mail telling us not to register the
out of office assistant for short trip three days, meaning that he forces us to hooking up with the cold blooded computer connecting with customers ALWAYS... is that the so called
Customer Oriented!? I think that is idiot idea to do like that.

Now, we talk to the hand phone more than talking with another body in the family.  Everyone must carry more than 1 handphone Now… , 90% of the people in the train playing on his phone… Who in the MTR train would read a Reader’s Digest, Newsweek or Time?  It is about 0.001% of those passengers.

We, the Electronics Smartphone is selling $5,000 when new and drops to $2,000 after 6 months…

In 2000, a 42’ Fujitsu or NEC Plasma TV was selling HKD$70,000

And By now a Hisense LCD TV with LED backlit of the same size is selling HK$4,500  (no more plasma TV in production since 2010)

Well, may be Samsung of the same size is still could debate for a price of HKD$9,000 as it has to carry a lot of added feature and Gadgets…  Internet TV, Smart household Control, Harddisk, network TV…etc

If you Keep you Plasma TV till now, if it is still operational, you may sell it at HKD$500 ? No way!
And I guess you have to pay Someone $500 to take it away to the landfills.

Well, imagine you had bought a Rolex Day Date Ref 1804 with Blue dial and diamond bezel of the White Gold with president bracelet... with the HKD$75,000 in year 2000… What happened to it now!?

Now you can sell it at minimum of HKD$280,000!

I still watch my watch closely and observe how the second hand swings and the Date window changes at 00:00! I used to listen and count the heart beats of my watch… I swing my wrist to listen the smooth Rotor bearing sounds.  When I peep through the window of the Rolex Cyclops, I see my history, pain, joy and laughter…… this is the real fun of a Pure mechanical Watch that could bring you…

… as I said time has changed, but the Watch hasn’t

I mean the "Value"… and its "Affection"!

After all, your honest vintage watch still could be your CLOSEST friend most of the time,

I know one guy who wears his shoes and his only Rolex to sleep, do you know why?.... the answer could possibly makes you laugh!

Note *1

FEC is a kind of money for seamen, foreigner or HK Macao people staying in China, it can be used to shop, eat in Friendship store where you can find imported goods such as Cigarette, Perfumes, TV, nylon stocking, and some of the local made goods such as Phoenix bicycle, and medicine like Ophiocordyceps sinensis，(冬蟲夏草) . In 1981, a pack of fine quality 250 gram Ophiocordyceps sinensis is about RMB 80.

Now it is about RMB 20,000! What a world now!?

HK Watch Fever

HK Snob