PHOIBOSAutomatic Men's 300m Diver Watch with Wave Patterned Dial and Rubber Strap Wave Master PY010R

Here's my immediate analysis of this Phoibos watch:1. It seems to wear larger than the 42mm case size would suggest, which I like.2. The dial is beautiful and fits my personal taste. It is three-piece abalone, with the pieces placed together vertically.3. The hand winding action is smooth, the crown threads are smooth and accurate, and the case back is attractive. The watch looks well made and well machined. The crown size is near perfect for this watch.4. I really like the coin edge on the bezel. In most photos, the bezel color seems like it is a flat black. My bezel is glossy black. I would have preferred the flat.5. The strap is very comfortable and seems well made. The buckle is nice.6. I have three dozen watches, most of them autos that sit for weeks while I wear others, so I could not care less about accuracy.7. My collection includes $3500 Longines to $100 Citizens. I would rate the build quality of this watch, in as much as I can tell, to be as good as my Henry Archer, slightly better than my Seikos, not as refined as my higher priced Longines and Oris, and on par with my best Citizens (Signature series). For less than $300, this watch is a true bargain if it functions reliably over time. We'll see.

Very handsome and somewhat unique looking dive watch. Lots of attention to detail on the polishing and brushing of the stainless steel. The bezel is beautiful glossy black ceramic that clicks nicely and has a nice coin edge. The crown is also nicely done. The sapphire crystal sits flush. The case back features the playful Kraken or octopus engraving. The dial is the star of the show. Nice 3-D wave pattern with a purple and black fume or fade finish, raised hour and minute hands and indices outlined in gold and filled with bright sky blue lume. Tasteful orange second hand and chapter ring markings. The rubber, not polyurethane or resin strap is comfortable but plain. I suspect if this was a mainstream brand made anywhere but China it would retail for close to $500. I think it’s designed and built well enough to rate the $300 price considering the finish, ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal, and engraved case back.

Giving this watch a 4 of 5 score for a few reasons...Abalone Dial:I understand Abalone is a natural shell and will have some variation, but i purchased THREE of these watches before i was happy with the quality. The first two had holes, gaps, cracks, and poorly aligned patterns that just make it look sloppy. The pictures posted show a single solid chunk with good color, but all of the ones i got were constructed of 3-4 small chunks all glued together which was OK but the patterns were wildly different and didn't match. I could have lived with that, but the cracks and holes is where i drew the line.After getting one i felt was poor quality, I reached out to Phoibos and was told tough luck as its a shell so that is expected to happen with some of them... however I own two other watches with Abalone dials and they are made from a solid, single, smooth dials with good color and matching pattern - AND they were a third the cost. I really liked the company logo and watch case, so i ordered two more in hopes out of the 3 one of them would be acceptable - and that was the case. Im not 100% thrilled with it, but the third one had the least flaws and most color so i stuck with it. The other two I sold on marketplace for a $20 loss each just to get a quick sale.Lume:The lume on this watch is many layers of BGW9 lume and it is SUPER bright. Most of my other watches hardly glow, but this guy casts shadows on the wall after hitting it with the UV light. About 2 hours after charging with the UV light its only visible to dark-adjusted eyes, but that is still better then any other watch I own.Movement:The watch boasts a NH35a movement with a 6-o'clock date window, and works exactly like it should. As far as the automatic winding, it is not as well balanced and smooth as other NH35 movements I have but its also not the worst. The crown winding is acceptable with a little 'crunch' but not as smooth as others I've had. Unfortunately I don't have a timegrapher, so I'm not sure how accurate it is but since I cycle so many automatic watches I have to set them when I wear them so it wasn't a major issue to me.Case and Strap:The case is nice with a branded screw down crown, and a screw down case back with the Phoibos logo stamped into the back. It has a nice brushed finish and is about 40mm with rounded lugs. It comes with a 22mm branded poly band that is very flexible and comfortable to wear, with a nice matching branded buckle... i was planning on swapping to a metal 3-link band, but found i love the OEM stock band.Overall:In the end im happy with the watch, but for the $300 price point i would have expected better quality control. Having to go through three watches and taking a loss in the process is excessive IMO, but i was also anal and wanted a nice looking watch. If you are super picky like me, you may want to stick to buying a watch with a natural shell or stone dial in person where you can tell the exact one you are getting before you pull the trigger.

My husband lives on and in the water and needed a watch to replace his Citizen Eco Diver watch. I wanted something different for him, something to stand out and I found Phoibos. Realizing that all big brands are now manufactured in Japan, we thought we give it a try and we did get rewarded for the trust.This watch is magnificent. The Abalone shell is an eye catcher, the watch is beautiful and well made. Nice heavy quality and my husband enjoys the rubber band for comfort. It looks and feels like a much more expensive watch. The old Citizen watch looks ordinary and chintzy next to it. A character piece for a character man.If you have a loved one, a partner, brother or son and you want to get them a unique and special gift, get them this watch.And if you are a man who is adventurous, special and fine, get that watch for yourself - as a reflection of who you are and because you deserve it.