[Danilao]

The elusive Sea-Gull Matrix, AKA Gas Meter

A design certainly….. original

 

[Tjcdas]

Mighy

The elusive Sea-Gull Matrix, AKA Gas Meter

A design certainly….. original

View attachment 16804427

I had this one but my wife made me sell it, she was tired of the gas leak alarm always going off. 😕

 

[mougino]

So the Sanda somehow got cleared through customs (after rejection) and arrived. I wonder if a watch in a bubble wrap bag raised suspicion.

My review/first impressions:
View attachment 16804154
Price fluctuates. After tax & shipping it’s about £16, I paid £11 after a sale coupon. I didn’t realise tax gets calculated after a coupon 👍
So what do you get for £11-16? Well, there’s obvious cost-cutting:

• Bubble wrap bag, no box
• Rubbish strap
• Low-end specs (alloy, mineral, quartz, 3bar)

And for the price, I think all the above is reasonable. In fact, I’d be more worried about the watch if it came with a decent box & strap at £11.
As long as QC and design is good. And here is my one real negative: QC. It’s not bad–given the price–but could be better. Mine has a few specs of dirt under the crystal and a tiny smudge on the dial. 2 things I think I can fix, though just now I can’t get the crown out: don’t know what to push, am I missing it (I tried the red circled parts, not them)?
View attachment 16804160
As far as build quality elements I like:

• Screw in (with 4 screws)caseback in stead of snap-on
• It does have a caseback gasket, so I think 3bar splash-resistant is accurate.
• Japanese TMI movement
• Dial is a nice off-white, with thickly printed numerals, and blue hands. Very nice

In terms of styling & size, it’s nice! It’s 27,7 in diameter and 34,5 in L2L. The 20mm strap width is my favourite, easy to swap from your collection (I put mine on a grey goatskin strap that cost more than the watch..).
I dislike these huge Tank-style watches that have 24mm+ lug widths. This looks more elegant. Don’t be put off by the ‘women’ label on AliX. This is a Cartier Tank Solo Large homage, which is advertised as either male or unisex.
I have a 7~7.25in wrist, and it looks classy. I wouldn’t go smaller, but wouldn’t go wouldn’t go much larger, either. I’d probably wear up to 32mm diameter for a Tank-style like this, but larger than that and it would lose a lot of its elegance. 7mm, could be thinner for a small watch like this, but what do you expect.

The styling, size, and price are ultimately why I bought it. Always wanted to try a Tank, but it’s not something I’d wear a lot so didn’t want to spend much, and most don’t get those ‘tank’ proportions right. This scratches the itch. It’s basically a dressy fashion watch. The real Solo Large is £2500 new and is quartz/steel/3bar so yeah, not gonna happen.
View attachment 16804312
The value is one of the most interesting aspects. If you have £11-16 to spend, a Casio is better buy. But this looks nicer.

So how cheap can you go on AliX to get a decent watch? It seems about £10. The Japanese movement saved it for me, if it was Chinese it'd be a dealbreaker. At least now it has a guarantee of some reliability. But a steel case is still the desire. There's a minimum cost to simply ship a working watch, and this watch is priced below my value sweetspot. I'd happily spend 2/3/4x if it came with a steel case, and maybe even sapphire.
On the other hand, this watch is fine. If anything a steel case but no sapphire would still render it long-term disposable, so either go all the way and make it 4/5x the price with steel and sapphire, or keep it cheap.

If someone comes along with those specs upgrades I’d be interested. But as it is, this is the only Tank Solo homage with good proportions, styling, reasonable build-quality, and is not a replica. At a very low price.

It looks very cool! I know most fellow WIS will look down on an alloy case, but TBH I still use a couple of these and for the very low price, as long as there's an ok movement inside (which is the case of this Japanese quartz workhorse), they're all right and can even become a guilty pleasure 😉 (I feel that I'm prouder to wear some of the greatest deals I could get 😄)

 

[hollywoodphil]

US $119.00 40%OFF | PHYLIDA Black Dial PT5000 MIYOTA Automatic Watch DIVER 200M 007 NTTD Style Sapphire Crystal Solid Bracelet Waterproof 20Bar

119.0US $ 40% OFF|Phylida Black Dial Pt5000 Miyota Automatic Watch Diver 200m 007 Nttd Style Sapphire Crystal Solid Bracelet Waterproof 20bar - Mechanical Wristwatches - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

a.aliexpress.com

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[pedro13]

Hi
Here is a new proposition from cadisen
38mm, nh35

Hope to see this irl !!!

 

[JojX]

Hi
Here is a new proposition from cadisen
38mm, nh35 View attachment 16805045
Hope to see this irl !!!

The old meets the new I suspect the 38mm case and the 40mm bezel. I do hope I’m wrong

 

[HoustonReal]

The elusive Sea-Gull Matrix, AKA Gas Meter

A design certainly….. original

View attachment 16804427

Well, I guess it's "original", if you have never seen a Karebo or Xeric Halograph.

 

[Chronopolis]

Well, I guess it's "original", if you have never seen a Karebo or Xeric Halograph.

View attachment 16805625

I've always liked this model. Am surprised there is no write up about it.
Apparently ETA2824 inside. And only 9mm thick too.
Who knew?

 

[crAss]

It looks very cool! I know most fellow WIS will look down on an alloy case, but TBH I still use a couple of these and for the very low price, as long as there's an ok movement inside (which is the case of this Japanese quartz workhorse), they're all right and can even become a guilty pleasure 😉 (I feel that I'm prouder to wear some of the greatest deals I could get 😄)

These watches are great when you are wondering if you would wear a specific style of a watch. Especially this one has no seconds hand, so after changing a strap it is fully wearable. If you enjoy it for 3-5 times a year, this cheapo is a perfect addition to your collection. If you find yourself wearing it multiple times a month it is time to invest in a proper homage (stainless steel case, automatic movement, sapphire glass etc.).

 

[StephenR]

These watches are great when you are wondering if you would wear a specific style of a watch. Especially this one has no seconds hand, so after changing a strap it is fully wearable. If you enjoy it for 3-5 times a year, this cheapo is a perfect addition to your collection. If you find yourself wearing it multiple times a month it is time to invest in a proper homage (stainless steel case, automatic movement, sapphire glass etc.).

…and if you find yourself wearing it daily, time to pony up the coin for the real deal (and sell all your Ali watches to fund it )

 

[Seikosha-Tom]

Decided to do the unthinkable and strap the big Emperor Tuna on for the office today. I think the bezel has loosened in resistance, and actually I've found that the bezel becomes easier to turn provided you don't push down on it too hard while trying to rotate it.

 

[Grasshopperglock]

The DHL aeroplane' bringing my watch better avoid the Taiwan air space.

If my watch shows up on time. Being the 12th. Barring a world war. I'll never say a negative thing about their customer service.

 

[cuica]

Hi
Here is a new proposition from cadisen
38mm, nh35
Hope to see this irl !!!

This one is very interesting, thanks for sharing!

 

[john_marston]

Thanks for the nice review. To remove the crown try pressing the metal part I have highlighted.
View attachment 16804416

This was of course it! As soon as I posted that picture I actually thought ‘wait a minute…’.

Managed to clean the underside of the crystal (it had a few small specs of dirt that needed a bit of saliva to be persuaded to go away). It looks all good now.
Couldn’t get the dirt/damage on the dial (near the logo) completely away, but you can barely see it with the naked eye now so it’s fine. Very happy

It looks very cool! I know most fellow WIS will look down on an alloy case, but TBH I still use a couple of these and for the very low price, as long as there's an ok movement inside (which is the case of this Japanese quartz workhorse), they're all right and can even become a guilty pleasure 😉 (I feel that I'm prouder to wear some of the greatest deals I could get 😄)

Yeah SS is of course the desire, but for the price it’s fine. It wouldn’t be a long-term watch even if it was steel, and it’s a great way to experience the Tank-style.

 

[MissAnthropic]

My Tandorio Mini SKX finally showed up! Nice watch with some mediocre packaging but that’s fine. Good finish, bezel lines up, and has a good/positive action. No sharp bits anywhere that I could find. I always worry about small cased watches with a glass crystal feeling too top heavy but the 40mm+ lug to lug really helps it feel planted on the wrist. All in all I’m pleased with it.

 

[Grasshopperglock]

Ali/DHL tracking update by email.

It's arrived on US soil. Country or region as they say.

Better be for $32 bucks, shipping, for one watch.

 

[BundyBear]

Just wanted to post here, a note of thanks to a WUS member who thought me (in this thread) to track this Phylida watch. I have been tracking this for a while now and it keeps being out of stock. Today, finally managed to click "buy" when I saw it available. It's now out of stock, again. Just wanted to register a note of thanks. I tried to search through past pages but this thread moves so fast that I couldn't find the poster. But thanks! You know who you are.

 

[StephenR]

Just wanted to post here, a note of thanks to a WUS member who thought me (in this thread) to track this Phylida watch. I have been tracking this for a while now and it keeps being out of stock. Today, finally managed to click "buy" when I saw it available. It's now out of stock, again. Just wanted to register a note of thanks. I tried to search through past pages but this thread moves so fast that I couldn't find the poster. But thanks! You know who you are.
View attachment 16808022

Congratulations! I still haven’t had any luck finding one of these…

 

[BundyBear]

Congratulations! I still haven’t had any luck finding one of these…

Cheers mate. I saw it on my inbox and when I clicked on it on my phone, it took me to the "buy" page and when I saw they had "2 left", the decision was easy.

 

[TatsNGuns]

Ali/DHL tracking update by email.

It's arrived on US soil. Country or region as they say.

Better be for $32 bucks, shipping, for one watch.

For 32 bucks they better strippergram deliver complete with balloons and confetti at the ready for when you answer the door ...

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