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This blog is not dead.

Updates coming up:)

Space. Astronauts. A wristwatch.

It was decided by NASA that Omega was to be the official watch for its space missions. This decision came about only after a series of rigorous tests of a variety of watches. One watch stood out. The Omega Speedmaster Professional; aka the moon watch.

Sized at 42mm, stainless steel case, shatter proof acrylic crystal, manual winding movement. The moon watch has had a long and proud history of space exploration and also being a watch that has been popular with the public since its lauch.

I decided to put this special watch up today, though I have not the time to take more satisfactory pictures. I will put up more pictures soon. Now lets zoom in to this special watch.

Featured here is the Omega Speedmaster 'Apollo 8 Mission' Chronograph.

Only 40 pieces of this example is being made and sold. A few them are currently on display at space museums in the US. This watch was made to commemorate the Apollo 8 space mission on December 21, 1968.

The Apollo 8 mission objective

To execute command and service module performance between Earth and the moon, and in the lunar-orbit environment

Evaluation of crew performance in a lunar-orbit mission

Communication and tracking at lunar distances

Photography of proposed Apollo landing areas and other specific places of interest to the science community

The Crew:

Frank Borman, Mission Commander
James A. Lovell Jr, Command Module Pilot
William A. Anders, Lunar Module Pilot

The Apollo 8 mission took 7 days and made 10 orbits round the moon in a loop fashion which represents a '8'. This contributed to the design of the missions patch as well. The mission was a very successful one, with all objectives met and the crew performance was examplary.

This is a beautiful watch with a excellent manual winding movement, timeless design and bears a piece of history of mankind's quest into space.

They call him the bullhead. His girlfriend too.

At a massive 44mm and made of solid stainless steel I wouldn't be surprised if it has a name like that. This watch has its crown and pushers at the 12 o'clock; the pushers almost seem to look like horns on a bull's head. Thus the nick. One of my favourite retro watches.

Seiko 'bullhead', circa 1970s
Official reference: 6138-0040
Automatic movement with chronograph, day, date function

The bullhead is actually a drivers' watch. Now what in the world is a drivers' watch...

Wear it on the palm side of the wrist, the thick top case enables the driver to see the time as the driver glances at the watch without lifting his hand off the steering wheel. Neat.

I like this piece for its jet black dial, yellow chronograph hand and its unique design. An affordable, reliable and retro watch. Not for the faint hearted.

Going vegetarian.

Mid 2005. Ahmedabad. 3 days.

Lunchtime. A restaurant named Agashiye. Gujarati cuisine.

Indoor. Air-con. Stained glass windows, clean white linens, impeccable service.

Read the menu and found no meat featured. Help. I do not like greens.

Might as well. I decided that I'll try it. Gujarati cuisine consists typically of rice and Indian bread, eaten with split beans, chutneys and acchar. Bread and rice flows freely. Skeptical at first but found the food to be very palatable and the tangerine juice certainly is a refereshing option on a dry, hot day.

Overall a very enjoyable experience, afterall eating is not just about the food. The company of friends, service rendered by the staff and an adventurous palate are all contributing factors to a wonderful meal. An exotic dining experience in the heart of the city in Ahmedabad.

In case you were wondering what is featured in the last picture... Those are mints.

I am the happiest person on earth.

Well not exactly. But the danes are.

I was just skimming through msn.com and something caught my eye. "Happy meter- Which country is the happiest?" I wanted to know 3 things. Whos first, whos last and where does Singapore stand.

Health. Wealth. Education. 178 countries.

Measurement of health; Life expectancy

Measurement of Wealth; GDP per capita

Measurment of Education; the access to secondary education

Results are based on an analysis of over 100 studies. Lets check out the results.

1. Denmark (happiest!)

178. Burundi (unhappiest)
Burundi is located at the Great Lakes region in Africa. Population, 8 million. Coffee is the largest export commodity for this country. Country torn by civil unrest.

Singapore ranks 53rd and Malaysia is at a cool 17th!

Well I think it is difficult to quantify happiness though. But for me, I am happy where I am in sunny Singapore...

Attack!

















In a galaxy far away...

Stands a Russian Special Forces soldier taking position behind the stainless steel Fortis 'Space Art' Limited Edition watch... (that little guy is one of the Russian Spetnaz Special Forces trooper from my tiny Kubrick collection)

Fortis was founded in 1912 in Grenchen, Switzerland. Fortis is famous for being the watch chosen by the Uri Gagarin Russian science research facility as the official watch for all Russian space missions. This decision was made after a series of rigorous tests were conducted on Fortis watches.

Russian cosmonauts (astronauts) wear Swiss watches.

At a mean 42mm, this is a relatively large watch and its heavy too. Acquired this in unused condition and with boxes and papers intact. The box is gargantuan.

Frank Burmann. An European artist who designed the dial of this watch. He used the combination of stars, the moon and a rocket to symbolise Fortis' role in space exploration.

The case. Stainless steel. Sapphire crystal. Double glare proofing. Exhibition caseback. Steel bracelet and 2 straps included.

The movement. Automatic. Chronograph with date feature. Based on the workhorse ETA 7750 movement. Extremely reliable and robust.

Now as I take the pictures of this watch I found it so diffcult to stop! This is a very photogenic watch as much as it looks and feel good. I am limiting myself to posting only a few pictures here though.

433. Thats how many of these watches are made. 433 represents how many earthlings have ventured into space...

Now back to earth!
Interested in this watch? Email me at fervour24@hotmail.com

The Horse, The Sea & The Earthquake.





























Feburary, 2006.
Sounion, 65 km from Athens, Greece.

Taking a bus ride of slightly more than hour, I arrived at the ruins of the temple of Poseidon.

Poseidon or Neptune was believed to be the God of the sea, horses and earthquakes. It was believed, in Myceanean culture, that his importance is greater than that of Zeus.

Now this temple was constructed in 450-440 BC, and was Doric in architecture.

The Persians attacks. As the temple was halfway into its construction, the Persians attacked. It was then left unfinished. However it was still a sight to behold as the Temple of Poseidon was situated at the highest point of Cape Sounion.

The Sounion Cape was fortified in 413 Bc to protect the export of cereal and corn out of Athens. Now you know the value of your cornflakes.

Over at the Sounion cape, I felt overwhelmed by the vastness of the sea as I cast my view across the breathtaking Agean islands.

In Athens? Sounion is only an hour away:)