It has been three years, less a month, since I placed an order for an unassuming little Casio watch and unexpectedly embarked on a new adventure into the wide and wonderful world of watches and watch collecting. It has been an exciting journey, full of unexpected twists and turns. As an example, at the outset of the journey I was not interested in the dive watch genre, those chunky sports watches with big bezels, thick indices and stout hour and minute hands used by those who explore the underwater world, and those that wish they did. (I believe the term for the latter is "desk diver.") The aesthetic didn't "do it" for me, and I didn't invest much time in learning about them.

Fast forward to today. As I write this blog post, a chunky Citizen dive watch with a big bezel, thick indices and a stout handset sits placidly on my wrist, its deep blue dial looking back up at me whenever I feel the need to know the current time. Wait...what? How did this happen?

For the record, I have not become a dive watch afficionado. That being said, I was drawn to this particular watch for a couple three reasons. First, it is probably the first watch I recall noticing that had the crown located at the 8 o'clock position instead of the usual 3 o'clock position. Second, the watch has some historic context, being a direct descendant of the watches issued to Italy's Marina Militare in the early 1990's. Third, the watch itself is somewhat of an icon, though perhaps overshadowed, if the talking heads on YouTube are to be believed, by the legendary Seiko SKX, another Japanese dive watch.

Perhaps to you, none of those reasons would have enticed you to purchase this watch for yourself, however as I began to look into its history, the available colorways (color variations) and the different models, I became hooked. As per my usual, I did a deep "dive" (see what I did there?) into the differences between them, years they were released, variations in style, etc. After setting aside some money for it and scouring eBay for the best deal, I was able to acquire the Citizen Promaster Automatic Diver reference NY0158-09L known as the "Fugu," the Japanese word for pufferfish.

The watch arrived on July 27, and I have had the chance to give it some quality "wrist time" over the past month. It is an excellent wear on my 7.5" wrist and the beautiful deep blue color of the bezel and dial cannot be done justice in cellphone snaps. The crown at the 8 o'clock is eminently practical, as it doesn't dig into one's wrist when bent. In short, I am very pleased with this watch and it is an easy choice when picking a watch from the collection for daily wear.

Since this is not intended to be a full watch review, I'll let you look at the following pictures and form your own opinion of the Citizen 'Fugu' diver. If you have questions or comments, feel free to reach out via e-mail. Your input is always welcome!

Judging by the date on the calendar, we have just under one month left of summer. Laurel and I have had an enjoyable one so far! How about you? What are your plans for the final third of the season?

Earlier in the month while out grocery shopping, Laurel and I spotted this new Doritos' flavor. We were excited to try the new flavor, but after getting home and trying several chips, we both gave it a thumbs down. The jalapeno flavor is good and has a little kick to it. The pineapple flavor is passable. However, combining both of those on these Doritos seemed to leave something to be desired. Have you tried 'em? What do you think?

One of the interests that Laurel and I share is that of books and reading. Back in my elementary school days I always looked forward to the times we got to go as a class to the library, and many the book did I check out and read. Recently I started making a list of the stories I had read during those days, and author Jim Kjelgaard came to mind. To make a long "story" a little shorter, I ended up purchasing some of his books off of eBay and have enjoyed becoming reacquainted with them. So far I have finished Big Red and Irish Red, and am part of the way through Outlaw Red.

Do you remember the old internet, the old web? I do...and I miss it. To begin with, I suppose I must clarify what I mean by these terms. My definition has more to do with a philosophy and mindset than with a particular time period. Sure, I look back with a great deal of fondness to surfing the Internet during the the mid-1990's through the first decade of the 2000's. To me, this time period encapsulates much of what I mean when I use the term the old internet.

I remember a strong DIY and grassroots presence back then, represented by so many home-brewed webpages and websites. It seems there was a whole generation of folks who learned enough basic HTML to put together a small page or site, and then host that at places like GeoCities, Angelfire or Tripod. There was a passion for sharing information, for having one's own corner of the World Wide Web. We made lists of links to similar sites. We swapped links with like-minded folks. We built web-rings for navigation. Our websites were built on passion, not for profit.

So what is to be done? Simply this...take back your own little corner of the Internet. Don't know much HTML? Not to worry, there are plenty of sites that can be of service. Hosting options have come a long way since those early days. Create a website. Post your passion and hobbies. Contribute to the information on the World Wide Web. Remember that the early internet was much more about content than about presentation. Always wanted to run a little blog? Do it!

The internet has changed. Time has moved on. New technologies appear, age, and pass off the scene. Yet in all of this, we can still be a part of the old web mentality. Are you ready to start?

SOURCES:
- Internet Archive Wayback Machine