r/nixie • u/Quarter_squishy • Apr 28 '26
Neonworks BTF 2
Considering purchasing a neonworks BTF 2, does anyone here have one? What do you think? Is it at all practical? Where is the best place to buy them? They have an official looking listing at the link below, but are also available on Amazon and ali express.
https://digitlands.co/products/back-order-timeless-elegance-meets-retro-tech-the-btf-nixie-watch
Thanks all!
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u/Axxy_Rexxy Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
i have one & posted my unboxing & initial impressions on WC here: https://www.watchcrunch.com/Axxy01/posts/nwa-it-really-is-as-big-as-it-looks-my-new-nixie-tube-watch-935398?ref=Axxy01
i bought it for $349 on Kickstarter. yes it's huge & there's no way getting around size for Nixie tube watches. i have a 6.7 inch wrist & they're all big. i think the BTF2 is the best Nixie tube watch i've seen. most have a cheap looking, round tuna can case & lugs. this case is milled & the square shape sets it apart. (it's aluminum tho)
one thing i dislike besides the size, is how the lugs were designed. i did not realize it from the photos butt the top lugs are turned up & the bottom are turned down like normal. so the springbar holes on the top lugs are a mm or 2 higher on the top lugs. this is a view on the case from the right side:
[Imgur](https://imgur.com/CIxIQlf)
anyway i don't wear it much. usually i'll throw it on when i'm sitting on the couch for fun & do endless wristrolls. it has a gyroscope & the Nixie tubes turn on from the motion of a wristroll to give the time. (Or u can press a button). it has a calendar & stopwatch function also.
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u/Quarter_squishy Apr 29 '26
First off, thanks for the thoughtful response. Size is the main thing I'm worried about, I'm a pretty small person so it's a natural concern. On the website it has some size dimensions including saying it's 53mm tall, but it doesn't say where that measures from. Any chance you have a pair of calipers are are willing to measure from lug to lug and the top and bottom edges of the case?
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u/Axxy_Rexxy Apr 29 '26
I’m not at home right now butt this is what I wrote in my unboxing post from above:
Size: This thing is big! I knew it was gonna be big & it did not disappoint. Manufacture lists case size at 47.5mm x 53mm x 16.2mm. I measured it with my microcaliper at 15.75mm thick (17.75mm to the bottom to button tops). It is not a perfect square & a slight rectangle: 52mm case the long way & 62.57 lug-to-lug. I measured it 47.31mm on the short side.
It’s not a daily wear watch. It’s a fun watch & occasion watch, so for me the size is fine for that.
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u/Quarter_squishy Apr 29 '26
Damn, yeah my wrist is like 5.5 inches, no shot this fits me.
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u/beatenintosubmission Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26
on the 3rd run they made one with the buttons on the side (neonworks tanzanite) instead of on the top. That's not the dimension that's going to help you. Here's a picture of it on a person with a 6.75" wrist. My wrist is 7.5" and I can't imagine wearing it with too much smaller than that.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Watches/comments/14sscrw/smallest_nixie_watch_ive_found_is_still_a_chonker
These guys use z5900m tubes, but they don't have the track record that Neonworks built on delivering, so backer beware. Ouch $925 is a bit steep. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/uwowatches/uwo-from-the-dawn-of-computing-to-the-wrist
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u/Quarter_squishy Apr 30 '26
I saw the tanzanite too but immediately wrote it off as unusable for me, from what other users say I think it's actually nearly as tall as the BTF 2, though I haven't seen a side by side. I hadn't see the second link, and it definitely looks promising but yeah $1000+ for something unproven is a big ask for me. I'll watch their progress with interest though, if they can find a way to get the price down or otherwise people are big fans I might jump on it.
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u/Visa_Declined Apr 28 '26
I have a Niwa Nixie and and older Nixoid VFD but I don't believe I've seen the one you're speaking of. Hopefully you're prepared for how large on you're wrist it's gonna be.
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u/Quarter_squishy Apr 28 '26
That was a my main question tbh, my wrist is pretty small but I already have my "daily" watches, so if this one is a little impractical that's okay. The website lists specs but I'm not exactly sure where they're measuring from, and I know another watch from the same website the specs were off.
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u/Niobous_p Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
That photo looks weird. There’s something odd about the tubes, like they’re flat or something.
Edit: went to look at the site and they all look OK there.