We went on quite the journey.
When I was fannying about at the start of my collecting journey and trying to figure out what I actually liked about watches, I picked up a Phoibos, and it was my favourite watch for well over a year (not so much on a technical level, although it was good, but rather on how it looked). It was a Wave Master, albeit a variant they no longer make (or at least now have an inferior version of), and I had assumed it’d be my favourite for some time to come, and certainly it’d be a mainstay of my collection. This part of the review is what we’ll call ominous foreshadowing.
I decided a few months ago that it was time to get another Phoibos watch. I wanted something bright and cheerful for my collection, and I was struggling to pick between the yellow Argo and this watch, the Sunray Orange Voyager. It was a genuine struggle with both having their pros and cons. Ultimately, I opted for the Voyager, unaware that this time I’d made the wrong choice, but not for the reasons I was apprehensive about.
The watch arrived in March this year. I did my usual routine of filming the unboxing (for the day that I can be arsed to do YouTube reviews), taking off the plastic wrapping (that’s no big deal, right?!) and resizing the bracelet. Popped it on the wrist, took some video for social media and got on with my life. No worries there, right? Let’s just get on with the review as if I haven’t made some sort of massive mistake. Yeah, let’s do that.
The Phoibos Voyager, or to give its full name, Voyager 200M Automatic Diver Watch PY026G Sunray Orange, is a dive watch. Uncertified to ISO 6425, so maybe don’t go too far into the depths, but it at least works as a recreational diver.
The immediate thing that you’ll notice is the textured sunburst dial that sports stamped radial lines in an etched sunburst pattern. They don’t specify the dial material, but it appears to be some sort of stamped brass with a lacquer coating, and it looks quite good. The effect isn’t as uniform as you might expect, there’s a little randomness to it, which gives the dial a slightly organic look, but it generally looks okay. I was after a Summer watch, ironically for a country that doesn’t seem to get them, and the bright orange colour combined with the spiral shine reflections certainly seemed to fit the bill.
As far as Hong Kong and China-based brands go, Phoibos have always had the best name and logo. None of that Hroudland nonsense here. So you just get their iconic octopus logo in the top half and a simple ‘Automatic’ and ‘200M’ in the lower half. Less is always going to be more, despite what Omega and Rolex tell you. And so the minimalist in me was pretty happy so far with the look.
The indices are a bit more divisive, though. The mix of diamond indices with lengthened hexagons at 3 and 9, and a longer diamond at 12. There’s also a date window at 6. It’s a bit of a mess in some ways. A more consistent look might be neater; instead, it just makes the dial look a little cluttered and takes away from the good work it’s doing. The indices are lined with a polished edge, though and filled with BGW9 SuperLumova lume.
The hands follow the same look, which is nice in terms of there being a consistent vision, but again, it might seem a tad messy to some. The minute hand is a longer version of the hexagons at 3 and 6, while the hour hand is more like the diamond indices. It’s as if the watch has two styles going on, and it’s trying to be consistent to both.
We’ll talk about the date window in a bit, believe that, but the dial is completed with a slightly darker orange chapter ring with white detailing. It slightly emphasises the gaps rather than the lines (which are the aligned elements that you actually need), but it’s fine functionally and looks alright. And this all sits below a double-domed sapphire crystal with three layers of anti-reflective coating.
The bezel is quite interesting for a dive-style watch. Instead of the usual ceramic bezels that we tend to see, this one is all-steel with embossed numbers and featuring a brushed polish. It also rotates, as you’d expect, with a 120-click unidirectional movement. It’s a little bland to look at initially, but what it doesn’t do is take focus away from the dial.
A guarded screw-down crown sits at the 3 o’clock position, while the rest of the case sports a decent vertically-brushed polish, and the whole of the case has a nice, consistent look. The caseback sports the same crown-wearing squid logo, which is nicely engraved on there along with some technical specs. The caseback is also cushioned and wears nicely throughout the day. Just don’t take off that plastic wrapping too soon (yeah, we’re getting to that).
The bracelet is pretty good, too. A five-link effort, the outer links are brushed while the middle three sport a full polish, and we were happy to see that it had screw links, quick-release spring bars and an on-the-fly microadjust, once we’d committed the mortal sin of taking that plastic off. The clasp also sports that same squid logo. It’s always good to see those features on a watch at this price.
The watch itself is powered by an automatic Seiko NH35 movement, which is, usually, a pretty solid workhorse, although a budget component. We’ve seen them in plenty of watches, and they do a good job. They hack (the seconds hand stops while setting the watch), have a pretty good 21,600 vph sweep and are good for 41 hours in terms of power reserve. At this price, we’re not expecting anything fancier, and we’ve got no problem with it.
Well… there was one problem actually. Not so much a Seiko one, but something that had happened during assembly. When the date wheel got a few days into the month, we noticed it was poorly-aligned. Now, sure, in the budget watch scene, that’s hardly uncommon. But this was the worst case of it that I’d seen. The number was literally touching the left side of the window, and it got worse when the date got into double figures.
I double-checked that I wasn’t overreacting and checked in with some other reviewers and some enthusiasts on a watch forum. They all spotted it right away (a couple of people thought it was the camera angle, but then realised it wasn’t when I posted more photos). You’ve been there before. Sometimes you can’t unsee something.
Not a huge deal, but I contacted Phoibos and asked about a repair/replacement. After all, I was in their “30 days free returns money back guarantee” period. I didn’t even want my money back at this point. I just wanted this watch, but without the fairly noticeable fault.
That’s apparently not possible because of this little bit of nonsense in their return policy.
“The protective film on the dial/case back/strap/bracelet/clasp) can’t be removed. If you inspect the watch quality, just take off the protective film on the dial,don’t remove the protective film on the case back and bracelet/strap.”
That seemed a bit ridiculous to me. Hoping that my previous positive review of the Wave Master and reach as a reviewer would hold some sway, I politely argued the point, but Phoibos held firm. It was within their production tolerance, and I’d taken off that plastic, and that was that. Aside from the offer of a tiny amount of money, which I declined, that was the end of the matter.
I sold the watch at a loss (with the issue described), as I then did with my other Phoibos. A watch that I previously loved. You see, it’s not about “perfect aesthetics” but about respect. I didn’t feel respected as a customer. Look, as a reviewer, I’m just a guy writing about a hobby that I love. I’m no big deal, but I’ve got a little bit of a voice now. I’m not Britt Pearce or TGV, but I’ve been able to build a good rapport with the community and several brands now. For me, I’m happier wearing a watch from a company I like, even if the specs aren’t top notch, than wearing brands where I don’t feel respected as a customer. I found the communication dismissive and felt a little gaslit afterwards, and respect, as ever, is a two-way street. So I’ve learned my lesson and won’t be buying from these guys ever again. And look, my reviews are normally longer and have more jokes in them, but I’m not feeling it for this one. I’m just feeling let down. I can’t even order the salt and pepper squid from my local Chinese takeaway. Too soon, bruv. Too soon.
1.5 out of 5.0 stars
Pros:
+ Very good bracelet
+ Well-specced for the price
Cons:
– Assembly and quality control could have been better
– The returns policy isn’t very helpful
– Customer service wasn’t great to deal with
Summary:
Sometimes with companies from the Far East, you are at the mercy of the factory’s own quality control and assembly practices but usually you’re protected. We had a similar issue with a Revelot piece but they agreed with us, sent us a postage label and replaced the unit free of charge. As far as we’re concerned, that shows us more about Revelot than the original fault did. They didn’t gaslight us, didn’t quote some nonsense policy and they didn’t sass us with a line about expecting perfect aesthetics. Revelot are cool. I know this is a Phoibos review but, you know, *BIG WINK* Revelot are cool.
JUST THE FACTS
Availability/Options: LOL whatever.
Brand: Phoibos
Model: Voyager
Style: Recreational diver
Case Size: 39mm (45mm lug-to-lug)
Movement: SII NH35
Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Lug Width: 20mm
Band Type: Bracelet
Price: £226 ($299)
This review reflects the author’s honest opinions and experiences. Statements of opinion are protected under applicable laws relating to freedom of expression and fair comment.