Interview with Daniel aka Mr Zaratsu

How it All Began

Hi everyone! My name’s Daniel Yong and I’m based in Sydney, Australia (Eora Nation of the Aboriginal Australian people). When I’m not drooling over watches I can’t afford, I’m teaching our young people to be thoughtful citizens who can read, write, care about the environment and employ a critical mindset amongst other things haha. 
 

I went to a local university in New South Wales, Australia. I jumped around multiple degrees, not finishing them (because I was always a sh*t student) before I eventually landed in a primary school teaching course. 

I’ve always been into watches, but I seriously got into it after joining a Facebook group dedicated to the hobby. When like minded individuals get together well… you enable each other and the passion turns into an obsession. Next minute, we’ve all caught the bug. We need help! 

 

The Collection

My first watch was a Casio. I don’t remember the actual reference number because what kind of kid would know that? Unfortunately, I don’t have it with me anymore, I wish I did though because the story is cool. I received this watch from my uncle who picked it up while bouncing at a Spanish night club in Sydney. When people are tipsy or drunk, they tend to lose shit and so the bouncers would keep it somewhere safe in the hopes that the owner would collect it once they sobered up (LOL). But uh… not sure if he was allowed to, but after a few days of no one retrieving the watch, he just gave it to me. Which I lost… this is why my parents couldn’t give me nice things haha. 

My collection, as expected (for those who follow me on Instagram), it’s Grand Seiko heavy with a few Seikos, Nomos and a Cartier Tank. I love simple time only watches that work well with my daily life and outfits! Apart from those, I own a few random G-Shocks that I love wearing when I’m working out, going for nature walks or working on the garden!

Grand Seiko Love

My first serious watch was a Seiko Baby Tuna given to me by the father of an ex-girlfriend. It introduced me to the world of mechanical timekeeping, Seiko and its psycho collectors. I fell in love with the community which eventually sent me deep into the rabbit hole. I started saving up and trying out different brands from Longines all the way to Jaeger-LeCoultre. It made me appreciate horology. While on the Facebook groups, I was led into the world of Grand Seiko, fell in love with the Japanese approach to design and never looked back! 

I should be naming the pieces that I already own right? When it comes to Seiko I adore the King Seiko 44KS. The reissue is so freaking hot! When it comes to Grand Seiko, I adore the SBGW231 (it’s the updated model of my SBGW031) and the SBGM221 GMT. 

If I had to narrow it down to three of my favorites in the collection, I would pick my Grand Seiko SBGW031, 1970s Seiko 6139-6011 Bruce Lee and my Cartier Tank Solo. If I could squeeze in a fourth, it would be my Nomos Tetra Duo! 
 

The Community and Movements

Gosh, there’s heaps of brands out there that I think deserves more love. I know a lot of people are fans of Nomos, but I’m going to give them a shout out anyway. Their designs are intelligent, fun and the value is outstanding for what you get. 

I know you’ll (Sam) love this answer because you own one, I think the Tetra is incredibly beautiful. I was never a fan of square watches (I prefer rectangle) but these watches wear and look so good on the wrist. They exude elegance, youthfulness and I truly believe that these watches are for people who enjoy the arts. 

When it comes to quartz vs. automatic debate, that depends! I’m a huge advocate for the Grand Seiko 9F quartz movements. They are made of metal parts that’s as serviceable as a mechanical movements and are incredibly beautiful. So I guess if we’re talking 9F then I would pick quartz. However, if we are comparing your average quartz movements to mechanical, then I’ll pick mechanical! Being in this community for the time I have been in it, I’d love to see people actually keeping their sh*t instead of flipping it for something “better”. I too, am guilty of this haha.

Teaching and Being a Watch Nerd

Working with young people is my favorite thing about being a teacher. I feed off their energy and definitely helps when I’m trying to push that last rep at the gym haha! Seriously though, knowing that I have had a hand in helping someone achieve something awesome is why I’m in this profession. When a young person tells you that you made a difference, as cliché as that may sound, it’s a dopamine hit of the highest magnitude. 

My students definitely have found out about my nerdy hobby! Their parents have as well haha. One of my ex-students bumped into me while catching the train and found my Hodinkee profile from a few years back and thought I became a watch model haha!

Sentimental Pieces and What’s Next

 A piece that holds some sentimental value is the SBGW031 only because it’s the watch I’ve had since the start of my teaching career, we are approaching 7 years! But the most sentimental piece I own is my vintage Seiko 6139 Bruce Lee chronograph. My family chipped in together to buy it for my birthday after they noticed me perving on it. I acquired it from a friend/dealer in the US @dcvintagewatches . Shout out to Nick who is also a great guy, his mum was a teacher as well! 

As far as any future purchases, God I hope not. I’m planning to refine my collection further this year and challenging myself to not buy anything! 2020-2021 involved a lot of mindless spending for me, I wish I could blame the pandemic and the lockdowns but uh… I’ve always had impulsive behaviours that I’ve been trying to get rid of haha!

I have been giving away some rarely worn pieces to family and friends. Seeing them wear it everyday makes me so happy! In terms of pieces I want to sell off, I have a beautiful salmon dial Grand Seiko SBGA371 that is patiently seated in the departure lounge. If anyone wants it, DM me! 
 

Thank you for reading watch fam! If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below! If you have anyone in mind for the next interview, please leave a comment!

Have a great one!