So Many Watches

I’ve been immersed in the watch world. In fact I just got back from Switzerland where I visited the Longines museum and archives which is why I’m behind on blogging. Before I left I came into a treasure trove of timepieces. And there was a watch waiting for me when I got back. So let’s do a quick inventory, starting with the new Citizen Automatic NJ015 aka the “Tsuyosa” (meaning “strength” in Japanese). Citizen sent this watch to test drive. There are five different dial colours– blue, yellow, green, aqua and black – each with a fun Sunray finish (I am trying out blue and I have failed to capture the play of light in this picture). First impressions: I love the contrast of the brushed and polished surfaces and the offset crown. Disclosure, Citizen Canada also sent a delicious cookie by Lindsey Gazel and some cool Leuchtturm1917 stationery along with the sample watch so they clearly have my number.

Next, I traded some timepieces with my friend Sarah (who has an excellent eye for thrift shop finds). First up is this mod Timex Cavatina. I had this on my Pinterest forever — it was Timex’s answer to the Rolex Chameleons and other interchangeable watches of the 1960s.

This one came sans strap or the mix and match bezels so I tried it out on a Bund and a double tour that I happened to have lying around. I like both looks!

And check out this brutalist Seiko! I apologize for the blurry photo but I think you can see it’s a pretty cool little watch.

This automatic Enicar is also pretty impressive. Enicar is one of those brands that was once highly regarded in horology but didn’t survive the quartz crisis. Unfortunately it is running a little fast and the crown is wonky. But with its cat’s eye, ombré dial, and brassy finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about 1970s watches. I will make it live again!

Which brings us to our final new arrival—a vintage GUB-era Glashütte! I win this in an eBay auction and had hoped it would have arrived before I went back to Glashütte last month. It’s much more beautiful in person than I was expecting even though I saw its sister whilst visiting the German Watch Museum. Glashütte has the best dials now so it’s nice to see that they were doing innovative stuff then as well. It’s also running like a champ.

It’s a fixed lugs watch so I harvested an adaptable pigskin strap from a non-working timepiece in my project box. It’s a little small but the colour works well.

I also dug up my Glashütte export catalog that I got when I visited the manufacture the first time so you can see what it would’ve looked like with it’s original strap.