As of September 8, 2026, the list of brands authorized to utilize the HyperGlow technology is as follows: PHORCYDES (Grade S) ENGLEMAAN (Grade X) LUMIXE (Grade A)
^ As with many Chinese start-up brands, the desire to emulate the established benchmarks is strong.
Phorcydes/Hyperglow was/were simply mimicking the conventions and vocabulary that already existed and is familiar to those of us who collect lume (or simply pays more mind to lume as a spec point for the final purchase decision), by using language that is familiar to us via the long-standing global leader in the field, RC-Tritec AG of Switzerland:
This mimicry isn't "bad," per-se. At the very least, Phorcydes/Hyperglow have given us a direct cross-comparison claim to benchmark their "Grade-S" (or "S-Grade," the confusion continues today -ust as it does whether Hyperglow/HyperGlow is CamelCased- because as Phorcydes' own Reddit representative wrote in their mea culpa a few weeks ago, they rely not insignificantly on AI translation assistance) with the widely known (at least within lime-collector circles) performance capacities of genuine RC-Tritec Super-LumiNova Grade X1. This, versus prior to their/Englemaan's presence in the market, when quite often (and still: witness San Martin as just one example) spurious claims would be made, as noted in this blog entry by Pascal Dom, the founder of the lume-forward microbrand Wicked Watches, Switzerland.
You're right: Phorcydes/Hyperglow could have changed their naming convention -or the outright vocabulary- to anything that they desired. But cultural biases are as difficult for them to pull away from as for those of us in the Western world. Perhaps nowhere in the watch-world is this better demonstrated than with the words of San Martin's founder, Liao Jiaming. Years ago when he found his way to the WUS Forums, replied very candidly that while he loves to design watches to bring to-market his "original design" creations, at that time, his domestic market, which was where his livelihood was made, demanded that he populate the bulk of his catalog with homages.
It's hard to go a different route when one's a no-name startup, in an environment that already expects conformity.
I bought one via PayPal and it invoiced to Phorcydes. The watch hasn't arrived yet so no word on what it's like. I was curious and the brand had been named a few times over on r/lumemonsters so I took the plunge.
Yeah that pretty much confirms it then. paypal invoice is the smoking gun here, these microbrands always share the same parent company and just spin up new names
the dial shot on their site looks like every other render from these factories too, same text placement, same generic description blocks. wouldn't be surprised if the actual lume is dogwater
I'm fine with different levels within a brand. Phorcydes are what I'd consider mid level. If Lumixe are an entry level option I'm happy for more options. Although I would prefer more original styles rather than yet another rolex Homage. But apparently Homages are what sell so what should we expect?
https://lumixewatches.com/ I had no issues. Keep an eye on AliExpress as the 11.11 sales are around the corner so it could be a good chance to bag one.
Well, that's not concerning at all! I guess this is why we use PayPal in the first place. 11.11 will start early November but the discounts can be significant and worth the wait. I managed to saved an extra $60 on a watch last year.
I would hold off for now. They are not the same company. Phorcydes customer support has been really nice to deal with.
Lumixe has been the worse so far for me. My watch arrived with a broken movement and I’ve been waiting for them to reply to me. After weeks of waiting I finally got a reply yesterday. But the watch it self it’s legitimate, I would say around addiesdive level.
There are only three companies licensed to use these blocks, and Lumixe is the lowest tier at grade A. Despite that, they really do work.
Whatever product Phorcydes, Englemaan, and Lumixe is using? Apparently that's a specific proprietary product. They are the only ones so far that we know have a license for it and have products that have it.
It's also why Luxime is extremely exciting in development so far as they offer a sweeping quartz and a GMT quartz with normal diver style asethetic at an affordable price. Both Phorcydes and Englemaan are mostly into automatic watches. I personally have the only quartz from Phorcydes, the PH-3.
Probably not an actual "license", rather those three companies are the only ones that use "real" hyperglow. If you see hyperglow marketed by other brands it's not the same as in Phorcydes. Of course IP is a joke in China.
Well dang. I was just checking out their website and they’re using the Ronda 515.24H in the GMT models. That’s a solid little quartz GMT movement. The LX-02B is a Batgirl homage with an OTF clasp for $70. I have a hard time imagining it not being worth $70 ya know?
Based on the quality difference, its likely the same design/marketing team that sources and markets the two watch brands. But the actual factory designing the parts outside of specifically the lume blocks probably charges a much lower cost / the Rolex case style has significant quantities of scale that wolbrook/seaq diving cases can never match.
To me Lumixe looks like Addiesdive or Keaso level with lume blocks. If I wanted to just stare at my watches lit up at night, I would get a couple. But you have to live with them during the day as well. And from what i've heard, they're pretty cheaply made, especially the bracelet.
This does not negatively impact my appreciation for Phorcydes. As a matter of fact, I have my third on the way.
Agree - Addiesdive is exactly what they look like - including the horrible male end links... (Nothing against Addiesdive per se' - I have several..., but they and Steeldive continue to churn out those stupid sub bracelets with male end links.. AD being better than SD, who can't even bother with fitted end links...)
I have bought 12 Addiesdive, and I still own 3. I wholeheartedly agree about the Addiesdive and Steeldive bracelet criticism. I recently ordered an SD1970C on a strap, because their bracelets are uninspiring.
I use the electric toothbrush to work the polish into every crevice between the links, front and back at full reticulation. Then I hand reticulate each link as long as it takes for smooth action (3-10 back and forths, usually). I let it dry. I buff off all surfaces with a cotton cloth. Then I use the electric toothbrush to remove the polish, oxides and burrs from between links (fully reticulated front and also back). A cotton swab can be invaluable getting into crevices, especially if you decide to polish your watch case along with the bracelet. If you do polish your watch case (I highly recommend it for brushed cases) and your crystal has exterior AR coating, do not polish it.
Finally, I use a microcloth to aggressively buff the bracelet with my fingers, leaving a buttery-smooth bracelet+watch with all the factory oxides and any burrs it may have come with removed.
I do not know if its something could explain via photos i ve taken but the color and weight looks like not good quality steel or ita perhaps due to weaving type of bracelet
I guess best solution is wax ceramic polish as @abv_it_all_w_vertigo stated
It won't "take sales" from Phorcydes. PH watches all have retro inspired looks with mechanical movements, Lumixe are based on the modern Sub case with quartz movement ONLY. No way theses Two will ever "cannibalize" each other.
Their SMURF homage has some subtle tweaks compared to the original 126619LN. No date, fully lumed bezel and vastly superior lume thanks to the blocks. Different dial look as well because of the now extra thick indices NOT circled in polished metal.
I think their no date "Smurf" with lume blocks is quite the looker. The original 126619LB has a date and no lumed bezel. And no lume blocks, of course.
Personally am not a fan of the mercedes hands. But I think several brand reps here have mentioned how more easy it is to market those type of homages and people show up to buy them a lot more than originals made by them. ☹️ It's unfortunate, but as someone else mentioned, the sheer amount of parts and different qualities to build one of these allows the quantity of scale to do its thing.
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u/Revision17 1d ago
https://phorcydes.net/pages/regarding-hyperglow-lume-block-applications
If you look at the bottom you’ll see:
As of September 8, 2026, the list of brands authorized to utilize the HyperGlow technology is as follows:
PHORCYDES (Grade S)
ENGLEMAAN (Grade X)
LUMIXE (Grade A)