u/Abv_it_all_w_vertigo

Has anyone else considered the new Aethelsohn Mariner produced in low numbers for AliX? The rose gold model was limited to 9 pieces. I think only four people have pulled the trigger on that one. Not my cup of tea. But the other colorways could be my Oolong, Earl Gray or Jasmine. 😁

Tangent: I'm a big fan of Phorcydes, so I was excited when they announced their PH-6. But their new Seamaster homage did not appeal to me. Though there are several other options (WD, Octopus, etc), the Seamaster was never seriously on my radar.

Enter onto AliX, Aethelsohn which has quickly gained an excellent reputation, including from my family. I will say that one of our three PT5000s from them has failed within 3 months. But after consulting with Aethelsohn last night, I am positive there will be a positive outcome. With an approved repair, they will send an RMA call tag out for free shipping for repair. Even with a 4 to 6 weeks turnaround time, this is acceptable.

With this information in hand, I seriously considered their Mariner option last night in Polar Blue. I put it up head-to-head against the Phorcydes PH-6. My impression is the Aethelsohn has a prettier dial. Though it does not have lume blocks, Aethelsohn's luminosity is tremendous on our three GS clones. I can only imagine how great it will be in a dive watch.

My uncertainty: The Mariner is 39mm with an 18mm lug width. It will be an interesting departure from the 42/20mm of the original or PH6. But as I now maintain a weight under 200lbs, smaller watches are appealing to me more. Though my wrist is a flat 7.75 inches, my 37mm BB54 doesn't look lost on it; so, i imagine the Mariner will look just fine. The bracelet includes their OTF clasp.

There is about a $55 discount due to the back to school sale, which made it compelling. When I ordered the Polar Ice, the inventory was 18. So it should be 17 now. I think these may have been limited to 20 to 25 pieces each, except for the red one, which was limited to 9 according to their website. AliX will not let me order a second one or even put one in my cart to even see the current inventory totals, but you can see them.

I am curious to know if anybody else has seen or considered this lineup?

I bought this gem back in 2015. It

Use a piece of office tape to quickly remove the blue scratch protectant. Simply lay the tape across the surfaces, press firmly, and voilà.

This new Sugess mechanical ST19 dropped recently, and I was able to get it from the Sugess Official Store during the last sale.

For some reason Sugess decided this new version needs a 22mm lug width. If they were being true to the Breitling, that would make sense. But the Top Time chronos are 20mm. The thick, flexible leather strap is comfortable, and it's growing on me. 70s vibes.

Here are a few teasers until I can do an in-depth photo essay...

The Shard Bleu (because German 😉) is an impressive watch for the money. The case is substantial, yet svelte at 12.2mm, including its domed sapphire crystal. The brushing is excellent, as expected. There have been at least 2 other reviews of this exact watch recently, so you guys may have already heard a lot about it. I'm not going much into the measurements that you've already heard, only the things that might make a difference.

Why I got the Blue Shard instead of any of the other available colors...

I think the dials in every color are fantastic, but I find the chapter ring to be overly bright, even borderline garish, on many Shards. The red, aqua, and turquoise dials all end with overly bright chapter rings. I don't understand fading a brilliant dial into a dramatic fumé, only to shackle it with a cuff of bright color. Dramatic fumé effect nullified...

I was faced with either going with the black one, which is not my preferred color, or landing on one with a subdued chapter ring. This is where the Blue Shard entered upstage right. Though the chapter ring is still the color of the dial, its cornflower blue hue is the most subdued of the color options, ranging toward a distinguished lavender gray. It really doesn't matter that I think the dial is stunning. I just hope that I have presented it well enough that you agree.

Note: Today I was able to take photos out in intense daylight to show off its AR coating. I will add one or two inline.

Since I am first and foremost a photographer, I will let the pictures do most of the talking. I did a "video" to include all 60 photos that I culled for posting.

Basically every photo in my video is ~50Mpx. If there is one you would like to see full size, let me know the video timestamp. There are 60 pictures, and each one runs for 2 seconds.

I am sure I left 100 things out about the watch, because it's been reviewed so often already. I hope you enjoy the photos, Cheers!

Useful info...

Head2Head against San Martin...

I evaluated how the Shard compares to the San Martin SN0130B with a similar bracelet on the wrist. The case finishing on both is excellent, though only the SM has wide chamfering on the level of a real GS. Also comparing the Shard to the Cronos GS Silver Birch v2 case, Cronos also provides more chamfering than the Aethelsohn. Having said this, there are no complaints about the finishing of the Aethelsohn. I am merely noting it's not as deeply beveled as the GS case it emulates.

Continuing my wrist-to-wrist observations, the two bracelets share many similarities--and a few differences. Both are OTF, and other than the badging, the clasps are almost identical (Aethelsohn's is .2mm wider.). The bracelets offer similar reticulation and male endlinks. They are not identically built, but they are close enough to compare them head to head. Surprisingly, the Aethelsohn's bracelet has .3mm thicker links than the SM's. The SM, as a result, wears lighter. Both bands hug the wrist, the SM more like a custom amulet. Effort has been made to chamfer the underside of the SM bracelet to great success. There has been much less effort (some might say none) made on Aethelsohn's part in this regard. Still, the Aethelsohn bracelet is extremely well made and comfortable. I have worn it overnight multiple times, and have had no marks on my wrist in the morning. I would give the SM an 9/10 and the Aethelsohn a 8/10. I took a photo of them SxS that I will post inline.

Based on my anecdotal evaluation, I would say that the Aethelsohn delivers 90% of the quality of San Martin for much less than 90% of the price.

42mm on 7.75"/19.5cm

NH35 Automatic, Sapphire crystal, OTF

Custom matched beads.

Is this watch a good value for $189US + tax ($202US)? From Costco with full warranty+.

It comes on a rubber strap, which works for me, because I don't like their bracelets.

If I get it, should I invest in a nice aftermarket bracelet for it too? Strapcode, Islander and Unclestraps all offer solid-link options, though none offer my preferred OTF. I like jubilee and BOR styles best. With one of these bracelets, it will bring the total up to $300 or so. Worth it?

TIA

Pagani ads running on IG...

I fell in love with this watch last 11.11, but it sold out before I could pull the trigger. A few months ago another batch was released. I imagine this dial as how Shanghai might have looked in the 19th century. To me, the simple little 7120 is where Chinese watch collecting should start. Cool to have for $40, all in.

It came with a cheap 19mm black leather strap stuffed onto 18mm lugs. I replaced it with the oversized 19mm burgundy padded leather strap shown.

Thoughts?

Back in October of 2025 I purchased this PD1733 (NH35) for about $65. I hated the bracelet, and I quickly removed it, revealing pretty rough finishing inside the lugs. Still, I put it on a deployant leather strap, and I really like how my "Zilgauss" looks on a leather strap. When not on my wrist, I have kept it on a winder every day since then. Over 8 months it has lost 3 seconds. Seriously.

Granted, this is the exception rather than the rule. My other NH, the DD40 arrived with a .9+ beat error. It took me so long to find one with the NH36 for under $65, I kept it.

PD provides an interesting mix of awesome and terrible in their timepieces. Though I have moved on from PD watches to better-finished options (as many folks do), I still appreciate the value I got with my 5 pieces. Average price for the 3 VK Chronos and two NH3xs shown, upgraded with their respective straps, was under $65.

In the pantheon of great Chinese watches, the Captain Willard is considered the GOAT, but I like the tuna style more. I finally got around to putting a 22mm shark mesh bracelet on my SD1975C. I got lucky and sized the bracelet right, though my wrist is a tweener. The 6x2.5mm microadjust slots help. The 4.4mm thickness is welcome over the .9mm thickness of the Milanese, which looked very flat compared to the 15mm tuna.

As a kid I celebrated our nation's Bicentennial in 1976 not far from Washington, DC, brimming with pride and hope for the future. The last 50 years have been a bumpy ride, but here is hoping for a better next 50 years. Happy Birthday, America!

Created this for a review elsewhere, but I wasn't able to include it, because it was converted from a collage to an mp4.

This year on Father's Day, I was gifted this watch. I have always loved Damascus steel, and I have collected it for years. I recently began collecting Titanium Damascus (Timascus)/Damascus steel knives. Lately, a few watchmakers have explored wavy timascus cases, and they were almost compelling....

When Aethelsohn came out with their Horizon Forge Timascus Dial, I instantly fell in love with it. I knew I wanted the watch, even though I had never heard of Aethelsohn. Their obvious/blatant copy/homage of Seiko's GS reassured me that I would likely like the case design, which I do. It is well executed, compact, and well finished with a PT5000 movement nested inside. If you want to know its exact dimensions, I recommend you check out the Aethelson specification page.That's not the purpose of this photologue review.

The glorious dial is brushed titanium in the layered damascus style, acid washed to bring out the myriad colors. Then, it is sealed so it will maintain its current look. If it patinas in the future, I will be okay with it.

The watch case is intermitently brushed and polished, with chamfers on top and bottom of the side case. I think the case is well done, but the photos will allow you to make up your own mind.

The bracelet, though not perfect, aspires to a high quality standard. Its reticulation is buttery smooth (I do polish all my new bracelets to clean and deburr them before first wear). It is not noisy, though it does make some noise when jangled off wrist. The male endlinks protrude little and hang straight down. But there are both positives and negatives to it overall. On the positive side, the screw pins for the links are barrels that span the entire shaft (See photo 11). The bracelet's intermittent brushing and polishing continues in the GS tradition. The contact edges of the bracelet are somewhere between crisp and smooth, though there is nothing sharp that could scratch. Adjusting 3 of these bracelets has been a pleasure. The quality of the screw pins is most reassuring, guiding one through a basically foolproof process, as long as you remember which screw goes in which link.

The watch is well made with mostly good QC. As a new watchmaker with a specific budget, I understand not everything is going to be perfect, and there will be slip-ups and growth pains. Having said this, they really could have assigned better hands to this watch, especially since these hands go in almost everything they produce. Though the dial of this watch steals the show, it also carries hands that traverse it, yet do not match its glory. At first I thought they were 2 dimensional, but they are 3D. They are just nowhere on the level of a Cronos or SM. Fortunately, from a distance, you will not notice issues, but upon closer examination with the naked eye, you can clearly see the rough edges of the hands visible (See photos 16 and 17, which otherwise show off the beautiful dial). I will note here that the lume on this watch is exceptional, on the level with a my Cronos GS Silver Birch. I wish I had thought to put them side by side for the lume test (See photo 20). Photo 20 can not be posted because it is a hybrid video, which I did not know could not be added along with photos. I will try to add it inline.

As good as the bracelet is overall, there was a significant finishing issue with the otherwise solid OTF clasp on mine. The underside finish has a groove ground into it from over processing, which is creating a "hot spot" on the link beneath it (See photo 18). I will be able to sand this out without an issue, but it exists. Fortunately, neither of our other two Aethelsohns (Shard and Charoite) suffer from this spurious QC issue.

Overall, this watch is special. Sure, it's a well made GS clone, and that helps. But it is the unique dial on this one that makes it stand out and will make it my go-to watch for all appropriate occasions-- regardless of its hands and clasp faults. The dial from a distance looks to be a beautiful royal blue, which helps it fly somewhat under the radar until someone gets closer to you. Then, they will not help but notice the tigerlike stripes of the dial with its intermittent purples, blues and reds. I am sure it will be a great conversation starter.

When I say i will be wearing this watch for all appropriate occasions, I mean this watch is not meant for all occasions, i.e. heavy physical activity where it might get knocked around. Then again, neither is a Grand Seiko. The bezel does not allow for you to function in hard-surfaced areas without potential ding consequences, so don't wear it cleaning stainless steel like I did. 😅 I can beat this watch up though, because I will never get rid of it. And I will always wear it proudly as my Father's Day gift.

Please enjoy the views, and forgive me for making so many collages. I obviously don't know how to limit my posts to 20 photos. 😁

If you have any questions about something I may have left out, please feel free to ask. I have other photos I can still add as answers to Qs.

As always, thanks for looking.

...but I allowed my Cronos with the PT5004 in it to wind down for over a week. I wanted to test accuracy after being on a troublesome winder for months. When I picked it up, it began ticking. Without winding it, I placed it on my Timegrapher and it registered -150 sec/day with 180⁰ amplitude.

I gave it 25 Seiko Shuffles and it registered -22sec/day with 180⁰ amp.

I gave it 25 more shuffles snd it returned -10 sec with 230⁰ amp.

I could go on, I am sure, and make it even tighter, but that is what making coffee and moving around are for.

The bottom line is that no hand winding seems to be necessary to wear these accurately.

Red-Dial watches from my collection. The lume of my AddiesDive AD2513 diver is surprising for a watch I bought new for $32. It cannot quite compete with the lume of the Heimdallr's Monster homage, which is trying to embarrass Seiko with its specs and $91 pricetag. The Proxima PX1734 was under $90, exhibiting strong, if narrow, lume glow. The SeaGull Natural, the most expensive piece at $128 tax included, has the least impressive lume, but decent lume for a dress watch.

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I own both the PH-2 v1 (NHI) and PH-4B v2. I ordered both with the beads-of-rice bracelets.

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I have always enjoyed the older original bracelet on the PH-2. Though it has "crisp" link edges, they never marked, pulled or otherwise negatively impacted my wearing experience. To the contrary, I feel like the sharper edges sometimes help keep the bracelet in place on my sweaty wrist, whereas more rounded links allow the bracelet to slip more. The new links are more nicely finished, however.

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When I received the PH-4B, the bracelet felt much like the one on the PH-2. Similar, though not identical finishing with the same unsigned, competent, OTF clasp. I honestly did not know about the promised upgrades to the bracelet and crown the PH-4B v2 ST2130 was supposed to include, so I was not at all disappointed in the bracelet when it arrived. When I learned about the upgraded parts availability, I decided to update my watch anyway.

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Though I could have acquired a new clasp and crown for the $15 cost of S&H, I worked out a deal to receive an entirely new bracelet and crown for $35 more, or $50 including S&H. This decision gave me the opportunity to compare 3 slightly different link finishes along with their clasps.

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Other than the engraved "P" on the clasp, the v3 bracelet clasp is seemingly identical to previous clasps, with the ability to "size down" while on wrist.

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The links tell another story, altogether. After Phorcydes' rep touted their accountants spending 20% more on link finishing, I wanted to compare them side-by-side to see if it were money well spent. So, I opted for a new bracelet instead of just an updated clasp on the previous-era bracelet. I am glad I did. The latest bracelet is many steps ahead of previous versions. How? Let me count the ways.

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1.Though the previous versions are competent, the latest version is slightly taller and heavier. The link ridges uniformly uniformly span the ridge, whereas both previous versions were wavy in different ways.

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2. The finish on the link bottoms are glass smooth except for the corner points, which should never impact the wrist.

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3. The new bracelet has less play between links, and feels significantly more refined.

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4. Finally, the link screws are more robust and well finished. Though I never had a disastrous issue sizing previous screws, I have the tools required to baby them. When one bad link can destroy a bracelet's functionality, it is nice to know Phorcydes addressed the issue competently.

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My overall impression is that if you have a previous version of the bracelet, there is no need to update it with what is essentially the same clasp with only a signature added to it. Having said this, ONLY the latest bracelet with signed clasp is made from steel that matches the watch case. Both previous versions have a reddish hue which is easy to see.

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For purchasers of new watches, the new signed bracelet shows Phorcydes' commitment to improvement and should give us confidence they are on the right track--even though the new product didn't deploy on time or with timely communication. As they better learn how to bridge the communication gap with their customers, and positively receive/channel our feedback, I am excited to see their growth.

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Note: All bracelets were weighed with all links included. The V1 PH-2 version, has beefier endlinks, yet it is still the lightest bracelet, overall. This tells us that there are not only weight differences between the signed and unsigned versions, but also between previous unsigned versions. The different finishes between the unsigned V1 and V2 back up my hypothesis that they came from different manufacturers.

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Note: Like several other "early adopters" who did not receive a signed crown, I also updated it at the same time I updated the bracelet. If you go down this path, remember to pull the crown all the way out to the hands-setting position before removing it to replace it.

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Note: photo 5 shows all 3 bracelets stacked with the V1 on top, V3 in middle, and V2 on bottom.

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When I received my PH-4B last month, it was the v2 with the polished ST2130, but an early version with the older bracelet without an etched clasp or crown. After the negative feedback my original post received for Phorcydes' omissions, I was contacted by Phorcydes regarding a resolution. I ended up getting an entirely new bracelet and keeping my original one too. I compared them and found some interesting disparities between them--and my PH-2 bracelet as well. I also received and installed the signed crown they sent me. I photo-documented the process and will be posting a followup to this photo review if anyone is interested.

I took down my original PH-4B post for a couple of reasons, one being that I planned to upgrade my watch, and I wanted to re-show it in its best light. I took a lot more time this time to provide us with some what I hope is pleasing eye candy.

Though the monster lume is the initial draw to this watch, there are so many other great details, it is hardly its only standout feature. For instance, the dense array of markers on dial and bezel all align perfectly. This is not always the case with complicated dial/bezel combos. Speaking of the bezel, the action is pleasing and precise with zero play. The case is compact and feels like it was made for my right wrist. Icould comfortably wear it for business as much as recreation. Truly my GADA.

The new bracelet is heavier and more refined than past versions, so they were not exaggerating about its increased quality. I haven't highlighted it here, because I am preparing an in-depth look at the three I own. They are all differently finished, likely from three sources. You can be the judge.

Although the Phorcydes brand is synonymous with lume block technology, I want to stress this watch is not a "one trick pony." It is competent in every way. This is why half of these photos do not show lume.

Before I let the photos tell the rest of the story, I wanted you to know I included many good lume shots this time around. They are not in the dark, because I find it to be cumbersome to shoot in the dark and my phone constantly increases the luminosity of every in-the-dark lume shot anyway. I used my UV torch to light the PH-4B up prior to each shot, so the lume shots are to be considered "lume porn," and not representative of the typical wearing experience (unless you carry a UV torch with you like I have been known to do ☀️).

As always, please, let me know what you think.