I'm a big fan of Cronos - I have two in my box. However, I think I'll wait for v2 - better articulation and longer bracelet, no date window, and better finishing.
$165 is an insane price for such a good watch. I hope Cronos starts putting out more great watches. Thanks for the great review. The movement does make me a little nervous.
As per usual standard a great and articulated review. I don't have a watch yet in my collection with a pt5000 movement Just a question though, would this fit well on a 6.5 wrist? Keep the great reviews going 👍
@@EscapeWheel ...thanks for the prompt reply Steve...might have to pull the trigger on this or the new version of the Bambino...that looks good as Orient have refined it further
Hey, Steve. I own this blue Skyline as well. Superb watch. I had planned to get the IXDAO Engineer in the last sale, but I was able to get the Skyline under $160 with coupons, so here we are. Also for reference, I have a 6.6-6.7in/17 cm wrist, and the bracelet fits perfectly with no gaps or overhang.
@@EscapeWheel Yeah, I thought it would be helpful to confirm the bracelet vs wrist size. Like you, I’m not an integrated bracelet guy, so no plans to get another (and I’m very pleased with this Skyline anyway). And unrelated question: Have you had a chance to review a Direnzo? I haven’t seen it in your vid catalog. Just curious if you know about them and might bring one in. They’re typically a bit pricier around $800, but I think you’ve reviewed some Hamilton’s in the ball park, so . . .
Agreed. I's obviously a copy of the PRX with the dial from the CW and the bezel from, well who knows, but only Tissot seem to have done the chunky hands so far. Everyone goes for the thin pointy ones, even on divers and they really look out of place sometimes. I just wish more designs had similar hands.
Thanks for a great review!!! When you show us the ixdao engineer and this watch on video, I felt cronos was bigger than ixdao. The exact size of ixdao is little bigger than cronos, i think. Which one seems bigger when you see these two watches at the same time?
it would be nice personally to stray away from blue, black, white with this watch. I have too many and it would be a great dial to add newer color for my collection. That and the fact i have small wrists make me hesitant to get it. If only one of those things were an issue, i'd probably have one already. I'd love to see a 36mm with new color options. Same thing CW had to do basically lol.
Oddly, the bracelet for this watch conforms better to my 6.75" wrist than the Ixdao Engineer bracelet, articulation or no. I bought this watch with a thought of seeing if I liked it enough to pull the trigger on the CW, and whether to go with 38 or 40 for the CW. Gotta say, I think 39 (38.5? Advertised as 39) is absolutely perfect for my wrist with this design. And it's nice enough that I can hold off on the CW. I did pay extra for the SW200, during a sale and with coupons and coins I think it was $255.
Hi, I know you said the ixdao engineer is the best watch coming out of China but how would you compare it to the San Martin sn0129? Specially now with the new bracelet with chamfered edges
@@johnhunterpPhD they are both excellent and I do like the new changes on the 129. You can't go wrong with either, but the engineer has me saying "wow" more than the 129. SM needs to slim it down just a hair, maybe spice up the hands and indices a bit and it would be better.
@@johndesmond1987 more of a zenith defy skyline, CW12 dial, and some hands and indices off of.....something. probably the true definition of "homage"...being it's own thing but drawing inspiration (a lot) from various watches.
Update: i bought one and it fits me very well, no issues whatsoever. On my 6 1/4 inch wrist i removed four links (two on each side) and it fits perfect.
The quality seems to be very good overall, i see no misalignments or sharp edges that comes in contact with my skin while wearing it. Only negative I've found is the crown can be hard to screw back in, its hard to get the threads started and the crown is very slippery so its hard to get a good grip on it. I don't see this as a big issue though. Overall i would recommend it, especially if you can get it at a discount.
@@bifflee3603 it would be very close, but I don't see a way to remove the first link of the bracelet like the Cronos has. My calipers measured a width of 13.4mm on the strap and 13.3mm on the first middle link width of the ixdao
They actually changed quite a lot when compared to CW. The dial is no doubt almost the same but the dial layout, hands, indicies, bezel shape, case shape, bracelet are quite different. Really nicely done. Great review as well.
Why go so far as to copy Christopher Ward's cross dial, they could have taken their logo and made a similar pattern on the dial. It would have been really original
Maybe they tried and decided this looks better. The problem is there are so many watches out there now that it's near impossible to come up with something original. Even watches costing thousands are often copies of other designs. How many "panda" dials are there out there?
Thanks for such a thorough review. Where the dial texture pattern is concerned, would have been nice of Cronos at least used a different repeating shape rather than the CW Swiss cross. The cross is a Swiss national symbol and part of CW's logo. Makes zero sense on this watch.
@@keving4408 but the cross is just a cross used in many parts of the world, CW didn't invent it. I get what you are saying though. It's something you don't think about though, it's so small, nobody would ever notice it unless you showed them macro footage.
@@EscapeWheel Fair enough. But the cross is associated with Switzerland and CW, neither of which has anything to do with Cronos. Also, a different repeating shape would have injected at least a modicum of originality.
@@EscapeWheel it is a Zenith Defy Skyline (!) with CW dial and Royal Oak bezel screws. I think that is more of a homage than a 1:1 clone with a chinese logo
But the dial on any diver is a copy of countless others. What's the difference? I think we need to be asking why the big manufacturers are charging so much more for watches that clearly don't cost that much to produce. Yes, I get that things are a lot cheaper in China but even taking that into account, you can't tell me that CW's costs 6 times as much to manufacture.
Thank you for your excellent review..... Ixdao still better, but admittedly more expensive. Spoiled for choice when it comes to integrated bracelet watches.....
Looks awesome but I hate to be that guy....UUUGGGGHH that date window! Either do it right or make a dateless version. As beautiful as that dial is, to put an ugly afterthought cut out date window at the 3 is gross...shame
Ugly afterthought date window? 😮 IMO it looks fine.. the 3 marker is reduced in size to help with design balance and the cut out is chamfered. There are some issues with this watch but the date window is not one of them? Appears to be very good value for such a reasonable price. Appreciate it is subjective.. but I find your comment way too harsh. Its a lovely watch 👌👍🙏
The lack of articulation in many of these Aliexpress integrated bracelets is mind boggling. How come none of their "designers" can figure it out?? IXDAO and Bettimer did. My other issue with it, is the complete copy of the CW 12 dial pattern...its literally their logo, so it just looks heinous here. They took a CW 12, a AP RA, and a Zenith Defy and smashed them all together here. Not impressed.
Cronos have had their logo/symbol for some years. I own a couple. CW only went to their new so called official one/logo in recent times. I own 3 CW with just the name itself. One was bought earlier this year. But I completely agree with the dial design, which is ordinary to copy. Then again that’s Chinese watches, well the industry isn’t it?
I bought this popular video watch from mamacoo , which was originally priced at a few thousand dollars, but now it's only $380! It's really suitable to pick up feces!
I'm a big fan of Cronos - I have two in my box.
However, I think I'll wait for v2 - better articulation and longer bracelet, no date window, and better finishing.
$165 is an insane price for such a good watch. I hope Cronos starts putting out more great watches. Thanks for the great review. The movement does make me a little nervous.
You can get it with a Selitta SW200 movement
PT5000 is more reliable than Sw200s and powermatics
@@tynchytemper9618 I definitely have to get one in for sure. Thanks!
@@tynchytemper9618 it's the same movement made by different companies. one made in china and the other in switzerland
I'm generally not into integrated bracelet watches but this one is tempting
As per usual standard a great and articulated review. I don't have a watch yet in my collection with a pt5000 movement Just a question though, would this fit well on a 6.5 wrist? Keep the great reviews going 👍
Yes I think it would. Ive seen it on a wrist that size and the wearer said it was good.
@@EscapeWheel ...thanks for the prompt reply Steve...might have to pull the trigger on this or the new version of the Bambino...that looks good as Orient have refined it further
Hey, Steve. I own this blue Skyline as well. Superb watch. I had planned to get the IXDAO Engineer in the last sale, but I was able to get the Skyline under $160 with coupons, so here we are. Also for reference, I have a 6.6-6.7in/17 cm wrist, and the bracelet fits perfectly with no gaps or overhang.
@@cecilyau4440 that's awesome...the price got me, too 🤣
Glad to hear the bracelet fits good for you 👍
@@EscapeWheel Yeah, I thought it would be helpful to confirm the bracelet vs wrist size. Like you, I’m not an integrated bracelet guy, so no plans to get another (and I’m very pleased with this Skyline anyway). And unrelated question: Have you had a chance to review a Direnzo? I haven’t seen it in your vid catalog. Just curious if you know about them and might bring one in. They’re typically a bit pricier around $800, but I think you’ve reviewed some Hamilton’s in the ball park, so . . .
Love the hands of this watch, I also bought 1 recently partly because of the hands 😂. Hope they do more watches with these hands.
Agreed. I's obviously a copy of the PRX with the dial from the CW and the bezel from, well who knows, but only Tissot seem to have done the chunky hands so far. Everyone goes for the thin pointy ones, even on divers and they really look out of place sometimes. I just wish more designs had similar hands.
Thanks for a great review!!! When you show us the ixdao engineer and this watch on video, I felt cronos was bigger than ixdao. The exact size of ixdao is little bigger than cronos, i think. Which one seems bigger when you see these two watches at the same time?
Looks good but the crown action is a non-starter.
My Seastern S435 looks great too but has a rough winding stem. Kills the enjoyment of the watch.
Its like a Christopher Ward and Nivada Grechen had a baby! Nice looking watch for the money!
it would be nice personally to stray away from blue, black, white with this watch. I have too many and it would be a great dial to add newer color for my collection. That and the fact i have small wrists make me hesitant to get it. If only one of those things were an issue, i'd probably have one already. I'd love to see a 36mm with new color options. Same thing CW had to do basically lol.
Oddly, the bracelet for this watch conforms better to my 6.75" wrist than the Ixdao Engineer bracelet, articulation or no.
I bought this watch with a thought of seeing if I liked it enough to pull the trigger on the CW, and whether to go with 38 or 40 for the CW. Gotta say, I think 39 (38.5? Advertised as 39) is absolutely perfect for my wrist with this design. And it's nice enough that I can hold off on the CW. I did pay extra for the SW200, during a sale and with coupons and coins I think it was $255.
Which one should i choose? The ixdao or this cronos skyline? Please advise
Pick the one you like the most, if you like both just as much then you can flip a coin
Hi, I know you said the ixdao engineer is the best watch coming out of China but how would you compare it to the San Martin sn0129? Specially now with the new bracelet with chamfered edges
@@johnhunterpPhD they are both excellent and I do like the new changes on the 129. You can't go wrong with either, but the engineer has me saying "wow" more than the 129. SM needs to slim it down just a hair, maybe spice up the hands and indices a bit and it would be better.
0:46 IXDAO Engineer my beloved
it looks very well made, but I wish they hadn't directly copied the CW dial pattern. Makes it look a lot more like an outright ripoff.
Hopefully they can use their own logo in the future. I imagine crosses on the dial were cheaper to produce than hourglasses
Steve! Great review, just wondering if you happen to know which is the official website of Cronos?
@@SeanRoxas08 I don't. I typically buy from Ali Express
The Cronos and IX&DAO are now on my list!
Any rubber strap options?
Also like the Blue dial on the watch. Can you swim with the bracelet?
@@samnova450 I don't see why not...it's not something I would do, but it should be fine
@@EscapeWheel Yeah feel the same, prefer rubber straps for swimming.
what do you call that kind of strap - I am trying to find replacement for it?
@@Earl_roy I don't think they have a name. Maybe a notches strap?
@@EscapeWheel thank you sir
If it's a blatant knockoff of both the Tissot PRX and the Christopher Ward Twelve, does that make it an original design?
@@johndesmond1987 more of a zenith defy skyline, CW12 dial, and some hands and indices off of.....something. probably the true definition of "homage"...being it's own thing but drawing inspiration (a lot) from various watches.
I myself, don’t care. Watch looks good and is cheap.
CW copied Czapek, one could argue.
@@etebollol, you tell it like it is😊
Aliexpress coupon has been restocking for me. No coupon available for me.
Damn, i have a 6 1/4 inch wrist. I was really excited about it until you said it won't work on smaller wrists
Update: i bought one and it fits me very well, no issues whatsoever. On my 6 1/4 inch wrist i removed four links (two on each side) and it fits perfect.
The quality seems to be very good overall, i see no misalignments or sharp edges that comes in contact with my skin while wearing it. Only negative I've found is the crown can be hard to screw back in, its hard to get the threads started and the crown is very slippery so its hard to get a good grip on it. I don't see this as a big issue though. Overall i would recommend it, especially if you can get it at a discount.
You think this watch is better than Pagani Design Oak Homage?
@@zacky6416 yes, definitely. The Pagani is nice for the price, but it's really sharp and uncomfortable over a long period. This is comfortable
@@EscapeWheel Thanks for the quick response, this will be my next purchase. ⌚
Can I ask does the leather strap for the cronos fit the ixdao engineer watch?
I'm after a strap for my engineer.
Thanks in advance
@@bifflee3603 it would be very close, but I don't see a way to remove the first link of the bracelet like the Cronos has. My calipers measured a width of 13.4mm on the strap and 13.3mm on the first middle link width of the ixdao
They actually changed quite a lot when compared to CW. The dial is no doubt almost the same but the dial layout, hands, indicies, bezel shape, case shape, bracelet are quite different. Really nicely done. Great review as well.
That's cuz it's a zenith defy copy with the cw dial. So they didn't change the cw. It's a zenith copy
This is your brain on affordable watches
Why go so far as to copy Christopher Ward's cross dial, they could have taken their logo and made a similar pattern on the dial. It would have been really original
Maybe they tried and decided this looks better. The problem is there are so many watches out there now that it's near impossible to come up with something original. Even watches costing thousands are often copies of other designs. How many "panda" dials are there out there?
Does the bracelet pull hair?
@@abdulazizalshahrani6715 no, but honestly I've almost never had that issue with any watch.
such a cool watch
No hald links kills it for me. Other than that the dial and hands look great
Look at the cronos gmt gs homage, just amazingly good in black
cronos has excellent watches
They have half links now.
@@MrPINKFL0YD where? Did a quick search and didn't see it
I would like to know too!
Thanks for such a thorough review. Where the dial texture pattern is concerned, would have been nice of Cronos at least used a different repeating shape rather than the CW Swiss cross. The cross is a Swiss national symbol and part of CW's logo. Makes zero sense on this watch.
@@keving4408 but the cross is just a cross used in many parts of the world, CW didn't invent it. I get what you are saying though. It's something you don't think about though, it's so small, nobody would ever notice it unless you showed them macro footage.
@@EscapeWheel Fair enough. But the cross is associated with Switzerland and CW, neither of which has anything to do with Cronos. Also, a different repeating shape would have injected at least a modicum of originality.
Might have found my Mrs' birthday preset.
looks a lot like the christopher ward one
dial is basically a 1:1 ripoff, but everything else is different...it's a mishmash of designs for sure
@@EscapeWheel it is a Zenith Defy Skyline (!) with CW dial and Royal Oak bezel screws. I think that is more of a homage than a 1:1 clone with a chinese logo
Copying Christopher Ward is a step beyond what’s acceptable for me.
But the dial on any diver is a copy of countless others. What's the difference? I think we need to be asking why the big manufacturers are charging so much more for watches that clearly don't cost that much to produce. Yes, I get that things are a lot cheaper in China but even taking that into account, you can't tell me that CW's costs 6 times as much to manufacture.
If Citizen Forza and AP Royal Oak had a child
Thank you for your excellent review..... Ixdao still better, but admittedly more expensive. Spoiled for choice when it comes to integrated bracelet watches.....
@@originalboondi thank you for watching
Looks awesome but I hate to be that guy....UUUGGGGHH that date window! Either do it right or make a dateless version. As beautiful as that dial is, to put an ugly afterthought cut out date window at the 3 is gross...shame
Ugly afterthought date window? 😮 IMO it looks fine.. the 3 marker is reduced in size to help with design balance and the cut out is chamfered. There are some issues with this watch but the date window is not one of them? Appears to be very good value for such a reasonable price. Appreciate it is subjective.. but I find your comment way too harsh. Its a lovely watch 👌👍🙏
@@RC60669 hahahaha wrong
@@musik4u343 Very good we agree! .. your Wrong 👍
The lack of articulation in many of these Aliexpress integrated bracelets is mind boggling. How come none of their "designers" can figure it out?? IXDAO and Bettimer did.
My other issue with it, is the complete copy of the CW 12 dial pattern...its literally their logo, so it just looks heinous here. They took a CW 12, a AP RA, and a Zenith Defy and smashed them all together here. Not impressed.
Cronos have had their logo/symbol for some years. I own a couple. CW only went to their new so called official one/logo in recent times. I own 3 CW with just the name itself. One was bought earlier this year. But I completely agree with the dial design, which is ordinary to copy. Then again that’s Chinese watches, well the industry isn’t it?
Looks more Alpine Eagle than CW12 to me
@@moneymikz 🧐🤔🤣
It's like Christopher ward and tissot had a love child... 😅
christopher ward logo all over the dial, yeah... thats a pass
Your audio is terrible
I bought this popular video watch from mamacoo , which was originally priced at a few thousand dollars, but now it's only $380! It's really suitable to pick up feces!
#amzwatch 's watch really surprises me！