Under $100 Dress Watch | Citizen Corso AO9000-06B

June 14, 2019 in Horology

I have for you a watch that I’ve only recently picked up but have been keeping an eye on for some time, this is the Citizen Corso AO9000-06B.

I first saw this watch a few months back but decided not to pull the trigger on it because I wasn’t in the market for such a watch. But, this piece recently went on sale for $81.99 and at the price, I just had to pick it up. That being said, the price of this watch is constantly changing. If you’re interested in this timepiece, check this link to get the most up to date pricing.

Upon first impressions, this is a very typical and straightforward watch. This piece features a 42mm stainless steel case and a silver tone dial. To contrast the dial are black Arabic numerals and blue hands. Siting at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions are two sub-dials which indicated the day and date. This particular watch comes on a black alligator print leather strap but if this color-way doesn’t suit you, there is a rose gold version with a black dial and brown leather strap.

This watch features the Citizen 8635 movement. I’m not going to lie, I have no frame of reference for this movement. This is actually the first Citizen watch that I’ve ever purchased. That being said, Citizen is an absolute powerhouse and is known for making quality quartz movements, even in a low end watch like this. I have no doubts that this watch will last for years to come.

One thing that I do appreciate about this particular movement is the inclusion of Citizen’s Eco-Drive. To keep it simple, this is essentially Citizen’s proprietary light-powered watch technology. This just means that the watch is able to generate power by converting light into energy, whether it’s natural or artificial. Citizen’s Eco-Drive advertising is “A watch that never needs a battery.” That is not completely true because there is a battery in this thing and the battery will eventually die even with the Eco-Drive but we are talking years and years.

With this watch, there are a few things that can possibly be considered as negatives. First, Citizen only advertises that this watch is “Splash Resistant”. They don’t even both to put a meter rating. This likely means that you should not get this watch near water. Sure, the occasional splash from washing your hands will be fine, but this should not be something that you swim with. I don’t consider this to outright be a negative because this watch is in no way advertised for any real physical activity. Just looking at it, it is obvious that this is meant to be a dress watch. A watch that’s slim, minimal and will look good with a dress shirt and suit. Wanting to dive with it would be asking more than it’s purpose.

The second possible negative would be the use of a mineral crystal. For watches, the standard for the crystal is of course sapphire. Sapphire is among the hardest materials and is extremely scratch resistant, second only to diamond. This just means that a mineral crystal is not as good. I find that this is a valid concern, but one hard to make considering the price of the watch. Strictly speaking for myself, because this is a relatively cheap watch, it will likely take some abuse. This is a watch that I’m more inclined to wear on days where I’m doing physical activities. Activities that may damage a watch and scratch the crystal. This is simply because of the price. If I were to damage a watch, I would rather damage a watch that cost me $82 than one that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Even though I don’t want it to damage, I think subconsciously I’ll be a bit more careless with it. Because of this, I would’ve definitely preferred a sapphire but again, I can’t really complain considering how relatively cheap this watch is.

With a quartz watch, it’s somewhat difficult to say that a particular piece is of good value because quartz watches can be had for so little. That just means that the value is in the eye of the beholder. For me, this watch is absolutely worth it. It’s very elegant and, in my opinion, looks like it costs more than it actually does. If you’re looking for a simple dress watch under $100, I think that you should seriously consider this timepiece.

Under $100 Dress Watch | Citizen Corso AO9000-06B.jpg

If you're considering on buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.

Citizen AO9000-06B Stainless Steel Watch https://amzn.to/2WsZLic

Citizen AO9003-08E Rose Gold Watch https://amzn.to/2WE8rXR

Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Stainless Steel Casual Watch with Day/Date, AO9000-06B Buy on Amazon

Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Rose-Gold Stainless Steel Watch with Day/Date, AO9003-08E Buy on Amazon

Want to support my work?

Consider visiting the shop and buying "Absolutely Nothing"

https://www.TheUpperLeftUSA.com/shop/absolutely-nothing

Become a Patron!

https://www.patreon.com/HaiHoangTran

BluShark AlphaPremier NATO Straps

June 10, 2019 in Horology

NATO straps have come to be known as a cheap alternative watch band. It’s now something that you can buy multiple of without worrying too much about the price. To achieve this, most companies that sell NATO straps stick around the $15 per strap price range or cheaper. For me personally, this is a price that I’m comfortable with and allows me to essentially buy a different strap for every day of the week. BluShark, however, has moved away from this by introducing their AlphaPremier collection which costs about $36 per strap. The question is, is it worth it?

First, let’s take a look at the materials of the strap. The BluShark website claims that the AlphaPremier collection combines the best features of all BluShark collections to create their highest quality nylon strap to date. To me, this is the main reason for buying the AlphaPremier. You are paying for the upgraded, more premium nylon. For me personally, the AlphaPremier provides the best, most comfortable feel of all my NATO straps and that’s attributed to this nylon. There is a stark, night and day difference between this material and that on my other straps. In terms of the comfort of the nylon, I have no other NATO straps that even comes close to the AlphaPremier. As you can see, the nylon weave is extremely tight and this helps the strap to be very smooth. This very much so feels like a seat belt, in terms of smoothness, but it’s softer. You can easily glide your fingers across the surface and not make out the individual threads. This is in contrast to the cheaper and more traditional nylon featured on other NATO straps, where you can feel the individual ridges of the strap.

The strap itself measures in at 11.4 inches in length and 1.2mm thick. In terms of dimensions, this is just a slight bit shorter and thinner than what I’m used to but that’s not a bad thing. On my 6 3/4 inch wrist, I find that the length provides plenty of room for adjustment and still enough of a tag end to tuck the excess without it looking weird. As far as the thinness, I would say that I’ve not even noticed it but that’s because I typically wear a NATO strap that’s 1.25mm in thickness. That’s a .05mm difference so very minimal and almost indistinguishable. However, if you’re used to a thicker strap, switching to the AlphaPremier may be a big advantage because the thinner straps do add to the comfort over time.

When it comes to the nylon, for me, it is important for the strap to be reinforced in the areas that have been cut and are exposed. This means at the sizing holes and at the tail corner. If these locations are not reinforced, over time and with normal use, these areas will begin to fray and this is likely the biggest reason for needing a new strap. It may be difficult to see, but the AlphaPremier does feature these reinforcements. All of the holes are stiff and so is the tail where the material has been cut. This should help to prevent these areas from getting any fraying and help the strap last longer.

In terms of hardware, the AlphaPremier is held together by what BluShark calls premium stainless steel. What I appreciate about the hardware is that BluShark allows buyers to have the choice of either a premium polished or premium brushed finish. This allows the buyers to match the straps to their watch case on another level. This option is something that I’ve only seen a few brands offer and only with BluShark when it comes to NATO straps. This is something that I really appreciate and definitely took advantage of just to make things match that much better.

Another thing to note about the hardware is that with some of the BluShark NATOS, one of the keeper is left unstitched and this allows it to slide freely. This is implemented for a more practical design. When you wear the strap, the floating keeper allows you more easily lock the excess strap end down. With straps that stitch all of the keeps down, you sometimes run into the issue of just having the excess strap hang. This is such a minor thing but can make a big difference in use.

Lastly, I’d like to talk about the shape of the keepers themselves. As you can see, these keepers are actually thicker and more squared off than what you get with the typical NATO strap. I personally do not like the thinner circular keepers. Because of their size and shape, they tend to fall over and rest against the strap. This means that when you want to use them, you’ll have to manually lift them up and that just wastes time. BluShark’s thicker, more squared off keepers, on the other hand, never fall over. They’re always upright and ready to go. Again, this is a minor detail but adds to the overall value of the product. To me, this is what the AlphaPremier collection from BluShark is all about, little refinements that actually add up to create something that may not have even realized that you needed.

At the beginning of this blog I asked if the BluShark AlphaPremier is worth the $36 per strap. Well, that’s kind of hard to say because it is kind of hard to justify spending more than double what you would with a competitor, but most competitors are not going to provide you with the quality and little refinements that BluShark AlphaPremier does. In this sense, the AlphaPremier is in a league of its own. It’s doing something that most other companies are not offering. If you want the choice between premium polished or premium brushed keepers, a floating keeper or squared off keepers, you should definitely be looking at BluShark. But to be realistic, BluShark does offer a few other collections that feature these things but at a lower price. The main thing that you are paying for with the AlphaPremier is the upgraded more premium nylon. You have to ask yourself if the highest level of comfort is important to you. If it is, the BluShark AlphaPremier is absolutely worth the money.

BluShark was kind enough to send me 3 AlphaPremier straps for review. I’m not obligated to say anything about the product. My opinions are my own and they are how I truly feel about the product.

https://www.blusharkstraps.com/

BluShark Nato Straps https://amzn.to/2H9JmuN

BluShark AlphaPremier Ultra Luxury Straps https://www.blusharkstraps.com/collections/alphapremier

AlphaShark by BluShark - 22mm Luxury Seat Belt Nylon Watch Strap - 22mm Bond Black and Gray Buy on Amazon

BluShark - The Original Premium Nylon Watch Strap - Multiple Sizes and Styles - 22mm James Bond (Black/Gray) Buy on Amazon

Want to support my work?

Consider visiting the shop and buying "Absolutely Nothing"

https://www.TheUpperLeftUSA.com/shop/absolutely-nothing

Become a Patron!

https://www.patreon.com/HaiHoangTran

How I planned to photograph the Wreck of the Peter Iredale

June 03, 2019 in Photography, Travel

As you can see by the linked video above, I recently went and tried to photograph the Peter Iredale shipwreck in Warrenton, Oregon. This was a planned spontaneous trip. That’s completely contradictory but let me explain. I had a 3 day window to make this trip happened so in that sense, the trip was planned. Other than that, I had no idea when I was actually going to go because there were specific conditions that I was looking forward to photographing. In this blog, I’ll lay out the things that I considered and maybe that’ll help you out on your own adventure.

When it comes to timing my photography, the attached screenshot pretty much says it all. Tide schedule, sunrise/sunset times and cloud coverage. These are the 3 most important environmental factors that I consider when doing landscape photography. Realistically, the tides only come into play in some scenarios because they only have a big effect when photographing near large bodies of water. The other 2, are hypercritical. Nevertheless, I’ll cover all 3 factors and how they effect my photography.

First, the tides. Again, this is only something to consider when photographing near large bodies of water. Since the Peter Iredale sits on a beach right next to the Pacific Ocean, the tides can have some drastic effects on the composition. For this location, I knew that I wanted a composition with high tide. I’ve seen photos of the Peter Iredale in low tide and it’s not exactly the prettiest site. The Peter Iredale has been shipwrecked for over 100 years. Spending all that time in salt water did not treat the ship well. It is completely rusted over and there is very little left of it. In low tide, I think it just looks like large scrape metal siting in the sand. However, the rising tide really provides a whole new prospective to the subject. The tides provide a surface for reflections and adds some movement to the scene. It just makes the entire location so much more interesting. Because of this, I had to make sure that I was photographing near one of the high tide times, 11:16AM or 10:48PM.

Next, I had to align the high tide times with sunrise or sunset. This should be obvious. Most photographers would say that the best light is going to be around sunrise and sunset. These times provide that soft light that just seems to make any subject look better and, of course, once in awhile we get some fantastical colors that can really only be seen around these times. I typically am a sunrise shooter and never go at sunset unless I’m already at the location. If it’s a planned trip, I almost always go at sunrise. This is simply because there are going to be much less people around. At sunset, most people are going to be awake and exploring. This just means that tourist attractions like the Peter Iredale are going to be flooded with people. People who will walk into the composition and interrupt my work. I’d rather just avoid this and go at sunrise when very few people are going to be interested enough in anything to actually make the effort of waking up that early. However, to me, the Peter Iredale is a sunset location. If you track the sun movement pattern at this location, you will see that the sun rises over land and sets over the ocean. Considering that I’m looking for high tide, it’s going to be much easier to stand on land, shooting sunset over the ocean than standing in the ocean and shooting sunrise over land. It’s also important to note that most of the crazy colors that we see during sunrise/sunset is going to be near the sun. So in this case, it just makes sense to go at sunset because the sun and possible crazy sunset colors will be over the ocean, which happens to be the direction that I was photographing to capture the high tide. See? It all comes together.

Lastly, cloud coverage. Clouds contribute to the overall lighting but most importantly on this shoot, sunset conditions. Getting those fantastic sunrise/sunsets are tricky. The conditions have to be just right or you’ll just get the very typical yellow sunrise/sunset. A big determiner is the cloud coverage. There’s a lot that goes into this so I’ll try to make it as simple and straight forward as possible. There are various types of clouds and they sit in different sections of the sky. Some clouds offer a better chance of a great sunrise/sunset than others. For the sake of simplicity, let’s just consider that there are low, medium and high clouds. Low clouds are generally bad for sunrise/sunsets. Low clouds are low in the sky and sit near the horizon. This is also where the sun rises and sets. So if there is a lot of low clouds, the sun will be blocked and there will be no fantastic sunrise/sunset. Ideally, we want medium and high clouds but there is a thing as having too little or too much of any. On the day that I photographed the Peter Iredale, there were no medium or high clouds, just a lot of low clouds. Believe it or not, this was actually the most favorable forecast for the days that I could go. On other days, there was predicted 100% low cloud coverage so I knew that there was no chance of a sunset. Still, predicted 88% low cloud coverage isn’t ideal and that really effected my images negatively.

And that’s just about everything that I considered in terms of atmospheric conditions for this shoot. The things that I’ve laid out can effect most outdoor photography situations so it’s helpful to understand them. Next time you go out, take some time to look at the various condition forecasts. Take note of what they are and how they effected your photography. After some time, you’ll be able to understand what everything means and what to look for. All of that being said, it’s more important to just get out and shoot. Get the practice in. Don’t get caught up in planning for the best conditions and prevent yourself from going out on a possibly bad condition day. Remember that the forecasts are largely predictions and estimates. Conditions constantly change. You never know when that crazy sunrise/sunset is going to happen. So get out as much as possible.

Want to support my work?

Consider visiting the shop and buying "Absolutely Nothing"

https://www.TheUpperLeftUSA.com/shop/absolutely-nothing

Become a Patron!

https://www.patreon.com/HaiHoangTran

Seiko SRPB99 Samurai Padi Special Edition | First Impressions

May 15, 2019 in Horology

I just recently purchased the Seiko SRPB99 Samurai PADI Special Edition and because I haven’t had it long enough for a proper review, I decided to record a first impressions video for the watch.

In this video, I shared some of the key features of the watch and some of my opinions of it.

If you’re interested in picking this watch up for yourself, check out Mimo’s Jewlery and use the code “Seik35” for 35% off watches in the Seiko Prospex line. I’m not an affiliate of Mimo’s nor am I getting any kickback from you using the code. I purchased this watch with my own money and can say whatever I want about it. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due because I had a good buying experience with this dealer.

This watch is also available on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Vpyywl.

Seiko Men's Prospex Special PADI Edition Samurai Black Dial Stainless Steel Bracelet Watch - Model: SRPB99 Buy on Amazon

Want to support my work?

Consider visiting the shop and buying "Absolutely Nothing"

https://www.TheUpperLeftUSA.com/shop/absolutely-nothing

Become a Patron!

https://www.patreon.com/HaiHoangTran

Seiko SKX009J

May 10, 2019 in Horology

I’m the type of person that prefers to wear a watch as much as possible. I have a few different watches but few that I’m willing to wear extensively because of their value and meaning to me. Over the past few years, I’ve ended up just wearing G-Shocks on most occasions because they’re extremely rugged, can take a beating and keep going. G-Shocks function perfectly for my needs but they don’t appeal to me aesthetically. I prefer analog mechanical watches. Well, I’ve finally decided to pick up a cheap mechanical watch that I can use, possibly damage and not have to worry too much about. After some searching, I’ve settled on the Seiko SKX. My particular SKX is the SKX009J with the Pepsi bezel and being made in Japan but I think that everything that I say in this blog will be pertinent to all other SKX007 and SKX009s.

I’ve had this watch for some time now and I’ve been siting on making a review because what else is there to say about this watch? The SKX line is iconic and extremely popular so there are plenty of other people who have covered this piece. So, I just want to share with you some of the key features and how they have effected my experience with this watch.

The SKX features the Seiko 7S26 automatic movement with day and date display. This is an old but tried and true movement for Seiko. It is reliable and has been known to last a long time without the need for service. That being said, this movement is dated.

First off, the 7S26 lacks hacking. This means that when the crown is pulled out for adjustments, the second hand keeps moving. This is not a deal breaker but is an annoyance, especially for someone like me who tries to sync the time as precisely as possible. The seconds being off is just one of things that sits in the back of my head, but I can get over it. You can of course do something known as back hacking which essentially is forcing the movement to stop, which in turn stops the second hand. I personally choose not to do this just to possibly stretch the life of the movement out for as long as possible.

The second annoyance with this movement is its lack of a hand winding feature. This means that when the movement stops, you essentially have to shake the watch in order to get the rotor to wind the movement up and get everything moving. Again, this is not a deal breaker, just a minor annoyance. In use, my only complaint with this would be that it is difficult if not impossible to know how wound up the movement is. Because there is no way to measure the power reserve, you’ll have no idea how long you can let the watch sit still for. This makes it difficult for people with sedentary lifestyles to keep the watch constantly running. You’ll just have to get experience with the watch and get a feel for how much movement you need to keep the watch wound and ready to go.

However, I will give it up to Seiko because the winding mechanism of this movement is very efficient. If the movement stops, it seems like just by picking the watch up, it starts back up. The first time that I picked this watch up, the movement has stopped. I shook the watch three time and the movement came alive. I decided to put the watch down just to see how far three shakes can get me. The watch ran for over an hour before I got bored and gave up on trying to keep track of it. This is my first non hand winding movement so I can’t say if this is a little or a lot but I’m personally amazed. The 7S26 gave a lot of output for so little input. In short, it takes very little effort to get the movement going. Because of this, if you wear this watch often or you move your arms around a lot while wearing it, the movement should be wound up pretty well and you won’t have to worry too much about the power reserve.

In terms of design, the SKX features Seiko’s proprietary Hardlex mineral for the front display. This is a point of complaint for many people as a sapphire display would’ve been more desirable. Sapphire is a harder crystal so it is less prone to scratches. I personally would’ve preferred sapphire crystal, but what am I going to do? It is what it is. I would say that in my use, I haven’t had a problem with the Hardlex display. This isn’t a watch that I baby, but it isn’t something that I go out and try to abuse. I just wear it for everyday purposes wether that’s for yard work, fishing, or whatever. I haven’t gotten any scratches yet, but it’s probably just a matter of time. For me, watches are just one of those things that I know will get some damage if I wear it all the time and the probability of scratches is just higher with hardlex than with sapphire. That’s a fact. But who knows, only time will tell. If this is a big determiner for you, just hold on because we’ll get back to this.

Being that this is a dive watch, the SKX also features a uni-directional 120 click rotating bezel, water resistance of 200 meters and a large screw down crown. The crown of the SKX is notable because it happens to be offset at the 4 o’clock position. This was a feature that I was really looking forward to trying out because I’ve always complained about the crown being at 3 o’clock. Again, I like to wear a watch pretty much all the time and that includes in the gym. Well, if you’re lifting weights and doing certain pushing exercises, your wrists will likely be fully articulated and bent back. When this happens, I find that the 3 o’clock crown often gets jammed into the top of my hand making it uncomfortable, painful and can be detrimental to my lifts. I, of course, can loosen the strap and back the watch off, which is what I do, but I don’t want to have to take this extra step. I don’t want to have to adjust my watch every time that I go to the gym and I just don’t like to wear a loose watch in general. From my experience, the 4 o’clock crown reduces this problem but doesn’t solve it. There are still times when the crown will get jammed in the top of my hand and cause discomfort. I guess the next step is to try a watch with the crown on the left side of the case.

The SKX’s dial features Lumibrite treated hands and markers. Lumibrite has come to be known for being highly luminous and I would agree with this. Everything glows extremely bright. When I wear this watch to bed and want to check the time in the middle of the night, everything is legible and I really appreciate that. If you actually intend to dive with this watch and give the Lumibrite adequate time to charge, I think that you’ll be satisfied with what you get.

One thing that I’d like to point out that not too many people mention is the day display of this movement, which features dual languages. Prior to purchase, I found out that not only are there SKXs of different size, color, band type and country of origin, but there are SKXs that feature a different language for the second language. If I’m correct, all SKXs feature English, but for the second language, I know that there is a possibility for French, Spanish, and of course Arabic. I’ve seen posts on the internet saying that versions with Japanese Kanji and Roman Numerals also exist and I’ve seen Google images of these, but I’m not sure if these are factory or modified SKXs. Nothing against French or Spanish, but I really wanted the Arabic version. This just makes the watch that bit more unique, different and cooler to me. The second language is typically randomly distributed and usually based on where the dealer that you bought the watch from is located. Say you’re in buying this watch from a dealer in France, your chances of getting a French second language is going to be pretty high. Some dealers just get a mix of everything. If this is so, you can make a request and maybe they can accommodate for your needs. I got lucky. I knew that I wanted Arabic but didn’t even bother to ask and just left it up to chance. I figured that I’d end up with Spanish since I’m in the US, but I opened up the box and the Arabic day was already displayed. At that point, I knew that it was fate. I was meant to own this watch and I couldn’t be happier.

If I had to complain about the SKX009J, it would have to be with the strap and spring bars. Let’s first start with the strap. This complaint is going to be for those who are interested in any SKX that comes with the rubber strap. I personally found this strap to be very rigged. Even after a few days of use, it didn’t seem to conform or become any more pliable. Coming from a regular G-Shock wearer, I just don’t like how this SKX rubber strap feels and I took it off pretty quickly. This leads me to the next complaint. In trying to remove the rubber strap, I found that it was much more difficult to remove the SKX spring bars than any other watch. This is because the SKX’s spring bars do not have the typical shoulders that you would hook the spring bar tool’s fork end into. It is essentially flat metal on metal contact. I found that I had to just force the spring bar tool in between the spring bar and watch case. It didn’t help at all that the original rubber strap is very thick and essentially fits in between the lugs from edge to edge. There is almost no extra room so it’s like you’re just working in the dark. You just have to jam the spring bar tool in there and wiggle it around. If the spring bars come off, that’s great. If not, you just have to keep doing it until it does. All of this is just a recipe for disaster and in my opinion, guaranteed damage to the watch case. If you want my advice, remove the strap and spring bars from the back of the watch. That way if there is any damage, at least it’ll be hidden. One up side to this is that the stock Seiko spring bars are extremely thick and robust. I have spare spring bars that I planned on installing in the watch but I didn’t realize how flimsy they were compared to the Seiko spring bars. I ended up just putting the Seiko spring bars back on the watch and this has now become a permanent NATO strap watch because I can switch those straps without needing to remove the spring bars.

So that in a nutshell, this is the Seiko SKX. At first, I was attracted to this watch purely for its aesthetic. I just love this Pepsi Bezel and knew that I wanted to add it to my collection. It’s just a bonus that it provided me with what I was looking for, a cheap automatic watch that I can wear, possibly beat up and not have to worry about too much. At around $250, I think that the SKX fits the bill perfectly. This watch provides the essentials and that’s about it. It’s a low frills watch. I have to be honest, this isn’t even the best watch that you can get for the money. There are other watches that feature hacking, hand winding, and a sapphire display at a similar if not lower price than this watch, but I believe that those who want an SKX are partially buying into the legend of the SKX. Like I said earlier, the SKX is iconic. It has a history. It’s extremely popular, sought after and is able to bring the hype even though it’s a relatively cheap and super mass produced item. The SKX itself has a certain prestige that not many other watches have and that alone is priceless. And at the end of the day, if you really need those things that the SKX lacks, you can just buy it and retrofit it. The SKX has so many aftermarket parts and such a large custom community that you can essentially make this watch look like and do anything that you want. If you don’t want to do the work yourself, there are plenty of people out there selling custom SKXs, so the sky is the limit. Me personally, I like this watch as is and I’m just going to stick with the SKX009J for as long as possible.