INSANE Urwerk Watch for Just $600?!

We're chatting the Uwerk Phantasos Triclops watch; surprisingly affordable for a TON of features. Don't forget to let us know what you thought in the comments, and subscribe if you want to see more.
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[@watchfinder]

We know you want more watches…. click here: linktr.ee/watchfinder

[@Yoshikaable]

This is quickly becoming my favorite watch related content. I really like Tom and Andrew it is a pleasure to get to know you more in this show.

[@aPonderousChain]

"It never occurred to me that an Indian person would write a book" Spoken like a true Brit

[@geoffwatches]

A true Englishman, more like, plenty of British Indians who know of Indian literature 😉. Also Andrew, never heard of the kama sutra?!

[@marcosuavito6881]

I can't believe he said that so casually.

[@DevasKnight]

Next he might say "It never occurred to me that Indian's play cricket."

[@qwill8254]

As always pride come before the fall

[@MuhammedZaidAlam]

He is humble enough to accept and adapt, he’s definitely better then them old brits

[@grahamsalmons2027]

This is such a good subject, and the watch is amazing at that price. I guess it comes down to what the watch means to you. For some, having something that is cool, interesting and quite unique is what appeals. For others, they want to identify with what the brand stands for or portrays itself as. The newer Chinese brands just have this part of the ownership equation missing.

[@a3marketing991]

It's Chinese, so I'm out. It looks very interesting though.

[@techup4467]

I now own two Phantasos watches. I liked the first one I received (blue dial) so much I bought a second one (black dial with green numbers). The quality is good. The style and finish is top notch. The customer service is poor. There are just a couple people managing the whole thing and they are overwhelmed. Emails have a long delay in reply. I ordered the first watch in spring and it took 2 months to get the watch. I ordered the second watch in the fall and it took 3 months to get the watch. They warned in the fall they were having quality control challenges and didn't want to send out faulty watches (I'd prefer functional to problems). They included a free strap on the second watch as an apology. So, if you're patient you'll get the watch and if you get the watch... you'll enjoy it thoroughly.

[@mastermindmanagement6190]

Totally agree, the only difference in my story is that miraculously, I was able to contact the CEO (Jon or John) via phone…still was slow though…I went black pvd with a free strap and I bought the strap pack.

[@bungerroyale112]

Normally these kind of watches don't interest me because of the lack of accuracy in the movement and sure, +/- 10 seconds isn't too bad but they did adjust it in 5 positions which is very admirable. It shows they know what they're doing and I do love Urwerk. This one looks like my next buy to be honest, I really like it

[@HJuice23]

I actually received my Zeroo Time T3 & T4 Chinese tourbillon watches yesterday and I was blown away. I was expecting junk. I bought them because I saw the Watchfinder review back in November of last year. Chinese watches have come a long way. I own an 38mm AP Chronograph with the ruthenium dial, and I can honestly say, that even though Chinese watches aren’t AP’s, they are certainly not far away. All they need to do is become better with the finishing. Now for this triclops lol……I may give it a try just to add to the collection 🤷‍♂️

[@legacywatchguy8333]

That thing rocks! And as someone who repairs vintage watches, I would love to see what's going on in the inside!

[@NathanChisholm041]

Ill save you the trouble there gears inside! You're welcome...

[@kbrizy7490]

NOT to call out the stutter at 3:20, but as a stutter myself, I’m immensely proud/pleased with the recovery / “return to fluency.” But more importantly just happy to see someone not afraid of their stutter and choosing professions that may easily “illuminate” it. lol sorry, no one else may’ve noticed, I might be hyper aware / tuned to it

[@olo493]

We might be on a brink of a change. These watches might give Orients and Seiko 5s of this world a run for the money. Maybe this is why we see Seiko moving upmarket with their latest Seiko 5 revisions? It seems to be the beginning of something new. Times might be changing.

[@Ballacha]

your favourite watch brands definitely have parts made in china. you still trust these brands because they do assembly and final qc in japan/germany/switzerland etc. so whenever china feels like it, they could elevate their qc game before exporting and slowly start to change their reputation. i work in the commercial renewable industry. i can tell you solar panels coming from china are already at ultra low fault rate while maintaining a very competitive price. the same thing is probably going to happen to watches sometime.

[@necron1050]

I have a Seagull Tourbillon, its my every day watch and its pretty brilliant, it even keeps good time if you wind it every day (it can last about 40 hours but after about 30 hours it starts to loose time).

[@christian-andreasschierloh3601]

I really liked this video! I teach the business of luxury and lifestyle industry and always challenge the students to see further than just our domestic brands. Chinese brands like Shang Xia are backed by French Hermès and show outstanding design, quality and philosophy. The same goes for India. Hopefully one day they’ll become a part in the upscale landscape.

[@neoLover23]

You can get the Phantasos with a sw200 for $150 more - I bought one because I can’t afford an urwerk. It’s a fun watch imho

[@CrimsonEsso]

How? Their store doesnt seem to have movement choice as option.

[@TulipEddy]

@@CrimsonEsso I believe I saw it on their chinese retail page. It did provide a movement option

[@AndrewChinco]

Can I just say that I really appreciate these conversations. Very entertaining and educational at the same time.

[@hawkyeagle7]

DO NOT PURCHASE. I fell for this piece and went to their website for purchase. I later found out this brand has 2 websites which is already fishy, and both of their customer support emails are not responding to any of my inquiry. At this point Im pretty sure I'm scammed.

[@Manc-fh5we]

Waiting 4 months now. No reply to email and live chat doesn’t work.

[@shareurtube]

I am old enough to remember how so many people were disgusted with these Japanese Watches. Well I happen to buy several Seiko's in the Virgin Islands while working there. Well fifty two years later and many dips into the Caribbean Sea my Seiko's are still working. No they were not diver watches, just cheap (relatively speaking) good looking self-winding units. So I would be very concern if I were a Swiss watch maker. Some of the new breed of Chinese Watches are damn clever. Yes I will be looking at purchasing a few in the near future if we don't go to War with the World.

[@colinbradford2671]

‘I like big bevels and I cannot lie’. Sir Mixalot: ‘hold my watch…’

[@JamesAlexander14]

Bring on the quality build to the same as Swiss, German and Japanese and Chinese watches will be a player in this game, but they will have to compete by slowing down the mass production process to make their watches very unique. Once that problem is solved, then I’m sure that Phillips and Bacs will be happy to auction those prize catches.

[@chrisdajo]

Love the new format and content. A little more relaxed and obtainable. Still thoroughly enjoy the original too. Great job on both!

[@jerrysanchez5453]

There is no way to justify urwerks price when stuff like this are on the market.$160000?thats crazy

[@John_code]

Glad you doing more of these . Great content !

[@JasonTheWatchGuy]

That Phantasos is incredible! I need that in my life. I've reviewed a decent few of these actually and really enjoyed them

[@djz2308]

there's no Phantasos video on your channel

[@JasonTheWatchGuy]

@@djz2308 I was referring to the likes of Atowak, Ciga etc. Not the Phantasos, sorry.

[@djz2308]

@@JasonTheWatchGuy ah, bummer. Would be nice to see one in the wild.

[@silversurfie]

Worked in China for 3 years doing wholesale leather/shoes. Problem for them is their consumer mindset of brand being all that matters. This is why the luxury brands do well and why they buy defunct western brands to revive because of their heritage and history.

[@UnburdenedByWhatHasBeen]

the US qualifications to be stamped "American made" is pretty strict. im sure there is chinese sourced ingredients but only to a small point. swiss made on the other hand is entirely different and u better believe a lot of swiss brands are sourcing material, a good portion of material from china. id bet swatch group brands are probably the biggest offenders of this.

[@missourichifilayyy4311]

this is an interesting discussion. Thank you for bringing this onto the table. As a gen z Chinese, myself, I always forget and ignore those homegrown brands and feel this fake hype about the Swiss made. Not to argue who makes better watch, but reflecting on my own purchase choices, now I rly found myself didn’t contribute to a healthy and fair watch market and certainly am lack of respect to those real in-house watch markers in China, as they certainly deserve, especially given the reasonable price. But the demand to the global fake watch market is def never going to disappear or even stronger than the real ones, which means there will be someone of Chinese factories to produce all the fakes. So supporting all those non-western in house watch makers to not be overshadowed by those fakes is crucially important as a watch lover.

[@hathaway.1166]

So, what do u think abt the new Atelier Wen watch?

[@piccalillipit9211]

*I THINK YOU GUYS SHOULD BY* some of these and road test them for a year - that would be really interesting...

[@gman7940]

Wasn’t crazy about the xeric sattelite hours. The urwerk rolling block wandering hour was always the coolest take on that complication to me and yet so out of reach. This changes everything 😂🎉

[@ddt428]

Thanks for the video. It is very interesting. I think one very main issue is reliability and durability as you've mentioned, and that relate to whether there is acceptable maintenance support. For example, I am really interested in this Phantasos and the Cigna design you mentioned in another video, but I'm based in Hong Kong, and while much of the international brands, whether expensive or not can provide maintenance support locally (even Swatch can provide support locally within warranty perid, though they might just give you a new one), there is none for these two Chinese brands. And this goes to all those who like to try these Chinese watches but not based in China.

[@JT-ds2gn]

One thing that no one seems to discuss when talking about Chinese watches is the conditions and exploitation in these factories. If a tourbillon is made at a 600 dollar price point, that's not a good thing. It just shows how underpaid the workers are.

[@mitchmitchell9588]

You make an excellent point in a succinct way. Perhaps few will want to discuss, but let's keep raising the issues nonetheless!

[@alectang1614]

Not all Chinese companies underpay their staff. Sure, they get paid less in China but that's because the price of goods in China is also lower. A salary of £800 a month in China buys you a lot! There's a reason why China's economy at PPP is the world's highest - they can afford most things in China with the amount they earn there. Unlike the US and the UK etc.

[@mitchmitchell9588]

@@alectang1614 You are right. Some companies in China don't pay their workers at all, like in Xinjiang. Some workers get free housing. They can sleep on a mat on the factory floor during COVID lockdowns. It's great!

[@TheWalkingDude92]

Didn't Swiss watch making get started from other countries exporting their manufacturing there? The constant exporting of work to China means that expertise is also being developed and curated, so it is perhaps not very surprising to see higher quality watches or other merchandise starting to also be made in China.

[@NicolasSilvaVasault]

that urwerk looks sick, i would totally believe someone wearing that if he told me he came from the future

[@gritnltw]

My father-in-law runs a manufacturing facility in Asia and visits China often. Just recently he mentioned the story of a supplier of his (metal) who eventually started making fake Rolex. During their meetings in the first years of their collaboration, that supplier has a very ambitious, restless person striving to get new Clients etc. Then, 2-3 years after his pivot to "watchmaking", that supplier arrived to the meeting with a Mercedes. A year later, he sent a driver to pick-up my father-in-law with a new car. During their meeting, he mentioned that Rolex had contacted him and "begged" him to stop copying as, even Rolex, had difficulty to say if these "Rolexes" where genuine or not. The next year my father-in-law, that supplier sent a driver, never showed up to the meeting, just called to say "go to that hotel, stay, consume whatever you want and everything is on me". Since then, they did not really got in touch again.

[@Youtubeuser1aa]

Um ok

[@touristas9798]

In Ovid's Metamorphoses, Phantasos ('Fantasy') is one of the thousand sons of Somnus (Sleep). He appeared in dreams in the form of inanimate objects, putting on "deceptive shapes of earth, rocks, water, trees, all lifeless things

[@ManuelFlores-uj4gc]

I spat my drink when he said $600, and chocked when he said $160,000. As someone whose previous watches all basically boiled down to "included free in every cereal box;" this is a whole new mind-boggling world.

[@Manc-fh5we]

Buyer beware! No sign of delivery after 3 months. Live chat not working and company does not reply to emails

[@arnaudl8095]

We should make an association to ask a brand to make a watch close to the Urwerk without unnecessary complications...

[@nietrelevant3338]

the finishing and quality of the san martin brand on aliexpress is superb to be honest. insane amount of watch (on the outside) you get for the money. But they are Homages (most of them) so not most people's cup of tea

[@stevenschrader5674]

Xeric released a wandering hour watch similar to this last year. It is an excellent watch and arguably better looking than this one.

[@archiegoodwinjr]

I am in agreement, but Xeric's is much more expensive. Does Xeric use discs the way AP and Urwerk did? This Phantasos appears to use tumblers similar to more recent Urwerks.

[@stevenschrader5674]

@@archiegoodwinjr Yeah, I agree, the retail price of Xeric are more expensive due to their home location being the US. They do often have exceptional launch pricing though. The Vendetta (wandering hour) retails for $1,500, but at launch it was $750. I bought the Rose gold one and the craftsmanship is exceptional for a "cheap" watch. The hour rotators are slightly different in that they're positioned on a wheel rather than a drum, but the concept it the same.

[@Sergey-wg7ne]

It is also Kickstarted. I backed this. Not even a watch enthusiast, but I liked the design so much so decided to get them. Did not know about Urwerk until 5 minutes ago!

[@michaelgemmell7028]

For the 1st time watching one of these videos I may actually buy one of these because they are avaliable and not hugely expensive

[@ronochow]

That's pretty cool, and I'd probably never be able to afford a real Urwerk, but there's something about the design of the Phantasos that just looks a little cheap/tacky. Maybe it's the slotted dial or something about it that just isn't cohesive, or reminds me of a toy speaker or mini fan grille unfortunately.

[@sandmans]

And any watch, reminds me of any other watch, because in the end, all of them have the same function. Telling time. Mind blown...

[@stevejackson3564]

It's about time someone is doing these exotic watches for an affordable price. I aways wondered why know one made these look alike watches. I'm excited they did.

[@marsrocket]

Xeric made some ridiculous claim about how many vendettas they were going to produce too. Unless they can get a tooling up for almost nothing, that can’t be true.

[@humanitech]

Making innovative, interesting, accessible and cost effective products is always great, no matter what country they come from....As long as they are made well and work of course! And China is somewhat like Japan in the past....who also had rocky industrial start, but steadily refined, improved a got better in every aspect of product design, development, marketing and manufacture....and most importantly quality control. China's rapid growth is because they already had the core skills base and capacities .. so a lot of western companies set up direct technological and manufacturing partnerships there....and that has dramatically impacted and helped China make huge leaps and gains in a very short time. The only real issue and problem Chinese companies face internationally is that unlike the Japanese companies Chinese names and branding often just don't translate, sound or look right.

[@JBFire97]

It just keeps getting better. What a trio!

[@bowerbirdstyle7661]

I own a Pagani Design watch and a couple of Parnis watches too. They look good and they work. Only time will tell how they hang together and keep functioning.

[@breevwhyman2985]

Sirs, those watches are truly unique......right. It is so refreshing to see completely DIFFERENT methods for inferring time. i like how to READ the time on those examples. many thanks. Somehow, visually, i feel that those watches actually display TIME in a better way than any traditional watch has done. Thanks.

[@andrewegan7011]

Rudyard Kipling was an Indian author.

[@goldfools5445]

Have a look at San Martin. I bought one, a homage, they do make original designs as well. Not OTT watches you would never wear but good quality daily tool watches. After all, most people who work for a living, have a job. I don’t mean those who can afford high end watches because money comes easy when they extract it from hard working people, under the guise of a “profession” I digress. Plenty of watch reviewers seem impressed with the quality and specifications for the price.

[@WeFlyAway]

Someone is spamming the comment section with a fake account

[@MischkaMunich]

Another great video with such an interesting content. What a cool watch... Thanks a lot! Greetings from Munich, Germany!

[@morgan97475]

If I were one that enjoyed the funky, Urwerk design, I'd probably go for this watch.

[@ficko88]

I think the all-silver one on a black strap looks pretty dope. An avantgarde, quirky, fun piece for a reasonable price.

[@frozenfenix0]

As someone who just likes having a collection of cool pieces this is almost an automatic buy. Ofc there's nothing cool about piss poor quality imo so I'll have my eye on this one for now.

[@northscylla]

I'm a fellow collector of interestingly designed watches so I was curious, what are some of the ones you have?

[@kurtdebille]

Is there any way in the previews to make it clear up front if we're getting one of those great super cool video's or just two microphones chatting of which one is not so interesting...

[@antiquefreak3128]

I am loving the Chinese watches. They will be the most sought after watches within 10 years.

[@entropete]

received my watch recently, as advertised, but there is basically no service team and they don't really respond to emails

[@stevemoreno6241]

Very interesting watches. China has been producing various tiers of quality goods. Based strictly on quality they will eventually match or surpass the current respected regions of fine luxury timepieces. Although, like a lot of people's hang-ups regarding Seiko not being Swiss, there will always be those that will regard a Chinese made watch as inferior simply because it's not Swiss.

[@StuntpilootStef]

Why don't the Chinese make their own watches? They do!

[@geoffwatches]

I'd rock it probably. Way before a diesel or a fossil that's for sure. But I would sooner rock a prx. $679 now on their website, you pushed the price up $80 with this video! Maybe.

[@marsrocket]

You’re probably too young to remember Japan’s auto and electronics reputation as it built up in the late ‘50s to the ‘80s. The same thing will happen with China.

[@octymocty132]

Fist ever in all my engineering terms I've herd " the mechinal sausage " I've placed an order as love the odd things in life

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Very nice watch. Really enjoying these quirky designs. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

The Chinese didn't have the capacity to make the cages for ballpoint pens until 2017, owing to the high quality of steel and precise machining that was necessary. I'm actually surprised they have come this far on horology in the interim.

[@mohammadmehranhussain2922]

Because this is not manufactured in China, its manufactured in HK. These guys got the facts wrong.

[@uchihasasuke7436]

Can we get a source for that one?

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

@@uchihasasuke7436 Source for what one?

[@gori277]

@@mohammadmehranhussain2922 Hong Kong is in China, mate.

[@OYOYification]

@@mohammadmehranhussain2922 by analogy, a factory in LA must be better than a factory in the US? lol

[@penngwinn]

I got myself and a friend the Zeroo T4 from their Indiegogo campaign. I haven't picked it up yet from my friend's place, but I'm really excited to have a tourbillon. It's a Chinese Tourbillon in a watch assembled in Japan, and it didn't set me back $30k minimum, so I'm stoked.

[@jamesgulland]

You guys crack me up! Quality timepiece banter, thanks gents.

[@mayukhbari]

HW Opus series watches are out of the world

[@chriscraft999]

The tide has turned at least for replica watches. Maybe you will see some Chinese brands soon that you want to buy.

[@piccalillipit9211]

*I HAD A ROLEX DAYTONA COSMOGRAPH* and I have the Chinese copy of the exact same watch - If I did not have the papers with the serial number on them I would have got them mixed up. A friend in the watch industry brought it back from China for me to show me how good they had got - it really REALLY made me question the price of the Rolex and this was 2010 before the insane prices. But you have to ask yourself WHAT are you paying for???? He also showed me some he had had made that were as good as a Grand Seiko - they were £1500 trade.

[@tonyd6514]

For me, Japanese, Swiss and Italian products have earned an assumption of pride in workmanship - people in those cultures tend to be prepared to give up some profit to a) create something they can be proud of, and b) maintain good long-term relationships and respect, rather than cashing in ASAP. Chinese products often consciously walk a cynical tight-rope between seeming superficially attractive while actually putting as little effort and investment as possible into the product, and not caring about long-term reputation - only short-term profit. It's the 80/20 rule taken to extremes, but oft-times you need some of that 20% left out for the thing to be of lasting value. With these watches, the Chinese one just didn't look like it was high-quality in your video - it looked like fashion watch (e.g. Fossil) quality - albeit with a Minolta thrown in... that's not value IMHO. Maybe it's nicer in person? Anyway, you can get novelty watches with bizarre ways of presenting the time under $50 if that's the draw (not automatic of course).

[@panosvrionis8548]

Hello 😙 Greetings from Greece. Love your channel 😉 And your narration 😙😊 Is it true that China buy the old used machines from Rolex and other companies like miyota Seiko etc. Modify or reverse engineer them?? I'm try to find data🤔

[@panosvrionis8548]

@r2l100 true 😁😁

[@MattMundane]

The Phantasos is $1000. It would sell well at $600 but 1k calling it "entry" in this economy might be a bit of a mosmatch

[@1985erikt]

Some guy was upset I wasn't driving fast enough, so he cut me off, and screamed at me to suck his Harry Winston. I have a feeling he wasn't talking about his watch.

[@Changas_]

This reminds me of the Xeric microbrand which has been around for a little bit (2013) and costs $1.5k

[@Q.Q.]

So how do you know which of the 3 pointers/arrows is pointing to the correct minute marker?

[@TheRealStructurer]

I was working several years in China and they have some good watches, but this one doesn't ring my bell... For me it looks like a Frankenwatch, put together with bits and pieces of other watches, crowned with a big fat logo (glow in the dark as cream on the pudding). Yes products made in China can have really good quality, but they are not (yet!) there when it comes to overall product design and brand message. If the companies making these watches will survive and can learn, they can produce great product in the future once they find their own identity. Great video though and thanks for covering these kind of watches 👍🏻

[@petrduchac2580]

It would be great if you make review like this to have the watch available so we can actually see it. Quality is the main question.

[@iomarcoumberto]

Not available yet, delivery will be after june 30 2022

[@karp3221]

How come i cant find any Atowaks on the secondary market? considering picking up their new cobra (launching 27th oct 22) but only if theres a chance i can sell it in the future.

[@mkxair]

Be aware - Sadly they don’t ship the watch or respond to messages 6 months after sending the payment!

[@user-zz6iv2ou6f]

Lot of these watches go under the “things to not waste your money on now” category. Would rather save my cash for the one thing I really love.

[@kunzilla]

i know i'm a bit late here but according to the its official website, the company HQ is in Mass. US. Doesn't that make this an American brand?

[@Ex.zed.]

I'm Chinese and no Chinese person would get a Chinese watch over a Swiss or a Japanese watch if we can afford it.

[@hjk5387]

You’ve never heard of Salman Rushdie?

[@petererrichetti2918]

Thankyou Watchfinder. Please show some of the full crystal watches there are.

[@enderlain385]

The hard work is thinking up a new style. just copying it is easier even with some upgrades or changes

[@worldrecord54]

Look , a watch still tells time. It always comes down to the eye Does it dazzle the senses I've owned clocks watches that did this. When the watch does teleport Then that will be something people will clamor for

[@jeremyestevinho9425]

I can tell you I was at Geneva watch days and I met Urwerk and it’s an amazing brand with an amazing quality so the price he is justified

[@ALEXGIBSONCMG]

I love the chinese automatics, ive got pagani skeletons, winner automatics, A Geya Gmax AP homage. Its a good market for the humble beginner watch collectior.

[@respina1254]

Going vintage is a good move for beginners too. Lots of lost Swiss brands that used to be worth their salt circulate around the internet and while searching for them, you'll find tidbits of cool watch and brand history. I find it to be much more fulfilling coming from a former replica advocate myself.

[@dryice0v030]

Yeah they're with me lol

[@markiangooley]

Anyone remember the Monty Python sketch about gangsters (maybe it was the Piranha Brothers one), in which a shady character tells someone over the phone, “we’ll have the watch ready for you at midnight. The watch… the watch… the Chinese watch.” Nowadays it might actually be a watch!

[@mr.j8356]

These look like batman would wear them :D Love the unique take on watch design :)

[@mohdgaith2939]

If the Chinese are so good i wondered why they don't start promoting their own brands. You gotta start at some point

[@birdytiger]

I don't understand how brands like this crop up. The r&d must still be significant. And without a video like this picking up your name, how on earth do you market a product like this?

[@biffbifford402]

Still don’t understand how to tell the time on the Phantasos.

[@LambentOrt]

That's a bit rich saying that no one from India can write a book. A few have even won the Booker Prize.

[@frankcastora8348]

Great topic presented in an honest and balanced way. Progress… we all get better, we all win in the end.

[@driftliketokyo34ftw35]

I will forever use “insanium in the cranium” in place of “insane in the membrane“.

[@Rextter]

Selling for £1600 in the UK or $1000 direct from them

[@javahaxxor]

Urwerk {insert model here} is my grail watch. I'm tempted to buy one of these, but the finish looks quite bad ..