Globally, around 62 billion coffee pods are used every day – and Nespresso has continuously made efforts to make recycling their pods easier. For the Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin, the case contains recycled aluminium, of which 28% are used Nespresso coffee pods. The aluminium is then anodised to a vibrant green colour that echoes Nespresso’s Master Origins Peru Organic capsule.

The crown and chronograph pushers also undergo the same treatment as the case, of anodisation, satin-finishing and polishing.

The straps included with the watch also incorporate coffee elements into them, and are easily interchangeable with Hublot’s unique One-Click system – the rubber strap fuses 8.2% recycled white rubber and 4.1% coffee grounds together with the usual Hublot blend that further upcycles these once unwanted materials.

Furthermore, the fabric strap is from one of Nespresso’s partners, SingTex, that produces a 100% recycled fabric that is 95% recycled polyester and 5% coffee grounds. Working together with Nespresso, the external elements of this watch are proof positive that upcycling materials can lead to massive increases in value when they are properly processed and worked.

The Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin measures in at 42mm with its verdant recycled anodised aluminium case. The colour itself is a remarkable achievement, with 7 different materials in this bright green colouration, requiring a year of research and development to ensure that they stand the test of time.

The skeletonised dial allows for a dive into the movement mechanics allowing a look into the chronograph mechanism that is positioned dial-side for an on-the-wrist look at the operation of this complication. The dial is also colour matching with the case, further accentuating the eco-friendliness of the watch. A running seconds subdial resides at 9 o’clock, and the 60 minutes counter is positioned at 3 o’clock, which is enlarged for better legibility, and also incorporates the date window. The hands, and markers are also contrasted in white for ease of reading. 

Powering the watch is the HUB1280, a manufacture movement by Hublot that was designed to be more reliable and fit smaller cases with ease. The movement features a 72 hour power reserve, and is automatically wound. 

The 200-piece limited edition will be delivered in the new Hublot Greenbox, that will be used for all watch collections in the future. Featuring an all-wood construction, including its hinges, in traceable wood, along with an interior that is 98% recycled materials, the brand has not only pushed the limits of what can be recycled, but how it should be packaged as well. In the case of this Hublot and Nespresso collaboration, the box features the two brands’ logos that are affixed using coffee grounds. 

Hublot and Nespresso have proven to all of us that recycled materials do indeed have a place in luxury watchmaking, and that materials destined for landfill can be upcycled to create more value in the supply chain. No matter your feelings about Hublot and their approach to watchmaking, it cannot be denied that this is a great achievement in the world of sustainability – a truly “green” watch that paves the way for other brands to be just as environmentally conscious as they are.

How does this work? See below:

Like earlier versions of the watch, the Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton features a 45mm all-black DLC titanium case, making it large but lightweight. Whereas previously the bezel was affixed to the case, the bezel, along with the crown ring and strap, inspired by the pit stops in motorsport, can be changed using one of three kits, offered in Pirelli’s red, white and blue shades – with each colour available in a limited edition of 88 sets.

The partially fluted black bezel can be easily detached from the case by turning it in a counterclockwise direction while reversing the motion secures it in place with a reassuring click. To further distinguish the watch from earlier editions, the bezel echoes the design of Pirelli’s P.Zero colour-coded tires with outsized numerals at the half-hour marks and coloured inserts at the interims, lending it an even more distinctive look. The straps are still made from Pirelli’s race-winning tires, and the rest of the watch is identical to the earlier versions.

The openworked dial features a double-layered flange with screw-like hour indexes while the hands are made of PVD-coated white gold and filled with SuperLuminova for greater legibility. The dial bears the skeletonised automatic cal. RD820SQ, which incorporates a micro-rotor and offers a power reserve of 60 hours.

The entire transmission system from the automatic winding wheels to the barrel to the motion works, gear train and balance are laid bare, giving the dial a great deal of detail. The base plate as well as bridges including the star-shaped barrel bridge are covered in perlage, which further emphasises its architecture. In fact, the refined, hand-applied finishing on the movement allows it to carry the prestigious Geneva Seal, making it one of the few contemporarily styled watches on the market to bear the hallmark.

With Rolex professional models commanding a premium in the pre-owned market way above the retail price, it’s no surprise that reports of all sorts of shenanigans have taken place. You might have heard stories of Authorized Dealers (AD’s) selling out the back door to pre-owned dealers for instant profit, or wealthy VIP customers buying undesirable watches to get the hot models to be flipped for profit. I’ve even heard of and from scores of regular punters putting their name on the waiting list with the intention to flip the watch for profit if their name comes up. 

These are all things we’ve heard happening and are difficult to verify for the most part, since these dealings are usually done in the shadows, but there are enough stories to suggest that it is mostly true, which leaves the typical watch lover who wants to buy a Rolex sports model like the Submariner, Daytona, GMT Master 2 and Explorer 2 in a bit of a bind, since the love of the watch might give way to the temptation of using one’s current or potential Rolex as a way to make some money. 

Why you probably shouldn’t try to make money with Rolex. 

1. The Bid Ask spread means profits are limited

When there is a market and there are dealers involved, there are usually two prices to take note of, which in financial market parlance is the Bid and the Ask. The Bid is the higher price which is what a dealer will sell to you at, and the Ask is the lower price that a dealer will buy it from you. Where the dealer makes his profit is in the spread or difference between the two. 

If this is difficult to understand, think of when you needed to change money and were confronted with exchange rates with two numbers side by side. You would normally change money at the rate that is disadvantageous to you. 

It’s the same when you want to sell your watch to a dealer. They are in business to make money and they have overheads to take care of, so you might find that their offer to buy your watch might not be the amount you think you can make. 

For example, I was offered $7.5K for an Explorer 2 that I bought for $4.2K 7 years ago. Yes I might have been able to make a profit, but not as much as the $10-12K I was expecting which is what the dealer might sell it for. 

Another example, a brand new ceramic Daytona might be $35K pre-owned now, but try selling it and the dealer might take it at $27K or less depending on their level of inventory.

Another example, a friend who had a GMT Master 2 pre-owned was offered a price of 10-11K, which is either ok or bad depending on whether he got it at $16K or $10K. 

2. Selling on your own is a minefield that can break you  

You could of course sell the watch on your own, and if you do it is possible to realize a higher price than with a dealer, but this route comes with all manner of irritations that might make the process very unpleasant. Think from the point of view of the buyer. If you’re a private seller, you will necessarily have to sell at a lower price than the dealer since you have no reputation. Then there will be buyers who will take the opportunity to low-ball you. Even if you find a willing buyer, you might have to accompany them to the RSC (Rolex Service Centre) or an independent watchmaker to get it authenticated.  

The worst scenario is of course if a buyer tries to run a scam on you, whether by reversing the bank transfer when the watch is delivered, or claiming that the watch is fake when received and calling the police on you. 

There is a reason why dealers exist since they make the whole transaction process easy and fuss free and also the reason why they get a cut from the transaction. Of course, It’s not to say that dealers don’t have to deal with scammers all the time, but at least it’s part of their profession, and not yours as a private seller. 

Lastly, say you want to sell your hot Rolex to your friend to avoid the problems that might come with selling to strangers – then would you feel comfortable selling a ceramic Daytona you bought at retail for $16.6K to them for $35K even though it is at the market price? It’s a bit dodgy to do that honestly and what kind of friend are you? 

3. Getting banned from the AD

The stories vary widely from country to country but it seems that ADs do keep a lookout for people who flip the watches they buy for profit not long after selling them. I’ve heard that Rolex requires all buyers to have their name recorded when purchasing their watch, and have even seen some examples of AD’s holding on to the buyer’s warranty card for up to a year after purchase in order to discourage the practice. 

Again these are not personally verified but if it is true, it does mean that if a watch comes on the pre-owned market then the person who bought it might not be able to buy another hot Rolex in the future anymore at the lower full retail price. 

Of course, you might not be interested to buy another Rolex after the one that you were lucky enough to get allocated, and if so then enjoy that small profit you’ve earned, but it’s definitely not a business model that you can rely on to make a living. 

In what instances can you make money with Rolex? 

1. If you’re a wealthy SOB

Lucky you, and you can get the watches easily, because your AD wants you to continue spending the big bucks for undesirable watches, sometimes from other brands, together with the hot Rolex, in a process called “bundling”. While it might help AD’s move difficult to sell stock, and help out their cash flow, there’s something quite distasteful about it no matter how understandable it can be from a business perspective. 

If you are a wealthy SOB, then you (or someone else) might (or might not) have worked hard for your money, and in this world money talks, so I suppose this might be a strategy that is open to you. After all, who can pass up “free money” and it seems to be a form of investment only available to a certain class of people, just like accredited investors are to hedge funds. 

By the way, if you’re “bundling”, then you’ll have to find a way to dispose of the undesirable pieces that you have bought, which may or may not be easy depending on what they are, and that might eat into your profit on the hot Rolex. Though you would probably have a way to deal with that already so again, lucky you. 

2. You’ve found a valuable family heirloom

Your father or grandfather might have bought a Rolex a long time ago that has suddenly turned out to be the hottest thing on the vintage market now. Great but so what. You were not the one who bought the watch in question anyway, so you didn’t come up with this “investment opportunity”. Sometimes good fortune can come down to pure dumb luck, and if that’s the case, then maybe its God’s way of rewarding your good deeds. Though if you want to sell grandpa’s watch to make some cash, then make sure that the reward is good enough to pay off the family memories that might come with the watch. 

Also on this, beware who you sell to because scams are afoot. There are dealers who will take advantage of your ignorance to skim off a big chunk of the market value, and the whole Bid Ask problem also exists when you deal with auction houses with their extra fees.

3. Become a professional dealer

Get some capital together, invest in inventory, get educated on how to authenticate watches, then run your business in a professional manner. Watch dealers are in my experience the smartest guys I’ve ever met, and my guess on how this happens is probably because watch dealing is a business that is rife with scams. Most watch dealers I know have been burned before in large and small ways and in order to survive it’s a matter of keeping ahead of the bad guys.

And that’s before we even get to the fact that sustaining any business is its own challenge in its own right.   

What should you do if you want a Rolex sports model? 

Some people say that a Rolex watch is like a commodity, and in some ways this is true. Like real commodities in financial markets, the price ranges of most models are known, and there is a liquid enough market to sell them quickly and easily if you need to. 

However saying that a Rolex is like a commodity is not saying the same thing as a Rolex actually being one. 

Yes, the comparison can be made, but when you get down to it, there are more variables that come into the picture, such as the condition of the watch, the model in question, whether it comes with box and papers and so on, which means that a subjective opinion can be imposed on the transaction to your detriment more easily. Lastly, because it is a specific physical object you are selling, you have to do your deals individually, or over-the-counter (OTC) in financial market parlance, instead of through an exchange with one visible price for everyone.  

If you know about financial markets, you’ll know what I mean. 

With all that said, I think that it’s important to realize why you want to buy a Rolex whether pre-owned or brand new. Is it because you want to reward yourself? Or is it because you want to own a reliable, dependable watch that is also a recognizable status symbol that is beautiful and enjoyable to wear? If so, then good for you, put your name on a waiting list if you are able, or if you’re impatient, just go ahead and pay the premium in the vast market of pre-owned hot Rolexes (supplied by the wealthy SOB’s) because you’ll probably spend the same amount anyway if the “bundling” process fails for you. Also, since Rolex is a symbol of achievement, you’ll be able to tell yourself that you achieved more, as you had to pay more. 

If your name comes up on the waiting list, buy the watch, remove the stickers and enjoy it by wearing it everyday. You were lucky enough to get one, so treat the watch as your good luck charm for all of life’s coming endeavours, and forget about your plans to make the type of small windfall that comes way way short of a winning lottery ticket.  

Or if you’re keen on NOT playing these games, and also NOT spending above retail for a nice watch, maybe buy a Tudor instead, like this Black Bay GMT below.  

*prices quoted are in SGD (Singapore Dollars)

Check out our video (linked below) to learn more about the new Calibre 400, and have an exclusive and up close look at the various technical features of the movement, including a slide bearing system in the rotor, silicon escapement and the non-ferromagnetic components for magnetic resistance to 2250 Gauss.

The Oris Calibre 400 movement opens a new chapter for the brand and will herald a future of watches with better performance benefits than before.

This video was shot by a Citizen fan who owns the watch, who like other watch nerds with perpetual calendars, waited till midnight to see this rare event happen and record it for posterity. Very cool.

Ok, so its not a mechanical perpetual calendar, but it is a very attractive and technologically advanced watch.

Have a look at my article to find out why:

Citizen SATELLITE WAVE GPS F990 – Time from the Sky

There is really no need for me to explain its appeal. I mean, just look at it. Sure, you might enjoy looking at watch movements to see the parts moving and interacting with one another, but let’s face it, whatever you might have in mind most probably works on a single plane, and not like this, with the tourbillon doing its thing in three dimensions.

In fact, it is difficult to stare at anything else in this watch but the tri-axial tourbillon, helped in part by the design of the case with its complex sapphire crystal, which required an additional 14 months of research and development, (even after the movement had been completed) to come up with. The result allows an unimpeded view of the headline feature of the watch, the tri-axial tourbillon, from all angles. Here, it seems suspended like a disco ball under the main parts of the movement, with acres of empty space from which to view the tourbillon from all directions.

Tri-axial tourbillons are of course not a new thing, with a very small number of watchmaking’s elite brands offering them since 2004. The Spherion differs however, to all the others that have come before, by being the World’s Fastest Triple-Axis Tourbillon. In this watch, the inner, middle and outer tourbillon cages all rotate at higher velocities than previously attained in a triple-axis tourbillon: at 8 seconds, 16 seconds, and 30 seconds respectively.

Part of how this has been achieved is through the use of titanium for these cages, with the strength of the metal being able to handle the higher forces generated due to the increased velocity, and also being light enough to be efficient with the power that comes from the two mainsprings in the watch. In fact, the clearance between each cage is no thicker than a sheet or two of paper – between 0.1 and 0.2 mm – allowing a relatively compact size, and an overall weight of the entire triple-axis tourbillon assembly to come in at just 0.79562 grams, which is less than the weight of a standard paperclip.

Shock protection is handled by the eight Incabloc assemblies you can see all over the place in the triple axis tourbillon, to maximise shock resistance.
It is difficult enough making watch parts that work well on a flat plane, so how much more difficult will it be when the parts in question need to perform in three dimensions? How do you even conceive of something like this, let alone make the parts, put it together and make the whole work?
Well, what you do is to get someone who’s made a few watches like this before, someone whose mind probably can cope with unimaginable levels of complexity.

For the Spherion, the brand teamed up with master watchmaker Eric Coudray of TEC Ebauches, whose past work has included watches like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon and the Cabestan Trapezium.

On the wrist, the watch is surprisingly wearable, with the 48mm diameter being large, but not unbearably so. Helping the wearability is the Spherion’s open movement architecture that accounts for the calibre’s astonishing 15.7 gram weight. Add to this the option of a titanium case, and the open aesthetics, and what you get is a lightweight wearing experience that has a powerful horological presence. The light weight also allows a decent 40 hour power reserve, that is impressive given the relatively power hungry nature of the tri-axial tourbillon.

The watch was quoted to me at SGD$508,000 in this particular configuration that you see here, but it can vary, due to the highly customisable nature of almost every aesthetic component that you can see, including the normal things like the dial and hands, to even the outermost tourbillon cage, which can be customised to a client’s colour or finish preference using a variety of methods. Case options include a choice of polished, satin-blasted or black DLC-coated grade 5 titanium, 18k rose gold, or 18k white gold.

One of the interesting things about Cecil Purnell that you might not know is that it is a brand that only makes watches with tourbillons and it has a yearly production of between 50 to 80 watches. For the new Spherion, only 2 pieces can be made in a month, and this is due to the highly complex process of assembly and regulation (in 6 positions) that it requires. That being said, this is a watch that will certainly do well, due to the aesthetics and the technical feats that it has accomplished.

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Find out more:

PURNELL WATCHES – Watchmaker – Escape Double Spherion

The Lightness of Sapphire – Armin Strom Dual Time Resonance

In fact, when one thinks about it, one realises in astonishment that the Resonance Minute Repeater is actually the fourth ‘resonance’ watch in a very nice family of watches already, effectively making the original Mirrored Force Resonance from 2016, less a one-off experiment and more a launching pad for a full blown collection.

Armin Strom has certainly been very productive these past few years, and the direction that they have been pursuing has been paying off. By carving out a unique niche for themselves as the specialist in ‘resonance’ based watches, they have been able to decisively and conclusively stamp their mark on this unique genre, leaving no doubt that when one thinks of the ‘resonance’ phenomenon in horology now, no other brand comes to mind as forcefully as Armin Strom.

The Minute Repeater Resonance, as the name tells us in a straightforward way, combines the signature ‘resonance’ inducing Clutch Spring of Armin Strom with a minute repeater. The first thing to realise about this fact is that many brands already have minute repeaters, but only one other aside from Armin Strom has ‘resonance’. The means that this Minute Repeater Resonance could very well be the first in a series of other firsts. I mean, just imagine it, who else could produce from now on, a Resonance Chronograph, a Resonance Double Tourbillon* or, maybe even as Serge Michel, CEO of Armin Strom suggested, a Resonance Diver.

But back to the watch under discussion here, the Minute Repeater Resonance is the world’s first and only resonance chiming wristwatch, offering two forms of resonance (oscillators and sound propagation); two independent mainsprings in one barrel; two vertically-stacked independent movements; and two complications, resonance and minute repeater. Lastly as well, two top development teams in Armin Strom (resonance) and Le Cercle des Horlogers (repeaters).

On that last point, it was Armin Strom’s Chief Watchmaker, Claude Greisler who sought the expertise of an old friend and former colleague at Christophe Claret, Alain Schiesser, founder of Cercle des Horlogers, with regards to the development of the minute repeater portion of the watch. Having worked behind the scenes for many prestigious brands over the years, his company, Le Cercle des Horlogers has helped to develop around half of the minute repeaters launched over the last few years.

Looking at the watch, you can see what has been done to these complications in order to achieve what I would consider a very sublime design that showcases what the watch can do well. For the first time, we have the time indication sub-dial, right smack in the centre of the watch (as opposed to off to the side with the Mirrored Force Resonance and Pure Resonance or with two time indicating dials on the Dual Time Resonance), with the Armin Strom Clutch Spring right below it, which is connected to the two balance wheels that are themselves each held on by a large tremblage hand-engraved decorated gold balance cock hand on either side.

The symmetry doesn’t stop there, for the space above the watch contains two hammers, that are placed to hit, when the watch chimes, the steel wire gongs that circle the time sub-dial. Also of note, visible right underneath the time sub-dual, the centrifugal governor, a device that regulates the “going train” of the repeater mechanism.

It is a very beautiful arrangement of elements on the front presentation of the watch, with the minute repeater slide on the left side of the case, balanced off by a correspondingly large and meaty crown on the right.

With the hammers on the dial side, you might wonder, if you’re familiar with minute repeaters where its mechanism is, and for that you’ve got to turn the watch over. Now, obviously, most minute repeater hammers are situated next to their mechanism, but here, because of the aesthetics that Armin Strom was going for, wanting to place all the animated parts up front, one of the challenges was to invert the traditional layout of the minute repeater works. Their solution: use pinions to drive the repeater hammers and the hour and minutes transversing the two vertically stacked calibres.

On that last point, yes, there are two calibres inside the watch, since each has to have its own gear train connected to each balance wheel. Each calibre of course has to be connected to its own mainspring barrel, and for that, unlike the previous resonance watches where there was space to have two separate barrels, in this case, Armin Strom have engineered a single barrel that contains two mainsprings inside. It’s like a city that builds upwards instead of sidewards because land is limited.

So it begs the question, since there is only one set of hour and minute hands, with not even a two seconds hands to check if the two balance wheels are in sync, where does the time display come from – one or both of the gear trains?

Turns out we don’t have to look far for the answer since the Pure Resonance does this part the same way as the Minute Repeater Resonance. Aside from the visual enjoyment that the dual balance wheels and the Clutch Spring provides, the resonance system has always been about precision. In the Pure Resonance, the time display receives energy from the lower regulator, while the upper regulator remains in place to create resonance. In the Minute Repeater Resonance, it is the right regulator that does the former and the left regulator that does the latter.

On the wrist, the 47.7mm wide case is large, and with the 16.1mm thick case, the watch will certainly make a big statement. Yet it is not too big to be unwearable – the dimensions are about the same as one of the bigger Breitlings after all – and the titanium case helps to keep things manageable as well as sound projection good.

Speaking of the sound, how does it sound?

The Minute Repeater Resonance is offered in a limited series of 10 pieces in Grade 5 titanium with the limitation number chosen in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Manufacture.

So what’s next Armin Strom? How far can you bring resonance further?

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*Since the resonance system involves two balance wheels

While most watches that are released are merely retreads and subtle variations on things that have been done before, it is a rare occasion when something comes along that not only captures the imagination, but inflames a desire of ownership.

Back in 2011 as I was perusing the news about the latest watches from Baselworld, I came across such a watch, one of the coolest I had seen in a long time.

This was the then-new Citizen Eco Drive SATELLITE WAVE H990, an ultra cool watch that was billed as the world’s first light-powered satellite synchronised watch. It helped that the watch was featured on the wrist of characters from the “Appleseed XIII” anime in a trailer/commercial made in collaboration with Citizen, further enhancing the already cool, futuristic and modern feel of the watch. I mean, how much more futuristic can a watch be when it gets its time from satellites?

Furthermore, it was the design of the watch that really inflamed my desire. It had a black stainless steel and ceramic case that had a bulbous pebble like shape, with green dial accents matched to green spiral coil like things that looked like antennas, making a watch that had an organic yet technological feel.

I knew that I wanted that watch immediately after seeing that trailer, as did many other people, who were clamouring in the forums about when it would be available. My euphoria was short-lived however. It was, I was to find out later, a concept watch, that had a limitation of 990 pieces and it was quite expensive, at US$6000, which I could not afford. All I was able to do then, was to write it down on a list of watches that I wanted, and try not to think about it too much.

An upgraded surprise

Imagine what it’s like when your dream girl from a long time ago, suddenly appears before your eyes looking every bit as beautiful as before as when you remembered her, but with far more intelligence, wit and soul?

Well, that was exactly what I felt as I sat across the table from the Citizen representative at Baselworld 2018 as he handed me the new SATELLITE WAVE GPS F990, a watch that superficially looks 90% the same as the original, but comes with radical improvements.The most significant change is a technical one, and accounts for the addition of the “GPS”  in the name. In the previous watch, while the time signal is obtained from satellites in the sky, there was no location information, which required this to be manually set, in order for the watch to show the correct time. Technically speaking then, that watch was “GPS-controlled”, and it proved a bane to owners of that watch.

The new SATELLITE WAVE GPS F990 however, overcomes this limitation, with the watch able to not only get the time signal but to know in which timezone it is in, showing you both pieces of information on your wrist. In this way of course, what happens is that when you land in a new timezone, the watch automatically looks for a time signal, and sets the new time by itself. This is definitely in line with what we’ve come to expect nowadays in GPS watches and is a welcome change.

Similarities and Differences

Of course 2011 was quite some time ago, and in the interim, Citizen has been working hard to improve the performance of their GPS movements. The new GPS satellite synchronised movement F990, is an improved version of the current F900, and doubles the speed of the minute and hour hand spinning with a new high speed twin coil motor. This, coupled with the world’s fastest satellite reception – at 3 seconds – means you won’t have to wait around long to get the correct time. By comparison, other GPS watches in my experience, can take much longer to acquire a signal – up 2 minutes in some cases. It also makes switching between home time and local time much faster since it takes the hands 0.9 seconds to spin each hour.

The Eco-Drive capability, Citizen’s light charging technology means no batteries are required, and the watch can remain powered in the dark up to a year and half, with the movement maintaining an accuracy of 5 seconds a month without connecting to satellites. Lastly, the movement also adds useful functionality in the form of a chronograph and an alarm function, features that the older version did not have.

In terms of the GPS, it is, in addition to the American based GPS satellites that we all know, also compatible with all Michibiki Quasi-Zenith Satellites (QZSS). This system was created by the Japanese Government and uses three satellites, in highly inclined, slightly elliptical, geosynchronous orbits, 120° apart from each other. These satellites are not geostationary – in that they do not remain in the same place in the sky. Instead, their path on the ground traces an asymmetrical figure-8 patterns (analemmas), which is designed to ensure that one is almost directly overhead over Japan at all times.

Other changes to the watch include the date window of the original now changed to a pointer hand date in its own subdial, as well as a lighter case made of Super Titanium (Duratec DLC),  Citizen’s proprietary case hardening technology with a Vickers rating of 1400Hv compared to stainless steel at 150Hv. This certainly makes the new watch noticeably lighter compared to the old version, which came in stainless steel and ceramic, and makes the large 48.5mm size case (same size for both) much easier to wear.

Aesthetically, the new watch retains one of the best aspects of the original’s design, the spiral parts that are accented in different colours (depending on the version), a homage to the centrally mounted coil shaped antenna from Citizen’s ground-breaking release in 1993 – the world’s first multi-band radio controlled watch. Meant to represent the wavelength of radio waves of the watch as well as the wavelengths of light that are the power source of the new watches, it is a nice touch that connects to the brand’s philosophy of continually pursuing technological improvements in accurate timekeeping.

Where it departs in looks however comes in the form of the pushers, which are a design detail that comes the Satellite Wave F100 of 2014, a watch that was released after the original H990. This watch had a sensationally cool design as it was angular and faceted, very much like the F117 Stealth Fighter plane. While the design ideas introduced by this watch have gradually faded from the Satellite Wave collection, one of the best design details that it introduced – the skeletonized pushers to adjust the functions – comes to the new F990.  

Perhaps it was good that I did not acquire the original H990 after all and had to wait 7 years for the new generation F990 to appear. After-all it is better in the ways that matter – usability and performance, yet keeps the best parts of the original – the aesthetics – the same as before. Even better, the F990 comes in 3 different colour variations, green, white and gold with a less stringent limitation of 1500 pieces each.

What will it be for me then? Well, given my history with the original, it will have to be the green one of course.

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