This is probably Phoibos’ best watch yet. I actually am one of those people who have come around to their logo. Great review as always. I’m just glad they are offering smaller watches.
I really enjoyed your videos throughout the years. .Your demeanor and how you explain everything in detail.. You really know what you're talking about buddy!!
Thanks for another great review Shane! I purchased this same one in black during the Black Friday/Christmas sale under $300.. I love everything about the Wavemaster GMT to include the dial design, colors and size. No regrets buying this. Keep up the great work!!!
This is finally my first Phoibos because of the size reduction and (for Phoibos) more conservative design. Thanks to some early pictures shared by a friend, I bought this at release sale price under $300 USD before this colorway sold out. As usual you nailed it on the review, bezel action perfect but white date wheel keeps it short of perfect. Color matched date wheel with the black dial and with blue numbers would be fantastic. I did get unlucky on the fitting of the bracelet, the adjustment holes didn't do it for me. I've replaced the clasp with a generic one with six micro adjust holes so I'm good with that. Most would not be so unlucky on the fit as I was. On the fly adjustment would have been an improvement.
Agreed. For us smaller-wristed guys who would buy a sub-40mm case and 46mm lug to lug, the male end links tend to render those smaller sizes redundant.
Nice review - as always. I have quite a few Phoibos' in my collection. But somehow I'm just not a fan of the wavy dial.. so my affordable GMT is a red version of their Voyager, which was €299, so even cheaper!
Phoibos are amazing, I have several watches from them, there is great value to be had, and their original designs are so cool. I just love them. I will continue collecting Phoibos watches.
Well said Shane, in all aspects. Great review, on a great line, from a brand that dares, to say the least. For all these, a worth considering watch for sure. Not to mention the color combos... Cheers mate, hope you're having a great holiday with family and friends. Be well.
I just got this watch in orange and it matches my orange Chuck Taylors, this watch is solid, it has a comfortable fit to the wrist, and I've already received more attention that I got from my Orient Kamasu, it's my new diver for sure
This is a great looking watch. I also like the reduced size. But I think I like my Kraken a bit more. I mean the watch that is called Kraken and seems to be discontinued. Hope you had a great Christmas! 🎉🕐⚙️🍸
In my case my diver's watch is a Citizen Ecozilla that I modified by adding lugs and then a 5.5mm thick stainless steel bracelet to finish its formidable looks. It weighs a ginormous 300g now so one never forgets wearing it. Lots of presence even on my 7.5 inch wrist. ⌚ 🤔
Yeah when they first dropped this I think they had $85 off the price which made it an excellent buy. And I was going to jump on the purple one until I saw the size. It's just simply too small. My Orient komatsu is a little bigger than this and I don't wear it for the simple fact it's too small. So what a shame hopefully they'll come out with another version and I'll be able to jump on one then. Great review thanks.
I love this EXCEPT for the date window if they would of offered it in a no date version as well then I would give it 2 thumbs up heh otherwise great watch to cover man!
Can you comment about the centering of the date numerals being shifted to the left of the window? I've seen many instances where the date is not centered properly.
I really like the watch overall. The bezel is to big, to bold for me. Think I'll buy one, take a long hard look and gift it to a good friend. Nice review Shane.
I have the gen 1 wave master. I would love the purple one. But I wish they retained the syringe hands of the diver version instead of whatever hand set type this is.
Shane I’ve got 4 Phoibos watches including the original Wavemaster & it’s still a favourite! This GMT is definitely worth consideration! Oh & I reckon the Octopus logo looks like a cow head!🐮 But I love it!🤣
That's a very attractive watch. The white date wheel doesn't bother me, since the bezel numbers, logo, and dial lettering are also white. I've got to say, though, that I'm not a fan of the Kraken logo...
Good review 👍. It looks a great watch, but I prefer my San Martin sn0116g GMT a slimmer looking case with tapering bracelet and on the fly clasp for a little less money. It only has 100m WR but that is fine for a GMT.
Your close. It's a goofy idea I had made up into a shirt. Did you ever see the movie "The Big Lebowski"? Where Jeff Bridges character "The Dude" ran around in a bathrobe and liked to go bowling. Well it's The Dude meets The Scuba Dude. my-store-8952194.creator-spring.com/apparel
It's a Rally Strap from blushark. www.blusharkstraps.com/collections/leather-watch-bands/products/leather-kwik-change-quick-release-brown-rally-strap-calfskin-watch-band
Am I the only one who hates to notice how a company has cut corners whenever I check the time? Or think about the $25 movement pushing the second hand around the dial? Guess so...
It's a matter of perspective, for me, life is about balance. To put it more in the perspective of cars, not everyone wants / needs / or can afford a Ferrari for their daily driver. Yet at the same time, most of us wouldn't want to drive a tiny econo-box either. So I think its up to everyone to figure out what works best in their life. To find the balance between want and need.
@@RelativeTime That's very true, but plenty of brands handle these issues more elegantly and at lower prices. For this ask I want a color matched date wheel and a high beat Miyota movement. Seems reasonable to me.
Do you mean the NH34s in particular? I own several many NH35s, and do sometimes wonder about the fact that I have the same movement in watches across a surprisingly wide price range (that is, I have NH35s in watches running from sub-$125 to over-$525) -- not sure how I feel about the value proposition of movements to be honest. I sorely miss the tactile feedback of the Valjoux 7750 rotor spinning in the Oris Divers Titan that I shouldn't have sold, but beyond that I've never been particularly impressed or disappointed one way or the other with movements. Ergo, there are great watches and sucky watches with expensive movements, and great watches and sucky watches with inexpensive movements.
It's a handsome watch, an improvement in almost every respect, such as the better dimensions and the replacement of the ugly blocky syringe hands of the older model. But to my eye there's a lot dust and debris on the dial which is a no go.
SM's quality is somewhat debatable. I've bought 2 and both had bad screws in their SS bracelets, preventing the removal of those links. Not acceptable at that price range, especially for chinese movements.
That clasp is a travesty though. If San Martin can give us a fully milled clasp...hell, they can give us a ON THE FLY adjust... for less than $300, then Phobios has no excuse
Does nothing for me. GMT dive watches are ridiculous to me. Do you often dive across multiple time zones? I'd like to see Phoibos bring back the original Kraken with some minor refinements, but keep the original bracelet.
While I don't need one everyday I do find it handy to have a GMT when traveling. Other than that I just like them, so I'll wear one anytime. To me, it's just a Diver with a little added functionality. Although I will warn you ahead of time, if you don't like GMTS, you probably won't like my Top Ten of 2023 video I'm working on. There were so many put out this last year, that about half of the watches in that video will be GMTs. It think this year will be a little different. The GMT market got saturated with everyone jumping on the bandwagon, so I'm betting most micros will go back to regular 3 handers.
@@RelativeTime I agree wholeheartedly. 2023 was "Year of the GMT". 2022 was "Year of the Diver". Great response, btw. I don't begrudge your opinions in your upcoming video on Top 10 of 2023 watches. I'm just over the GMT thing at this point. Keep up the good work!
No but if traveling this doubles as both and GMT (I use mine when traveling to or calling Europe) and a dive watch - one less watch to bring - great if traveling where luggage weight can be an issue ... yeah I know how much does one extra watch weigh but it CAN add up.
@@RelativeTime... whole heartedly agree Shane .. to me the first half of 2023 was the year of the NH34 GMT and the later half the year of Titanium as a watch material and glidelock/quick adjust clasps.
Excellent review as always. Seems like microbrands are releasing ‘new models’…repurposed models with GMT lacking genuine newness. Maybe this is a phase like teenagers discovering new apps to do social media all over again. I’d love to do a collab video on dive watches with you. Let me know ow if you’re interested. @realidealgear. Have a great new year and Take care Shane
I think a lot of it has to do with the introduction of the NH34 and the 9075. Before that you had to go Swiss and pay some big bucks to get those movements. So with that the floodgates opened up and everyone wanted to jump on board. With the easiest thing just to re-hash an old model to do it before everyone else gets to market. At this point, I think the GMT market is pretty saturated, but we will see what comes out next year. I'm pretty busy over the next few months, but I'm always happy to do a collab. shoot me an email or dm me on Instagram/facebook.
This is probably Phoibos’ best watch yet. I actually am one of those people who have come around to their logo. Great review as always. I’m just glad they are offering smaller watches.
Much appreciated!
Love those blue toned markers and hands.
I really enjoyed your videos throughout the years. .Your demeanor and how you explain everything in detail.. You really know what you're talking about buddy!!
Men who dislike the octopus logo are not to be trusted.
🤣🤣🤣
Octopus is an underwater spider, and people who like spiders cannot be trusted. 🤔
@@An_inquisitive_thinker I don't like octopuses. I like the octopus logo.
@@trogpo
Octopuses or octopi, my precious? 🤔
@@An_inquisitive_thinker I think that both are legit, but English isn't my native language.
Thanks for another great review Shane! I purchased this same one in black during the Black Friday/Christmas sale under $300.. I love everything about the Wavemaster GMT to include the dial design, colors and size. No regrets buying this. Keep up the great work!!!
Great review! I hope that Phiobus would make an Abalone version for the Wavemaster GMT. Also I’d prefer a rubber band for the GMT.
This is finally my first Phoibos because of the size reduction and (for Phoibos) more conservative design. Thanks to some early pictures shared by a friend, I bought this at release sale price under $300 USD before this colorway sold out.
As usual you nailed it on the review, bezel action perfect but white date wheel keeps it short of perfect. Color matched date wheel with the black dial and with blue numbers would be fantastic. I did get unlucky on the fitting of the bracelet, the adjustment holes didn't do it for me. I've replaced the clasp with a generic one with six micro adjust holes so I'm good with that. Most would not be so unlucky on the fit as I was. On the fly adjustment would have been an improvement.
Agreed. For us smaller-wristed guys who would buy a sub-40mm case and 46mm lug to lug, the male end links tend to render those smaller sizes redundant.
Nice review - as always. I have quite a few Phoibos' in my collection. But somehow I'm just not a fan of the wavy dial.. so my affordable GMT is a red version of their Voyager, which was €299, so even cheaper!
Such a classic, original design! For those of us that won’t shop Ali express, this is a welcome line of watches.
Phoibos are amazing, I have several watches from them, there is great value to be had, and their original designs are so cool. I just love them. I will continue collecting Phoibos watches.
Well said Shane, in all aspects. Great review, on a great line, from a brand that dares, to say the least. For all these, a worth considering watch for sure. Not to mention the color combos...
Cheers mate, hope you're having a great holiday with family and friends. Be well.
I have the purple dial and love it. It’s become my daily and gets more wrist time than my Pelagos and Aquis
I just got this watch in orange and it matches my orange Chuck Taylors, this watch is solid, it has a comfortable fit to the wrist, and I've already received more attention that I got from my Orient Kamasu, it's my new diver for sure
i have said this for years about seiko. every micro brand out there does it better for less
This is a great looking watch. I also like the reduced size. But I think I like my Kraken a bit more. I mean the watch that is called Kraken and seems to be discontinued. Hope you had a great Christmas! 🎉🕐⚙️🍸
In my case my diver's watch is a Citizen Ecozilla that I modified by adding lugs and then a 5.5mm thick stainless steel bracelet to finish its formidable looks. It weighs a ginormous 300g now so one never forgets wearing it. Lots of presence even on my 7.5 inch wrist.
⌚ 🤔
Great review as always Shane. Fantastic looking watch. Love how the lume glows even in daylight!
Yeah when they first dropped this I think they had $85 off the price which made it an excellent buy. And I was going to jump on the purple one until I saw the size. It's just simply too small. My Orient komatsu is a little bigger than this and I don't wear it for the simple fact it's too small. So what a shame hopefully they'll come out with another version and I'll be able to jump on one then. Great review thanks.
The only dealbreaker for me is the logo. I love their design flair - it reminds me of the daring of Zelos.
It’s a fun watch and a fun logo. Don’t be lame.
@@jakefromstatefarm8545 There's fun, and there's comical. But I don't hate it as much as I did six months ago
I got a previous Phoibos GMT, and gosh, it could be a bit smaller. That perfect sub 40mm smaller like this one.
I love this EXCEPT for the date window if they would of offered it in a no date version as well then I would give it 2 thumbs up heh otherwise great watch to cover man!
This looks really good in the smaller size something they should of done long time ago
Can you comment about the centering of the date numerals being shifted to the left of the window? I've seen many instances where the date is not centered properly.
I really like the watch overall. The bezel is to big, to bold for me. Think I'll buy one, take a long hard look and gift it to a good friend. Nice review Shane.
I have the gen 1 wave master. I would love the purple one. But I wish they retained the syringe hands of the diver version instead of whatever hand set type this is.
I think your right that would have been better.
@@RelativeTime I feel like it loses a lot of its personality with this hand set.
Great review. More value than the seamaster imo.
Shane I’ve got 4 Phoibos watches including the original Wavemaster & it’s still a favourite! This GMT is definitely worth consideration! Oh & I reckon the Octopus logo looks like a cow head!🐮 But I love it!🤣
All they had to do was not put the ‘24’ on the chapter ring. Maybe do the odds there instead like Seiko does. It’d be perfect.
Great looking watch! Great size too!
That's a very attractive watch. The white date wheel doesn't bother me, since the bezel numbers, logo, and dial lettering are also white. I've got to say, though, that I'm not a fan of the Kraken logo...
Funny about the video I LITERALLY just ordered their Eagle Ray in burnt orange.
Great choice. The Eagle Rays are awesome.
Nice one Shane have the original and i love it.
Al the best for 2024, Darren From Britain (:
Good review 👍. It looks a great watch, but I prefer my San Martin sn0116g GMT a slimmer looking case with tapering bracelet and on the fly clasp for a little less money. It only has 100m WR but that is fine for a GMT.
Shane,what t shirt are you wearing in this video? It's almost a vost o k scuba dude but w trenchant and crystal ball?
Your close. It's a goofy idea I had made up into a shirt. Did you ever see the movie "The Big Lebowski"? Where Jeff Bridges character "The Dude" ran around in a bathrobe and liked to go bowling. Well it's The Dude meets The Scuba Dude.
my-store-8952194.creator-spring.com/apparel
What strap is that at 3:23, any links possible to where I could get it? 🤔
It's a Rally Strap from blushark. www.blusharkstraps.com/collections/leather-watch-bands/products/leather-kwik-change-quick-release-brown-rally-strap-calfskin-watch-band
@@RelativeTime
Thank you, appreciated.
Am I the only one who hates to notice how a company has cut corners whenever I check the time? Or think about the $25 movement pushing the second hand around the dial? Guess so...
It's a matter of perspective, for me, life is about balance. To put it more in the perspective of cars, not everyone wants / needs / or can afford a Ferrari for their daily driver. Yet at the same time, most of us wouldn't want to drive a tiny econo-box either. So I think its up to everyone to figure out what works best in their life. To find the balance between want and need.
@@RelativeTime That's very true, but plenty of brands handle these issues more elegantly and at lower prices. For this ask I want a color matched date wheel and a high beat Miyota movement. Seems reasonable to me.
Do you mean the NH34s in particular? I own several many NH35s, and do sometimes wonder about the fact that I have the same movement in watches across a surprisingly wide price range (that is, I have NH35s in watches running from sub-$125 to over-$525) -- not sure how I feel about the value proposition of movements to be honest. I sorely miss the tactile feedback of the Valjoux 7750 rotor spinning in the Oris Divers Titan that I shouldn't have sold, but beyond that I've never been particularly impressed or disappointed one way or the other with movements. Ergo, there are great watches and sucky watches with expensive movements, and great watches and sucky watches with inexpensive movements.
Yeah, they could have done a better job with that date wheel :(
It's a handsome watch, an improvement in almost every respect, such as the better dimensions and the replacement of the ugly blocky syringe hands of the older model. But to my eye there's a lot dust and debris on the dial which is a no go.
SM's quality is somewhat debatable. I've bought 2 and both had bad screws in their SS bracelets, preventing the removal of those links. Not acceptable at that price range, especially for chinese movements.
That clasp is a travesty though. If San Martin can give us a fully milled clasp...hell, they can give us a ON THE FLY adjust... for less than $300, then Phobios has no excuse
Does nothing for me. GMT dive watches are ridiculous to me. Do you often dive across multiple time zones? I'd like to see Phoibos bring back the original Kraken with some minor refinements, but keep the original bracelet.
While I don't need one everyday I do find it handy to have a GMT when traveling. Other than that I just like them, so I'll wear one anytime. To me, it's just a Diver with a little added functionality.
Although I will warn you ahead of time, if you don't like GMTS, you probably won't like my Top Ten of 2023 video I'm working on. There were so many put out this last year, that about half of the watches in that video will be GMTs.
It think this year will be a little different. The GMT market got saturated with everyone jumping on the bandwagon, so I'm betting most micros will go back to regular 3 handers.
@@RelativeTime I agree wholeheartedly. 2023 was "Year of the GMT". 2022 was "Year of the Diver". Great response, btw. I don't begrudge your opinions in your upcoming video on Top 10 of 2023 watches. I'm just over the GMT thing at this point. Keep up the good work!
No but if traveling this doubles as both and GMT (I use mine when traveling to or calling Europe) and a dive watch - one less watch to bring - great if traveling where luggage weight can be an issue ... yeah I know how much does one extra watch weigh but it CAN add up.
@@RelativeTime... whole heartedly agree Shane .. to me the first half of 2023 was the year of the NH34 GMT and the later half the year of Titanium as a watch material and glidelock/quick adjust clasps.
Shame about the logo
Excellent review as always. Seems like microbrands are releasing ‘new models’…repurposed models with GMT lacking genuine newness. Maybe this is a phase like teenagers discovering new apps to do social media all over again.
I’d love to do a collab video on dive watches with you. Let me know ow if you’re interested. @realidealgear.
Have a great new year and Take care Shane
I think a lot of it has to do with the introduction of the NH34 and the 9075. Before that you had to go Swiss and pay some big bucks to get those movements. So with that the floodgates opened up and everyone wanted to jump on board. With the easiest thing just to re-hash an old model to do it before everyone else gets to market.
At this point, I think the GMT market is pretty saturated, but we will see what comes out next year.
I'm pretty busy over the next few months, but I'm always happy to do a collab. shoot me an email or dm me on Instagram/facebook.