DW-5600EG-9V

This a review of the DW-5600EG-9V. This is the same watch as the DW-5600E-1V. In fact they are actually the same watch with minor differences. It has the same basic module, 1545. This watch was first issued in 1996. However, this model is harder to find. I believe the production run for this model is lower as compared to its brother, the DW-5600E-1V. Additionally, the replacement bezel is also harder to find (at least here in Taiwan).

Basic Specifications:

Module 1545

Timekeeping Mode: Hour, minutes, seconds, am/ pm, month, date, day of week (time display switchable between 12-hour and 24-hour format)

Calendar System: Auto-calendar from 1995 to 2039

Alarm Mode: Multi-function alarm, hourly time signal

Countdown Alarm Mode (Timer): measuring unit: 1 second, input range: 1 second to 24 hours, auto repeat and repeat function

Stopwatch Mode: measuring unit: 1/100 seconds (first 60 minutes), 1 second (after 60 minutes), measuring capacity: 23 hours 59 minutes 59.99 seconds, measuring modes: elapsed time, split time and two finishes

Dimensions: 43 mm X 49 mm, height: 13.5 mm

I guess I don't really have to do a review of this watch as it will be same review of the DW-5600E-1V which I did earlier. I will however point out the differences between the 2.

The first difference that we can see is the bezel itself. The lettering 'PROTECTION' and "G-SHOCK' on the DW-5600EG-9V is rendered in gold, whereas in the DW-5600E-1V, it is white. Also the line around the perimeter of the crystal is also rendered in gold. On the DW-5600E-1V, it is silver.

The background on the DW-5600EG-9V LCD is also in gold. Although the background is in gold, I find the display clearer as compared to the silver background of the DW-5600E-1V.

The buttons on the DW-5600EG-9V are also rendered in gold. The photograph below shows the difference between the 2 watches.

Both watches share the same band. However the buckle is different. Again the buckle on the DW-5600EG-9V is rendered in gold. Both buckles are made in Indonesia. However, there is no lip on the tang rest on the DW-5600EG-9V buckle. The photograph below shows this.

I like this watch but because it is getting harder to locate here in Taiwan, this watch gets little or no wrist time. It is as comfortable as its brother.

One more photograph of the 2 watches.

Breguet Exhibition

There will be an exhibition on Breguet watches to be held in the Louvre Museum.

Details:

Location: Sully Wing, salle de la Chapelle

Date: 25/6 - 7/9

Time: Daily, 0900 to 1800 hours (closed Tuesday)

Interesting piece on exhibition: Breguet No. 1160, the modern Marie-Antoinette pocket watch.

GW-6900 Update

Casio USA have announced that there will be 2 other GW-6900 to be made available in July. The 2 models are the GW-6900A-7 which will be white in colour and the GW-6900A-9 which will be rendered in yellow. This is addition to the 2 earlier models, the GW-6900-1JF and GW-6900BC-1JF. The 2 new models will retail for USD130. Lets hope it is made available outside the US as well.

GW-6900A-7

GW-6900A-9

Casio GW-6900 Launched

The much awaited Atomic Solar version of the popular DW-6900 has been launched. 2 version will be made available, the GW-6900-1JF and the GW-6900BC-1JF. The GW-6900BC-1JF will feature the reverse LCD and the composite resin/ steel strap. The 'G' on the light button will be highlighted in gold.

GW-6900-1JF (Retail 21,000 Yen)

GW-6900BC-1JF (Retail 25,200 Yen)

Photos: Casio Japan

Diesel Freak Of Nature (Update)

Diesel have just launched a new watch called Freak of Nature. Model number is DZ4160. It is an interesting watch as it is a mix of a square and round watch in one. It comes in 2 models, pictured below, the first which is a fusing of a steel round case with a gold square watch with a split multi-coloured chronograph dial. The other is the same but with a steel round case fused with a steel square case spotting a black dial.

The watch is 46 mm is diameter (?) and is quartz powered. Note the steel and leather band combination. It retails just over USD200.

This watch is currently available in Taiwan and retails just over NTD 8,000. I have seen it and would have to say that it is 'interesting'.

Photo: watchismo.com

Photo: British Watch Company

Casio MD-703

As you may already know, the Casio MD-703 is one of my favourite watch. I like it because of it's size and also it is one of the few large analogue watch that Casio made. However there is very little information on the Internet on this watch. What little I could find I will post it here. So far this is what I know:

MD Series 200 m Water Resist

Launched: 1/5/1988

MRSP: $169.95

3 models:

MD-703-1AV Black dial

MD-703S-7AV White dial

MD-703? Black dial with gold trimmings (same as the MD-703-1AV, except the hands, the bezel, bezel screws, bezel markings and crown are rendered in gold)

Advertisement of the MD-703

Photo: yeomanseiko.spaces.live.com

The MD-703-1AV

MD-703S-7AV

Sadly I do not have the gold MD-703 or a photograph of it.

In recent time, this watch is slowly gaining in popularity. This can be seen from a recent auction (2007) where the prices for this model have doubled.

"..... the Casio MD-703 dive watch was a sleeper, and these two examples are good ways to end this installment. It looks like the word is getting out on these chunky divers. The black dialed version sold for a whopping $564.96 and the harder to find white dialed watch sold for $239.80". www.gmtplusnine.com

I currently have both the black dial version (after a 21 year search) and the white dial version. I believe the hunt for the gold version will take another 21 years (hope not).

Recently, my MD-703S-7Av 'died' on me and I had to do an operation to salvage the watch. Anyway, now that everything is OK, here is my review of the MD-703S-7AV. This is an update of a review which I did in www.watchuseek.com.

MD-703S-7AV

Module: 394

Technical specification:

Analogue 3 hand watch: Hour, minute and seconds

Calendar: Day (English and Spanish) and date at 3 o'clock position

Case: Titanium Ion Plated, Screw Lock Crown, Mineral Glass

Water Resistant: 200 m

Size: Diameter: 48 mm, 49 mm at largest point, lug width: 22 mm, thickness: 12.5 mm

As can be seen from the photograph, this is a big watch. The white dial is no longer white but is a bit off white. The day and date window is at the 3 o'clock position. The crown is a screw down crown and has 2 position adjustment. The first, for the date and day and the second for the time. As with any quartz watches, it 'hacks' when the crown is pulled to time setting position. Adjustment for the day and date, clockwise for date and anti-clockwise for the day. The day alternates between English and Spanish during adjustment. The date changes at midnight, but the day changes between 1 am to 4 am.

The all important question, how is the luminosity on this watch. The watch has lost some of it's luminesce and at max it will last about 1 hour. There is no luminesce markers on the bezel. The bezel rotates anti-clockwise as any diver watch would. It takes 60 clicks to a full turn of the bezel.

The case looks like it is made of 3 parts, with 8 screws holding 2 parts together at 2, 4, 8 and 10 o'clock position, and it is made of 3 parts. This design has a drawback as the bezel cannot be rotated as easy due to the retainer lugs. The case is Titanium Ion Plated (early form of PVD?) and the case back is Stainless Steel. The case back is a screw back and is polished. The markings on the case back are: Casio, Module Number, Model Number, Stainless Steel and Water Resistant around the center. In the center is the serial number and Japan K. My newly acquired black dial has its serial number in the 1XXXXX range and the white dial, 8XXXXX. I have seen models on the Internet with serial number in the 9XXXXX range.

The crown is the screw down type crown and is large and easy to use. Crown shoulder protectors are provided.

This watch no longer has it's original band. It is currently fitted with the Casio AMW 320 Series Black Resin Band. The original band has a textured internal surface while the new band (original replacement band for this watch) has the typical anti-slip ridges along the edge of the band. The band is made in Japan as is the buckle. The band is slightly wider then the DW-5600E band. It is smooth on the outside. Internal markings: 200 F2 on both bands. The buckle has a little lip at the tang rest.

The watch itself is not heavy to wear and is very comfortable. It is a beautiful watch and the 'wabi' gives it additional character. It is a piece that will not be out of place among more expensive divers.

I recently acquired the black dial version of this watch, the MD-703-1AV. The watch is currently undergoing servicing which includes cleaning, battery change, new band, spring bars and the crystal replacement. I will post that process soon.

World Military Watch Magazine

I was out yesterday to look at a new mall that open up recently near where I live. It was very interesting. One of the tenants in the mall is a Japanese bookstore. It is one that I was not familiar with. However, I went in to have a look and browse their Japanese watch magazine. They had a small collection of Japanese watch magazine. Amongst the magazines, I found this one.

Softcover: 128 pages

Publisher: World Photo Press

Language: Japanese

ISBN: 4-8465-2491-4

Dimensions: 10.1 X 7.2 X 0.5 inches

Price: USD 19

Front cover

I will try to provide a review of this magazine as I don't understand Japanese. The magazine comes with a slip cover and makes a very nice coffee-table book. The magazine starts with (I believe) a write up on military watches. It covers watches and Pocket watches from WW1 to current.

Back cover

There are lots of photographs and all are rendered in vivid colours. Just the photographs makes the magazine worth the USD 19 price tag. It covers Japanese, American, German, British and Swiss made military watches. There are many photographs of soldiers and their watches.

I guess one can use this book as a rough guide to what military watches are out there and as a reference to the particular markings to check out when buying vintage military watches. Anyway enjoy the photographs.

Overall I find the magazine an interesting read (?).

Casio G-Shock, where are they made?

This information is based on my collection. I will change and adjust the information as and when I get new information that differs from the information listed below. This list may not be complete. As for the age old question of which is better, I am of the opinion it is the same.

Basically G-Shocks are made in:

Japan ca 1996

Japan H ca 1984

Japan M ca 1994

Japan Y ca 1997

Japan T ca 1994

Japan K ca 1998

Thailand Y ca 1996

Thailand H ca 2005

China Y ca 1996

Korea C ca 1995

Korea T ca 1993

Korea Y ca 1998

Malaysia ca 1995

Malaysia Y ca 2001

The letters after the country name may indicate different factory. at present this is just a speculation. The year indicates about which year the first watch was produced from the factory. We then have the odd ones like Japan Y movement but assembled in Thailand and Malaysia. Buckles are also made in China and Indonesia. Then we also have those made in Taiwan but not reflected as such.

UK MOD Specifications for Military Watches

For those who are interested to know what is the the UK Ministry of Defence Specifications for military watches, here is the link:

http://www.dstan.mod.uk/data/66/004/04000400.pdf

Enjoy.

If you are interested in military watches, refer to some of my favourite website and there are links to some interesting military website.

Casio G-Shock Hacker's Handbook (Updated)

The Casio G-Shock Hacker's Handbook is an interesting project. In this book you will find 'hacks' that can be done on a Casio G-Shock. Hacks covers how to stealth a G-Shock, dyeing and ruggedizing among others.

The book appears in PDF format and free to download. However, when the book is ready for publication, it will be publish under a Creative Commons Licence.

http://galearesearch.co.uk/projects/g-shock-hackers-handbook

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16522761/GShock-Hackers-Handbook-v08

DW-6700 Clean up (modem burner)- Updated

One of my favourite Casio G-Shock is the DW-6700. This watch was issued in 1994 and is known as the Skyforce. As can be seen from the picture below, this watch too has suffered from water ingression. After my experience with my DW-8030G, I decided to clean this watch as well. It was not as easy as the DW-8030G as this watch has a temperature sensor. So I have to be more careful. Here it is. Be warned that this is long.

Cleaned the work area and got all the tools out. The first step, strap removal.

Straps.

Now to begin work on the watch. First lets remove the bezel. It is held by 4 screws at the 4 corners.

The bezel screws. Notice it is not threaded all the way to the head. This is to hold the bezel to the case.

The bezel. Inside view and outside.

The case. In the picture below, you can see the sensor. It is protected by a plate and is held by 2 screws.

Now to remove the case back. As usual, I tend to remove the case back screw with the case back pressed down and removing the screws in a cross formation, a few turns at a time. This is to prevent stress on the resin body if the case back were to 'pop' or warp.

The case back removed. We can see the rubber spacer. This is used to hold the module in place and also to provide additional shock proof capabilities.

The module 1230. I have no idea what the 'Do Not Turn' is for but I suspect it is some sort of temperature compensation adjustment. Anyone?

The case back. Again, I don't know the significance of the number '116'.

The next step is to remove the battery. This is to prevent any 'shocks' to the electrical circuit as I will need to remove the sensor from the module. Unlike other G-Shock that I have seen, the battery cover is actually screwed down. The battery is the standard CR2016.

Now to disconnect the sensor from the module. If the sensor is not disconnected, the module would not come out. I tried to remove the sensor from the case but could not, so this was the next logical step. The following photographs shows my attempt to remove the sensor from the case. The plate removed.

The sensor. We can see the o-ring around the sensor. We will see the o-ring later.

Now to remove the sensor. Before we do that, remove the 2 springs that are located near the sensor. We will see the springs in more detail during the assembly process. Unscrew the plate that holds the sensor circuit to the main circuit.

Pull the tab and slowly lift the PCB. It has 2 guide pins, top and bottom (grey colour pins).

The retainer plate for the sensor circuit.

The module removed. We can also see the retainer ring with its rubber sheath. This also provides the shock protection. The cut-outs at the 4 corners are for the buttons and the other cut-out is to locate the ring in the case. We will see this in more detail on assembly.

The sensor circuit tab in the case.

As usual, cleaning is by soft tooth brush and mild soap. Cleaning and drying using my Bergeon cloth and Rodico. Blow dry with a hair dryer set on low heat. We have to be careful not to damage the rubber dial. Careful to completely dry the sensor circuit.

Once dried, and cleaned, the assembly process can take place. The o-rings are lubricated. In the picture below, the smaller o-ring is the sensor o-ring.

The assembly process. Align the spacer ring to the case. Note the cut-out at the 6 o'clock position. Align it with the tab on the case.

Insert the module and align the sensor circuit to the main circuit. Note the grey alignment tabs. Screw down the circuit retainer. Remember the 2 springs? Well in the photograph below, we can see the 2 holes where the springs are suppose to go. I have no idea what are the functions of the springs.

The springs inserted.

The battery can now be inserted. We then check to make sure everything is working. Also check that the module is straight and align. Next the rubber spacer can be fitted.

Please note that the spacer is wrongly fitted. It should be as below. Thanks to our reader Raitis who spotted the mistake.

Install the case back. Press the case back against the case and screw the screws into the case. Again I cross the screw process to ensure the case back is fitted straight. This also prevents stress to the case. Once tighten, I then go around once more in a clockwise direction to give the screws a final tightening screw.

The straps are fitted and the final result?

A larger photograph.