How to replace battery and get it started for a Citizen Minute Repeater

This is the proper way to change battery of the Citizen Minutes Repeater (limited to 1000 pieces).

Just follow the instruction on the label on the back of the watch cover as shown.

You can set-up yourself in less than 5 miniutes. No need to send to Citizen Service Centre.

I have done these three times already. The battery can last about 4 years.

HK Snob

How Much the Accessories of your pre-owned Rolex Valued?!

Sometimes, the pre-owned Rolex can be more expensive than the new Rolex,, why as because that is discontinued, or those were limited production.
We have to go for shops buying these pre-owned or used Rolex Watches...
How to tell the value of the accessories?

This is purely a reference only
For example for Date Day
If the strap is not from Rolex… it value will be 1/3 of the original strap a Original pre-owned Rolex President strap is approx HKD$40,000. Whereas a local made Rolex Strap may cost about HKD$12,000
Original Box – HKD$500
Original Warranty certificate- HKD$1,000
Original Purchase invoice HKD$300
Rolex booklet and operation manual, HKD$500
Leather Passport holder HKD$500
Rolex Oyster Seal HKD$100
So a fully equipped Rolex may ask you for HKD$100,000
But purely a same Rolex without the accessories, come with local watch strap may just cost you. HKD$60,000 or less estimated… Sometimes the Rolex Repair slip that is also an important Reference as it tells you Rolex has accepted to service the watch, as only if Genuine Rolex will be serviced in Rolex Service Centre. Attached a sample of Rolex Service Slip on a Rolex DD.
Next time when you buy….check the watch carefully! HK Snob

How to tell a Rolex Case has been polished or not…

Well, if you find a beautifully Rolex which looks like new… whereas there is another one may have lines of scratches and traces of usage… everyone will pick up the new one first, but I do hesitate… all we have to check the case has been polished after leaving Rolex Factory.
As if they have been polished many times… though it looks like NEW, but the Rolex oyster curvature and profile may be lost. And the watch looks a bit “Thin”. When you pick up a new Rolex, is “Fat” meaning that they have muscle on all corners, slugs, and it look wider.
The how to tell a Rolex case has been polished? I usually look at the for surfaces of the slugs. If they are original un-polished, it has a rectangle shape with shape corner edges. if the watch has been polished , especially by non-professional operators, they look filmsy and the rectangle will be gone.. If a professional operator could polish the case removing all scratches and lines and at the same time restoring the rectangle, yes, it can, but the overall watch length will be shortened.. Experienced Watch collector can easily tell by comparing two Rolex side by side to tell the length of it…but most of the cases, the about check can tell how much the case has been polished and is good to serve our purposes… and most of the case, the Shop keeper will be hesitate for a customer to do such a stringent body-checks!
A polished case will lose it value. But not too much if they have been polished lightly. But if we are buying that Rolex for Collection, of course the first choice if going to the un-polished one…
In another cases that non Rolex AD Rolex may be Restored… so you do have to check also see if that has been undergone some polishing works to restore the original luster with trade off of the "Fatness" of the Oyster.
HK Snob

A Very Enchanting 14K Solid Gold Omega Seamaster De Ville with Art Deco set-up

A Vintage OMEGA Seamaster De Ville. 14KT Yellow-Gold, automatic with Date indicator! I believe it was made in the 60's whereas Omega watch making manufacturing technology was at the summit of the whole 20 Century. Who will resist this Art Deco Watch Dial Design? The case is very Excellent in condition and likley not to be opened not more than 2 times. One minor flaw is that Watch was a gift from wife to the husband.... Or a rich lady given to the beloved man... This Gold Omega may be sold in HK at about HKD$2,800 in the 60s' that is an equivalent to some Clerks 9 months salary! Now it is about HKD$7,200. Case, Crystal, Dial, crown and Movement is Original. Can you buy an Automatic Gold Watch of the current production with this amount of money?
HK Snob

Rolex Ref, 1803 Yellow Gold

ROLEX Ref.1803 18K Yellow Solid-Gold. "Fat case" 3 Hall-Mark. Original Dial with Diamonds-set numbers. Looking from the end of the four slugs on the picture to reveal the rectangular shape of the End Surface thus to tell the case has not been Polished, if polished the end surface area will be reduced... this is one way to tell the case has been polished or not. Below HKD$40K!
HK Snob

Rolex Ref. 1803 White Gold Brown Dial

A Fine and Very Rare ROLEX Ref.1803 18K White-Gold case & Bracelet. Brown colour Dial with Diamonds-set numbers. Ref. 1803 is one of my Favourite Rolex Date Day as they have the classical history. The Movement is a bit thinner than the latest revision. At that time 1956-1976, a Rolex Day Date is as expensive as a compact Japanese Car. Not easy for most of grass root people like my father to afford to buy. So the number of unit with Excellent condition left is little, with special Colour dial is even less. This watch is estimated as HKD$120,000. As simply, the colour is beautiful and the unit is un-polished at all.
HK Snob

Where to buy your Rolex Watch, AD or Shop for Pre-owned Rolex?

Tricks in Selling Pre-owned Watch in HK.
There are too many smart business men doing watch Business sin HK…
Mainly they have a way to make their money…
If you are not Local HK, people, if you are not Watch Expert, if you do not know the shops well, well, I will not suggest you buy pre-owned watch... as
We know some times. The Pre-owned watch is selling more expensive than New watch
Sometime they also sell new watch in the shops but the watch is actually not new. They have been special handled and treated with some minor punishment. Say a 95% new watch can easily been Make Up to be a NEW watch, selling the price of a new watch.
Some time they may have some watches that has not been completed installed with 100% genuine parts, such as the Strap, they might put local made strap, some good shop will tell you that is local strap, but some do not. Some of the Crystal is not real Rolex Crystal, that may cause you problem in watch resistance.
Also, how can you tell the accuracy of your Rolex is still within +/-5 seconds a day in such kind of shop!?
So, it might be some secure for you going to Rolex AD to buy your New Rolex..
So what is the value of the pre-owned watch shops. Well, Antique or vintage watch, this is one of the source we can buy the pre-owned watch…. Also some of the limited version you might miss in the past, you can only find it again in the pre-owned watch market…
If you are going to buy your first Rolex, no question about it… go to Rolex AD shop in HK.
HK Snob

Where to Buy New Rolex Watch in Hong Kong?

A Singaporean Friend asked me where he should go for buying his Rolex in HK,,
This has been a hot topics for foreigner who do not understand too much about the shops selling Rolex in HK. I hereby put them here as to tell what are the difference between this and that shops.
These are the authorized Dealer of Rolex in Hong Kong.
Artland
Chow Sang Sang
Chow Tai Fook
Dickson
Eldorado
Emperor
Europe
Fung Leung Kee
King Fook
La Suisse Watch
Oriental
Precision
Right Watch
Solomon
Tai Hing
Times City
Times Watch
Wah Hing
Zurich
As some of the Shops have a few branches, there are totally 74 shops in Hong Kong selling Rolex Watch, the watch are guaranteed genuine watches from Rolex.
As for the price, all goes with the SAME list price and almost they offer the same Discount of 4-5% depending on what model you are looking for. If the Hot item like Explorer II Orange, e now they do not offer discount at all.
The difference between those Jewelry shop like Chow Tai Fook, Chow Sang Sang and Pure Watch Shop like Oriental and Emperor is that the former one do not carry a Rolex service man stationing in the shop, but the later one has a station Watch smith to take care your Rolex. When you buy, you may request to have the watch health check for accuracy before you conclude your order. They usually offer some service for simple health Check for your watch, or even some repair.
That is the Difference between the shops.
Also in those Chow Tai Fook they are usually packed with Chinese People buying gold and jewelry. Where you those Oriental and Emperor, you may enjoy a quiet and decent environment for you to Choose the Rolex you want.
Nathand Road Snob

Rolex Explorer II Orange starts on Sale now Ref 216570

We have heard that some of the branches of Oriental Watch Company had started having supply of this watch already. It is about HKD$68,000.00 last week, then came down to HKD$63,000 beginning of this week. of course no discount at this moment. The Standard price should go to HKD$61,000.00 I guess!. Well, I have reserved one here and another there, see when I can get one at a standard price... I expect no discount already...
If you had ordered this watch, go and check!
HK Snob

Gerald Genta's Greatest Watch Design, the AP RO

Two Important AP Royal Oak
The Swiss Watch Enterprise including AP was almost gone into bankruptcy in 1969 due to the Japanese new Invention on Quartz watch...The Seiko Astron that was announced to be launched in Dec 1969. At that Time Seiko overseas advertisement said “ Someday all watches will be made this way” Well, that was a great invention as it could achieve a accuracy of 0.2 second a day which is a new challenge to the traditional mechanical watch even from Switzerland. And all in sudden people would go crazy to pursue buying one of these Watches. At that time Seiko Could produce about 20 pieces a month with the price for a Car…
However, on the other side of the world Charles Gerald Genta who was requested to design a new Sport watch for AP… the Royal Oak Series, a new bold design by employing 8 screws to tighten up the bezel on to the base chassis, a kind of beauty that shocked the world… and This became one of the Most adorable watch design in the 1972. Whereby triggering big sales revenue that actually saved AP from going into Bankruptcy.
Attached I the First Generation AP Royal Oak in 18Kt… the Movement was special Designed made by JLC... a super thin movement with overall thickness of less than 7mm (inclusing the case of the watch).
On the left side I ns 1997 HK Time Zone AP limited version for HK only in memorizing the Return of HK back to China.
Besides AP Royal Oak, Gerald deigns the nautilus for PP and Overseas for VC... these are now still the Flagship series of these three Greatest Watch brands,
Charles Gérald Genta contributed to the designs of Swiss luxury watch firms including IWC, Universal Geneve, Veraheron Constantin, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, among several others. He was reported in August 2011 that Genta had died at the age of 80.
He is the master of Watches design, and he is the Icon of Swiss watch, Watch visionary. When we wear these Great Wactches we should pay respect to Gerald Genta….
Mong Kok Snob