The Cheapest Rolex Day Date Yellow Gold Watch

Friend of mine made an offer to me... This is a 1974 Rolex Watch, pre-owned Watch... but in excellent condition, as it is a usual practice not to wear this kind of Rolex Flagship watch everyday, I believe there were less than 10,000 people who could own a piecs of Rolex Gold Date Day in 1970s'
in 1970, a man's Rolex Stainless steel Date Just was about HKD$900.00, a Rolex Two Tone Date Just was about HKD$1,600.00. A Yellow Gold Rolex  Day Date with leather strap was probably selling HKD$2,800.00. Well a small flat of say 600 square feet was about HKD$9,000.00 at that time...

So 3 Rolex Can buy one flat at that time... Now !! as of today a reasonable middle range flat of 600 square feet is about HKD$2,500,000.00, A Rolex Gold leather strap Day Date is approximately selling at HKD$90,000.00... That means now we can use 27 Rolex to buy a house! I Think there is a risk for real Estate Sales go bubbles in 2013. Well, the Rolex will never go bubbles in Sales.. Never... may be we can use use 10 Rolex to buy a house in 2013... I am collecting Rolex...just simple as this... I may use my Rolex to Change a Flat with you!? Will you!?

Back to this beginning of this message... This is the Cheapest Rolex... well guess how much!?? Only $3,500.00!! Look at the Rare Roman Number indicators, there is no any traces of oxidation on the dial, no major scratches on the case! Why I should hesitate to pay!?

HK Snob

Most Beautiful Rolex Men's Watch on the Beautiful Woman's Wrist

You may blame me that is too objective to say so, but this is purely my point of view.

Simple dial design to force you focus to the "Crown" Logo of Rolex at 12 O'clock position. Rare production unit and likely no more from Rolex for Onyx dial Date Just 36mm...

I have been searching more than 10 shops of the Rolex Authorized dealer Chow Sang Sang, King Fook, Chow Tai Fok, Oriental in these few days, I have probably seen over 3,000 Rolex Watches, bot even one I can find is assembled of Oynx Dial... Only Mother of pearl, or Jade is available beside printing over metallic dial surface.... Well, the reason is " too Expensive to make" So If you have this kind of watch, Please treasure it...
This is the watch Ice who is wearing...Look at that, is that a Beautiful Rolex!?

HK Snob HK Snob

Panerai OP6691

This is an Huge and heavy Panerai Automatic watch for Man, I think that is a bit heavy for lady...
Limited to 3,000 Pieces....Bold, Dynamic, daring and attractive if your wrist is big enough...

Some design flaw is that the press to lock waterproof system is a question to me at depth of >200m!?
HK Snob

Patek Philippe "Calatrava" Ref 3998J Self Winding Movement

PATEK PHILIPPLE 'Calatrava' Ref. 3998J
Mechanicl Self-winding Movement with Date. Caliber:315SC.
(Solid-Gold ) Solid- Gold Center sweep second hand.
Solid-Gold Opaline-white dial.
Solid-Gold hour markers. Water resistant to 25 m.
Geneva Seal Hallmarked. 18K Yellow Gold Case (35mm.),
P.P.18KY. Gold Buckle (Brand New) P.P.Crocodile Strap
HK Snob

Tritium watch, H3 Watches, gas light watches, GTLS Watches Working Principle

What is GTLS?
GTLS stands for Gaseous Tritium Light Sources, these are tiny glass vials with a thin coating of Phosphorescent substance on the inside wall. Filled with Tritium gas and then sealed tight with a laser beam. Tritium (H3) is a radioactive isotope of Hydrogen, It has a half life of 12.3 years. During the decay of Tritium, a low energy electron is emitted. This process so called beta Radiation. During this process of decay the tritium molecule becomes a stable Helium molecules. The emitted electron hits the thin coating of Phosphorescent substance and is converted into visible cold light. The colour of the light depends on the types of the phosphorescent substance being used.
The disintegration process of the tritium isotope (represented in red) into helium (yellow) produces electrons (blue). The energy of thee electrons, should it reach the thin layer if the luminous matters (green) gets converted into a visible, cold light.
GTLS watches bear others names: Tritium watch, H3 Watches, gas light watches…
How long Can a GTLS glow?
The GTLS in a watch can glow over 25 years. It grows by itself without having to be charged with electricity or sunlight. The reduction of brightness is continuous. Generally, I is around 10-15% per year.

Is a Watch using GTLS safe?!

Yes, it is safe, During the decay process of tritium, a low energy electron is emitted. It contains only a maximum energy of 18KeV. Its is a very low energy level. It Can be easily blocked by a piece of thin paper. Therefore, it does not have the energy to penetrate human tissue. Beside, the tritium is trapped inside a glass vial which is further protected by the crystal of the watch,. If we break all the lights in a watch (typically 14 to 15 pcs of gas tubes with a total radiation content of less than 25mCi) and inhale all the tritium gas inside., the harm to our body is like consuming a banana. A banana will take in potassium 40 (K-40) while growing, K-40 is also radioactive.

Reference: Bonding Co Ltd, legally Licensed Assembly of GTLS in Hong Kong.

HK Snob

Harry Winston White Gold Chronometer

This is a HW white Gold Chronometer watch, massive, Auto, Leather Strap. A lot of gold, a lot of fun! HK Snob

The Most beautiful Cartier Santos Purple Colour Auto watch for her!

Of Course, there is no standard beautiful Colour, but Look at this Cartier, Can you resist not buying for your wife? or mistress? or girl friend? name a excuse for buying., Say the first day she got late in the office, the first time she wins only 3 numbers for Mark Six, or The First time she was fired…name it… make her Happy…
This is the best designed Traditional Classic design of the 1920’s. Well balanced in shape and thickness. Friend Of mine went to Cartier Shop to change for such a matching purple leather strap… well Thank you… HKD$2,400! An amount Good enough to get a wallet from the Louis Vitton!

 
HK Snob

Rolex Ref.68278 Boy Size Yellow Gold Date Just for Today's Sophisticated Lady

In the end of 70's there was a trend for man to wear lady's watch, as the fashion was “Smaller is Better” I still I remember I spent HKD4,505 buying a lady’s Rolex SS date Just for myself in 1981. And Later my 2nd Engineer loved it I sold it to him for his Shanghai wife. I topped it up to HKD$5025 in order buy a SS Boy size Date Just later. As Gold Rolex was just a dream for a poor snob like me… that is about 1/5 of the price of a 800 square feet Town house at that time in Yuen Long. A man would not wear something “big” like today. Man worn Middle sized watch, which Rolex called “Boy Size” Woman would use Lady watch… Man used Boy size, there was not so many Jumbo Watch with 38mm, or 39mm being displayed in the Watch Shop in Hong Kong. Since 1993, the Trend is extra Large…I still see man wearing a “Rolex Boy Size Watch” but that looks he is out! And he must be older than 45 years old. As this is the same watch he bought when he was 25 years old… I would not dare to wear as if Paul or Frankie sees me, he would laugh hysteristically to death! This is a Boy Sized Date Just for Today’s woman, as if she is sophisticated, educated middle class, this is the perfect match for her wrist especially for Chinese lady of 1.6M height. Don’t force yourself to wear a Daytona or DeepSea. That is a tool watch for man. Somewhat lacks of a bit elegance and Rich feeling… HK Snob

My Recent Purchased watches

These are the watches I bought in the past year... Namely
Rolex Day Date WG 36mm
Rolex Day Date YG 36mm
Rolex Day Just Onyx YG 36mm
Rogers Dubuis Much More Pink Gold perpetual Calendar (only 28 pcs)
Rolex Day Date OysterQuartz  YG 36mm (estimated less than 200 pcs)
AP Royal Oak Jumbo 1972 design first Generationi (less than 150 pcs)
Plus Three Cartier, Three other Rolexes, One AP Royal Oak SS, Rolex Daytona, Two Piaget... and two Seiko..

HK Snob

A.P.Royal Oak Chronograph 40mm Wristwatch for An Executive like you!

An example of another A.P. Royal Oak Design, black theme dial, 40mm in size, With date at 4' Oclock 30 minutes position, Chronograph. Well Balanced Designed Arrangement of the three timing Circles. Big Sweep second hand....Matching colour of the case and the dial. What a Beautiful Watch made with the best Workmanship of A.P. watch masters.
Can be your daily wearing watch.... Can be my Daily Wearing watch too!
HK Snob

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date Just with Onyx dial

This is a Mint Rolex Yellow Gold Date Just with Onyx dial, very rare...
HK Snob

The Most Unique beautiful Sportive Rolex Day date OysterQuartz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OysterQuartz was made since 1977 till 2004 for 25 years, Rolex produced 1,000 pieces per year, so total unit of 25,000 was made, I estimate that 60% is SS version, 30% is TT version and 10% is Solid Yellow Gold version,  I have never heard of any Pink Gold version has been made!

Amongst these 2500 pieces of Solid Gold version, there is about 500 pieces using special Stone Dial like the one I have…Assuming that 100 pieces are badly worn off, and 100 pieces were gone or damaged, or could not resists the temptation to turn it into cash by selling the heavy gold cases to goldsmith, I believe that the watch I current have has less than 300 similar pieces in the World…It is rare! And the Gold Strap is sleek, beautiful, somewhat look like the Nautilus watch strap design, even we look it it today, it is updated! The watch is heavy, it is about 3.05 tael in weight.

In 1977, the Oysterquartz was introduced the quartz crystal used in the oscillator circuit was changed to a tuning fork shape. The earlier movements were known internally at Rolex as Mark I movements, while the later ones with the new shape quartz crystal were known as Mark II movements.

The Mark I 5035 Datejust movements were never submitted to the COSC for chronometer certification, which accounts for the absence of "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" on the dials of the very early Oysterquartz Datejust models.

Everything about the design and construction of the 5035/5055 module shows that Rolex intended to build this movement to be a "Life-Time" movement, designed to be serviceable and serviced just like their mechanical movements.

In fact, apart from the electronics and the pulse motor, the "mechanics" of the 5035 are the same as the 3035 automatic movement that was also introduced in 1977 and used in the Submariner and other Date/Datejust models for over a decade.

The driving mechanism for the 5035/5055 is very similar to the design of a traditional mechanical watch escapement. The pulse motor drives a pallet fork which in turn moves a pallet wheel. This wheel drives the second hand at a 1:1 ratio with one tick per second.

The hour and minute hands are driven off this pallet wheel. The loud "Tick" you hear every second are the pallets engaging the pallet wheel. That is why the tick of the 5035/5055 has such a unique sound and is very much like the tick of a mechanical watch, though at one tick per second rather than the eight ticks per second of a 28,800 bph Rolex Perpetual movement. This drive mechanism also ensures the second hand steps around the dial smartly with zero backlash since the hand is effectively locked in place by the pallet fork in between each beat.

There is a temperature sensing thermister that can be adjusted for Temperature compensation. As well, There is free battery cell changing each time at Rolex service Centre!

Even though the technology of quartz wristwatch timekeeping has moved beyond that found in the 5035/5055, this movement still remains one of the most "over-engineered" quartz movements ever produced and clearly carries on the Rolex tradition of solid engineering, superb finishing, and understated beauty.

Advancements in technology have yielded quartz modules with superior accuracy, but when it debuted, the 5035/5055 only had one true rival from a technological standpoint: the 2.4Mhz Omega 1516 movement used in their famous Marine Chronometer wristwatches of the mid 70s. But from the standpoint of "build quality" and finish (anglage, perlage, and Geneva stripes), the 5035/5055 still reigns supreme, something that is not likely to change in the foreseeable future.

So in short this is a rare beautiful, sportive, gold Rolex OysterQuartz… A Collector’s item.

5035 Specifications:
32,768Hz VCTCXO Quartz Module
Integrated circuit: CMOS
Temperature compensation: Yes
Rate trimmer: Yes
Power source: UCAR 357 silveroxide battery, 1.55v
Width: 29.75mm
Height: 6.5mm
11 jewels
Antimagnetic: Yes, to 1000 Oersted
Hacking: Yes
Quick set date: Yes
Reference: OysterQuartz.net and OysterQuartz blog

HK Snob
HK Watch Fever

Very First LED watch of the 70's

Old, rare and hard to find LED display watch, other than ny Boluva LED watch of similar design, rolled gold case and strap. Not the magnet hidden on the strap is used to set the time.
very unique for Pulsar LED display watch.
HK Snob

The Most Beautiful Cartier Watch for Women

This is the watch for woman....though this grey colour strap was the best colour to match with the dial. But I think a black satin strap would be the best to promote the gluster for the diamonds.


HK Snob

The most beautiful watch from Seiko

This is another sample for Grand Seiko, high speed 38000. Hard to find, expensive as HKD$36,000.00 beautiful watch with the right size, crystal clear sapphire glass, strongest and toughest steel to build the case.

HK Snob