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Phoibos Wavemaster
Hello everyone, I‘m quite new to the watch community as I just started getting into mechanical timepieces last year. I was looking into a sub $500 diver when I came across a company called Phoibos based in China. I particularly like the Wavemaster series and for the price around $220-230, I think you get a lot of value for the watch. What do you think about this company? Has anyone dealt with them or purchased a watch from them?
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keyboard_arrow_downPioneer1952
1
Apr 14, 2018
Phoibos Watches- Well reviewed on YouTube channels ‘Just One More Watch’ and ‘Watch On’. Good looking watch- their new ‘Reef Master’ is also a very good looking dive watch and the quality is improving!
jochan79
25
Apr 14, 2018
Pioneer1952Despite having the bezel slightly misaligned, I’m happy that I got it. I have no problems with it at all. I wear my Reef Master daily and I charge the lume just to see the brightness before I go to bed at night!
Jrb3434
77
Apr 11, 2018
I bought a phoibos great white on eBay for $185 and it has become my “weekend watch” I absolutely love it.... the miyota 9015 is smooth and very accurate. The sapphire crystal is wonderful and teamed up with a ceramic bezel and solid end links, I just don’t think there is better watch for the money. Oh and it’s water resistant to 300m! However there is a few things I don’t like about it:
1: Size 40mm, I wish it was 45-47mm
2: Bracelet, even though it has solid end links it’s in the cheaper side...not a big deal if your a nato person.
A community member
Apr 12, 2018
Jrb3434As much as I loved mine, I sold it because I felt my steinhart was a better watch all round.
A community member
Apr 4, 2018
Found the fit and finish on their submariner homage to be pretty poor. Watch arrived flopping around loose in the box. Wound up returning it. Won’t buy from them again.
k1Darryl
13
Mar 29, 2018
I have 3 of their watches and they are all fabulous value for money. I especially love my blue Wavemaster :-)
jochan79
25
Mar 29, 2018
k1DarrylI was going to pull the trigger on the blue one myself. Getting into the hobby, I realized how expensive it can get, so after much thought I went with the Reef Master. I’m currently searching for my next purchase though!
Rexford
121
Mar 28, 2018
I bought a black wavemaster. The applied indices are a little wonky on mine (the two at the twelve aren't perfectly parallel), the lume infill on the bezel didn't quite seem to fill the grooves as much as I would like...appears like there is a bit of showthrough due to the thin application...but those issues are only after close inspection....but watch guys tend to have close inspection.
HOWEVER, the watch didn't work straight out of the box. It would hand wind but not manual wind. I had to pay to ship to their contracted service center for warranty work. Took more than a week to ship from my location, about 20 days after the shop received my watch, then the repair shop stated they wouldn't ship back to my U.S. FPO address. Sometime last week, they sent it to the phoibos warehouse and Phoibos said they would ship it to me (still haven't seen a tracking number or anything saying it is on its way to me). According to the watch repair shop, the tension spring came loose and was blocking the weighted rotor so it would not wind automatically...brand new out of the box.
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!
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!
jochan79
25
Mar 29, 2018
Very true! I see this as an adventure. I love the king octo on my watch and it’s my beater at this point. I’m already searching for my next purchase haha.
Rexford
121
Apr 8, 2018
jochan79and I am still waiting to get my watch back from Phoibos. The warranty work took twice as long as they state on their website (20 days from receipt instead of 5-10). The repair shop they use stated they could not send it to my military APO address. After some discussion, they sent it to Phoibos who have sat on it for over ten days now. Blamed Easter last monday...but that doesn't explain the rest of the week.
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!
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!
TockTick
3
Mar 27, 2018
Hey no worries! I wasn’t meaning that at all. Genuinely pleased to see my pic being used. Yea I was tempted by the sandwich dial of the Reef Master. There a lot of great micro brands coming out of HongKong right noW. Such great value.
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