Vagary 5432 narrow strap watch

Today's watch is a simple model from one of the Citizen lines of watches.

This is a model from the Vagary line by Citizen, but is a very different style to the ones I've blogged from this line before. The Vagary line are models which seem to be listed from the Italian Citizen company, but normally appear only in the far east.

This model is an analogue watch with a 5432 quartz movement (as seen in one of my Citizen Independent watches). It is a 3 hand dial design with a small rectangular face. The watch module is mounted into a 1 piece bendy plastic strap with ridges to help the flexibility.

The back of the watch has the name and model number which is 5432-S062462. There isn't a normal serial number on the back, with this one only having a 3 digit number. From the Citizen Independent that shares a module with this watch, I would assume that this watch is from the late 2000s.

Hard Tech De Longe by Giuliano

Today's watch is an unusual looking model with a mysterious maker.

The watch is by the brand Giuliano, and has the phrases "Hard Tech" and "De Longe" on the front, so that's what I think the models name is. Searching for the brand gives hots on different watches for sale, but nothing on the Giuliano company itself, although there are different products marked Hard Tech De Longe suggesting this may be the name of a range of products. I do have the price label for this watch as well, and that has the name Giuliano, as well as the statement "Ken's new basic watches, in style for men and women" (but I can find anything about Ken either).

The watch is a quartz analogue model with 2 hands and a disc. Often, it's the seconds that are on the disc in this type, but this time it's a minutes disc with hours and seconds hands. The watch has a chunky metal face with hour numbers, the Hard Tech name, and a bird logo with the De Longe name raised out of the metal. The design covers the bottom half of the dial, so you can only see the top half of the face. To allow the time to still be told, the hour hand has two different designs on the different ends. The small red hour arrow points to the watch face and the numbers 3 to 9, while the other end has a longer silver hand which obscured the numbers on the dial and points to the numbers on the case (9 to 3). For the minutes, there is a 5-pointed star on the logo, and the top point is where you read the time on the disc.

The watch doesn't have much more information about it on the back, with just names, the logo, water resistance statement, and confirmation of a stainless steel back.

The watch originally sold for ¥4,800, and judging by the style, label, and online anonymity, I'd guess at a late 90s to early 2000s release.

Metro Washington Special Edition

For today's watch I chose something big and square from one of the more popular mystery brands.

This watch is an analogue quartz watch by the Metro brand. It is called the Washington, and follows one of the naming trends the Metro brand uses which is American cities. This does make it more difficult for a web search as the city of Washington has a metro (subway) which swamps the results. The watch is also quoted as being a special edition, but as you don't see too many of any if the models, I don't know how much it really means. The brand itself is a bit of a mystery, with very little written about it, but the watches are always popular on the Japanese auctions.

The Washington Special Edition is a little more complicated than others from the brand I've blogged. It has a 3 hand dial analogue dial, with 2 smaller dials (at 3 an 9) for the day and date. At the 6 o'clock position, there is also a moon phase dial which is not such a common watch feature. The dial is square and quite large (3x3cm), and sits in a larger rectangular case (3.5x4.5cm) with sloped sides. The back has minimal info, just showing the brand and model names.

I haven't yet confirmed the date of the watch, but my best guess is that the brand was around in the late 90s or 2000s.

Vuillemin Regnier Quartz 9-2228

Yesterday's watch was a sparkly one, and today's is a shiny one instead.

I'm wearing today a smart watch by a designer I've not featured before - Vuillemin Regnier. The Vuillemin Regnier brand is based in France, and is based in the Jura Mountains, a few kilometres from the Swiss border. They started in 1920 and began making 25 prestige mechanical watches, as well as manufacturing high precision movements for other companies such as ETA. The watches are now exported to over 30 countries, and like to be known for their style and reliability.

This model is a 2 hand quartz analogue watch with a very smart dress watch style. It has a brushed steel face which is surrounded by a mirrored silver bezel under the glass which extends to the edge of the watch. The face is nice and simple, having only a jewel at the 12 o'clock position and no other hour markers, and just faint text saying the brand name and 'quartz'.

The back is also relatively untouched with just the brand name, logo, description (water resistant, st. steel back), and what I think is a model number of 9-2228. The strap is connected to the case in a T-bar arrangement, and is a black leather design.

The logo used on the back is different than the current VR logo, with the letters connected horizontally rather than vertically. To me, this suggests that it would be an older model (or possibly a copy, but I'd have thought they'd be able to copy the logo right...)

Bulova DayDate with crystal bezel

Today's watch is a shiny looking design with lots of crystal, but it's got me wondering about its authenticity.

The watch is by Bulova, and is a model described as a DayDate (all one word on the dial). Unsurprisingly, this means that it has both a day and a date window on the dial, but the day window actually has the full word rather than the first 1-3 letters. It is a 3 hand dial design with a quartz movement and a stainless steel case. The dial is in a shiny royal blue, and the hour markers are small crystals (or glass). The bezel around the dial is also filled with many small crystals too, making the whole watch catch the light. The strap is also stainless steel, matching the case, and has a hidden clasp.

Bulova are an American watch manufacturer who were founded in 1875 (which is quoted on the back of the watch), but have also manufactured watches in Switzerland. Since 2007, Bulova has been part of the Citizen Watch Co family.

The thing with this watch is that something doesn't feel right about it, but it may just be me. The weight and build quality do not match the normal products from either Citizen or Bulova, although both brands have produced cheaper lines of watches, so that could be the reason. The design is also one which I've seen before, supposedly from different manufacturers - I've seen an almost identical watch with Rolex branding, and the consensus where that was posted was that it was fake. So I think that this is either a low price original which has been copied by others, or someone has been making this design and branding it with all manner of different names.

Deep DT-083

Today is a watch which continues the documentation of my collection of strange mysterious fashion watch brands.

This model is another by the watch brand Deep. The only information I can find is that the watches are made in China, but apart from that, they are a mystery.

This watch follows the normal DT- numbering, and is the DT-083. It does have a major difference in the design of the Deep logo compared to the others I've seen so far. For this logo, the D and P are in capital letters, with the 2 Es being designed so they look like the skeleton of a fish.

As with a lot of fashion watches, this model is designed to look more impressive than it really is. It is a relatively large case watch with a 3 hand dial and 3 smaller dials on the face. There is also a date window at the 3 o'clock position behind a magnifying section of the glass. The small chronograph dials, along with the two buttons which would normally operate the chronograph are however purely for show and do nothing.

I think the Deep brand is relatively modern, but not necessarily available today, leading me to assume the watch is probably from the late 2000s.

Nivea-Kao Choose Your Own Watch

Today's watch is more than one, or more correctly, one which I could make look different for a long time.

The watch is by Nivea-Kao, which only appears to be a cosmetics company and not a watch manufacturer.

The watch is a simple 3 hand dial quartz watch in a small sized case. The unusual part is that this has a choice of cases, straps, and bezel. Overall, there are 7 cases, 19 bezel (of which 7 are marked and the rest are plain), and 7 pairs of straps. This means that there are 6517 different combinations that could be made (if you mixed and matched the straps too).

The face of the watch has the statement neu 8x4 which I don't know what it means (as it doesn't correspond to the number of combinations). It could be that is comes from 84, as that looks to be the right age for the watch, but that is just a guess.

The other strange part is that the watch uses an Eta movement which is Swiss, but the packaging suggests Japanese or Chinese.

Super Lovers - Lovers House Daisies

It amazes me how many different designs of watch have been made for the Harajuku Super Lovers brand, and today is another.

The Super Lovers brand started in 1988 and has inspirations ranging from punk to the London club scene. The watches are grouped into a few different lines, and this one is part of the Lovers House line which tend to be the cuter looking watches.

The watch is a standard shaped 3 hand dial design watch with a plastic case. The face of the watch features the brand's mascots Ken and Merry, the male and female Pandas, sitting meditating in a field of white flowers (like daisies). The strap is also in pink with rows of daisies interspersed with pictures of Ken and Merry.

There is no other information on the watch, with the back being blank. There is no date on the watch either so I'd have to guess this is a 90s design (as the strap has some signs that the strap is beginning to get brittle).

EleeNo EG5 Turning Wheels

My Friday watch is one that takes a little getting used to for reading the time.

As is often the case with the unusual designs, this watch is one of the Japanese watches in the SeaHope family. To be more specific, this watch is part of the EleeNo range who are there to produce watches showing 'handles time'. The EleeNo range was started in 2008 by the SeaHope founder Yasushi Kimura. There is more on the SeaHope family on my SeaHope summary page.

This model is in the EG line which is part of the Cyber family of EleeNo watches. The Cyber watches are the EleeNo digital range, while EG means that it tells the time with segmented LCDs.

This is the EG5 and has the additional name Turning Wheels. It works on the 12-5-9 principle, meaning it has 3 LCD wheels with segments that cover hours (12), 10 minutes (5), and individual minutes (9). The watch actually has 10 segments on the minutes wheel, with the last one just flashing to show the seconds progressing. Pressing the button causes the el-backlight wheels to show a turning animation before displaying the time. Time setting is done through the inset button and needs the tip of a pen (or similar) to press.

The design has a rectangular case in silver with a mirrored inverse LCD with a coloured background, and a black leather strap. It was available in a few different LCD colour and strap combinations. Many sites I've found quote this as being an LED watch with LED segments, but as far as I can see, this is purely an LCD watch with a backlight.

The back just has the text "Turning Wheels, EG5, Graphic Art by EleeNo" and the SeaHope website address.

It seems that this watch came out around 2010, and had an initial price somewhere around the $70-80 range. Outside of Japan, it has been available through the usual sites Tokyoflash and Intelligent Watches.

Agnès b V33J-0030

Today's model is one of my growing agnès b  collection, and is a shiny watch.

The agnès b brand is a French fashion brand which now has over 100 stores worldwide. They started in France in 1973 and seem to have quite a following in Japan. The watches have been made in collaboration with Seiko since 1989 and are still being produced now. So far, I've seen many different designs, but they all have an elegance to the design.

This model is based around the Seiko V33J quartz movement, and is one of several agnès b watches to use this movement. This particular version is the V33J-0030 and has a tonneau shaped case (rectangular with curves sides, or barrel shaped). It has a round face with a 3 hand dial and 3 small dials at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions. I've seen this movement online quoted as a chronograph, but this is not right as the dials cover day and date (left and right respectively), and the 24 hr time (bottom with an orange hand). It has a curved glass from side to side which has been fashioned into 3 flat faces (sloped at the sides and flat along the middle) so as to catch the light well. The strap is a fine stainless steel design with many small flat sides so it gives a shiny but flexible design (with a part number of E0F2JZ-L).

Judging by the serial number, this watch was made in 1998 or 2008. My guess is 1998 as although the watch is in very good condition for that age, the Seiko Alba Neatnik watch I have blogged with the same module was from 1999.

Rex Ten No.7910

As part of my 1481010 collection, I've also collected watches which have been influenced by the 1481010 designs.

This watch is very similar in shape as the 1481010 C351 design, with a one piece springy metal strap that has a plastic back and edge. In this design, there is an analogue watch face rather than the 1481010 digital display. It has a 3 hand dial design, and inside is a Miyota quartz movement.

The face is set deep into a red plastic surround where the minutes marks are, and the white face has the hour numbers for 3, 6, and 9 and a red square for 12.

The watch is by a brand called Rex Ten. I've found nothing online for this brand, so I'd guess that this is a late 90s fashion brand from Japan. The back of the watch just has the material for the back (stainless steel) and the make and model number. The model number is shown as No. 7920, but again this doesn't have any web hits.

Lego Clic Time Alarm Clock

Today I'm blogging a clock and not a watch. As well as watches and clocks, I am partial to playing with Lego as well, and today's clock links these themes.

The clock is a Lego clock which seems to be called CLIC Time (or Clic Time). The clock is an alarm clock with a 3 hand dial and a 4th hand to indicate where the alarm is set for. It has a rotating bezel on the edge og the glass which has a finger hole to help rotate it.

It is built as a large square lego piece with the pegs on the top and holes on the bottom. This is used as the base for building, and the clock comes with parts to turn the clock into a robot (or to have the robot as a separate toy). The controls for setting the clock and the alarm are also done with lego pieces. There is a small cog fixed to the case which connects to a large lego cog which can be removed from its cross shaped lego axle. On the top of the case is a red block which pops up and turns the alarm on, and you need to fasten lego to the case to stop it ringing (and I have lego Star Wars because the original pieces were lost).

The watch is powered by an AA battery in a slot at the back. There is a model number for the lego clock set which is 4250339. The earliest date I've seen this online is 2011, but it doesn't seem available new now.

Charles Vögele CV-7363

Time for a smart watch today. I've not got anything to dress up for, but need to have a mass battery replacement exercise soon!

This watch is my 3rd by the ex-racing driver Charles Vögele (sometimes written as Charles Vogele if you don't easily have the ö). The brand was started by Charles and his wife and began with motorcycle wear in the 1950s (after Vögele had finished racing). They have now expanded into other clothing lines, with the main company based in Switzerland but the watch arm seeming to be Far East based.

This model is the CV-7363 and is a chunky but small quartz analogue watch. It uses a 3 hand dial, but has 3 small dials in the face. These dials cover day (left), date (right), and 24-hr time (bottom). The face is silver and has two different textures, with shiny metallic blue small dials. There are no numbers on the dial, only hour markers which are missing where the small dials sit. Around the dial is a rotating bezel which has the minutes /seconds for every interval of 10, and a raised marker half way inbetween. The back has info on the make and model number, as well as the material (stainless steel), and the water resistance (200m which is also quoted on the dial as 20 bar).

The strap is stainless steel, and custom made for the case, and the links are in two different textures, alternating between shiny and matt silver.

I haven't found this model number online, so it's hard to put a date on. Based on this stating bar and not atm for the water resistance, and the lack of English pages on the watch brand, I'd assume it was for the Far East market though.

Umbro A430 Ana-Digi watch

Today is another of my sporty watches, but one that unfortulately I've not been able to coax into action, so I'm just blogging it for informations sake.

This watch is by the sports brand Umbro, which is currently a subsidiary of the American brand Iconix. The brand started in Manchester as a sportswear and football equipment supplier, and was owned by Nike until 2012.

This is another ana-digi model and has a model number of A480. It has a 3 hand analogue dial in the centre, with 3 LCD windows at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions. The LCD windows cover hours and minutes across the middle, with the seconds window at the bottom. The watch modes are shown in the LCD windows, and based on the button descriptions, there is likely a stopwatch and timer (but I've not seen this model online, so haven't been able to confirm it).

The watch has an oval face encased in a plastic shell. The strap is in one piece with the main case, but is made from two pieces of rubbery plastic to give a two colour design.

The dial shows the Umbro double diamond logo and name, and shows this watch is 50m water resistant. The back has the logo and name, along with the model number. The text also says that the watch was "Produced under the authority of Umbro, design owner of the trademarks "UMBRO" and the "Double-Diamond". This suggests that the watch was made under licence, but there is no indication that I could find on who actually made the watch.

As for date and cost, I haven't found any information for this model. I'd guess is was from the 2000s, but that is just a hunch so could be very wrong.

Tokima 2014 - Black

Today is the 3rd birthday of my blog, and I'm celebrating with a Tokima.

The Tokima watches are one of my favourite line of watches, and I've got most of the models which have been released.

Last year, was celebrated as the 30th anniversary of the original models, and to mark that event, two new Tokima watches were released. The text for the watch states:

"It's been 30 years years since then, "TOKIMA" is back from the cosmic space. Human will be beyond time and space by mounting a wristwatch-type time machine in the future. Time machine design, which is beyond the dimensions. It's the "TOKIMA". ". A lot more can be found about the Tokima watches in my Tokima overview page here.

The watches are a limited edition release with 1500 units in each of the two colours, black and silver. They have been designed by the original Tokima inventor Katsushi Murakami, and there is a signed note in the box from Murakami himself (and is does look like it is hand signed). There is a video about the watch on Youtube which you can find here.

This model is an upgraded version of the Tokima original shape, and looks a little like the 1998 Original metal watch. It now has a 4 digit LCD display on the back of the head so you can read the time when everything is closed in watch mode. Opening up the head reveals Tokima's had an eye upgrade, with the eyes now being two Swarovski crystals. The LCD on the front is now different too, with the dot matrix being replaced by a two part display with an LCD analogue style dial (3 hand) and a countdown block display with numbers in the middle for the stopwatch mode. The main LCD has buttons on the left of the display, and the head LCD has inset buttons on the sides of the head.

TOKIMA has also grown but has been on a diet since 1998. His body is about the same size but not as deep, but has longer legs and arms, and his head has grown (to be able to fit the LCD).

The strap and robot mount had had an upgrade too. The main part is similar to the 1998 models, but there is now a metal bumper around the outside.

The watch is still for sale, but as it's a limited edition it'll only be around until they sell them all. It is produced by Katsushi Murakami, copyright to Live Works, and sold by Skj-J, and is a Japanese made watch.

This black version has a model number of SKY-95003, and has an rrp of around ¥27,000.

Family photo: 1983, 1998,  and 2014 versions