There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
So another $12 in shipping fees, and a month and a half after sending it away for repair...and I still don't have my watch. I might just be the unlucky one, though. Phoibos is working with me on all of it, but ehhhhhhhhh.
Watch was cool looking, though with the octopus...some call it the cthulhu...and that is why I bought it. Also, you probably aren't going to find the textured wave dial, applied indices, sapphire crystal, nice bracelet with screwed links, etc for this price (you can get a sharp Seiko SKX for about 150-180, though). Probably wouldn't buy from phoibos again after all of this. The watches get nothing but great reviews from the watch guys on youtube, but I am noticing a trend and think that most of those "average joes" looking guys are paid shills. Is ok...I wait for my watch and you can wait too if you want the Cthulhu.
Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn! Ph'nglui mglw'nfah Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
I like the price and clean function of the Mercers, but there isn't enough to set them apart for me. We are all different. Phoibos had that damn octopus that I did not want to live without. It is the little things. Like little pieces of lint. Either way, may the Internet Gods smile on our future purchases! https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8c/d0/6e/8cd06e0ecbdf58faafac9ca89f81f58e.jpg
So they sent me a watch with a bad mainspring, I had to pay $12 to ship it to their service center...and it is coming up on two months since I sent it back. Not digging the company right now. Ordered the watch near the end of January from Phoibos and it will be mid to late April before I get to wear my watch...if it works. At least the service center told me what was wrong with it so I know it user error or my imagination.
And some could say that the mainspring coming loose is not a phoibos issue, but a random issue with the seiko movement provided to them. Either way, paying to return the watch and waiting this long is not good times. Oh, I feel the need to explain more because this is the internet. White Knights will defend the fair damsel phoibos and I get defensive. They have my money and have had my watch for a while now. What a silly time to be alive.
Good luck everyone!