Popping my proverbial cherry at Truefitt and Hill

One fine day in the office while i was on the phone, my immediate boss knocked on my door and told me that he wanted to discuss something important with me. Not knowing what i've done wrong i rushed to his room just to find out that he just got back from Truefitt and Hill (BSC). 

"A man of our taste would appreciate this" 

it seems as he passed me the brochure and i glanced at the price.

RM95 for a hair cut

RM65 for a shave

and heres the kicker, RM150 for entry to the duke's parlor. Very nice and apparently they will provide you with all the coffee you need and a free shoe shine whilst you are there. 

"Finally Civilazation has reached Malaysia"

 it seems as one of the main partners told me when he joined the fray. So the main issue here is am i willing to spend RM100++ for a hair cut? 

What is this place? 

A quick google search will give you the answer but for the sake of completeness i will just copy and paste from their main website.

"For over two centuries, Truefitt & Hill has provided discerning gentlemen with only the finest in grooming products and services. Our offering gives men the opportunity to look and feel their very best.

Established in 1805, we maintain the world's oldest barbershop and are barbers and Royal Warrant holders to H.R.H., The Duke of Edinburgh. Today's product offering is the result of our nearly 200 years of research and intimate customer relationships. Our knowledge and experience provide today's man with an offering that is both sophisticated and practical.

Men deserve the best in everything they do"    

 I do, i do deserve the best in everything i do. What do i normally do? girls nevermind. Against my better judgment i went to T&H without any appointments, just casual walked in customer. I asked for a chair and apparently Mohamad was free to layan me.

aesthetically T&H is very pleasing, very the cantik you know. Well it was all i expect it would be until i found out that "Mohamad" cant really speak Malay, English, or even Cantonese for that matter so i had a hard time communicating with him so i just showed him this picture and hoped for the best.

 (migraine kot james marsden ni)

15 minutes into the hair cut, a family with small kids came in. Kids being kids, they started screaming and running as they do. T&H did not do anything about it. i might sound like a douche right about  

 now but  i am of the opinion that if i was to pay top dollar (ringgit) for the services i ought to get at least some peace and serenity.

All and all it was a good experience but that is about it "a good experience". 

Was it worth spending RM100++?             -               NO

Did i get a good hair cut?                            -               NO

Did they offer me the shoe shine?              -                NO

Did they offer me coffee?                           -                NO

Did it make me feel like a douche?            -              YES

Am i going to blog about it?                      -               YES

Again to qualify, this is of course my personal experience. Mohamad might be new, the staff might be tired but still i expected more. 

-Grande Out-

Its Haemmer Time!

H-14 Haemmer 

First time i saw the watch it really caught my eye, it looks like something that U-Boat would manufacture. With a case of over 44mm it is a huge watch especially for an asian guy like me but that is why it is what it is,  a statement.

I bought this watch from WWII in 1MK for quite a reasonable price. A quick search on ebay and you will find people selling the watch for RM3k or more but search long enough and you will find that the going price for this baby is about RM1500 to RM2k.

What i really like about the it apart from its size (thats what she said), is its glass caseback which i do not know why looks really nice. I have other as well but this one has something different about it, maybe its the Japanese Movement or maybe its just the size. Yes it has a Miyota Movt even though it is German made. I am not a watch expert, as long as it looks cool i am fine with it. Yes i am that shallow but at least i am honest.  

Its really hard to find here in Malaysia and i think apart from buying it online you can only find it at WWII (where i personally have an issue with their after sale service). What i hate about the watch is that for a watch company that prides itself on being rugged and long lasting, they gave me a mineral glass (which the SA told me was Sapphire Cystal). Pardon my colloquialism but "Where Can!" i scratched the watch in first week of buying it and it took them 6 months to change the glass. (After a lot of complaints).

Check out Haemmer's offical website here. You know its German when you see a half naked guys there modeling their XL watches.

All and all, it is a cool watch but it you are a real watch enthusiast, you know the realy douche-y ones, you might want to skip this brand but apart from that it looks really nice.Having said that if you have a bit more money to spend you might as well get a U-Boat at Joma.

Charming by Nature. Douche by Choice

So, here i am in the office and its 1 hour to quitting time (not that we get to go back though) and there is nothing much to do. Everything that needs to be done is done or as eloquently put by one of my clients "What need to be paid, we paided already". You gotta love chinaman clients. Anyways, i am a huge watch fan or watch enthusiast (take your pick) and this would be my first watch review. Enjoy.

 SNZH55 Seiko / Fifty Five Fathom / Blancpain Homage.

 I am a big fan of Seiko, having my first nearly a decade ago as a present from my father. If there is a word to describe Seiko watches, it would be "Value". To me Seiko gives more bang for your buck than any other watch makers out there and the Fifty Five Fathom would be a testament to that. 

The watch will set you back around RM400 to RM480 and another RM180 for the custom dial and case back which you can get from harold at yobokies. I took about a week for harold to send me the dial and case back from Hong Kong. You will receive something like this.

There are a few industrious and daring collectors out there who managed to change the dial and case back themselves, save to say i am not one of them. I took mine to my normal shop where the uncle charged me RM20 to do it. So all and all, this is actually one of the cheaper watches that i have but it is one of my favorites. 

The end product.

 more pictures from other blogs here.

Thank you and have a nice weekend.