Luxury and Affordable Watches
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Oceanica Tambor
 Available for Pre Order March 1st $199Case The case of the new successor by 94 is comprised of solid brushed stainless steel with dimensions of 40MM x 10.5MM tall. The style of this watch itself is kind of a Gerald Genta ish mixup between 94 and typical luxury genta designs, which is not a bad thing, just means you can buy something similar in aesthetic but also with the DNA of 94s designer. The brushing is decent and does not feature any sharp edges nor blemishes which I found quite nice at this $199 Pre Order price. Another good note is the 100M of water resistance which is a must for many watch buyers who know what water resistance actually means. This watch can definitely be used to swim with which helps many living in hot environments where water activities are the norm. The caseback is rather simple, screwed down - while the crown is pull and push signed with the 94 logo.    Dial The dial is very symmetric which I appreciate without a date cutout. This black dial features applied legible C3 lume filled markers and long polished lume filled hands. The dial features a horizontal plank design which is seen in many luxury watches from Omega and such. I happen to like it and think it fits the watches personally just fine. We do get a nice flat sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating which works wonders under the light and in the sun. Getting to the lume , the C3 glows just fine but do not expect seiko bright lume. However, for this type of watch, it is acceptable and the lume can still be utilized just fine. Some changes that may be taking place may be a Applied 94 logo instead of the printed one this dial currently has. Overall, it is extremely legible, versatile, meaning it can be worn in many situations from a suit to shorts. MovementThe NH36 automatic movement is used in the successor, and for good reason. This movement features self-winding, hacking seconds, and very good accuracy. It is one of those movements that can go years and years without any issue. The movement contains 24 jewels and beats at 3HZ which equals 21,600 BPH for a smooth sweep of the seconds hand. This model itself is gaining around 5 seconds a day which is perfectly fine for me! Integrated Bracelet The bracelet had to be good on this model, because it is integrated. And the bracelet is sleek, curves nice to the wrist and features a real solid clamp down with the installed dual button butterfly clasp. The fluidity is also quite good and it curves nicely on my 6.5" wrist. Utilizing pins it is easy for any novice to adjust and seems sturdy enough for me. I think they did a good job on the bracelet which many brands going for this design fail at. The bracelet wears just as slim as the 10.5MM case without adding bulk - and I congratulate them for that.  ConclusionFurthermore, I think 94 is onto something good here, and I do not see a reason why they should not be successful with the release of this model. I like all of the great specs for the $200 price, and you should too. I mean, it does check ALL of those boxes we watch nuts look for when searching for the best affordable watch we can get for our money...Best of luck to 94.  
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 Packaging   Case The Padua by Zampieri watch company based in Canada traces its' roots back to the owners Italian heritage and this most definitely is a traditional gentlemens dress watch by all aspects. The Padua puts many of those cheap fashion watch brands into their place with its' great specifications, movement, and build quality for not that much more money than some of those "other" brands. This watch is housed in an incredibly thin 6.5MM solid 316L steel polished case with a diameter of 39MM. The lug to lug distance measures in at 45MM and the lug width is standard at 20MM. The incredible thin steel case really surprised me the first time I put this watch on my wrist. It certainly can fit under a cuff and is meant to be a dress watch for sure. This definitely is a watch that can be worn to a formal event or a wedding whether suited in a tux or a fine suit. In terms of finishing, the high polish is neat and smooth to the hand while the caseback features a real screw in back and some specifications engraved. This watch really reminds me of the good old traditional dress watches from the 60s from big swiss houses such as Patek and others. Finally, the crown itself is pull/push with a 50M water resistance rating which is quite impressive for a timepiece of this dimension, so do not be afraid of getting caught in the rain!    Dial The Enamel white dial is quite striking and very luxurious at first glance. It gives off a clean and good feeling whenever I glance down to read the time. This dial also features applied polished indices which are quite legible to me. The indices also match up quite nicely with the long dauphine style hands which remain polished as well. This is a time only watch with a time only movement, what a dress watch should be. The logo is printed in black below the 12:00 position and is quite bold but minimal at the same time. I think they did a good job keeping it quite symmetric and balanced, which I can appreciate. To top it all of we get a flat genuine sapphire crystal which sits quite flush with the case and gives it a more luxurious feeling. MovementPowering the Padua is the trusted and reliable swiss made ronda quartz 1062 caliber. This movement is a time only movement and features an incredible long battery life of six years. This is great for the end user because no watch collector enjoys changing batteries out every two years like some other Ronda calibers. Overall, it keeps great time as it should gaining a couple seconds a month and is as reliable as a movement can probably be. Genuine Italian Leather Bands Now, the 20MM Genuine Italian Full Grain Calf leather band definitely shows that Zampieri did not skimp out on any aspect of this watch as a total package. These straps are of the highest quality and are also vegetable tanned to top it off. They also feature a nice quick release function for swapping out straps quickly. However, being as this band is extremely supple and comfortable out of the box - I do not think you will be swapping out straps any time soon...  ConclusionFurthermore, I see what Zampieri has done here and I can appreciate it from a watch enthusiasts perspective. They basically took a look at all those cheaply made mens dress watches that larger companies produce for dollars and created something of very high quality for a reasonable price. This is something that can be worn and enjoyed for a very long time. This is not "what's in" right now, this is a real mens dress watch. The watches specifications and luxury packaging definitely ticks all the boxes for me at this $365 pricepoint. This is a watch I can recommend to my readers who are on the hunt for a special timepiece for a special occasion, or an everyday work watch to pair with a suit. Thanks for taking the time to read and please do check out the full hands-on video on Watch Addiction Watch Review YouTube channel.     Case Swiss Watch Company has released their latest offering which is a chronograph this time around, but very much resembles their original popular dive watch. It is much larger at 44MM in diameter and 17MM in case thickness with a lug width of 22MM. The case itself is of course solid brushed 316L stainless steel with some nice chamfered lug tops and a smooth finish. I have not found any sharp edges nor blemishes on the case which shows that these were built to a high standard. This is a diving chronograph so we do get that awesome 300M of true tested water resistance for diving and any other water activities you may encounter. The watch is also equipped with a custom 60 minute uni-directional dive bezel which features minimal play and smooth confident action. These models are available in two different color configurations ( Blue / Green ) and both feature a custom limited edition number on the solid steel screw down caseback. The case back itself is rather simple featuring basic specifications and their logo engraved. Overall, it is a mans watch with a nice hefty feel on the wrist, but really does not wear overly large due to a shorter lug to lug distance than most 44MM timepieces. The pushers are polished and firm with each click and have a nice rebound action which is always a plus on an automatic chronograph. Our crown is signed this time around and screwed down of course, and threads in and out smoothly without issue.   Dial The dial on these models is green of course and features your typical Valjoux 7753 Layout with three subdials and a date window at the 4:00 position. The lumed marker plots are rather large and extremely legible as they should be for a 300M diving chronograph..and are layered with 20 layers of lume! ( Even the Subdial hands are lumed! ) Honestly, the lume is insane on this watch and I cannot think of another watch I have encountered in my time here reviewing watches that can battle this beast. The sword like hands are also filled with evenly distributed Swiss SuperLuminova. We also do get all the goodies such as a genuine Sapphire crystal with 5 layers of Anti-Reflective coating making this one extremely legible in all lighting conditions. They definitely got their AR coating down nicely and it does show while in use in the real world. Functionally speaking we can read and time up to 12 hours on this chronograph which is always an upside of utilizing a swiss made valjoux movement.   MovementThe automatic Swiss Made calibre they went for is the Valjoux 7753 ( not the 7750 ). This caliber is quite similar featuring hacking seconds, hand winding, a 12 Hour chronograph, and a quickset date. It also features 27 Jewels - Push Set Date with a button on the left flank of the case - and a power reserve of a whopping 54 hours stated by ETA. This movement is easily serviceable by any reputable watchmaker, robust, and one that will last numerous years if properly cared for. I have seen this movement in watches from all price points such as Breitling and Baume Mercier. New Bracelet The solid steel bracelet is quite solid and tough with a nice brushed finish to match the case. It featured neatly fitted solid end links and a nifty new clasp that SWC has developed. The clasp is not overly large either like some other smaller brands have been utilizing lately in their offerings. This clasp features a dual button milled clasp with a ratchet extension which can be used for daily use whilst the wrist swells due to heat or for actual diving. It is definitely comfortable on wrist and can be used with larger wrist sizes as well, which is always a plus.   ConclusionFurthermore, my time with the SWC chronograph has been pretty positive so far and I do not find much wrong with the watch. For a watch containing a 7753 calibre and with specifications that check all the boxes for me at this $1300 price - it is definitely a watch to take into consideration when getting into a entry level diving chronograph or luxury watch I should say. Please do check out the full hands on video review to me in action with this timepiece, and thanks for taking the time to read.     Packaging   Case The all new Obris Morgan SeaStar 70s is definitely a watch to take a look at, especially this model. Upon initial impressions I was really blown away by the fit and finish - including some awesome accessories the watch came with. The case itself on my model is completely sand blasted and done right. It is very smooth to the hand without any sharp edges nor errors/marks. The case itself is rather thin which was a delightful surprise, coming in at 11.5MM thick with a case diameter of 39.5MM across. The watch features a 49MM lug to lug span and 20MM lugs. A nice detail referring back to most watches from the 70s are the drilled lug holes which really make swapping out straps a breeze on the SeaStar. On wrist, the watch wears very thin and almost conforms perfectly to the curvature of my 6.5" wrist. In terms of extra specs, we get a fully anti magnetic watch with the use of a metal plate hovering above the Miyota 9015 below the caseback. This is really quite smart and inovative as I have never seen a smaller company do this before. The watch also features two screw down crowns for that 200M of water resistance. One of the crowns is a HE valve for you serious divers out there - But I doubt most users really wont ever go diving...It does however give the watch a more vintage and tooly look in my opinion. Heading to the screw down caseback we get a very nice moulded seastar emblem which is very neat and detailed, for some visual excitement.   Dial The enamel black sunburst dial is crisp, clean, legible and features hand filled BGW9 lume which glows blue on all the chrome applied indices/hands/bezel. It is rather a legible dial with a very new and simple Obris Morgan logo below the 12:00 position, which more fans seem to like. At 3:00 we have our black date window to match the dial and a white outline to match the hands and markers. Some nice details which you may notice is the pop of Neon Green on the sweeping seconds hand which matches the green "200M" printed above 6:00. As you would expect at this $369 pricepoint the crystal utilized is an inner anti reflective coated genuine flat sapphire crystal. The 120 Click lumed bezel is a 12 hour bezel instead of our typical 60 minute dive bezel. However, if you really wanted to use it to time sixty minutes you most definitely can. One thing that was really noticeable was the smooth and precise bezel action. Now, it is not rolex buttery smooth, but its' almost there.  MovementMost of you are familiar with the japanese made Miyota 9015 automatic caliber - as it is used widely in the watch industry. It is a 4HZ movement meaning that it beats at 28,800 BPH allowing a nice smooth sweep of that seconds hand. We get around a 42 hour power reserve and a stated and regulated accuracy of +6 seconds from Obris Morgan themselves. Now usually these movements can be a bit loud with the excessive rotor spin - BUT considering we have that anti magnetic metal plate the movement is actually rather quiet and I could not hear it whilst on wrist.. Bracelet The 3 Link solid steel sand blasted bracelet is a nice one, and I dont see myself swapping out to the rubber strap for a while to be quite honest. It features screw links, solid end links, and the same level of finishing as the case. We also get a nice solid custom milled clasp along with a signed buckle which seems custom as well. It certainly suits the character of the watch and I do not see and issue with it. However, if you are a strap guy I would not hesitate swapping out for the genuine rubber strap if you want some more versatility.   ConclusionFurthermore, this is my first experience with Hong Kong based Obris Morgan and I must say it has been quite a good one. The international shipping was very fast, everything pretty much exceeded my expectations from the build quality down to the bracelet and bezel action. I am not sure if it actually feels like a microbrand watch because everything is rather perfect and symmetrical down to the decimal point. I think they did a great job in all honesty and I can now see why they are one of the more popular and more respected smaller watch brands in the industry.    12/18/2019 0 Comments Phoibos Eagle Ray GMT Watch Review Save 10% on ANY Phoibos using code "watchaddiction" at checkout!Case The phoibos eagle ray gmt is housed in a solid 316L steel brushed case with a diameter of 41MM and a case thickness of 10.5MM. The wingspan measures up at 47MM lug to lug and the case features 20MM lug widths. The compressor styled diver features the obvious two screw down crowns for 300M of true water resistance making this a very capable dive watch if needed to be. I do really like how the watch fits on my 6.5" wrist with its thin and slender profile which cam easily be dressed up or dressed down depending on strap options. Overall, there are no errors in finishing nor sharp edges and I really do like the slim design. The caseback features all your timezone information you will need to set another timezone on the front of the watch which really makes it a breeze if your iPhone is dead and you cannot do a quick google search..   DIAL The Dial on the Phoibos GMT is rather interesting as it fades from blue to black on the outer portion. I do like the bold applied lumed markers and the chrome outlines which make it pop a little. The hands are generally the same as the previous eagle ray which were rectangular with small needle points towards the end. Our GMT hand is bright and orange for increased legibility when you want to get a quick glance at your second time zone. The neatest part is actually the whole jnner rotating gmt bezel is fully lumed as well as the markers and hands with blue BGW9 lume which is quite potent, and lasts some time. The crystal is a domed sapphire crystal with anti reflective coating and is definitely legible at most angles in high light conditions. There are many different dial variations in terms of color, however the blue/black seems to be my favorite of the batch.  MovementThe movement utilized is actually a swiss made quartz 515 gmt caliber. These movements are certainly more reliable and accurate than an automatic gmt caliber by any means. It is nice sometimes to not have to worry if your watch is running a few days after taking it off and if the time is precise. However, I can see that some fans would of loved to see an automatic version of the eagle ray gmt- But do keep in mind the price would have been almost triple of this ( $500-$600 ) due to the increased cost of an automatic ETA gmt movement.. Rubber Tropic BandThe standard tropic rubber band is 20MM and is definitely of decent quality for this $200 pricepoint ( $180 if you use the discount code ). It is definitely comfortable and ready to wear straight out of the box without any break-in period needed. The signed buckle matches the cases finish as well which is a nice little detail. I also think this watch would look stellar on a nice canvas or Nato strap if your feeling adventurous.. ConclusionFurthermore, I think at this price - it definitely is a good value watch considering all that we get here in terms of specification and build quality. It has the sapphire crystal, great lume, good finishing, a decent strap - and a very reliable swiss GMT movement. I think all in all this could be one of the best value for money Phoibos releases so far.
 CASE Today, we will take a look at an all new microbrand based in Washington created by two watch enthusiasts. The ITHYUS ABYSSI 300M dive watch is their debut model and it seems to be hitting hard when we speak of quality for money. The 41MM x 47MM x 13MM solid stainless steel brushed case is a well finished piece of work. It has beautiful transitions of polishing beside the 22MM lugs and is really some top shelf work for a smaller company. The diameter itself really feels a bit smaller on the wrist when compared to other watches I currently own such as the Rolex Submariner which sits at 40MM. The caseback and crown are screwed down and can withstand 300M of water resistance making this a true dive watch, and a very capable one. These watches are all assembled and pressure tested in the USA - allowing for minimal error and superb quality control on their end. A nice feature is the drilled lug holes for easy swapability between a rubber strap or the stock steel bracelet. I really wish more companies would do this as it makes things a lot easier and also I can avoid scratching the backside of my case. So yes, it feels and appears to be of very good quality in terms of construction and finishing for its' $635 price.    DIAL The Black glossy dial which is covered by a Swiss sapphire crystal containing inner anti-reflective coating is extremely legible in most lighting conditions. For example, It recently snowed here in NY and when the snow hits the sun things can be hard to see...but the Abyssi was 100% legible without any issues. The dial and bezel contain a lot of Swiss C3 blue and green lume which is extremely potent and long lasting which was a big surprise for me. If you watched the video review on our YouTube channel - you know what I am talking about. Other than that it is a pretty straightforward dive styled dial with large legible markers and lumed sword hands with a red tipped sweeping seconds hand for a pop of excitement and color. Now, the bezel is actually steel with a Titanium lumed insert which is a nice contrast with the steel. The bead blasted finish definitely gives it a "Frosty" look which I do like, somewhat similiar to the Platinum Yachtmaster besels on Rolex models. Overall, I definitely do prefer the black dial variant over their other colors / it is just a personal preference of mine.   MOVEMENTPowering this rugged diver is the swiss made automatic caliber SW-200-1. It is essentially a ETA 2824 but produced by Selitta. These movements are widely used across the board from brands such as ORIS and even IWC/HUBLOT. A nice thing is that they do have the in house capability to regulate the movement in six positions for their customers allowing for a very precise and accurate timepiece. My example is running around 3 seconds fast a day which is well within COSC specification.. Movement Specs: Power Reserve : 38 Hours Jewels : 24 Beat Rate : 4HZ BRACELET Getting to this 22MM solid steel bracelet - for the most part it is very comfortable on the wrist considering it does have articulating curved links. The finish work is good and the solid end links match up to the case without any gaps. They are using the Pin and Collar system which is quite different but not really out of the norm. This collar and pin mechanism is actually much more secure than a standard screw or pin system which feels comforting. The clasp is milled and contains a small buckle which folds over and is signed with the I logo as the crown/caseback is. Im happy with the overall fit and feel on my 6.5" wrist and I only had to remove 5 links in total.   CONCLUSIONFurthermore, I believe the ITBYUS ABYSSI does add value to the microbrand world of watches. It really hits all the boxes in terms of fit, finish, movement, and specification for the ammount asked. Also, as a buyer we get the assurance of knowing our watch was tested to spec and even further beyond that. I think if your in the market for a well built everyday dive/work watch you really can't go wrong with the Abyssi.    |
