Budong The Collector

Chinese watches are getting better. With the advent of social media, more and more people are being informed and convinced that Chinese watches are not at all as bad as we think. Of course in buying anything, one must take some risk and I would say much more so for these relatively new and sometimes very generic Chinese watches. One Chinese brand that caught my attention is Guanqin. I first saw this brand on Aliexpress and I got a bit curious about it. Thanks to Youtubers who have reviewed watches from this brand, I have also pulled the trigger and bought myself a Guanqin watch. Here it is! The Gaunqin GQ008815 Automatic Watch. Specifications Case diameter: 39 mm Case thickness: 12 mm Lug width: 19 mm Lug tip to lug tip: 48 mm Crystal: Sapphire Movement: Unknown Chinese movement Hacking: Yes Manual Wind: Yes Complications: Date only Price: Php 2,300 (Approx USD 44) Purchased Online:  https://www.lazada.com.ph/-i135106104-s151282258.html?urlFlag=true&mp=...

My father gave me this watch sometime in 1993. I was in grade school and back then all of my classmates had those really colorful digital watches. I didn't mind though. I reveled in the thought that my watch didn't need any batteries. My classmates would look at me in confusion as I tried to explain that my watch didn't need batteries because it was an automatic. Of course back then, I didn't care about brands or movements or what "jewels" meant for a watch. It was just cool to brag about a watch with no batteries. I don't know where my father got this watch. He also couldn't remember how this came into his possession. It was obviously pre-owned since there was some name engraved on the clasp. By the time I was given this watch, it was already pretty scuffed. Of course in the years that followed, I also added to those dings and scratches. I've tried searching the internet for a similar one, but so far I have not found any. There is also no spec...

While Seiko has the "5", Citizen has the "7". Also called the Eagle 7, this must be Citizen's answer to the popular Seiko 5 line. Though, I'm uncertain if the Eagle 7 lineup is as extensive as the Seiko 5's, the watches I have seen are quite good looking. And like the Seiko 5's, it has a myriad of different flavors and styles. I got this one from the used market earlier this year (2018). It was an accidental purchase because I was not counting on it being gold. The posted photos looked silver to me and there was no mention of it being gold. I was uncomfortably surprised when I saw the watch in person and by then it was too late to cancel the deal. Here it is, my Citizen Eagle 7. It came with a metal bracelet, but it was missing the end link. I scrapped the bracelet and got a black leather strap for this. It has a black dial with stripes, a day & date complication. It has that iconic eagle badge with a red shield. In the middle of the shiel...

Acquiring this piece was a bit of an impulsive decision. I saw this watch in the used market and the seller told me that it's not working as it was suppose to. I pulled the trigger anyway because I was enamored with how it looked. It was a vintage piece that spoke to me. Little did I know that it was a very small watch. By today's standards, it is in the realm of lady's watches. However, during the time it was released, it was marketed for both men and women. Do I regret buying this? Absolutely not. Here it is. The Special Citizen Center Second. As far as I know, this was  made in 1950, but I do not have paperwork to back this up. However, I did have a correspondence with the owner of  https://sweep-hand.org/ . He is the go to guy for things Citizen on the internet. He did provide some info on the watch. I'm quoting from part of his email to me. "the old hand winder is from 1950 - the movement was known as the Center Second, and was an improved version of...

Before I share to you my highly opinionated and very personal review, let me get a few things out of the way. I am not a watch critic. I am a watch enthusiast. I have little experience in reviewing watches and what I write in this post is not the "law". I have little technical knowledge about watches. If I happen to mention or mislabel some parts in the watch, please be kind. I am not recommending any brands nor is this blog backed by any watch brand or manufacturer. Let's start. I purchased a watch online back in March, 2018. It's a mechanical dress watch that is made in, you guessed it, China. A very affordable, manual wind, mechanical watch that caught my eye mostly because it didn't look half bad, with the skeleton movement and display back, and mainly because it was a manual wind and not an automatic. This one was not my first choice, but it turned out to be for the best since I now realize my first choice was not very coherent in terms of its colo...