Erebus Origin Review Addendum

Details about my horrible customer support experience with Erebus Watch. This is a follow up to my review of the Erebus Origin Teal.

[@WatchLab1]

I can delete comments a lot faster than you can type them. Comments with personal attacks directed against me will be deleted. Also, dumb comments such as “Well what do you expect for a $300 watch?” will also be deleted. In a few weeks, these last videos of mine will largely be forgotten by the world, and you will get on with your dull lives, as you had before. There's no need for you to get all hot and bothered. Do us both a favor: save the vitriol for your Facebook page or psychiatric professional.

[@watch-box]

I had an issue with a bracelet from Zelos. At some point the screwpinschad been bent inside the bracelet making them difficult to unscrew. 2 photos later I received an apologetic email, and a whole new bracelet (even though all I requested was new screws). This is how good customer service looks.

[@BCallum]

Erebus should replace the bracelet.

[@WatchLab1]

Could not agree more.

[@rocketeerxx]

That's not a great experience, thank you for sharing with us - this is what the community needs to know. I had a clasp which had a tiny bit of black stain (looks like discolouration of some sort) on a Lorier watch and they sent me a replacement clasp via Fedex. No questions asked. Shipped with tracking all the way from New York to Australia. That's how customer service should be and I'll forever be a fan of their product!

[@Canadianman762]

Why start name calling and using such language? What do you expect to gain by doing so?

[@coopdivi]

I have an Erebus Origin. On the whole I'm very happy with it, although I do think you have made a valid point about the sharpness of the edges of the curved H-link bracelet. (I mentioned the sharpness to Jody when I gave him feedback on the watch. He replied, saying my comment was 'noted'.) Other owners have also complained about the sharpness, so we're not alone. I don't know whether the bracelet is made of 316L stainless steel or not, but I placed a strong fridge magnet at various places around the case, case back, bracelet and clasp, and there was no magnetic attraction whatsoever. I don't think your screwpins have rusted. The grey material is most likely some sort of thread locker, as noted in a comment below. However, they should screw in and out relatively easily to enable sizing of the bracelet, and if yours don't then I see no reason why Erebus can't provide you with a new set of pins at no charge. I'm very surprised the lume on your watch fades so quickly. The lume was one feature that Jody was particularly proud of, and on my watch it is certainly very bright and lasts all night after a decent charge of UV light (not just a quick flash as shown in your review). Many owners have commented favourably on the lume. The bezel insert is brushed ceramic as stated in the specifications on Erebus's website. I think the reference to "fully graded" is nothing to do with steel but is meant to be "fully graduated", as the bezel is inscribed with a complete set of minute markers. The Seiko NH35 movement was initially running at about +25 seconds/day; after I regulated it, it is now around 0 to +2 s/d with being worn during the day and left face up at night. Other design issues you mention are a matter of personal preference, but I for one like the bold hands and indices on plenty of real estate as it makes it very easy to read the time without my glasses (important as one transits into one's golden years). In summary, considering the dicky bracelet and lume I think you got a lemon, and in your place I'd be reaching out to Jody or Steven personally at [e-mail] or [e-mail] to organise a replacement.

[@WatchLab1]

Jody knows I made this video. I already reached out to his support.

[@glasgowjohn7831]

finally someone who isnt afraid to call out other youtubers, all ive seen are people saying its a good watch for its price and they all seem excited to have one, maybe it was because they got one for nothing. Keep up the good work and ive now subbed

[@adam_meade]

Most of watch-related KZbin is a huge circlejerk.

[@kelorednaxela]

Thanks for yet another honest review! I had a strong feeling this watch was going to be crap but rust upon arrival and terrible customer service is beyond my expectations for how bad it would be. I'm rocking a $200 Seiko 5kx (SRPD51) and guess what... it has no rust or any other issues at all.

[@silkytp789]

An outstanding and honest review. Your anger was justified and basically you got screwed. I'm sorry about that, I watch the channel all the time, and appreciate your forthrightness and honesty. Sorry this happened to you.

[@Mungo-Man]

Thank you for your unbiased first hand experience with this watch and the company behind it. You have helped me in my quest to sort out the shit from the chaff in the watch world. This company and their total lack of customer service and support along with their lack of oversight in the manufacturing components definitely falls into the shit pile! Warm wishes from Australia 🇦🇺 👍

[@robertp.6661]

Just out of curiosity I put a fairly strong fridge magnet against the case of my Momentum watch which is advertised as 316, magnet fell to the floor. The quartz watch kept ticking when the magnet was held against the case. It would have cost them nothing to keep a happy Customer.

[@S-Ltd1000]

Interesting. I just put a magnet on all my watches and they didn't stick apart from the bracelet on my Casio Royale.

[@ilium5516]

Just found the channel and I absolutely love it - don’t change a thing. Also are you sure that’s not residue of pink loctite on the screw pins - it’s commonly used in these kind of applications and should come off with some acetone and a scotch Brite pad

[@Box_13]

I had some very minor issues with a Helm bracelet and a VanBanner bracelet. Both companies replied to my emails promptly and sent out the replacements for the defective parts immediately without issue and without cost. Sorry you didn't have a similar experience. "To earn the respect (and eventually love) of your customers, you first have to respect those customers." - Colleen Barrett, Southwest Airlines President Emerita

[@WatchLab1]

Marathon repaired, for free, a dead MSAR that I opened in new condition about six months after buying it. Marathon could probably have told me to go to hell, like Erebus, but this would've been pretty sleazy of them and bad business.

[@MrBacchus18]

Nice to hear that about Helm. I just received the Komodo the other day in perfect condition. From the careful packaging and iso testing I am under the impression they inspect their watches before shipping, granted rusted out links would be hard to spot before trying to size it.

[@jddd665]

This is a great find. A stainless steel watch attracted to magnet! Great video exposing ignorant dealers of China watches. I knew there was a reason I subscribed to this channel

[@ranchopuntacoyote]

316L, or any other austenitic stainless steel, will become somewhat magnetic when it is cold worked. Sheet metal is frequently cold worked during the final stages of production, especially if a smooth, shiny surface finish is desired. To eliminate the magnetic properties, the material would have to be annealed after final rolling. However, this would tarnish the surface. It would also reduce the strength. All 316L steel watches cannot be fully antimagnetic because they have been polished. Yet are far less magnetic than other steel types. And yes, 316L steel IS fully antimagnetic BEFORE polishing. I think your knowledge of metals is just plain wrong, any quick Google search would have explained what happened. You just embarrassed yourself

[@reviewsandprojects]

all you did was a google search yourself and copy pasted from the first link. I just took a strong magnet to a few of my stainless steel bracelets, the seiko it fell fell off, pagani design diver - fell off. I have a 904L stainless bracelet, this had a tiny bit of hold on the magnet but not enough to stick. Interestingly my Damsko bracelet stuck. There is definitely the possibility that Erebus is using a 304 stainless, or rather their bracelet manufacturer, seen in a few lower budget watch cases, which can be more magnetic after working.

[@nacozinhacomfernando]

Mine arrived perfect and I really like it, sorry to hear that you had all those problems but Jody should really get on top of all those issues and also offer the so wanted Two years warranty on his watches

[@stephantrommsdorf5176]

I'm very happy and thankful for your review! Had the same issues and no reply from Erebus at all. Watch and bracelet had sharp edges all over and pins were corroded and not going back smoothly. Filed and sanded the edges and polished the pins. Shocking to see all the positive reviews. For some Erebus seems to be a religious community. Never again!!!

[@dunderhay9169]

This is worrying, and if I were Jody, I would be hopping mad about the way they fobbed you off. His business plan of asking buyers to pre-order non-existant watches relies on trust and good will of many people. The only reason they trust him is due to his channel and good reputation.........what takes a lifetime to build and only a second lose?

[@WatchLab1]

This video will be like a mosquito bite to Jody's Erebus watch empire in the making. They will worship him as a God until the day he dies; the church might even bestow upon him Sainthood.

[@fabricea7704]

I share your opinion on customer service. On paper, it is super effective. In truth, it is completely non-existent. Their watches are supported by a watchmaker in Australia in the event of a fault. This is also false. I received a watch that lost 46 s/d. I sent it back to Australia at my expense (32€, France). If it is established that there was a failure, the return should have been the responsibility of Erebus. Which should have been done because I had the watch head exchanged. So no one regulated my watch, just exchanged it. The first had good beat error and a perfectly aligned bezel. The replacement one is relatively precise but the beat error is too high. The bezel is not aligned. I wanted to treat myself to the Ascent, so I changed my mind. What good is a 2 year warranty if it doesn't work? I turned to Henry Archer. I like Jody, I think he's honest. Him.

[@williamjp7352]

Superb, WL. Back of the net!

[@ttothec]

I am surprised they aren't just immediately replacing the bracelet, given the watch was new. Even as a goodwill gesture.

[@JohnRoman75]

And $4 per pin for something that costs them .10 at most.

[@coopdivi]

@@JohnRoman75 $4 per link, not per pin.

[@fedomandez]

Just replace the bracelet on warranty. It's cheaper than loose credibility. But maybe the new one would be like this one

[@upandunder1485]

Also had issues with an erebus bracelet - weak screws, broken included tool. Crown also weird - no pop, ghost position. On the flip side, bezel and lume outstanding. Two cents

[@WatchLab1]

I didn’t get an included tool.

[@rayr3767]

This is the reason I don't buy cheap Chinese watches! You never know what you're going to get. I can't believe they were blaming the consumer for this fiasco! What a disappointment!!

[@ClearBrookExotics]

Excellent point! I’ll take my $80 (then) Seiko 5 over the Chinese watches that are flooding the market more and more lately.

[@patricko9170]

This is very unfortunate. If this were me I would reach out to Jody personally. I have no interest in that watch, or Jody as a reviewer. He is just another "enthusiast" who is using cheap labor/parts to pump out a cheap product. Hopefully Jody can at least send replacement screws. If he doesn't, then that is a very negative look for Erebus. 👎 It would be very interesting to examine what metals/alloys that watch and bracelet are using. I wonder if all these cheap "316L" watches out of these factories are even safe to wear? Who knows what is in them? The skin absorbs what is worn.🤔 Thank you for posting about this in an honest fashion.👍

[@brantisonfire]

I bet he didn’t even have the initial capital to even produce the watches and used the preorder funds to actually fund the entire operation.

[@Tom_Kowalczuk]

They should replace at least pins if not whole bracelet. IMHO it is stainless steel but not 316L. This one muft be different mix and have more carbon inside to be affected by magnet.

[@MrBacchus18]

At 8:41 the 3 boxes for responses are all Yes. LOL

[@aadrjdjjsjddjjdd]

Hello??? Has anyone studied physics or chemistry? What is stainless steel? An alloy containing iron. Iron is a paramagnetic material, where it can exhibit magnetism due to the lone pair of electrons. Therefore the steel isn’t magnetic, but rather can be influenced by magnetism

[@leahleefernandez418]

All I hear about is how good this watch is so nice to hear your point of view. What I hate is that the watch world love Jody like he's their best friend... They even refer to his first name in so many contexts... "Jody this, Jody that". Yeah I get he's popular but he ain't your buddy 😂😂

[@Scortd]

Seems like sending you a replacement bracelet would have been not only the fastest remedy, but a $79 dollar bracelet seems like a small price for a fluke occurrence, which would not only make you avoid posting a video like this, but with good customer service you might possibly buy another. Don't know if you tried to contact Jody directly, but I think he would have sent you a new bracelet without the hassle.

[@edwardsjohnpaul]

LOL no holding back there 🤣

[@TacBlades]

Well any company needs to stepup quickly to resolve any issues and refund if there is nothing else that can be found. These issues can really get out of hand if not handled well. I never bought the watch mainly because it was a bland design, but you have to reflect the cost it's a cheap watch. It would not surprise me if Erebus doesn't really know the manufacturing cost cutting measures that might have happened.

[@joestojanovic6613]

Sharp and straight up (the...) review. Don't buy Chinese watches.

[@xgford94]

2:57 ten of thousands pfff not likely I’d be amazed if it’s more than 3000, they would still be getting posted and the delivery complaints would be huge. San Martin doesn’t even do those numbers

[@WatchLab1]

You don't know either.

[@Buckeyebro2023]

Was about to buy one of their new releases in the Ascent, I think I’ll stay away now. Thank you

[@pk4459]

Same here. A customer service fail like that is a real tell. No issues so far with my Origin, but I'm not rolling the dice again given the circumstances here.

[@ClearBrookExotics]

Yep. Looks like the Japanese Citizen NB1059 will win out over the Ascent, no contest.

[@fredfour0]

Truly disgusting behavior from Erebus. I already thought it was over priced and not enough value, but they can't even provided good service

[@brantisonfire]

The Doc always doing the lords work. The John Stossel of the watch reviewer world. I didn’t fall for it. I sat back and waited for an honest review, which you won’t get on WatchCrunch or other KZbin channels.

[@WatchLab1]

Stossel's a libertarian; I'm a socialist. I do try to follow the Lord, though.

[@brantisonfire]

@@WatchLab1 Consumer advocacy shouldn’t be political. I was just using that as an example, and he’s the only one I could think of off the top of my head.

[@WatchLab1]

@@brantisonfire I was kidding. That's true, it shouldn't be political.

[@brantisonfire]

@@WatchLab1 Sorry. It’s easy to miss the subtlety of sarcasm in just reading text.

[@MoltenPoo]

You're approachi in communicating says everything we need to know about you..

[@WatchLab1]

I communicated with Erebus perfectly fine. I don't want to hear this idiot line of reasoning anymore.

[@stefpix]

Ps. But the corrosion of the pins seems unacceptable. Erebus should send you a new bracelet and get your corroded pins back for examination by an independent party in Australia.

[@user-km1cf1gs8x]

Sounds like you got screwed on the quality of the Bracelet . Stamped S/S Links do exhibit magnetism . Further machining and finishing will likely add slightly to the magnetism of the Case , Links and Screw Pins . The threads pictured sure do look sketchy . Almost as if they were gleamed from a small batch of Rejects . Definitely not looking like Locktite to me . Lack of Hardening is apparent . Unacceptable and unpalatable for any Customer to have to deal with . I hope you find a suitable Sports/Dive Strap that compliments the head of the Watch . Stay away from cheap Chinese Steel Bracelets …. 👌

[@sanshammanchanda4328]

Most warranties dont cover rusting

[@WatchLab1]

And most watches don't exhibit rust when bought...

[@sanshammanchanda4328]

@@WatchLab1 true but how will you prove it to them

[@watchchimp3102]

I expect the person you talked to is not well versed in watches and doesn't understand the difference between a link and a screw pin. The "Rust" you showed on the other screw pins is likely not rust. It is most likely a thread compound designed to keep the screw from backing out. It should be easily removed. Rust, even on stainless steel is typically redish brown, not whitish grey. 10's of thousands of watches!? I think you vastly overestimate the size of the enterprise. I'd be shocked if there was more than 2,000 total of all versions combined. Regarding the steel I'm guessing that they probably took them at their word. And while I would expect the bracelet links to be the specified steel it's probably a bit much to expect the same of the screw pins on a $300 watch. I sincerely believe that Jody would be more than eager to address this, but I'm guessing he probably doesn't even really know about it. I'm sure he will now! Personally, I find it distasteful to make a video of this kind, but I assume you thought it necessary. I hope your issue is resolved in any case.

[@WatchLab1]

I think it’s distasteful to sell a garbage bracelet that doesn’t screw back and not replace it.

[@Aliens_Gonna_Get_Ya]

But apart from that??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@adrianbishop694]

see the JOMW fanbois are out trying to defend at any cost

[@jhoag2577]

You know they sell Erebus watch strap packs for $35.00 dollars.

[@WatchLab1]

That’s nice, but I reviewed the bracelet version.

[@petercatlin1172]

People still seem to be missing the point and philosophy of Erebus. Casio are considered God tier, look at the state of some of those Ediface Bracelets! Same with Seiko and Citizen! All pretty much use split pins and hollow links/End Links! Not even to mention the rubbish bezel action! Compare this to a $300 Seiko, the Erebus is miles better!

[@AMT-xh9ry]

at that price anyone who understands the meaning of quality would go for Seiko 5, orient or even Tissot prx quartz which is Swiss made, simply it is overpriced ali express watch that will end sooner than anyone thinks broken in the drawer. sadly, ali express' marketers / promoters deceive their subscribers trying to convince them with that thing for a couple of dollars they gain from the 'designer' or as a complementary review to him.

[@James_WIS]

Totally agree. The Erebus looks like the same generic crap from now defunct microbrands 10 years ago.

[@meirharel4258]

Another example of being penny wise and dollar foolish. Jody was cheap on the pinscrews and now has this justifiable negative review.

[@MrPINKFL0YD]

It's a $300 watch for God's sake! 😂

[@johanvandersandt8904]

Imagine you could only afford one watch and you saved up and bought this one because you like Jody only to find out that the materials are substandard. That would leave a bad taste in my mouth regardless if it was a $100 or a $1000 watch.

[@petercatlin1172]

@@johanvandersandt8904 Dude, Casio are considered God tier, look at the state of some of those Ediface Bracelets! Same with Seiko and Citizen! All pretty much use split pins and hollow links/End Links! Not even to mention the rubbish bezel action! Compare this to a $300 Seiko, the Erebus is miles better!

[@tamoharakks]

Won't have this issues with a $300 Seiko though. Wouldn't you? I haven't.

[@johanvandersandt8904]

@@tamoharakks No I dont think you would. Horrible alignment or not.

[@timemasterhms]

Surprise surprise. A KZbinr sells merch that isn’t what they say it is. Just because he has handled hundreds of watches, doesn’t mean he’s an expert on manufacturing watches. It’s a clear cash grab exploiting his viewers as customers.

[@joestojanovic6613]

Jody visited the favtoey dirat time agter the launch. Clearly no knowledge of manufacturing, industrial engineering and alike

[@reezevlog]

literally an anti-Chinese review…..😅😂

[@21MEPHISTO01]

The fcase make me worry as a Origin owner, but your language is also not acceptable...sorry.

[@WatchLab1]

Call the profanity police.

[@andersboisen9179]

OOOHHH BAD PRODUCT SOME ARTIST SELL THEIR SHIT ON A CAN FOR 50000 DOLLARS AND THE BUYERS KNOW WHAT THEY ARE GETTING. 😮😮😮😮😮😮

[@MrRondonmon]

Maybe they think if you hadn't of taken the watch apart it wouldn't have rusted. Maybe they know you do this a lot and do not think you are being truthful. I bet if a regular customer had complaints they would help them out but they see you as Dr. Watchenstein, always bringing BS. Who in the hell buys a 300 dollar watch and takes it apart like that? LMAO

[@dunderhay9169]

When I receive a watch, I always have to remove at least a couple of links. If I found the first two screws were corroded and didn't want to thread back in, I would remove some of the others to try and find a couple that worked OK, wouldn't you?

[@WatchLab1]

I used my real name. They wouldn't have known who I was. I don't know how removing screwpins from a bracelet would cause it to rust.

[@brantisonfire]

We found Jody’s burner account.

[@JohnLee-xr7ry]

My extremely amateur experience/understanding with stainless steel is that it is always Weakly magnetic in sheet metal/raw form… but when it is worked on all sorts of things can magnetize steel. But generally speaking a magnet to a link is not necessarily going prove or disprove it was 316L steel. Out of curiosity I did use a magnet on my link and pins that I had spare as well as what was in the watch… neither were magnetic. I used to work a watch store and although it’s true that pretty much 99.9% of the ANYTHING that happens to a bracelet is not covered… I did think that at least replacing the links could/should have been a warranty cover. The rest of the magnetism or authentic properties of the steel, respectfully I don’t think is 100% reliable with just a magnet test as it were

[@dadmodswatches]

This is a joke, right? You stick a magnet to something made of metal and say that it's magnetized? So I guess my fridge is magnetized and that's why the magnets stick to it? Back to grade school Sir. No Sir, the magnet is magnetized. Also there is no chance at all that you could see rust on the threads of the screw pins with the naked eye.

[@WatchLab1]

You have no brain, sir.

[@MrBacchus18]

I just stuck a magnet to my 316L Mido bracelet and it didn't stick to the magnet.

[@WatchLab1]

@@MrBacchus18 It shouldn't be magnetic.

[@dadmodswatches]

@@MrBacchus18 Just google it FFS. 316l is mildly magnetic