[Gausum]

Bought a Seiko Presage at Ethos. Got a 10 % discount on the watch.

[kicha]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Dear BHPians,

Are Orient watches officially available in India? If yes, where do I find them? has anyone picked one up? Any help and leads would be appreciated. I am specifically looking for dress watched from their Bambino range.

Edit: Noticed that they are available on Amazon global store, but seem to be priced at a premium. Anyone here who has purchased these online from Amazon? Do they come with warranty?

Originally Posted by RiGOD

Thanks for the response mate. I did happen to visit their official store at Lulu Mall Cochin and was shocked to find that even the iconic SKX007/009 was not being sold in India, let alone the SKX013. So the only option remains overseas purchase.

Scouted through some international watch sales websites and found the same on creationwatches.com. Anyone here happened to buy from them?

Have bought couple of watches from Creation watches way back in 2008/2009, a Seiko chronograph, then an Orient Bambino Classic generation 1 in 2012 , a casio g- shock in 2013, you might have to pay customs duty once they ship it, depends on your luck, usually they ship by FedEx, the watches seem to be legit with international warranty (well.. atleast the ones I got are ) I haven't faced any issues with the time pieces so far, they are all running perfectly fine and I ve dropped them quite a lot (butter fingers :-( ) .Seiko being the first buy, only recently did I change its battery (8 years ah).More info on their shop can be found at watchuseek forum.Go through them in depth and decide. Good luck!

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

What beautiful watches the Orients are! Extremely well priced too, for hand wound and Automatic watches!
I think I m going to succumb to buying one soon.

Agree, they are beautiful time pieces, especially the bambino series! Neat and smooth mechanism, classic dome shaped glass, goes well with formal attires/business suits.

Was eyeing one for quite long and managed to buy it couple of years back. They are quite accurate time pieces, with very less +/_ Seconds variations in a month. The one I have has a 21mm lug size, and I am not able to get a replacement strap of a different colour here in India. There are quite good custom leather straps online (abroad), need to check them out.

Now they have come up with more models/versions of the bambino series, (the hands of watch are shorter, stubbier, dial markings have changed etc) but still they are classy & retro!!

[prashant.dinkar]

Picked this one today. It was an impulsive purchase.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Im off to Singapore in a few months, will be interesting to see whats available at what price there too.

Hi, how did you find the prices in Singapore compared to India? I'm flying to Singapore later this month & plan to check out some of the brands there.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by RiGOD

Gifted myself an automatic and a mechanical

Seiko SKX013K2

HMT Pilot (White dial Blue hands)

Nice choices.

Can you please tell me from where did you buy the HMT and how much did it cost? I am a sucker for white dial + Blue hands and this HMT looks awesome.

Originally Posted by Gausum

Bought a Seiko Presage at Ethos. Got a 10 % discount on the watch.

Nice choice. Persage have some very nice designs. The Seiko store have some freebies on offer - did you check them out too?

--Anoop

[RiGOD]

Originally Posted by kicha

Have bought couple of watches from Creation watches way back in 2008/2009, a Seiko chronograph, then an Orient Bambino Classic generation 1 in 2012 , a casio g- shock in 2013, you might have to pay customs duty once they ship it, depends on your luck, usually they ship by FedEx, the watches seem to be legit with international warranty (well.. atleast the ones I got are ) I haven't faced any issues with the time pieces so far, they are all running perfectly fine and I ve dropped them quite a lot (butter fingers :-( ) .Seiko being the first buy, only recently did I change its battery (8 years ah).More info on their shop can be found at watchuseek forum.Go through them in depth and decide. Good luck!

Thanks for the response mate. The Creation Watches warehouse is at Singapore and a good friend of mine bought the piece for me from there

Originally Posted by theexperthand;41:)98343

Nice choices.

Can you please tell me from where did you buy the HMT and how much did it cost? I am a sucker for white dial + Blue hands and this HMT looks awesome.

Glad that you asked mate. As you already know, HMT doesn't sell them anymore. So I looked into the ebay listings which had fresh pieces and finally zeroed down on this. The movement is genuine HMT 17 Jewels, but the white dial is after-market. It doesn't give away on the first look, but someone who is into horology can spot it in no time. Compare the pictures with this, which is the real deal. And yeah, it didn't come with a HMT box, warranty card etc. The movement is solid so far and keeps good time. Moreover, it looks classy

[arindambasu13]

Was eyeing one for quite long and managed to buy it couple of years back. They are quite accurate time pieces, with very less +/_ Seconds variations in a month. The one I have has a 21mm lug size, and I am not able to get a replacement strap of a different colour here in India. There are quite good custom leather straps online (abroad), need to check them out.

Check out www.strapsco.com, 21 mm straps are available there are there are a few nice options. They also have free international shipping from what it says on the site. Also, do let me know if you manage to source any 21 mm in straps India. Im awaiting delivery of my Orient Bambino Ver 2 this week, and I'd like to know where replacement straps can be procured. The OEM strap seems elegant enough for a dress watch, though.

With regard to your purchases on Creation Watches, id you have to pay customs duty ? If so, how much was it and what is the procedure for payment? Any info on this would be great!

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

An elegant choice indeed. Ivory dial. Steel case. Lovely mock croc strap in rich dark tan. You're a-temptin' me too severely matey!

So, the Bambino is finally here. Ordered it on May 4 and it arrived today morning at my office. Its just so darn beautiful, every bit as lovely as it looked in the pictures! In fact, I'd say it looks even more beautiful than some pictures on the net would lead you to believe. Just stunning, price point notwithstanding.

Looks like I picked up one of the last of the remaining stock of this particular variant on the Amazon global store, since it now shows as sold out. This variant is real hard to find, since it gets mopped up in a flash with every batch that is released by Orient. The Orient India store has almost a Rs. 3000 markup on the price at which I got it on Amazon, and this specific model is anyways not available with them.

Some initial pics which I clicked with my phone as soon as I unboxed it. Apologies for inferior pic quality, best I could manage in my office cabin lighting.

[RiGOD]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

So, the Bambino is finally here.
...............
Some initial pics which I clicked with my phone as soon as I unboxed it. Apologies for inferior pic quality, best I could manage in my office cabin lighting.

Congrats on the purchase mate. An absolute beauty she is

[sgiitk]

My Omega Speedmaster Pro 1974) has finally given up the ghost, Omega refused / could not service, and a local could not fix all of it. Are they available, and the approximate cost of the same?

[kicha]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

So, the Bambino is finally here.
..............
Some initial pics which I clicked with my phone as soon as I unboxed it. Apologies for inferior pic quality, best I could manage in my office cabin lighting.

Stunning!!!!!! Congrats!! Probably later on, get a replacement strap to accentuate the dial color even further

Regarding the query on the duty paid for the purchase from creationwatches SIngapore, A friend of mine paid around 1000rs as duty charges for the casio g shock he bought thru them.The FEDEX guys gave a bill for that amount and he had to pay in cash to them at the time of delivery.
Thanks for the watch strap info, sure i will keep an eye out for 21MM ones here if i happen to come across any.

Once again congrats on the purchase, it is a stunning time piece!! Happy ticking!

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by kicha

Stunning!!!!!! Congrats!! Probably later on, get a replacement strap to accentuate the dial color even further

Originally Posted by RiGOD

Congrats on the purchase mate. An absolute beauty she is

Thanks! Just started wearing the watch today after the date and time were set. Setting this is a trifle tricky for first time mechanical watch users like me, but I have to admit that the pleasure of personally interacting with a well constructed mechanical is unsurpassable by any quartz out there. First impressions: the watch is really well constructed, the domed crystal is a thing of beauty and really catapults the aesthetic of the watch to another level. Very comfortable and light to wear, and easily passes the 'cuff test' for a dress watch, i.e. slips under the shirt cuff easily enough. The dial is pretty clear and legible, and at the same time, has that desirable vintage look. The 40.5 mm dial size is just perfect for my 6.5 inch wrist, being far removed from those monster size dials which have become the rage in recent times.

The watch is indeed stunning.Im not sure if it can be made out in the pictures I posted earlier, but the three hands are a resplendent cobalt blue, which really dazzles when it catches the light. My pictures probably show them as black unless you look hard enough.

As for the strap, yes, that will be a future 'mod'. the current one is genuine leather, but needs breaking in to become softer and more flexible. A little hard on the first day of wear.

Planning on a tan strap which should accentuate the vintage look of the dial even further.

[kicha]

Originally Posted by kicha

Stunning!!!!!! Congrats!! Probably later on, get a replacement strap to accentuate the dial color even further

Regarding the query on the duty paid for the purchase from creationwatches SIngapore, A friend of mine paid around 1000rs as duty charges for the casio g shock he bought thru them.The FEDEX guys gave a bill for that amount and he had to pay in cash to them at the time of delivery.
Thanks for the watch strap info, sure i will keep an eye out for 21MM ones here if i happen to come across any.

Once again congrats on the purchase, it is a stunning time piece!! Happy ticking!

Got the seiko recraft retro series few months back. Model-SKNM97, 21 Jewels , 7S26 Caliber, automatic, brushed steel case, transparent back, shiny green dial.The spring power to run the watch lasts for 2 days in my experience with minimum +/- seconds variations, if the watch is worn for a day (8-10 Hours usage) & kept idle.

I had a similar HMT Sooraj 21 Jewels Automatic (1980-82 Model) and that recently stopped working, thanks to the shoddy service at a well know watch dealer here :( and this seiko does have a close resemblence to that time piece .

[kicha]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

As for the strap, yes, that will be a future 'mod'. the current one is genuine leather, but needs breaking in to become softer and more flexible. A little hard on the first day of wear.

Planning on a tan strap which should accentuate the vintage look of the dial even further.

Agree, the OEM strap is little hard and not as flexible, but they will last for long and yeah a Tan strap will defintely make this time piece beauttifull!!!
Try posting a pic in sunlight conditions if you get a chance

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by kicha

Got the seiko recraft retro series few months back.

This is indeed lovely. Dollops of retro goodness, and harks back to the steel strapped HMT days! The dial colour of sunburst green is reminiscent of the Seiko Alpinist. Is this used or bought new?

By the way, where do you service your mechanical watches? I am in Bangalore, and not aware of reliable watch servicers.

Originally Posted by kicha

Try posting a pic in sunlight conditions if you get a chance

Here you go! The blue hands are a little more legible now: