Emergence of Sevenfriday HDB! review & shenanigans to follow [HDB = Heavy Duty Box]

The HDB changes the nature of the original sevenfriday and transforms it from uber cool and great looking timepiece into... war zone ready, extreme sports capable, torture test wannabe, COWABUNGA! crazy, cash test dummy cool lookin' time machine. ok i'm not sure how it will hold up to all of that but it kinda feels that way :) 

Initial impressions - Who should buy the HDB?

• Current sevenfriday owners who want to change things up - effectively getting a super sporty NEW watch from what they had before 
• People who don't own a sevenfriday, who should first buy a sevenfriday and the hdb :) there's a combo out there but it's only for the one watch model. it's the great looking P3-1 black with red accents model. details can be found here LINK
• folks who are buying big watches and want a training watch for the wrist presence so they don't bump that other more expensive watch so much *kidding* :) 

next couple of pix answer the 'what's in the box question?' and some of the box 

side of the box

some instructions

a box in the box. the box is made up of? u wouldn't be able to guess it, recycled nylon... interesting huh

in the hdb, there's an orange sponge thing and this P series adaptor

& the back of it tells s it's size... 72MM (W) X 67MM (L) X 32MM (H) EGADS! that the adapter is
made of C5H8 (isoprene) it transforms your 3atm (30m) sevenfriday watch into a 10atm (100m) capable watch

other observations

• it closes like one of those super air tight container tupperware style lids (or am i getting confused with the weapon munitions box i had to use in the army) whatever the case, it's easy to figure it out. 
• some folks think it looks like a go pro :)

all it needs now is a sevenfriday watch... which i happen to have (still lovin it of course)

& then the water treatment began... "I don't have to take this abuse much longer!" [Guess the movie... it's got lots 
of water in it ;) ] oh and which sports watch are u reminded of when looking at the  pic below? begins with an "N"

and here's how it fares with sea monsters... another movie quote comes to mind...
''luca brazi sleeps with the fishes''

don't ask what's the smoke coming out from the case is about... u don't want to know ;) 

"Extreme ways are back again" wearing it to watch Jason Bourne tonight

after all of that... the watch inside is unharmed and superdry 

From the sevenfriday site: Secures the watch from sand, dirt, water, paint tomatoes and knocks with the watertight SEVENFRIDAY Heavy-Duty Box (HDB) Free from convention, SEVENFRIDAY presents its first watch accessory, the Heavy-Duty Box. A playful and ironic answer to the constant competition between watch brands for more functions and smarter applications. This airtight box is made from nylon fibre and is designed to take a beating, protecting your SEVENFRIDAY from sand, snow, sea and skydives! When the going gets tough, the HDB has your back #destresstest NB - HDB fits all P-Series watches and non NFC M-Series watches.

& that's it for now. hope u thought it was fun as it was fun for me :) will be doing posts in future with this of course and subjecting it to other possibly extreme situations. cheers, raph

Leica Marina Bay Sands Boutique Opening ... Of Beauty, Cameras, Lenses & Watches(?)

are you looking for me?

or is it me u're looking for? :)

must i choose? kidding of course :) Viktoria in the above and below pics i had met during an excellent photography
 lighting workshop by chaoxangel aka richard chen & i managed to snag some shots of her with the RM55...
hmm should i trade in the S$110k RM for Leica gear? [ if it were mine that is ;) ]

unbeknownst to me, the next day i would see the same pretty lass again... thanks to Leica SG for the 

invite and the opportunity to play with some excellent bodies (camera bodies that is) and lenses. it was packed
 and it's pretty hot inside with so many bodies and spotlights... regular days should be fine though... great they
 have a place  at mbs which is near my workplace & there's free coffee to boot. hmm actually this may 
not be a good thing... [find them at #B1–81A The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Ave, tel:(65)6226 0118]

& a shot of MBS from the ground floor above the Leica shop thereabouts

Hey Mrs DJ put the record on... i wanna dance with my baby...

the marina bay sands limited edition comes in 18 sets with a summilux and is a beautiful set.
here is viktoria looking to get a shot of me with it... 

i get her back of course... and manage to gently pry the camera from her hands... this shot done by the 
MBS limited edition camera & the summilux

i also managed to test drive the leica sl (again) too... with the kit lens it's a bit on the heavy side 
but the grip is excellent. determining settings were a challenge though. the pics done by the SL with 
it's kit lens are as expected... wonderful

again? she really wants that shot of me... i succumbed of course

let's share some more shots of viktoria then from the lighting course i referenced earlier... if u want 
to learn some photography skillz check out chaoxangel workshops on facebook LINK ... love this effect

SMOKE OUT!!! or smoking hot?

and to end off some stock pix of the S$19k limited edition... and stock words "Wrapped in silver leatherette with a unique 
dot structure, the leather exterior perfectly complements the all silver Leica Summilux-M with a 1:1.4/35mm ASPH lens. 

The body of the camera has been engraved with the silhouette of the iconic Marina Bay Sands skyline,

and a symbol of a lion crowns the lens hood. Limited to 18 units worldwide, it will be retailed exclusively at the new Leica Store at Marina Bay Sands."

this is a pretty lovely camera in the metal and price wise at S$19k isn't too bad at all

& one film shot with my trusty M6... "dessert is served".. very nice...

& that's it! hope you enjoyed the post & pix. cheers, raph

Where to buy Seiko in Singapore & Sea Turtle Rises

Per earlier posts, a recommended Seiko dealer is Mr Goh at K2 so if he has it, buy it from him. I get nothing for recommending him and that's fine by me. He deserves all the business that goes his way as he is honest and a gent. He also happens to have these watches on hand and if u be craving for turtle soup turtles... u got to head down to Uncle. 

Recommended Seiko seller/servicer/modder ;)

• K2 Watch Company run by Mr Goh since 1982 (30+ years... It's a local horological institution ;) 
• Add: 845 Geylang Road, #03-K1 Tanjong Katong Complex, Singapore 400845
• Tel : 67460270 
• Opening Hours: Weekdays and Satday 2-9pm, sun: 3-7pm, public hol: best to call to check if he'll be open
• If you have the model name/reference on hand, check if he sells it and if he does, then buy it from him 

Now let's see some turtles!

first up is my old turtle... vintage-y and wonderful :) serviced at K2

now joined by 4 new turtles! (note there's a cool padi version but i think that's a bit overpriced. 
apols for the shoddy iphone pix that follow too) these regular versions are not though and are 
around S$360 to $400 for the Made in Japan J versions. SRP779, SRP773, SRP777, SRP775 from left to right

so the original contenders for my $$$ were the blue and the one with gold bits... 

which on the net looked pretty cool

& the old adage applies... try before u buy :) based on in the metal views, the blue does it for

 me but as it is sooo close to the original black i am not sure i needs it...

the pepsi-ish bezel version

Uncle modded this piece with a sapphire dome crystal... Very nice. i think it adds $60 to the cost
 (u check with him) and he can do the swap on the spot

diving in the ocean... 

hmm should I buy the watch just for the blue bezel? i think i won't as i have my old trusty turtle and 

may swap the bezel in future for the fun of it (when these blue bezel pop up for sale)

that's it for now. hope u enjoyed this turtle power(!) post :) cheers, raph