Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Makati Gathering with Philippine Watch and wine Connoisseur!




Makati gathering
I had a time to gather with this gentleman who has been knowing good watch could be one of the investment items like what he has for other investment:  Restaurant, Trading company, other

He loves good watches and exotic wines...In fact he buys wine in cases direct from Chateau.
He doesn't  drink alone and I was invited to go to meet him at this Shopping mall at his restaurant.

He like AP as much as Patek, well, this gentleman bought his AP in Taiwan with less 20% discount, he said he should know me earlier knowing that I get less 28% which could be more cheaper in HK, but I said that 8 % really matters much for a man like him.

We had a bottle of Angelus 1989 then a Bottle of Latour 1988
The Angelus 1989 is known for his strong and powerful tenin and yet giving you a secent of flowers that was the same bottle it showed up on the train appeared in the James Bond movie Royale Casino with by Daniel Craig as James Bond.

More interesting is he likes the AP because of his dual time, but I doubt as the second time zone dial is so small how could he sees the time correctly, he is older than I at least 5 years I believe.

He loves my Diver watch and ask why I like it, I said as I used to go gold watch, it may be fun to try out some expensive watch with cheap low tech material with hi tech to make : Carbon composite.

After I using a few days, I feel I like it as it is big in size, clear to read, and light to wear, and most of the cases I will not be recognized as an Expensive watch, you can travel to Malate to those night club, KTV, local restaurants and bars and no one seems to care what is on your hand.

Note that this man used to put 5 minutes fatser on his watch, he told me this 5 minutes makes him always ahead in schedule!

Makati Snob

Rolex AD at Rockwell Powerplant Mall, Makati




Rolex AD at Rockwell Powerplant Mall, Makati
I was wandering for window shopping whilst waiting for my Customer at this Shopping mall.
And popped into the Rolex AD right there, I did not go inside as through the thick bullet-proof window  I could see only one Submariner date  116610LN, one Submariner no Date 114060, one Seadweller 116600,
...
and there is no DeepSea D-blue, 116660
No GMT master II Black Blue Ref 116710BLNR
Of course no Daytona...
There is less than 40 Rolex Watches in the Shop.
Makati Snob



Sunday, November 9, 2014

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Carbon Diver Ref 15706AU




AP Royal Oak Offshore Carbon Diver Ref. 15706AU
This is more than sporty watch that it consists of all the latest technology you want on a watch:
1000 feet diving range
Carbon composite watch base
Ceramic Bezel
Audemars Piguet Renowned Calibre 3120 Movement
An eye catching accents of yellow 15 minutes arc , yellow hour, minutes and a yellow dot on the second hand.
Glareproof sapphire crystal,
Black dial with the AP exclusive “Mega Taposserie” pattern.
I appreciate the design of the dial as there is no too many sub dials like Chronometers that makes the dial so packed and appeared to be “ SMALL”!
This watch looks bigger as it is on my wrist.
The knob for setting the time recorder is on the 10 O’clock position that makes this watch a bit more unique.
This is a watch you can wear everyday, similar to the Rolex Submariner… but the band is silicon rubber.
So a Cabon+ Ceramic+silicone+ Calibre 3120 would be so easy to take you US$27,000 away!

HK SNOB
HK Watch Fever


Friday, November 7, 2014

Cartier Crash


It might be one of the reasons why women do not care its price or discount, as Cartier Crash is one of the most affectionate watches for women!

In the mid 1960s, Cartier's vice president died in a London car accident. The crash caused a fire which burned his body and the Cartier watch that he was wearing at the time. The piece burning on his wrist happened to be the tall and oblong-shaped Bagnoire Alongee. 

The watch survived. Cartier thus decided to design  the Crash as a  melted Bagnoire Alongee. It became the Cartier Crash in 1967 and to start to produce limited edition Crash design in 1990s.

They are rare, expensive and beautiful.



Hong Kong Watch Fever

勞力士幾時層經叫做"勞律士"呵?



老友送來一張當年的勞力士廣告,"勞律士蠔錶",看語法文筆,似是港式寫法,有無人當年看過這廣告?什麼年份的?1950?


港燦勞奴?

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

New Batch of Rolex Arriving HK, Including GMT Master II Ref 116710BLNR!



GMT Master II 116710LN Green Pointer $54,000 - full set
GMT master II 116710BLNR Black Blue $64,000 - full set
(one of the three is "888")

Milgauss Green Glass Blue dial 116400GV $52,500 - full set

Submariner 116610LN Black $55,500 -full set

Daytona 116520 White $87,000 - full set
Daytona 116520 Black $91,000 - No box
Daytona TT 116523 Panda $97,000 - full set
Datona TT Blue $97,000 - full set

Submariner Hulk 116610LV $63,500 - No Box

Cash Hong Kong Dollars.

HK Snob

Sales update, Mostly 70% sold as of today 7 Nov,

Sunday, November 2, 2014

The legendary Rolex Day Date Ref 1803



You’re not ready!
You’re young.
You haven’t been with the company all that long.
You’re not quite sure of your position.
Maybe in a few years, when you’re a little bit established.
But not yet.
Of course, if you disagree, you can visit an official Rolex jeweler!
 
This is a Rolex Advertisement for Rolex Day Date set with Diamonds in 1980’s! A bit ironry.


Very often I'm asked which Rolex watch that I fond of most. My reply, without hesitation, would be the Day Date 1803.

I have a few early Day Dates in my collection. A Particular piece is a 18KT Yellow Gold 1803 that has witnessed these moment in time such as  1967 riot in Hong Kong,  Wall Street crisis on Oct. 19 1987,  the US Challenger disaster on Jan 28 1986, the June 4 1989 Tiananmen incident and the 
Occupy Central taken place in Hong Kong for more than 36 days up to now!


The Events are memorial and worth human being to take time to think about what we have went wrong, but the Rolex is everything close to perfect.

These Rolex 1803 have been running all these years, day and night, without any sign of wear and tear after half of a century.  The one that I always use remains accurate, quiet, reliable and most of all look handsome all the time.


President Watch
The Oyster Perpetual Day-Date, the only Rolex watch that shows both day and the date simultaneously, was born in 1956. Originally, it was designed and made exclusively for those who are holding an important position of a company like a president and hence the model name President. It is still being manufactured today. It is one of the most prestigious models of all Rolex Watches.

It has many major advanced features as the DATE JUST plus additional Day wheel that has been gone through a series of technological advancement allow change day and date simultaneously at mid-night without taking excessive energy from the mainspring. It has a Perpetual Rotor for Automatic winding; screw down crown, Date with Cyclops magnifying glass at 3 o'clock position and Day display at 12 o'clock; water resistant to 100 meters.

The case is 36 by 13 mm. 1803 is non-quick-set with plastic crystal.  We have to first advance the hours hands to change the right day and then using the forward one quarter and back one quarter at 2345- 0000 to change the Date. It sounds a bit clumsy but with this design, it has less components, hence the watch is and thinner compare with the later generation 18038 single-quick-set with sapphire crystal started from 1977; and 118238 double-quick-set with sapphire crystal since around 1994 (double-quick-set referring to quick-set for both day and date).


Material for Day Date is limited to precious metals like 18kt yellow, pink, white gold or Platinum. There is no stainless steel Rolex Day Date. I have not seen any one of those someone told me that there are 7 pieces of Day Date that were said made with Stainless Steel.

The fun of collecting Rolex Day Date 1803 starts with choices of material, colour and design of the dial. One can choose dial material from Onyx, jade, birch, Oak, Lapis Lazuli, Aventurine, tiger eye, just to name a few more…. Plus many other choice of colors is available like Stella Red, Green, Turquoise, yellow, Chicken-blood Red, black, blue, purple, white, champagne gold, silver, white.

In design, there is strip form, round dot, door step, embedded with 8 diamonds hour index, diamond bezel with 44 diamonds. All these materials, color and designs provide can come up with thousands of different combinations. That drives all Rolex collectors crave for…


Courtesy Picture of HK Rolex Collector "Raymond"
These are Rolex Day Date Ref 1803, left in Black White Gold, Stella Red with Diamond Dial with Chinese Day wheel, Black with strip index and creamy matt White dial on the right.


There are quite a number of Day Date collectors in Hong Kong.  They share the same reasons: good fun with minimum amount of money, and attractive return of investment. Yet, a simple 1803 yellow with Champagne gold dial with strip hour index with leather strap that cost about HK$23,000  ten years ago worth HKD$40,000 now. Another example is a platinum Day Date with Stella blue dial set with 8 diamonds, currently worth HKD$260,000 was just HKD$90,000 ten years ago. Rare one could enjoy even higher appreciation over years.


Stella Dial
Rolex made a series of colored dials with a multi-layered lacquer coat in 1970’s referred to as Stella dials,

Stella which means star in Italian, it was a name bestowed only by collectors because they glisten in the light, giving the impression of shining stars of porcelain and there is a certain translucency when you look at it closely. They are also sometimes being called Stellina dials.

In fact Rolex didn’t actually call these Stella dials.  There are many attractive Stellas made on Ref 1803 between 1970-1985 though Rolex did not actually call these Stella Dials.

During that time Rolex produced these colored lacquer dials, they weren’t very popular and not being welcome by the local HK Chinese, as I could recalled I saw a Green Stella for than 6 months in a Rolex shop no one bought it, until one day the Salesman bought it by himself with staff price. Now that Ref 1803 with Stella Red is probably the most sought after Day Date.

Rarity, which is one of the Concern in looking for Vintage
Watch beside, Condition, price and Quality.


In the last 10 years, collectors have revisited the Stella dials, finding them quite beautiful and appealing, accepted as an unisex watch due to the optimum size of 36mm. Many people decorated them with alligator strap of matching colour.

And they have a lot of different dial colour that would work like opium to stimulate you for enlarging your Day Date Collection. Also they are still quite affordable as far as of today, Thought their price has been double for two times in the past 8 years, Such as the Stella Red was just HKD$80,000 in 2007 and now there is no one want to sell you for HKD$160,000!

HK Snob
HKWF

Various leather strap for your Rolex





Various types of design leather strap for your Rolex,

 All above shown here is sample only

Price Pony leather is HKD$750

Other is HKD$380

Custom made with delivery time 3 weeks

HK Snob

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Speacial Leather Strap for your Rolex Watch



The one on top is sheepskin strap with Camouflage pattern. 
The other is a pony skin with special pattern made
All custom made genuine leather, for your exotic taste and it is like no others stands out peerless flaunting amongst the crowd.

We have various colour and all pattern is unique, are you interested in getting it for your Rolex?

HK Snob

Interesting data on Watch Fans's Choice


Interesting data on watch fans and watch collectors,
Well of course the data was those HKWF readers choice.

Source of purchase
60% prefers to buy at Rolex AD,
18% goes for pre-owned Watch
14% goes for Grey Dealer
4%  goes eBay

(note that the data shown on Google Poll has bugs)




Choice of Brand
Amongst these big 4
56% goes for Rolex
21% goes for Patek Philippe
17% goes for Audemars Piguet
4% goes Panerai


Thank you for the voters as it helps us to understand more about our purchase practice

HK Snob

Friday, October 31, 2014

Rolex Platinum Day Day Ref 18026 for sale





This is X series Model 18026.
The dial is a distressed original factory dial with larger stones.
If you are in London, you can visit shop in central 95 Hatton Gardens, London EC1N 8NX.
Larger box only, no papers,
In Mint Condition, 22 links including clasp.
20,000 Pounds,
Wire transfer or cash in Collection.

HK Snob


Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Genuine Leather for your Panerai






A beautiful girl needs a good looking skirts as likely as a beautiful watch needs an attractive strap.
Quality of a Strap is important as this involve the material being used, the way to select the leather,
The treatment of leather such as stone washed process, the use of fine waxed string to stitch,  and how to put apply thin layer of  treatment on the leather makes a watch strap long lasting and last tautly and stays softly on your wrist.
Many famous watch’s strap is OEM by some of the makers, Even some of the top 10 big Names don’t make their strap. So if you know the OEMs that make good strap at reason able good price is a great news for watch users, as a leather strap will be needed to be replaced after a few years for appearance, and hygienic reason.
Readers have asked me where to get some of the finery replacement leather strap. I got some and these for your choice. If you are interested, you can purchase in some of the shops in HK.
These are all 24 mm which is good for your Italian Dive watch!
HK Snob

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Monday, October 27, 2014

Zenith ChronoMaster "El Primero" Black Dial SS case for Sale



It comes with Waranty Paper, See through bottom, HKDS28,000

HK Snob
HKWF

Rolex Collectors' Day Date Ref 1803, 1804 and 1805


These are some of the Day Date.
Yellow gold 1803, white gold 1804 and Platinum 1805 with smooth bezel.

HK Snob
Watch Fever