Tag: Seiko

Wrist Check

, , Misc., Slice of LifeLeave a Comment on Wrist Check
"Seikos" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO4000
 “Seikos” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

The other day, Mariko found Koa’s Fitbit Charge in an old backpack. Koa said he didn’t really want it so he gave it to me, and I’ve been wearing it for a couple days. I wasn’t sure how it would feel wearing it on my right wrist since I usually keep a regular watch on my left. But I guess it feels good. The Fitbit Charge is pretty small and light, so I barely notice it.

The photo above is of my two regular watches. The one on the left is my go-to Seiko SKX007 watch and is always kept wound (automatically) since I wear it often. The Seiko SNK809 with the blue striped band is only worn occasionally, which is why the date is wrong. It’s also an automatic watch, which means that it powers up as you move around. However, if it’s not worn/moved for a day, it will run out of power. To start it back up, you just need to shake it a little bit and then you’ll have to set the time, which is quick. Setting the date is a little more involved because you have to set it to yesterday’s day/date, then advance the hands past midnight to flip the day/date and then keep going until you get to the correct time. (If you just set it to today’s date, you won’t be certain if the time is set to AM or PM) Because it takes a while, and because I also know that I won’t be wearing it again for a while, I don’t bother setting the date on that watch And that’s why it shows Tuesday, the 5th in the photo.

I hope you enjoyed that mini-introduction into the wonderful world of automatic watches. 😝

またね～

Evening Routine

, , , , , , , , , Sketching, Slice of Life, Well-beingLeave a Comment on Evening Routine
"Three Amigos" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
 “Three Amigos” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

I’ve settled into a nice evening routine, which I am enjoying quite a bit. It’s funny, but the things I used to think of as “chores” are now part of a routine that I don’t give too much thought to, and they don’t really cause any stress.

Each night I will clean the cat litter box, which only takes a minute, but I would visualize how awful a job it is and fill my mind with negative thoughts like, “why am I the one who has to do this?”. 🐱 But these days, I just do it and my mind is thinking about things other than the cat poop. Does that make sense? It’s like I am on auto-pilot and since I don’t think about the chore that I am doing, it doesn’t affect my frame of mind negatively. My body might be scooping poop, but my mind is enjoying talking with my family, thinking about drawing, or listening to the baseball game that’s on the tv in the living room.

Another task that I do almost every night is washing the dishes. This is less of an “auto-pilot activity”, but I look at it as an opportunity to chat with the family in a relaxed environment (just after dinner, everyone is usually in a good mood). Or, if everyone has left the kitchen area, I can catch up on some podcasts. So, it’s a productive time of my day.

The same goes for brushing my teeth in the evening. I admit I used to often skip the nighttime brushing 😇. But for the past couple years this important task also has become an “auto-pilot activity” and I will listen to a podcast while I do it.

So those are my “tasks” that I do every evening. I also have a few other routines that are on the fun side, but I’ll save that for another blog post.

Tonight’s photo at the top of this post is of my three watches that I like to wear. My Seiko SKX007 (on the right) is what I wear every day, my Timex weekender is a watch I sometimes wear to bed. It’s so light and the band is so soft that I don’t even realize I am wearing it. But I find the audible ticking noise to be relaxing and helps me sleep. The watch in the center is my Seiko 5 SNK809, which I don’t wear as often, but once in a while, I will throw it on. What’s nice about the automatic watches like the Seikos I own is that they don’t use batteries. Just a few shakes to get them going and then they will power up by just regular body movement. I love that!

Lastly, the photo below is my latest practice sketch. I tried drawing it without referencing the proportions video that I needed to watch for the previous sketch. I guess it turned out OK, but I’m still not very happy with it. It’s a little “off”. Still, it’s good to practice.

"Practice Sketch" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “Practice Sketch” Cedar Park, 2017

To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.

I hope you had a nice Tuesday!

おやすみ

Mechanical

, , , Photo Life, Slice of LifeLeave a Comment on Mechanical
"Nikon F and Seiko SKX007" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec, ISO6400
 “Nikon F and Seiko SKX007” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。

Today’s photo is of my Nikon F and Seiko SKX007. What they have in common is that they are both purely mechanical devices. They don’t have any electronics or need batteries.

We are so used to relying on a power source to keep our devices running, but there is a charm to precise machines that rely purely on craftsmanship and physical design. The Nikon F has an adjustable shutter speed just like modern digital cameras, but the speed is not controlled by circuitry. It’s all gears and calibrated springs. I think it’s amazing that you can choose between 1/1000 of a second up to 1 second, with half-stops in between.

Similarly, the mechanical watch is fascinating in that it can keep a “power reserve” in the form of a spring, which will power the movement of the watch to an accuracy of +/- just a few seconds per day. I can’t imagine the amount of design it must have taken to invent such an accurate timepiece. It boggles the mind. And did you know that these mechanical watches have precious gems as part of their inner workings? I guess most use synthetic rubies (commonly referred to as jewels in watch specs) at points where durability is most critical. But including gems as part of the mechanical design is pretty damn cool.

Thinking about it, all mechanical clocks are astounding. Clocktowers? Wow!

Anyways, I think that batteryless devices are so cool. It also feels good to use a device that won’t produce toxic waste in the form of spent batteries.

All this talk about non-electric things makes me want to light some candles and read a printed book. 😄

Have a good evening!

おやすみ

Red Thread Watch Band

, Slice of LifeLeave a Comment on Red Thread Watch Band
"Red Thread" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/45 sec, ISO3200
 “Red Thread” Cedar Park, 2017

こんにちは

Since getting my Seiko SKX007 a couple months ago, I’ve acquired a small collection of watch straps too. I have some striped bands, but I gravitate back towards the solid colors, namely the plain black or army green. But I had been on the look out for a black strap with thin red stripe, and one finally showed up on Ebay so I ordered it. This strap has become my favorite now!

I wanted this strap for a couple reasons. First, it’s a good combination of the solid and striped bands. I’ve found that some bands, like the “Bond” straps, look great while the watch is on the table, but less-so when on the wrist. The solid colors always look nice on the wrist, but are somewhat plain. This red-striped version is subtle enough as not to be too flashy, but has a little visual interest. A good compromise. The color scheme matches nicely with the watch face too.

The second reason I wanted this design is more fun and esoteric. I was blown away by the movie Your Name (君の名は), and liked the symbolism behind the red braided cord that Mizuha wore. So, thinking about the red stripe in the watch band… I don’t know, I just like the connection (no pun intended) to the movie, even if I am the only one who realizes it. If you don’t know about the long tradition of the red string, you can read more about it in this Wikipedia article. I think it’s a cool and romantic concept.

"Red" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/70 sec, ISO3200
 “Red” Cedar Park, 2017

The only thing I don’t like about the strap is that although it was listed as 22mm width, it’s more like 20 or 21, so there is a small gap where you can see the watch lug pin. Not a huge deal, but still, a little disappointing.

Anyways, now I am wearing this band most of the time, and occasionally swapping out with the plain black or army green bands. Fun stuff for a watch otaku like me! 😆

またね～

"Red Thread" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2000
 “Red Thread” Cedar Park, 2017

Watch Update

, , Slice of Life1 Comment on Watch Update
"Seiko SKX007" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO640
 “Seiko SKX007” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

The other day, I received a new 22mm zulu-style strap for my Seiko SKX007 watch. It’s the black, green, and red striped design, the same one that I have for my Seiko SNK809 (18mm). I really like the Artstyle straps because they have nice brushed metal hardware, and a good price. As you can see from the photo below, I have purchased a small collection of them!

"Bands" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/30 sec, ISO3200
 “Bands” Cedar Park, 2017

However, they are not perfect. I guess they had to cut corners somewhere to get the price so low, and thus the finishing of the nylon and stitching is a little rough. I noticed that it gets a little scratchy sometimes. To fix this, I used a grinding stone (used in ceramics) to smooth out some of the rough cuts, which appear to have been heat-sealed. Basically around all the holes I sanded it down a bit. The nylon stitching also had a some bits which stuck out and would poke my wrist, but the polishing stone took care of that easily as well. You can see in the photo below where I sanded around the holes, buckle, and stitching.

"Band Work" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/40 sec, ISO3200
 “Band Work” Cedar Park, 2017

After that small amount of work, the bands are very comfortable and just about perfect. 🙂

I hope you had a nice day!