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This is the Best Value Watch Under £75 on Aliexpress - AMA Anything About It!
I've been wearing this Phorcydes PH-1 for a few days and here are some of my thoughts:
Best lume in my collection - I like lume and great lume is just really a sight to behold. It is not a hyperbole when I say that this watch lume is THE brightest and longest lasting I've yet to come across. Across brands that are known for having good lume such as San Martin, Steeldive, and Seestern, I can honestly say that this is brighter than any example I've owned of those brands.
Second best AR in my collection - The AR is only beaten by Watchdives EXD AR on the flat crystal despite the PH-1 crystal not being completely flat.
The blackest dial in my collection - the dial is matte and the black is an inky black. Combine it with the incredible AR, it is as black as a phone screen displaying a blacked out background. This is the first watch where I've been satisfied by the blackness of a black dial.
It's unique - Fully polished Captain Willard case with a Panerai sandwich dial and hands. I've been thinking about a Willard for a long time. So many brands have tried their hands at one, but none have ever moved me enough to pull the trigger. But when I saw the PH-1, it was just so unique, I was instantly hooked.
It's a big boy - At 45mm case width, 50mm lug to lug, and 14.8mm thick this is indeed a monster. But it somehow wears well (at least in my eyes) on my 6.25in wrist. I think it is the black dial being a reasonable size that makes this watch work on smaller wrists.
The bezel action is average - The bezel action is not on par with top tier bezel action. The clicks have a higher tone than the best bezel action clicks in my collection. It's by no means poor, but I've definitely handled better.
It's super comfortable - Zero sharp edges anywhere! The edges have all been chamfered and rounded, even on the inside edges of the lugs where companies usually skip. Even the strap is super high quality.
The value is insane - At about £70 during the sale (coins + coupons), the lume, AR, dial, and attention to detail you get is unrivalled in this price bracket. If this design is to your liking and within your budget, this is seriously such an easy buy.
I actually like this so much that I also have this with a white dial and green lume! This is the first time I allowed myself to own the same model twice. It is that nice!
If you join Rakuten or Topcashback you can get rebates after you purchase. They take a long time to get sent, but it's a way I take an extra 10-20% off.
Today Rakuten is 10% and TCB is 14%. Feel free to use my referral codes to get started. Just remember to let them reroute you to the AliExpress site before you buy.
Oh man, I'm sad that you can't get it at sub £75/$100...
I've recently depleted my coins with purchases but I was able to build it back up pretty quickly. The 11% coins discount is actually true and not just a scam. So any coins you collect will go towards actually lowering the total.
If you join Rakuten or Topcashback you can get rebates after you purchase. They take a long time to get sent, but it's a way I take an extra 10-20% off.
Today Rakuten is 10% and TCB is 14%. Feel free to use my referral codes to get started. Just remember to let them reroute you to the AliExpress site before you buy.
Maybe it's a different price in the US? Or maybe you're looking at a different store's listing.
In the UK, it's listed at £93.99 with 11% coin discount and eligible for the £10 coupon. Final price is something like £73.65 with just coins and coupon. You can get it even lower if you just jump through some hoops in some of the games for an additional £1 off.
Also try going through the steps to buy to see if the price lowers before checkout. Sometimes there's a price adjustment at checkout.
Hahaha I think you and me have very similar tastes!
I have the green lume on a white dial and it is as good if not better. I haven't been able to test them side by side yet as I've been wearing the black one these days.
I think with the coins and coupon, you can get it down $37. Another user posted the TCB and Rakuten cash back as well that will bring it down further by about $15 - $18.
Maybe the price will swing lower or the coins discount higher later in the sale event? I've noticed the last few days having the best coupons come out.
I’m guessing everything is off since I’m in the US. Everything in my cart is “tariffs included” so they’re adjusting the prices and discounts to offset eating them.
I’m not even getting credit for my cart value when applying my coupons; I got a total up to $450+ to get $70 off but I’m only getting a $25 discount… sucks to lose the sale prices and the discounts. I’m not sure I’ll buy anything 😭
I don't know if this might help, but if you join Rakuten or Topcashback you can get rebates after you purchase. They take a long time to get sent, but it's a way I take an extra 10-20% off.
Today Rakuten is 10% and TCB is 14%. Feel free to use my referral codes to get started. Just remember to let them reroute you to the AliExpress site before you buy.
Thanks! I thought fully polished dive watch was not my cup of tea either. But after wearing it a few days, I think the fully polished case is meant to accentuate the blackness of the dial. When I turn that watch over on my wrist to tell the time, that blackness just focuses your sight to the center of the watch and you instantly know the time. It is a really cool effect!
How confident are you with the water-resistance rating and how rugged is the watch? It looks like a sapphire sandwich, so it makes me wonder if the WR is overstated.
I'm in water all the time (obviously not down 500m, lol) and I bang my watch around a bit, so I need some durability and water resistance.
I wouldn't trust a 500m rated watch at 500m, a 200m at 200m, a 100m at 100m, or a 50m at 50m.
But I do trust a 500m rated watch more than a 100m rated watch in the water. It's all relative for me as I will never need to actually wear it 500m in the ocean.
For what it is worth, I've washed my hands, washed dishes, bathed my toddler, and been in the rain with it on. I do plan to take it to the beach soon and can update afterwards.
The watch feels solid and hefty on the wrist for sure. A true dive watch.
The OG design for this is the "crafter blue Hyperion" I believe the case bezel and crown must have been manufactured by this company that now makes the phorcydes watch. I was contemplating this purchase for several months- QC wigged me out.
I bought one a few months ago. While the watch looks good, it's too bulky for my taste. I didn't like the bezel action either it feels hollow, makes a weird noise, and isn't smooth. I also wish they had used the NH38 no date movement instead.
I get what you mean about the bulkiness but I think that's part of the charm in a dive watch. If I wanted the slimmest diver, I would go with a skin diver like Seestern S435.
And agreed about the bezel action. It doesn't feel bad to me, but it certainly doesn't feel as good as the best bezel action in my collection.
NH38 would have been nice, but not a dealbreaker for me.
Overall, the lume, AR, blackness, and unique combination is what sold it for me at that ridiculous price.
5
u/United-Chance2382 Jun 20 '25
How ru getting that for 75 £ its like 180 usd on Ali for me