Catching Up Time

It was an action packed horological week last week. I started off with a bunch of Value Village finds (I treated myself to a couple of thrift safaris because it was my pre-birthday week). My biggest score was this elliptical case 1976 Seiko Hi Beat Automatic. It is clearly modelled after the Rado Diamatic. I had a similar one with an integrated bracelet that was simply too small. I could never find replacement links so I eventually sold it thinking another one would turn up. It did not. This one’s a little scuffed up but it keeps good time and the bracelet fits. It was in a bag of broken jewelry that coincidentally included a fake Rado.

I also picked up this Ikea Fejig clock designed by Maria Vinka.

And for my Cabinet of Curiosities, here are two Tyvek timepieces by I Like Paper which I got in a bag of stationery supplies.

Another super score was this Emerald Green Baby-G. Of course all of the above finds (with the exception of the Seiko) required new batteries. Which quickly turns a $5 find into a $15 investment. So Saturday became watch battery safari day. I also brought along some old favourites that needed new power sources, like the Much Music watch that Mr. Andrew got me in the early days of our courting.

I also went to the Swatch boutique at the Eaton Centre for fresh batteries for thrift shop finds. PSA: The Swatch Boutique replaces batteries for free.

Our of habit, I asked the staffer if they had any Moonswatches. He checked the vault and asked what I was looking for. I said the Earth. He said I was in luck because they had one Earth left. I said “I’ll take it” because it was my birthday. Not as good of a story as how I got my Venus (you can read that here) but my this is the one I really wanted and now my Moonswatch journey is complete.