Saturday 9 August 2014

A Bathing Ape Black Camo watch

Today's watch was a magazine freebie, but seems to be rare enough that is it quite popular on the online auctions!

The watch is by A Bathing Ape, also known as Bape. This is a Japanese clothing brand which was founded in 1993 and makes lifestyle and street wear. They are mainly based in Japan, but have a number of stores worldwide, and is popular among celebrities. Bape has a distinctive two-tone gorilla logo (looking like something from Planet of the Apes), but they also collaborate with other brands, also featuring their characters (such as Nintendo, Marvel Comics, and Hello Kitty).

This particular watch was a giveaway with the Japanese Smart magazine which is a monthly(?) fashion magazine aimed at the youth market. It came with the July 2013 magazine, and is reported to be a limited edition (although this may be because it was only available with the magazine and therefore only sold for 1 month).

The watch is a round 3 hand dial design with a quartz movement. The face is covered with a black and grey camouflage pattern which is made up of a series of shapes, including deformed (squashed and twisted) versions of the Bape gorilla logo. The face also includes the proper logo, the 'A Bathing Ape' name, and an R in a circle instead of the 6 on the dial. I have two of these, and the both have a different pattern of camouflage on the dial, so it is a possibility that everyone of the watches is unique. The strap is a long black fabric design which loops behind the case.

They are seen on the online auctions, where one was recently sold for $42 which is significantly more than the magazine sold for!

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