Dissapointing trip in quest for some HMT watches

A fellow member on a watch forum wondered if I could help him find three HMT watches - a black Kohinoor, a white Sona and a white 'art deco' Janta. The Sona wasn't a problem as I already have a BNIB lying around, so I thought I'll visit a small watch shop from where I've purchased a couple of HMTs before. Its normally the smaller shops that stock HMT watches as the others don't bother stocking anything below the usual Titan, Citizen and other quartz ones.

I got there and the guy instantly recognized me. I asked him for the watches and he started looking for them. He had a few HMTs lying around and I was expecting the Kohinoor to be available easily, but there was none to be found. At least he assured me that he would definitely manage to get me one in a day or two, however he mentioned that the prices have gone up for these manual HMTs by about Rs.80-90 ($2 USD). I'm not sure if he was really being honest or just trying to pull a fast one at me. Regardless, I told him to get one for me and left to check out a few other shops nearby.

I checked out 5 more shops, but none of them had any HMTs. They all told me that the company no longer makes these manual watches and besides, not many people buy them. This was the second time I was told this. Most people really don't care for these mechanical movements anymore and just go for quartz which means bad news for the company and us watch lovers. Its sad knowing that it isn't going to be very long before they completely disappear from the shelves.

So unfortunately, I couldn't find what I was looking for, but I did see a few el cheapo TAG Heuer, Rolex knock offs or some might call them homages (as the names were different).

Pyrolume got spotted

This is a first - I was stopped at a red light, when I heard a voice say "Excuse me!". I didn't react much until I heard another 'Excuse me!'. I looked at the vehicle besides me and there were two girls in there -
Girls (together) - Wow!! Which watch is that??
Me - Pyrolume
Girls - What??
Me - Pyrolume - P-Y-R-O-L-U-M-E
Girls - WOW!! So Cool!!!
Girls - Where can we get one??
Me - Search for it on Ebay
Girls - Can we find it in Google search??
Me - Sure!
Girls - Thank you so much!
Me - Cheers! :)

From Russia with love! (on the way)

Well, it's being sent via Germany, but I'm sure you get the drift :p
It's been quite a while since I got a new watch, and even though I promised myself to hold out until I save up for a grail, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. You'll know why when I get it!
(thanks to Russ from Russ/Russian Watches for all the info on it!)
I'm so excited!! (Just hope they aren't any hassles with the customs department)

Hello Google 2

Woohoo!!! We are finally on the top! Just a few days ago me and Bio were wondering how long it would be before we can see this blog as the first result in Google search for "India watch blog'. Never realized the day would come so soon!! :D

Singapore trip pics

I was just flicking through some old threads of mine when I came across one about our trip to Singapore from November last year. I also got my grail (the Sub) from there :)
Singapore was awesome and I was blown away by the number of watch shops I saw. Most of them have Pateks, VC and AP. And the women!!......well, I'll have to start a new thread about that


This was taken at the Mumbai Airport. It was a nice surprise to see this there
I love the crowns on them. Its the first time I've seen them on clock.

The first thing I did when I arrived in Singapore was get my Sub. A quick wrist shot:

My Sub alongside Bio's Seamaster GMT
On the way to a RSC to get it authenticated - People crossing the street
Here it is, The BIG ROLEX building
This was a really cool place. It had a glass wall through which you could see the staff working on/checking your Rolex . I wasn't sure if they allowed cameras inside so I sneaked this shot
The Hour Glass - they have lots of them over there and you can find a lot of top brands in there

First time I ever saw a PP in person!
The TAG Heuer Carrera Singapore Special Edition
A Raymond Weil Clock outside a mall
Bio checking the time
It was time to leave. We were at the Singapore airport when I spotted this -
That made my trip complete

Hope you guys like the small WIS tour of Singapore from my camera lense.

Great animated video showing how a watch works

I was helping a fellow member on WUS by trying to find an animated video showing how a 7750 movement works, when I stumbled upon this. Its video showing how a simple automatic watch works. Its beautifully animated and explained. I founded in one of my subscribed channels on Youtube. For those who are interested, the channel is called HouseOfRam and its got a lot of nice watch related videos.

A sad day for the watch world

A legend in the world of Horology, Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek passed away last night (28th June 2010). Here is the Press Release from the Swatch Group:

Press Release

Biel/Bienne, 28 June 2010 - With deep sadness and regret we inform you that Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek, Chairman and Delegate of the Board of Directors of The Swatch Group Ltd. unexpectedly passed away today due to heart failure during work at his beloved Swatch Group.

Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek's greatest merit was his enormous contribution to the saving of the Swiss watch industry and the foundation and the commercial development of the Swatch Group. Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek's extraordinary vision enabled him to realize and ensure the sustainability of a strong watchmaking enterprise with high Swiss added value. He is rightly recognized as a leading entrepreneur in this country.

With the right personnel decisions, Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek also ensured that his ideas and beliefs will live on and that continuity is guaranteed in regard of shareholders, Board of Directors and the Group Management Board.

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Our prayers are with his family and friends.