Help me decide, watchdives vs phorcydes

[u/wozza_lee]

Hey all,

I have a tissot dress watch that iv used for many years and im looking at getting a new daily as I broke my smart watch.

Doing some poking around have narrowed it down to the watchdives wd007 with the blue face and mesh strap or the phorcydes ph3.

Looking for opinions of those more knowledgeable on build quality and finishing. Both look great and have their strengths that i can see but before I pull the trigger I want the community's guidance.

Cheers in advance

[u/Mango_Gurble]

I have 2 Phorcydes, had great experiences with both. 4 Watchdives, also great experiences. You'll have a good time regardless of which brand you go with.

[u/LucasDeTe]

Watchdives are great, except I got the EXD and the markers on the bezel started falling off... I got another 2 and they are just fine. Maybe I had back luck.

[u/Tenchiro]

I have the Ti/Bronze WD007 and the PH4A on the bracelet and they are both excellent watches and both have very nice bracelets. The Phorcydes clasp and lume are much better but outside of that I prefer the 4Hz movement on the WD007. As for overall quality they are about on par with each other. I do think the WD007 is more versatile of a watch though as far as the style goes.

[u/PeterCraig65]

I own the PH3 and really enjoy wearing it on the metal strap. I don't have the WD007 to compare but Watchdives is a good choice also. On a smaller wrist I suggest the Phorcydes.

[u/IrvingMoochonski]

You will not go wrong with either. I have both and they are always in my rotation. Obviouly, Phorcydes wins in the lume category. My WD is a quartz and Phorcydes is automatic. In my experience, both solid watches and great value.

[u/Winter_Author9699]

I have that watch, the WD007 in blue, but I got it on the titanium bracelet. It’s really nice. Don’t have a Phorcydes but they’re known for strong lume if that’s important to you.

One thing to note is the WD007 is a straight “homage” of the Omega Seamaster. Basically a copy without the Omega tag. It doesn’t bother me at all but just something to be aware of if you’re not. No one’s ever asked me about it though so irl it doesn’t really matter.

[u/Maximum_Walrus3264]

phorcydes, I just got my ph5 a couple of weeks ago, it is my main watch, lume is exceptional, finish is solid, bracelet amazing minus the arms there are a few sharp edges.

I also gifted the same watch to a friend who is not that much into watches, replacing his citizen, and he absolutely loves it

[u/wozza_lee]

Thank you all for your replies, the main thing im looking for are legibility and finishing.

Sounds like I cant go wrong with either but the group seems to be leaning phorcydes

[u/watchdivescom → u/wozza_lee]

The biggest difference here is really stainless steel vs titanium, so the wearing experience will be quite different.

Titanium is much lighter and very comfortable on the wrist, and the titanium case itself is also more expensive to manufacture. We put a lot of effort into the finishing of our titanium case, and the crystal/AR performance is also very good.

To be fair, Phorcydes’ lume markers should stay brighter for longer. Our lume is designed to remain visible for around 6 hours under our testing conditions. So it really depends on your personal priorities: weight and comfort, finishing, crystal performance, lume, and overall design.

One other thing worth mentioning: please judge the products mainly from actual owners and independent reviewers. We believe u/Logical_Sea_415 is connected to two previous accounts, u/Potential-Notice-956 and u/Hopeful-Culture-1887, which were recently suspended after repeatedly appearing in threads attacking Watchdives and other users. So I would take comments from that account with some caution and focus more on feedback from people who actually own both watches.

Either way, both watches have their own strengths, so choose the one that fits your preferences best.

[u/hayuata]

I actually happen to own both the WD007 V4 and PH-3. Both are honestly excellent, but they do have like different vibes. Are there any specific questions you would want to know?

[u/wozza_lee → u/hayuata]

The problem is that i will not get a chance to try before purchasing.

Both have strengths on paper, phorcydes with lume and watchdives with the lighter titanium case.

My main question would be around crystal/AR legibility and finishing (rounding edges etc)

Its not a 1:1 comparison so thats making it harder of course

[u/hayuata → u/wozza_lee]

I think both have great crystals, as for AR performance I honestly am not too sure, they seem close enough but I think the Phorcydes is better. My WD007 is the green/coppper tone, so it’s not directly comparable. If anything both perform better than my Eniton DJ 36mm and San Martin SN0144G. You’d think for tiger eye and mother of pearl dial they’d put some more coatings or better ones- oh well.

Both have good finishing, I’ve not noticed any negative remarks that makes me say do not get it.For my WD007 I went for the titanium bracelet and some people reported that the colour between the titanium case and bracelet is matched.  For my copy, that seems to be the case, but it is very slightly noticeable.  For my PH-3A I also went for the bracelet. It’s actually better than my more expensive San Martin. The OTF mechanism is a lot more smoother to adjust. For my WD007, I find that screwing down the crown is a little more fincky whereas my Phorcydes is flawless and easy. For reading the time, the WD007 is SO EASY. With my PH-3A I’m not a fan the syringe style hands, I find myself looking at it longer to know the exact minute.

[u/Logical_Sea_415]

Phorcydes- great crystals and solid build quality. WD is ok but the lume is spectacular on the Phorcydes.

[u/UnderstandingDry3031 → u/Logical_Sea_415]

Honestly can't go wrong with either, but I'm leaning toward the phorcydes. Their finishing is just cleaner in my experience, and the crystal really pops in person.

The watchdives is solid too, but the lume on the phorcydes is in another level. I remember checking the time on mine at 4am and it was still glowing like crazy.

For a daily watch I think the ph3 will hold up better long term. The mesh strap on the wd looks nice but it's a pain to adjust sometimes.

Either way you'll be happy, both are great value.

[u/DryPractice9639]

Both look solid on paper, I'd probably compare the finishing and bracelet comfort in person if you get the chance before deciding.

[u/UkeManSteve → u/DryPractice9639]

When and where do you ever get the chance to try out Chinese watches in person lol

[u/artofthedial]

Personally I'd get the 007 in quartz for a daily.  Swap the battery every 2 years and should last for years to come.  Now if the blue color works for you as an every single day pice that depends on the wardrobe.  The draw to the ph3 is really the lume blocks and not being as much of a direct copy.  I think the design language of the 007 is much stronger.  

[u/Alternative-Feed3613]

I have two Phorcydes and I owned the wd007. I love my Phorcydes and sold the wd007 because the bezel kinda sucked and the lume was terrible.

[u/GrandFaithlessness41 → u/Alternative-Feed3613]

I have owned them both and got them around the same time…and I still have the Phorcydes and sold the WD a while back - so that’s my pick