Fine Canvas Strap
Canvas Strap Whenever you think of the words canvas strap, images of rugged charm that is slightly worn-out, flashes across your mind. The grains are usually coarse for its purposes as they are often meant...
Tale of a Watch. Pt 1
A series of your tale of a watch by RSM's friends and customers
Foreword by Yiyan Lin
Throughout our journey of collecting watches, we might accumulate too many pieces at some point of time. We commence our collection thinning process. We realize that those pieces that have no emotional attachment will be the first to go. Conversely, there will be one or two pieces we would not sell as they have a story behind it. Some of us refer it to an exit piece. It may be an heirloom, a gift or a purchase with particular significance in our lives. Email us admin@rsmwatchstrap.com if you would like to share your tale of a watch.
The first to kick start this series is a fellow Singaporean, Michael Chang, whom I got to know as a customer. We met in person when I dropped off his order as I happened to be near his location. We exchange our IG handles and I have been a fan since. Michael started as a collector himself and became a watch trader specialised in vintage watches. Let’s just say I would pull the trigger on his list if there was match in a heart beat. Read this and you will understand the depth of his knowledge and the magnitude of his passion.
Tale of a watch – Tudor Submariner 7928 by Michael Chang / Mineral Watches
Watches, these enigmatic relics, serve as guardians of time itself, encapsulating the very essence of the moments woven into their existence. Each scrape, every mark etched upon their surface, narrates the stories of their wearer’s journey – a tapestry of experiences interwoven with the threads of time. As collectors, we are privileged custodians, safeguarding these treasured memories the moment these horological gems grace our collection.
Within the realm of our acquisition lies this Tudor 7928 – not merely a watch, but a vessel of a life’s odyssey. This timepiece’s narrative unfolds through generations. A tale of acquisition in the backdrop of Guam’s US Military Base, where the original owner procured it from a fellow US military comrade. It was worn as a daily companion before it was gifted as a cherished heirloom, lovingly bestowed upon to his son. It adorned the wrist of a youth, seeing though his early schooling days, witnessing his coming of age. Yet, as time coursed forth, this time piece relinquished its role to digital contemporaries in the early 1990s, taking shelter in a quiet drawer.
Now, two decades later, this horological relic found its way back into the light, seeking new hands to cradle its legacy. This 7928, a sentinel of time and memory, beckons to start a new chapter once more. (Read more at Mineralwatches.)
This unassuming Tudor bears an original untouched dome plexi that shows the scratches and scruff marks that time had embrace, adorned with graceful grazes, under this blurry cloudy plexi, it is hard to see what hides beneath is the true beauty of a gilt submariner. Like uncovering an unpolished hidden gem, it is more than meets the eye.
This 7928 emerges as a vivid thread, weaving us back to the resplendent era of early 1960s diver’s timepieces. A symphony of details orchestrates its visual poetry: a gilt dial with the iconic Tudor Small Rose logo. Bedecked with a meticulous aged gilt chapter ring minute tracker; golden “Smiley” text with “SWISS” only mark that narrates its legacy. This watch comes with matching gilt hands with the desirable sweet “lollipop” seconds hand poised as if to etch the very passage of time. A bold exclamation mark dot is found at the 6 o’clock, a punctuation of its grand narrative.
Upon the closeup look of the dial, displays an artful grainy texture, akin to grains of time itself, manifests an exclusive signature of the early 1960s-Mark 3 dial. Age bestows upon it the lume’s creamy hue, showing the countless moments it has illuminated.
The bezel has undergone a captivating transformation, shifting from original black to a delightful, faded grey. The coveted “Long Five” Mark 2 ghost grey bezel stands in intriguing juxtaposition to the watch’s golden hue, creating a captivating contrasting visual interplay. A cherry on the top, adding to its charm, the bezel still retains its intact pearl – a detail cherished by watch collectors. Truly a feast for the eyes!
An emblematic silhouette, the one-of-a-kind crown guard construction, regarded as the “Eagle’s Beak,” lovingly christened by watch collectors. The pointed crown guards are sharp, and lugs are still beefy, all in its untouched condition, an unvarnished testament to the passage of time.
Turn it around, the case back show signs of heavy usage, a narrative etched indicating its true intended purpose, the indelible insignia of its origin as a military tool watch.
Enveloped within this watch is the enchanting essence of wabi-sabi, an artistry of imperfection. To the untrained eye, it may appear as an aged timepiece, yet to a collector, it embodies a cherished aspiration. Originating from its inaugural owner, preserved in a state of pristine authenticity, faithful timekeeper of two generations, a once forgotten watch nestled within a drawer for decades, a soldier’s utilitarian companion, this horological gem is a veritable time capsule, fulfilling every criterion sought after by a collector.
If watches could talk, what stories will it tell? One can only imagine.
– Written by Mineral Watches –
Instagram Account: @mineralwater112 (main account) @mineralwatches2 (backup account) –
Website: www.mineralwatches.com –
Email: mineralwater112@gmail.com
Tale of a watch is powered by you. So do not hesitate to reach out to us. admin@rsmwatchstrap.com
Strap in mind
Any strap to be paired with this gem? Vintage series of course! Check out the Poly-cotton series that would bring you back to the 60’s to 70’s with distressed hardware to match
https://www.rsmwatchstrap.com/product-category/vintage-mil-2-piece-strap/
Or a single pass version for a vintage sub
