It may come as a shock to learn that over the Christmas break just about everything shuts down for a few weeks for those of you situated outside of Australia,. This does include Time + Tide HQ, but that didn’t prevent me from getting out and about in the summer heat, to do what I do best.
I met with Dan accidentally, who was over from Singapore and spending his Christmas break here in Melbourne. He had some travel companions, but this particular Grand Seiko stood out to me, and Dan especially loves the creamy domed dial on this specific reference. On the wrist, the size felt fantastic, and the ‘rice bead bracelet’ was exceptionally comfortable. 
As December drew to a close, I spotted this amazing replica watches, which was in phenomenal condition after just coming back from a service. The owner purchased this piece years ago, after falling in love with the patina. After then, prices were obviously much lower, and a service was uneconomical and hard to justify. I know what you’re thinking — but he’s got no plans to let go of this piece anytime soon, and I can understand why.
I caught up with my mate Dane to see his latest acquisition as we entered the new year, one he’d spent a good part of 2017 tracking down. Now, gold Day-Dates aren’t particularly rare; however, Dane was after a rather particular configuration. As the ref 1803 doesn’t have a fastest date feature, he wanted a non-English date wheel, so that it wouldn’t bother him. Dane was also after a linen dial, and, certainly, the condition was paramount — so he was willing to wait it out for a good example. Lucky for him, he hit the jackpot and welcomed this piece to round off 2017.
Though, this is a piece you don’t see every day — an Enicar Digital Display replica watch, which belonged to a long-time family friend, Mike. Mike was given this fake watch in the ’70s, after lusting after a digital watch, which was all the rage among the kids at the time but just too expensive. This was Enicar’s answer — a mechanical watch, designed to display the time in a digital format. He’s loved this watch ever since, and it’s looking fantastic after coming back from a service. Cleaned up and keeping good time, Mike’s enjoying being able to wear his childhood watch once again.