No 205 - Certina DS Action Ti Diver

The product pictures of the Certina Action Diver all looked fantastic and promising when it was announced. But when everyone who bought it started to post pictures of the watch it looked quite disappointing to me. It was something about the finish. I came across the titanium version to a really good price and felt it was worth giving a try. And it was worth trying it just to confirm it wasn’t as nice as it was easy to believe it was going to be judging from the promotional pitcures. But I must say that the titanium version actually felt better than the steel version. More comfortable to wear and the gray sunburst dial is actually pretty nice and gives it a much toolier look compared to the black and blue dial available on the steel version. I only wore this watch on the bracelet but really think it is better worn a rubber which will help preventing the crown from digging down in the wrist.

#205 - The Certina DS Action Ti Diver, ref.C013.407.44.081.00.

I’m sorry but just can’t vouch for the Action Diver. It is boring. In this price range I think there are a bunch of other watches that are more fun and appealing.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 201 - MKII LRRP Milsub

I’ve owned this watch twice. I first got it in December 2013. Then it was flipped and it wasn’t until August 2015 that I came to think of it and remembered how good it was. The one who bought it from me the first time still had it but wasn’t using it and after a couple of e-mails back and forth I finally convinced him of letting it go.

#201 - The MKII LRRP Milsub.

This watch was superb. Perhaps the best watch I’ve had from MKII. Great lume. Great movement. Good size. A perfect beater! Nothing to complain about except for a little play in the bezel. That wasn’t something I ever thought of until my buddy Björn complained about it. It’s funny how certain details affect you differently. 

I mostly wore this watch on the original rubber it came with. Looked great. But I also had it on a camouflage and a light grey nato strap. Both with brushed details of course! That also looked really good. Wearing it on different natos was easier than to have it alternated between different rubber straps. You had to be a goddamn master at two-handed-screw-driver-wielding unless you didn’t want to ruin the screw heads. Luckily you can still purchase new pins from MKII. 

So we all know what this watch looks like but MKII hardly isn’t trying to hide that. It’s a homage to the classic Rolex Milsub 5517. From what I’ve tried and seen regarding other Milsub homages I think MKII have done theirs really well. It’s a modern watch with modern specifications and it also is a little bigger with its 42mm excl. crown.

Taken during a game of Yatzy. The helium escape valve visible.

Out pike fishing in August 2015.

This is the last MKII watch I’ve owned. But I actually think I have dropped the whole homage business. I still follow Bill’s new projects but out of the current line-up there is nothing that really gets me going. I would love it if MKII came up with an original design. If they would produce it with the same high quality as they always do they would have a killer product.  
 

Out on an early morning walk. I know I look stoned but I can assure you that I'm not. Just tired from no sleep.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 200 & 219 - Rolex Explorer II 16570

I got my first Explorer II 16570 in November 2013. Watch only. It was an A-series with the Swiss-only luminova dial and non-SEL bracelet. I actually hadn’t been a big fan of the Exp2 and it was mainly due to the red GMT-hand. I always visualized it to be orange just like on the original Explorer II 1655. My plan when I got the 16570 was actually to have the GMT-hand painted orange but instead I learned to like it. 

#200 - The Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570. The first picture I took after unwrapping it.

Essentials when taking a batch - Something to read, an ice cold beverage (in this case Chardonnay) and a waterproof watch.

In March 2014, three months after I sold the first one, I bought my second one. This was a P-series which means it had all the features I prefer; lug-holes, SEL and superluminova. Besides that it was a full set in pretty much NOS condition (except for a tiny mark on the bezel at 4 o’clock). This was the watch I traded my Jeager Le-Coultre Reverso Grand Taille for. I had somehow come to the conclusion that this was probably the best watch you could wear if you we’re going to be a one watch guy. My belief that this was right decision for me was so strong it made me give up my wedding watch. Well, the Reverso was never used anyway and I was sure that the Explorer could be used for everything. It ended up failing me on one point and one point only; it lacked a rotatable bezel. Jeeez… I will never be an OWG. There's always something...

The second one stayed with me for a couple of months though and got to witness some other activities than just the daily desk diving.

#219 - My second Explorer II.

Watch workshop. From left to right: Rolex Datejust 16013, Rolex Submariner 16610LV and my Explorer II. The 16610LV in the middle just received a black insert.

Captured during a walk around Djurgården in Stockholm, March 2014. Go Bears!

A rewarding beer later the same day.

Resting on top of my old Fender '62 Custom Telecaster.

Out pike fishing in the archipelago in mid-May 2014. I was so sick that day. The fever was killing me!

My first encounter with the Rubber B. Never liked it.

On my way to a business meeting.

Hanging out at my in-laws.

From left to right: Rolex GMT 16753 serti, Tissot Visodate and the Explorer.

We were later joined by a Breitling Superocean Heritage 42.

I never had any thoughts of ever getting an Explorer II with white dial. It wasn’t until I had sourced one for my mom and put it on my wrist when I realized how good it was. It actually looked much more interesting and eye-catching than the black one. I'll definitely borrow it from her many times!

Borrowing my mom's white dial Explorer II for a quick wrist shot.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 197 - Seiko SKX031

Wow, what a difference in quality compared to the classic SKX diver’s! Found this one cheap and when I learned that it actually had a screw down crown I just had to try it. It was something about the finish of the steel that made it feel just as cheap as the price it had been given. Also, it resembled a Submariner a little too much and just felt generic and impersonal.  I was quite disappointed. I don’t think I wore it more than at the time I tried it on my wrist. Flipped it quickly. 

Something just came to mind when I studied the pictures below. The dial looks blue! This wasn't something I remember considering when I had the watch. Perhaps it's just an effect affected by the light but maybe it could be a SKX033 that was given a new insert? I don't know. Anyhow, I bought it as a SKX031 and sold it as a SKX031 so let's just leave it at that.

#197 - The Seiko SKX031.

I just had a quick look at my upcoming posts and couldn’t find anything starting with SKX. Plenty of other Seiko watches though!

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 196 - Rolex Oysterquartz 17000

I just love quartz watches and the Oysterquartz had flown below my radar for a long time. In November 2013 when I found this one, before the Rolex price boom, the Oysterquartz was not very hyped. I was given the chance to trade one for my Breitling Aerospace UTC and I was even considering not to because I felt it might was a bad deal. How crazy is that? Anyhow, I went for the deal and the moment I put the watch on my wrist I knew I had done the right thing. For one it looked awesome but it also wore really well and the fact that I had traded a Breitling for a Rolex also felt satisfying. But that same night things changed. “WHAT THE HELL IS THAT TICKING SOUND?!” The movement was really loud. I even buried it in my sock drawer and I could still hear it! What the hell?! Even during office hours when I was surrounded by constant noise I could still hear it. It almost drove me insane. It just had to go. Despite its beautiful blue dial and fantastic design with the integrated bracelet, its looks alone just weren’t enough to make up for the ticking sound.

#196 - The Rolex Oysterquartz, ref. 17000.

I promised myself that I would never ever buy another Oysterquartz. One year later I had to redo the mistake just to confirm and to fully understand that the Oysterquartz wasn’t a watch for me. It's too bad they couldn't improve the Oysterquartz during all the years it was being manufactured. I know I'm not the only one out there being driven crazy by the sound it makes. If Rolex would announce an updated version of the Oysterquartz with the same design and the same size, but with an updated movement that holds up to the same quality as the Seiko 9F-movements for example, I wouldn't hesitate for a second.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 194 - Seiko SKXA53

Oh, so you thought we were done with the SKX’s? Haha, no way! No but seriously, don't worry, it’s just one or two left. At least so far...

The SKXA53, a.k.a. Black Bullet (who also has a sibling, the SKXA55, a.k.a. Orange Bullet), is also based on the same case and movement as its other SKX relatives. It also shares the same hands as the other SKX’s but this particular Bullet was modified with a new handset that matched the indexes of the dial much better. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to achieve such a huge difference. I honestly think this mod made it so much better than the original. I didn’t own this watch for very long and hardly used it so I haven’t really got much to write about it. The SKXA53 and 55 are far more unusual than the SKX007 and 009 but they cost pretty much the same. I would definitely go for one of the bullets if you like this Seiko style but just want something that is a little more uncommon. 

#194 - The Seiko SKXA53 a.k.a. Black Bullet. Modified with new hands.

Worn on the original Seiko jubilee bracelet which is fantastic.

I love this lume shot!

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 193 - Breitling Aerospace UTC

This is my favorite in the Aerospace series. I love the big lumed italic indexes. I managed to get a hold of one with the UTC module and gold riders on the bezel and besides that it was a full set. What a badboy! If I’m not mistaken I traded this one for my twotone Tudor chronograph, the 79273P. This version of the Aerospace was affordable back in 2013 and still is. Finding one around $1100-$1400 is not unusual and if you’re lucky you can even score one with the UTC module. God those modules are cool! It certainly catches attention. Everyone is like “Oh! What’s the meaning of that cute little watch?” Buying an Aerospace or an Emergency again without the UTC module (or Co-pilot) is a no go for me. I just have to have it.

#193 - The Breitling Aerospace, ref. F65362.

I think the functions in this version of the Aerospace compared to my old Repetition minutes were pretty much the same. I still haven’t had an Aerospace from the newer line but I definitely will someday. I really like the one with the so called tuxedo dial but the latest version, the PVD-version of the EVO night mission, is just insane. Especially with yellow dial. Sick! That one could easily become my new favorite. I have not changed my mind regarding the Aerospace. I still think it’s a superb and useful watch.

Waiting for Pizza.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 192 - Certina DS-3 1000m reissue

Just like many others obsessed by dive watches I’m a huge fan of Certina’s old DS-3 1000m diver. The reissue Certina made a couple of years ago was a big fail though. Who approved the indexes, the hand set, the mint green luminova, the design of the steel bracelet? The list goes on and on. There are just so many errors with this reissue. I mean, it still has its fantastic case and bezel so it really is impossible to discard it completely but those features are pretty much the only good things about it. No wonder half of the people who bought them went on to make some kind of modification.

Product image of the Certina DS-3 reissue (borrowed picture). Note that the green luminova have been edited to white. No wonder why...

In early October 2013 I was offered one, a full set, as a trade for my black Squale 50atm. I instinctively thought “hell no!” but then I started thinking. “What if…” A plan took form in my mind and I clicked home a new set of hands. That might not sound like a huge change but that was not the main modification. What I felt everyone had done as a mistake, when I browsed through all the modifications of the DS-3 that I could find, was that if they had kept the original dial they had completely forgot to match the luminova of the dial with the new hands they had installed. How can you overlook such an important  detail? I knew it was a hard task to accomplish considering they had such an odd shade of green and no aftermarket hands had the same color tone. No, what needed to be done was to modify the original dial and since I hadn't had any good luck with baking dials in the oven in the past, I figured it was time to bring out the old soy sauce.

Magnus in progress with applying soy sauce on the indexes of the dial.

#192 - The Certina DS-3 1000m reissue, ref. 633.7128.42.61.

Even after the soy sauce was applied it still had some luminous capacity left.

There was only one man fit for the job. Magnus of course! I explained to Magnus what I visualized and he did his best to try to recreate it. I wanted it to look old and rusty. The original hour and minute hand were to be replaced by sword hands while the original second hand got to stay. I had no regrets of ruining the original dial. I just felt I couldn’t look much worse than it already did. I must say I was very happy with the final result. It sure didn’t look like the original any longer. It looked how I wanted it - old and rusty!

Never wore it on the orignal bracelet or rubber. Mainly wore it on a classic black/gray nato.

I think I had it for about two months before I passed it on. It sold quite quickly. Last year I found it for sale when browsing through Watchrecon. It was impossible to miss. It was my old one. I wonder where it ended up. Hopefully someone is enjoying its new looks and appreciates it for what it is. 

Just before it was wrapped up and shipped off to its new owner.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.