A parcel arrived from Japan today. It’s the G-Shock GW-M5600BC (or officially known as “Multi-Band 5 Tough Solar G-Shock GW-M5600BC-1JF” by Casio) I ordered online a couple of days ago.
If you’re a fan of G-Shock, you’d notice the ‘5600’ as part of the model name means it’s a variation and/or has the dimension of the legendary DW-5600 (or DW-5000). If you’re in your mid 30’s like me and had served the National Service in the army, you’d remember that plain squarish yet tough G-Shock that survived those rugged jungle trainings.
This one was made from the same design DNA as the classic DW-5600 but is packed with some of the latest technology you can squeeze into such a small lil thing. It’s solar powered and rechargeable. The solar panels are on the face under the crystal… barely visible in certain angles with the purplish tint like all solar panels. It has 5 bands atomic time signal reception capability for automatic time calibration, which is (honestly) useless when used in Singapore. The only places in the world where Casio broadcast the atomic time frequencies are in Japan, China, Europe and USA. The closest place I can probably receive a signal is in Hong Kong. The time function I’d probably enjoy is the multi-regional function where I can easily switch to any of the 29 different time zones when I travel anywhere around the world
Cosmetically, the GW-M5600 looks better than the classic DW version IMO. Black on black has always been my kind of color tones, so minus the usual G-Shock markings in white and grey, the whole watch is black… even the black back-lid EL digital display. Instead of the regular resin band with steel buckle, this particular version has a black resin bracelet with black ionized steel mid-links. You may think the steel mid-links will make the watch a whole lot heavier but it’s not. It’s still lighter than the DW-6900 I have. Very comfortable!
Another feature that I really find useful about this version is the automatic EL illumination function, which allows me to illuminate the display by a simple 40 degrees tilt back and forth of my wrist. Now I don’t have to press the button for the 1-second illumination like I used to with the older DW-series. Wish I had this function during my NS. :/
Overall, I LOVE this watch! It’s a comfortable size, being slightly larger than the Sea-Dweller I’m used to wearing but a lot lighter. With my recent craze over the BR-02, I find my wrist suddenly relieved of a lot of weight with the GW-M5600. It’s definitely going to be my daily wear for a while, especially when my intention of going back to G-Shock was to prevent scratching delicate Nita when handling her, which will definitely happen with my other watches.
Just found this on the net today. It’s a collaborated creation of an upcoming Japanese brand Victim with New Balance on the H574, a variation of the iconic 574. It’s basically a hi-cut 574 made to look like a pair of boots, complete with premium brown leather and suede laces.
No, it’s not the machine that helps run your heart. This is actually a pocket-size DJ system developed by Tonium.
The device has a 120 Gb hard drive, multiple file format support (MP3, AAC, WMA, WMA Lossless, WAV, VBR and Ogg format), an SNR of 103, and many basic DJ audio tools. The DJ tools include a Line out Crossfader, a Headphones Crossfader, Bend, Pitch, DJ Pause, Cue, Loop, EQ, Filter, Sound FX, Headphone Jack, Line out jack and a USB 2.0 connector. Any mix that is created can be saved and legally shared with the rest of the world.
I’m not a DJ and I don’t have the mean to invest on a full deck set. If the functionalities are as feasible as featured in the tutorials on Pacemaker’s official website, this will be a great alternative for DJ-wannabe n00bs like me.
It’s important to note that the Pacemaker is not meant to replace the conventional bulkier vinyl/CD DJ equipments. It is designed to mimic the functionalities of the professional equipments in a miniature scale so you can test/trial your ideas on the go without being restrained on the location of your DJ equipments.
Sometimes I wonder what crazy ideas desperation can bring…
This watch you’re looking at is not a mere exhibition piece, it’s actually launched and sold at the Baselworld 2008. Here’s a short history of this unusual piece:
In 2007, Lot 211 sold for SFr 64,900 (commission included) at the Omegamania Auction. It was listed as
I’d always loved Japanese chocolate. When I was stationed in Japan four years ago, I tried many different brands other than Meiji… Royce was one of them. Yesterday, Sunsun found a box here at Ngee Ann City. RejOYCE!!!
The packaging is top class. Compared to Godiva, this kind of premium food is definitely worth every cent. It comes in 3 layers of packaging. There’s an silver outer packaging with a dry ice pack outside the box, a plastic wrap inside with another clear plastic tray with lid.
Mmm… I can almost smell the cocoa from here.
Notice the thick layer of soft chocolate
Yikes! Annie’s nose was so quick, she managed to get the first bite before I could…
Following the aestheticism of fine watches and jewellery, mobile phones are the next carry-on belonging we have today that are treated with luxurious touches. TAG Heuer is no newcomer in such aestheticism.
TAG Heuer has announced the release Meridiist at the end of last year. Developed with a French company Modelabs, the Meridiist is ready to hit the luxurious fashion phone market with this Vertu lookalike.
Swiss engineered and hand assembled from 430 components, the Meridiist is constructed with corrosion-resistant, watch-making 316L steel and unscratchable 60.5 carats sapphire crystal dual displays. It is packed with a 1.9” QVGA main screen, monochrome OLED on its outer rim, 2-megapixel camera, MP3/AAC/MPEG-4 playback, Bluetooth, with 28 days power reserve and 7 hours of talktime, and can do only GSM/GPRS. Not exactly the technical specs of a high end phone, the real costs of the handset come from the design, the refined 316L grade steel, scratch-proof sapphire crystal, and the customization with exotic skin/leather of various colors.
If you’re still unfamiliar with the new C1 range by Concord that made its debut last year, it’s a 44mm case on a very rugged looking steel-on-rubber bezel frame, a 3.3 mm thick sapphire crystal and a crown of rubber, composite and steel. The other signature of C1 is the dials made of carbon fiber and machined metal with sunken applied hour-markers filled with luminescent material.
The C1 Tourbillon Gravity is the latest addition in 2008, enhanced with a tourbillon housed outside the dial and outside the case, which is a revolutionary perpendicular mechanical concept. This unconventional position of the tourbillon enables it to serve its initial function: to negate the effects of gravity in a vertical position.
By Wikipedia, a tourbillon is defined as:
... is a type of mechanical clock or watch escapement invented in 1795 by Abraham-Louis Breguet that is designed to counter the effects of gravity and other perturbing forces that can affect the accuracy of a timepiece. This is accomplished by mounting the escapement in a rotating frame, so that the effect of gravity cancels out when the escapement is rotated 180
