Sunday, April 20, 2014

South Korea's Devastating Ferry Disaster.


Friend of mine wears a pair of leather shoes and his Rolex in Bed


South Korea's devastating ferry disaster has elicited messages of sympathy, condolence and support from around the world. The 6,825-tonne Sewol capsized and sank on 16 April morning with 476 people on board. Up to this moment, death tolls reached 61.
I had mentioned on 16 Apr Wed on a Post : Time has change, but my watch hasn’t…I  had written :
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!

He is a friend of mine, his name is Tsang Yip, being the No. 1 Chef on board a general cargo ship, I went to stay on his ship anchored in Shimonoseki in 1982.
He has all the alertness of sea bound safety!
He wears a leather shoes and his Rolex Date Just, he puts his passport in pocket when he goes to bed!
He told me there are no times for you to get out of the ship when the ship sinks! EVERY MINUTE COUNTS!

Same cases for those people who wear plastic slippers onboard aircraft, these people have lesser chance to live after an accident as they cannot walk through the fuselage on fire!
Well, this is what really keeps me remembering No. 1 Chef Tsang’s  saying…
I think next time when you travel on sea cruise, take certain precaution.

1. Try a ship with national flag like Britain, America, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Germany, France, Canada, China, …
Try not to go for those registered Flag like Panama, Monrovia, African country except South Africa as most of their safety regulation, maintenance record, list of life saving facilities, equipment test, safety drill record is not as strict or up to standard as those Ship flying national flag listed above.

 These countries provide a CONVIENT channel for the ship owner to save cost!!

2. Familiarize where emergency exit, find where the Hand torch light is.

3. When you hear noise, shock, BLACK OUT, ship is tilted suddenly, wake up and be alert.

4. Go to the bridge if you can as this is the command deck.
5. Make your own judgment  on the Captain’s announcement sometimes may not be telling you the right action as they always want to buy time to fix after the disaster or not to create chaos. That may cause delay to escape.

6. Join the Life and Fire Drill as you are required by Captain.

7. Run out to bridge or deck level, provided the weather is tolerable

8. Hold a torch light and wear a Life jacket

9. Standby at the life boat

10. Get an Axe. There should be one axe minimum at the fire hose near the hatch area on every floor. There is no way to break the glass of the window as they are made to withstand wind and water!

Have a pleasant sea tour!
HK Snob

Saturday, April 19, 2014

香港機場閙鬼?



Taken by Samsung Note III on 23 April 2014

機場閙鬼?
君不見機場勞力士店昨年六月已開幕,由一班有經驗有活力的人仕打理,生意蒸蒸日上。
而打對枱的Chanel 店就一直都未見開張,令那些城中濶太無機會用她黑礸卡買袋,五千呎店,掉空十一個月,你估講笑! 月租四百萬,點解?
聽講裝修時有人見到鬼,之後就冇裝修工人入去工作。下次搭夜晚機,時運低的就最好吾好行太近!
計我話,有人攪鬼就真!

復活節生意
復活節並不帶來從前的大銷售額。
強國人D大款吾見哂,以前一入店就好有氣勢的指着這個說包起佢,拿過來!
而家佢地好有"氣細"問,幾多折,幾多錢,調頭就走人!
今過星期我只幫一個住在香港的印度珠寶啇人買了一隻勞力士,一隻卡地亞比,另一個德國人買了一隻金銀Date Just 比他女友,兩人都超爽快,不用十分鐘就完成交易。但全部每隻都低於十萬元的。撈九折,卡地亞八折。

香港打工仔
香港一般打工仔的銷費力己大不如前。
1998年,我們公司請維修工程師大學畢業底薪$12,000,每年都有十五到最高十六個半月人工,但這兩三年,大學畢業生底薪$13,000。今年最好的那一羣拿十四個半月。但想一想,今天的通脹比十五年前差得太多。
八十早年代我月薪九千元,當時一隻勞力鋼皇是$5,025, 今天我每月底薪買不到一隻鋼皇*了!

PS, 勞力士鋼皇116234夾帶今天訂價$58,000!
HK Snob
Watch Fever 

Vintage Concept in Mong Kok


When you do shopping at Kwong Wo Street at Mongkok, there are a few shops selling pre-owned Rolex, these are two of them, including Vintage Concept.

http://www.thevintageconcept.com/


Mong Kok Snob

Friday, April 18, 2014

Memorigin Tourbillon Watch





A Hong Kong design, HangZhou manufacture Tourbillon Watch with various types of exquisite handcrafted creation..
The same watch would definitely costs you more 30 times if that is a Swiss manufacture!

This is one example I saw today at one of its HK distributors, you can find this at HKIA Hong Kong Design Gallery beside Gate No. 1.  I think there is little discount there.

If you go to buy in HK Distributor like Chow Tai Fook or Oriental Watch Company, you may get less 20% or more discount.



I went to HKIA Design Gallery, there was no more Memorigin Watch for sale, on 22 April, 2014! FYR

HK Snob
Watch Fever

This Might be a good Choice for your Old Pa... a Longines Solid 18 kt gold TT 5-star Golden Wing




List Price HKD$9,500


I bought this Auto Stainless steel Longines today, and I found that there is one watch who could be of good value for your consideration.

This is the Solid Gold Two Tone Golden Wing 5 Stars, List Price HKD$12,000




It is a 18kt solid gold two tone Five Star Golden Wing Longines in Quartz. It can be used by your silver haired uncle, father of father in law if they are not used to wear Auto Watch... which is prone to stop if you not using it more 40 hours.

This Longines is old stock over ten years and the list price is HKD$12,000, imgaine If you can get less 20% off. The Value is great, base on my estimation, it carries about 10 grams of gold.
If we cash the gold., I will get 10/38x 12,000 x 0.75 = HKD$2,400!

HK Snob gets less 20% off on most of the Longines.

HK Snob

Rolex China Sea Race 2014 Hong Kong-Subic


HK Yacht Club



The 2014 Rolex China Sea Race starts at 1320hrs on Wednesday 16 April in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong.

This 565nm Category 1 Offshore Race is run under the auspices of RORC, and takes competitors from Hong Hong, China to Subic Bay in the Philippines.

A fleet of 34 yachts from eight nations are expected to make the start line in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong for this 565-nm race through the South China Sea to Subic Bay, The Philippines.

Some of the Yacht is valued over HKD$10M.

It is about time some of the fastest yacht should reach Subic now…. 

What watch you think that will wear!?  Submariner? Yacht Master ?

HK Snob
Watch Fever

簡約主義 Minimalist



Rolex Day Date 18 kt Yellow Gold Onyx Dial


Rolex Date Just 18 Kt Yellow Gold Onyx Dial


Rolex Oyster Perpetual No Date, Ref 116000

簡約主,低調智慧的恒山派,以柔克剛,以無形勝有形,詠春戰柔道,好佬勝爛佬!

簡約主之表表者,愛因斯坦,一九二一年他受邀到荷蘭萊頓大學執教,大學的高規格待遇他一一不要,對他來說,他所要的只是牛奶,水果,餅乾,一張床,一張寫字枱,一支燈,一張椅子,和一把小提琴。

德國女建築師伊娃·瑪利亞·斯特德爾在東柏林的赫赫爾曼雙子塔大厦里面,只是一閒普通的卧室。陽光從落地窗照射進來,房内只有一張白色床铺,一盞黃色落地燈,除此之外,再無他物。

人的生活事實亦可以好簡單,吃半飽,睡眠要有質素,工作八小時,每天十二小時或以上的工作羣不屬於我的。這都是一起無腦的老闆級人的專利。有腦就吾會這樣,阿你爸爸老闆馬雲是一好例子。

簡約人生可以好隨和的,好簡單的,,,
一份好工作,每天六小時工作。
日薪一萬,不用比老闆囉囉嗦嗦,
每日三餐一""
無牌牛仔褲加一道白裇衫,
一瓶致愛的"4711"
車,有,要好的,無就坐天天吾同司機的士地鐵囉,
要套低音準,中言甜,高音清爽的300B胆機。

手錶呢?
Well, 簡約的示範表表者,勞力士的以下幾款,
而其中Date Just 18 kt 黑縞瑪瑙 (onyx) 36mm.
Day Date 18 kt 黑縞瑪瑙 (onyx) 36mm.
Oyster Perpetual Ref116000

你覺得帶上的手錶,加無牌牛仔褲,白裇衫,穿上一對懶佬鞋(loafer),或帆船鞋(topsider),夠吾夠简約呵?

有人問我吾戴手錶咪重簡约?
無錯?但吾戴手我咪就無嘢寫囉?!

那你可以穿牛仔褲吾著底褲嗎?

你試下喇!有個危機:你的小弟有三份一機會被牛仔褲拉鍊夾到!

簡約,吾係零約!
版權所有,翻印轉載不追究
Copyright Un-reserved


HK Snob
Watch Fever
HK Kong Tsaan 


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

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 


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

I also think that Lee Kar Shing does not need a Rolex!

I got a WhatsApp from a good friend who is the General Manager of a company…this is his message:
“I knew you will argue with this. The reason is - the real rich man doesn't need to show off. It is same as李嘉誠 (Lee Kar Shing) doesn't need to wear Rolex to tell people that he is rich.... We all know Mr. Ip is a Rolexman.”

My Reply :
“I told you already I am a poor snob....Lee Kar Shing is another type of people.
PERMA is factor for happiness:
-Positive emotion
-Engaging
-Relationship
-Meaning
-Accomplishment....

I am sure Lee is a positive emotion people, he is engaging with a lot of his business, and he has his meaning to live. And he has a good accomplishment in creating his Wealth!!
I believe buying a Rolex and the "World" is the difference if poor me and Lee Kar Shing…..in terms of accomplishment...
I can buy a Rolex and he cannot buy the world...
I can go to SSP shopping.
He can only appear in the golf club...
I eat Foie Gras, he eats Chiu Chow congee... and boiled Sweet potatoes added two slices of ginger… once a week!
Also I don’t think he has good relationship with most of the people...only those rich ball lickers and the scam politicians!
I am sure Mr. Lee can afford tons Rolex but he has no guts to wear a Rolex at all...  As if he wears a Rolex which he has not been doing for many years, people will start to speculate “What’s Wrong with Lee Kar Shing” why he becomes so Materialized so much” all in a sudden!?

I am free to go eat and chit chat as much as I can… I talk to The boss of the oldest LP shop, the HK largest LP Collector Paul who has 500,000 pieces of LP in SSP, the Owner and salesman of Audio Space, the shop owner for R/C toys hop, “Ah Kwun” who is owner of “Hi Fi Shop”, the sales of Lung Shing Watch Shop or Kuen Kee Watch Company, the old man who opens his street store selling old stuff, the shop owner of Kwun Yik Electronics. The chap who used to sell loudspeaker as a heritage from his father who I know for many years and many other people who earns a living at Ap Liu Street… I am a one who walks into Ap Liu Street that everyone will talk to me...
Of course if Lee Kar Shing walks into Ap Liu Street, there will be front page news on TVB news channel the same night likely “Lee Kar Shing walks into Ap Liu Street for his first time… He may want to buy the Whole Ap Liu Street and convert it into a new commercial building…. And there will be an estimated 50,000 DISLIKEs in one day at fb…
Anyway, I was a bit overwhelmed that someone compares me with the Richest man in Hong Kong…
HK Snob 

Friday, April 11, 2014

人生片段


 Vanessa Bryant, and her Daytona Leopard


人生最精采的片段住住是一些你可能無意中領略過的。而有趣的。

1.
我是大汗!
有一天飛法蘭克福出差,睡過龍,飛的去機埸,原來係老遠的六十二號閘口,拖著二十公斤工具就跑,弄得滿頭大汗,例CX機滿坐。因小弟大汗,坐傍邊那三十過來的金髮美人,手帶紅金勞力士Daytona, 頸上掛上Tiffany紅金鎖匙吊咀,親晒色,明媚可人。

但,她用手按實著鼻子,視意我身上的嗅汗攻鼻難頂,,,,她坐立不安,,起飛了,他用英文同空中侍應生投訴我嗅汗她受不了!....
都擾攘左十分鐘,,,,

最後頭等倉經理過來面带著一副笑容。對我講 "HK 先生",你隔離那位外國女仕投訴你嗅汗好難受,我有一建議,我想安排你搬到頭等位1C ,你介吾介意呀?
嘩,我都吾知講什麼好,下意識地點頭說"!"

之後空姐同那美麗的女仕講,她已安排這嗅男人坐去別的地方了。…..
頓時我立刻覺得嗅男人原有來都可以免費升級呵!而身光頸靚Daytona 美女無得升級!


2.
偷偷得浮生半粒鐘
炎夏,午後飯氣攻心,老闆出了小差,把電腦關上,躲在茶餐廳內嘆了半杯凍啡,睡著了。

3.
失去過才會珍惜
失了一天你至愛小女送比你的"雪山" *1 墨水筆,過了一整天,周身吾自在,最後都找到了。那種喜悅文字也沒法形容。

4.
花紅
身苦了一年,做了二千萬美元業績,四月一日派花紅當日,發現公司發你的股票數目亦無被减,今天吾減已經等同做加了!
吾好禁X開心住,到今天四月十一號為止,花紅通知書仍未收到!

5.
百佳*2
八月十五月圓夜,溜出"百佳"會佳人,五十有六,竟然雄風不减當年。三小時梅開二度。


6.
賣撈換樓
當年今日天胡穌波帶來一盤勞力士。話比佢老婆迫套現換樓。所有1803八折!
賤物鬥窮人啊!


7.
關係Guangxi
認識了菲律賓一位知名人仕,他是一位统總統辨工室人行政人員亦是演員及導演,我介紹他給我一位人客,好讓他的兒子跟他學習拍電影取經驗。因他的兒子是在美國讀電影的。我因此取得了張訂單!

8.
植入式廣告
Ocean Thirteen
再次在HBO看此電影,片內的超級大盗基本上都是帶ROLEX的,畢比特是帶Two Tone Rolex Date Just....
有幾個大特寫,難免有太著意的感覺!
而昨天看Space Cowboys 內奇連依士活戴勞力士鋼皇,Ref 16234
效果大很多,導演並沒有大特寫。但玩錶多的我就看得出是勞力士一代鋼皇喇
他還带著那錶上外太空。好戲,值得看。

9.
風險管理
Freescale 員工二十名天津IT 部門 員工到吉隆波上堂,他們同一班機回北京,而另外三位取消機位轉飛別班飛機。二十名員工都坐MH370....

10
鼓勵士氣2014
每月第一張單,我就請食飯。
一年內三次得到三次每月第一張單者,年尾我送勞力士手錶一隻。
而全年最大銀嗎的一張單,年尾我亦送勞力士手錶一隻。


11.
空中保安
我建議菲律賓政府使用港產Phantom Vision 2 Gopro Hero 3 black 作高空監察,另一種高科技保安方法。政府已初步考慮中。


*1 Montblanc
*2 百佳是一香港時鐘酒店集團,煩忙時時間星期六下午三時到深夜。只歡迎外賣,不設堂食!

HK Snob, Sham Shui Po Snob, Ap Liu Street Snob, Tsim Sha Tsim Snob, HK Kong Tsaan,
Tsuen Wan Snob, Manila Snob, Tsim Sha Tsim Hong Tsaan, Dundas Street Snob, Yau ma Tei Snob...
Watch Fever