Too Good To Be True? Boderry Windmill Review ( BDA001R )

[@HonestWatchReviewsHWR]

Thank you very much for the mention Shane. I really appreciate it. It's unfortunate that accuracy in yours isn't great. The fact that it's swinging so much from plus to minus, makes me think you might have a faulty one. I've not actually measured the accuracy on mine, but it's accurate enough that I've never noticed it running fast or slow at any time. Personally I'm not really a fan of the skeletonised version, which is why I went with the standard dial version, but with the titanium case.

[@RelativeTime]

Your welcome. Still have to get around to reviewing the escapement time watches I got. Never seems to be enough time. Happy New Year!

[@HonestWatchReviewsHWR]

@Relative Time I know what you mean. I struggle to keep up. It must be even worse for you. I can imagine you get sent lots of watches. Happy New Year mate.

[@garethbain7477]

@@RelativeTime ...looking forward to seeing what you think of the Escapement time fleiger!

[@garethbain7477]

Wow...great to get a mention from Shane! If there was an award for 'Best Breakthrough Watch Channel of 2020' then Honest Watch Reviews would be the winner by a county mile! Thanks to both Relative Time and Honest Watch Reviews for making 2020 a little more fun and giving me a welcome distraction from work and the world!

[@HonestWatchReviewsHWR]

@Gareth Bain I'm honoured to accept this award... Seriously though, thank you very much. I really appreciate that. Even being mentioned in the same company as Shane's channel is very high praise indeed 🙏

[@RobinsWatchJourney]

I salute your objectivity and open-mindedness in giving this Chinese special a chance, but I would not buy this thing with your money. Cheers for the new year and thanks for all your hard work in producing interesting and high quality watch content.

[@JusttheWatch]

I have this one too, movement on mine is running pretty cosistently at +20 seconds per day, which isn't awesome, but tolerable for the price. The previous Boderry I reviewed, which has a similar Hang Zhou movement is running +17. Also worth noting, this is the same movement manufacturer that made the micro rotor in the Starlight.

[@LONGWALDO]

I have 3 of these now. Paid about $115 each from the Boderry site. All keep great time. Under 10 sec plus or minus.

[@RelativeTime]

Which models do you have?

[@dswitz9997]

I received this watch for my birthday a few months ago and the 24h period, it averages +7 seconds per day. Which is incredible.

[@seagallo64]

I love only skeleton watch automatic, l always used quartz and l like them. Is possible put any standard bracialet on this watch ?

[@johnfranklin5277]

I have this movement in another watch, and check its accuracy with my smart phone, so far after about 6 months of continuous use its only gaining about 1 minute a week. Very happy with that!.

[@jimporter7209]

I bought a Boderry Checkmate. Really liked it until the movement just began stopping for no reason. Sending it back. Hopefully the replacement will be better

[@brockphilips1189]

I have the Boderry Urban titanium. Love it.

[@barmo3853]

Thanks for all your reviews, and good to see an off the wall watch with a pretty balanced analysis. Best wishes for next year when hopefully we'll all resume our watch enthusiasm.

[@RelativeTime]

Thanks and Happy New Year!

[@teamhonn]

Thanks shane for all the great reviews and watch from the drawing. My son wears it all the time.

[@cedarcanoe]

A Bo Derek watch, I hear you say 👍

[@urielalbertosanchezm]

I was deciding to buy this watch model or the Pagani Rainbow and I opted for the second one, no regrets!

[@PaulewingStHelens]

it has got that "Wow that looks cool" look about it but I get the feeling once the novelty wears off I'd be thinking I can’t read the time on this piece of confusion. It does look good though despite that and it's accuracy and lume deficiencies. Top review.

[@cedarcanoe]

Did you notice it has an Oyster Submariner case?

[@SecronSeven]

I can't find these for sale anywhere! It looks like the updated version got rid of the small seconds hand, which is what I liked about this watch the most. If anyone knows where these can be purchased used or new please let me know! Thanks for the review!

[@SilverSergeant]

I see a windmill near 12 O'clock. Thanks for the review. I have thought about these....but I'll pass for now.

[@bifflee3603]

The windmill, maybe something to do with the windmilly looking thing under the 12 position??

[@bartglover22]

1st HAPPY NEW YEAR! A skeleton watch is a good item in a collection. I chose the Urban Boderry with yellow hands to assist legibility. The eye defaults to yellow automatically then red hence McDonalds yellow arches on a red background. Because of the industrial look of the watch the yellow hands look well & not a bit out of place.

[@Fubar684]

Pardon me but, what dial?

Hey Shane - happy new year and thanks for the mention of Sólás in the video. I happened to check out this video because I'm interested in this 72hr power reserve movement too and was surprised to see ourselves being mentioned in the video. I think Boderry might have tried to integrate their B part of the logo into the sub-seconds and escapement cut-out at the front - maybe a happy coincidence or perhaps a design choice? On the movement - it's disappointing to hear that this particular example of the movement was quite a bit out of spec (I'm pretty sure Hangzhou rates their movement better than this) - I imagine this would be grounds for a return to Boderry to get it regulated properly. With cheaper watches something has to give - and generally a movement that that could be regulated to a much better timing performance might just be given a quick computer guided regulation to get "in the range" - so if you got a second example it might have very different performance specs. It is something that we at Sólás will be doing by hand individually for each watch (if they don't perform well enough out of the box) - though the HZ5000A accuracy out of the box has been rather consistently good so far from the 18 examples of the movements I've seen so far. But things like this costs labour hours and inevitably will push up price - I guess it's for consumers to determine if they prefer "done well out of the box" or "cheaper price and take a slight gamble". And if you think skeletonised looks interesting (in principle) - just wait for our 3rd model the Eclipse (in movement testing phase) which will be a highly legible skeletonised watch with a twist ;) Happy 2021!

[@RelativeTime]

Happy New Year. I'm pretty sure I just got a dud, others have reported a lot better accuracy. So if they ever offer I'd probably give it another shot. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.

[@tube8723]

Just pulled the trigger on this one. Been wanting a skeleton in my collection for a while. I like the style and the bracelet looks well built. At 40mm and a short lug to lug this should be very comfortable. As with just about any skeleton you aren't really buying it for the legibility or to be an every day watch. I am intrigued by the 70 hour power reserve and hope mine ends up being just a little more accurate than Shanes. Only time will tell.

[@juniorjohnson5961]

Just wondering if you still have the watch and how's it running & holding up ?

[@scotts653]

.

[@dswitz9997]

I actually really like the black version of this with the orange leather band

[@WeibenWang]

I lucked into a Hamilton Viewmatic skeleton at a clearance sale, and found that I like skeletonized watches. I'm drawn to the high end ones online, Zenith, Oris, etc. (in theory; too rich for my blood in practice). This caught my eye when Dave unboxed it. It could scratch an itch, if it's wearable and fun to look at. Too bad the movement is an iffy proposition, but at its price, the risk isn't too high.

[@wakawaka1976]

After a trying 2020 it’s nice we can count on good watch videos by great content creators.

[@salembeeman370]

Thanks for a great 2020. At least from a watch review perspective. HNY

[@RelativeTime]

Thanks, Happy New Year!

[@wakawaka1976]

My wife doesn’t like skeleton watches saying it feels like they aren’t trying.. I kind of like the skeletonized look but it belongs in the back. Give me a beautiful easy to read dial in the front.

[@jeb-zf4un]

One off the better skeletonised watches if you like that kinda thing.

[@robertcox2857]

Thanks for the excellent review, Shane! Your review is timely as I have been looking at these on and off over the past few months. Mostly what's kept me away is the 40mm case, which is a bit too small for me. I'll do 40mm in a Cocktail Time (no bezel=wider dial opening) but not in a dive watch (I'll do 42mm but really prefer 44-46mm). This Boderry is not a diver but has the wider bezel and smaller dial opening. That said, I'm still thinking about this one as the 72 hour power reserve intrigues me. They also have a center seconds version that is more appealing to me--I'm not a big fan of small seconds (merely personal preference). Thanks again, and I'll leave another comment or update if/when I pull the trigger.

[@Exodarks]

Interesting review, I personally don't prefer skeletonized watches myself but I still think they can be neat to look at at times

[@fr0d0scious]

I just received mine today and wasn't blown away. Telling the time is ok. There's not an awful lot to see of the movement working.. I was expecting more. Not tested accuracy I'll get back on that. Looking forward to Dave's review. I want to try one of the Ciga Design skeletons to compare. The X looks a little pointless, I might plumb for the Z.

[@nikosmpasounas9801]

What do you think about the watch after this time ???

[@fr0d0scious]

@@nikosmpasounas9801 I like the watch. I don't wear it much.. because it's hard to see the time.. Otherwise it's well made, accurate and the bezel catches the light nicely. Seeing the spring is fun and interesting. Dave's reveiw was better I thought. This watch also borrowed a lot from another design I thought.

[@AlexanderB.]

I'm not a massive fan of skeletonized watches either, because I expect some usability from a watch. But for those who are I think the key sentence of this review is: given what they had to work with, they did a pretty good job. Did the movement maybe pick up some magnetism as it runs so fast? Finally: I am digging the Millennium Falcon and lightsaber shots! May the force be with you in 2021 Shane!

[@diamondbed86]

Always love your reviews, but skeletonized watches always seem so hard to tell the time with. Maybe because I am getting old. LOL - happy New Year to you!

[@RelativeTime]

They are usually pretty hard. Although I think some of the better ones out there do a better job in making sure the hands stand out.

[@eronavbj]

No fan of skeleton. I want to look at my watch and see what time it is. I'd be better off with the Millennium Falcon on my wrist.

[@RTM459]

I’m 6’3 253 this thing would look like a rubber band around my wrist. The smallest I can go are 42mm and the highest I go are 47mm and a 42mm can sometimes look to small depending on the style of watch . I’ve never owned a skeleton and would try this one out if it wasn’t a 40mm

[@roo2dee2]

For anyone interested in the Hangzhou 7500 movement, but not necessarily the Boderry case, Earnshaw has this in their Baron and Clarke models. The Baron is a more traditional and the Clarke is a Royal Oak homage. As with most Earnshaw, they are massively overpriced, but they are currently half off for about 250 USD each. They are having a BOGO father's day sale, so that brings them down to 125 each, which is a great value then.

[@MyAlan999]

Happy New Year Shane :) thanks for all the great content in 2020 and looking forward to seeing the channel grow even more in 2021!!

[@MikeOBrien1945]

Too bad about the accuracy, otherwise I might consider it. Have a Happy New Year.

[@gamblers220]

I am not a Skeleton Watch guy to begin with, however, the Bezel is an absolute eyesore for me! I think they can address the issues with the movement with better regulation (it could have been just a lousy sample of one, I don't know). Overall for "what it is" and the Price, it seems alright(ish). By the way I see 3 posible Windmills

[@johnc1848]

As always, nicely done. Happy New Year

[@chrisvan8782]

Thinking about getting this and busting it down !! With real stones.

[@halfpastblog]

I guess there is a reason we see so many NH35s.

[@johnmuthan286]

Youhave a great strap / bracelet collection, maybe you could do a video just about them and where you got them, some are really interesting.

[@juniorjohnson5961]

I've been looking at skeleton watches this one looks interesting. Do you still have it and how is it running and holding up ?

[@juniorjohnson5961]

Forgot to ask have you done a review of CIGA DESIGN watches ?

[@RelativeTime]

Still have it, but been sitting in a box the entire time. I actually just took it out a week ago, as I was considering giving it to a friend who is all into steampunk. But after checking it, it's still pretty inaccurate. At least this one, others have reported better accuracy. I haven't checked out any of the skeletonized CIGA watches but did just review their newest one which is more of a spinning globe. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYWpond8Ys2nn68

[@dinner_workingsly]

This looks like one of those watches that a deep blue collector would love.

[@RelativeTime]

Ouch!

[@zzxxenith]

Have a different Boderry the build design is excellent 👌 And I think what they do with the designs also deserves recognition, however had the same experience with the moment was delighted it was about +1 +5 however once it ran in +15 +20 however good news is it's not got worse self regulation is not an option for most as it requires a special tool to open. However this is a watch your not going to use everyday so not going to need adjustment unless it's a an everyday watch, these watches attract a lot of attention and are good conversation starters. My advice for the manufacturer is regulate them slightly slow as they speed up once run in

[@watchalot919]

One of the few skeleton watches I like the look of. Hangzhou actually make good movements. Sounds like that movement has covid. Good vid as usual

[@gimbydude491]

So I want a skeletonize watch in my collection at some point, but I have not found “the one” yet..😊 Boderry has caught my interest more than other like Ciga Design or Pagani Designs choices, but nothing that has made me push the buy button. I have to say though, skeleton is down the page in my list of watch purchases, so it is more of a monitor and wait game there. If I were keen on this one (which I have to say, I do like the look of) I would take it as my opportunity to regulate a watch...😂 but ya, that initially +/- is not good. As for the windmill, the sub seconds and the frame on the spring are likely the inspiration.

[@osgoodbad]

The part of me that likes watching the internal mechanism of a watch thinks that this is kind of cool and tempting, and it seems like a decent way to get a skeletonized watch for not a lot of money. But the part of me that wants a functioning time piece dislikes everything about the design. It looks very difficult to read and the high beat movement is wasted on the windmill small seconds hand. And the accuracy issues you experienced take the wind out of their sails too. This feels like a watch you get strictly as a piece of jewelry or as a conversation starter, and not as a tool. Also, I see the Millennium Falcon in every video, but this is the first time I think I've noticed a lightsaber. Has it always been a feature? Who used it?

[@justaguyyouknow7139]

I've seen it on one or two other reviews of his, the lightsaber is Darth Vader's. It's similar to Anakin's but has more "black" on it.

[@osgoodbad]

@@justaguyyouknow7139 Yeah, the color threw me.

[@Watchtrain]

Happy New Year Shane!

[@RelativeTime]

Thanks! Happy new year!

[@johndoyle1969]

That watch looks like how 2020 felt. All screwed up.

[@WatchAddictionReviews]

hahahhaha

[@jeremeymiller3406]

Just a heads up that Hamilton and orient star you showed isn’t a high beat rate I’m not aware of very many watches under $200 period with 4 hertz movements the cheapest ones I have in my collection are the sellitas I have in my glycine combat sub 30 atm and my airman. I did just impulsively buy a skeleton pagani sub after seeing my brothers which I believe uses the same movement it’s a high beat with 72hrs of power reserve and has a screw down crown I think it was $80 which is insane for these kind of specs. this is a very intriguing looking watch though with these specs and the price I don’t think you can go wrong. I’m not much for homages I think they are lazy they do have their place in the hobby it’s not a counterfeit per se but they allow people to enjoy a style of watch they may not get to otherwise also for me they’ve come in handy when I’m trying to get a feel for the size of a particular watch and how it looks on the wrist before dropping thousands on the real deal I usually won’t see until it comes in the mail I did it with San martins sla017 and their SBGA GS diver before buying the real thing I have to say it’s impressive what they can do for the less than the price of about a single link on my GS this seems like an interesting original design though but not having a screw down crown is a bit of a bummer I would think of pagani can do it in a watch that costs $100 less surely boderry can too. If you’ve ever seen a field of wind turbines it will take you about 2 seconds to figure out why they called it that just look at 12 o clock above the mainspring and the running seconds hand! Lol

[@Miginath]

What are you going to do with the watch? I think its cool. Maybe a future giveaway?

[@pierremartin9048]

So RM went to school behind the Great Wall, glad to see his initials are not on it or it would cost 1000x as much. I really, and personally am not a fan of skeleton architecture in watches.

[@John-P]

Thank you Shane for a really interesting review, skeleton watches don't really do it for me , I find difficulty in actually telling the time, and for a similar price at the moment I'd be looking at Vario or Aquatico but that's just me, thanks, stay safe.

[@chookchack]

I appreciate this more than those chinese swiss replicas. At least the are trying and will only improve overtime.

[@WatchAddictionReviews]

they have these for like $75 on aliexpress

[@richardlachcik5446]

Shame that you got a dud. I have had the sunburst white dial version for a couple of weeks now, the power reserve tested out to 88 hours, and it gains about 8 seconds a day which I think is acceptable. Excellent quality control, only paid 100 US during the last AliExpress sale.

[@mathieut3197]

Meh, still a viable option for the gearheads - something my 18 year old would love for not too much moolah.

[@dunderhay9169]

An interesting and fair review of a horrible watch. What is the point of a high beat if it isn't accurate? It will just wear out faster with no benefit to the user. Happy New Year 👍

[@ericwhitlow7364]

Love the back of the watch. Just not a fan of the skeleton front.

[@MJFallout]

I do like skeletonized watches but - honestly - haven't seen anything in recent years that's not either trying way to hard, or not hard at all.

[@keys-bw9bc]

I am also not a fan of skeletonized watches. To me they take away from the actual purpose of a watch. What is a watch for if not to tell time. That said, if the accuracy was more consistent, there would be no denying the value for those who enjoy a skeletonized watch. My fifty dollar Loreo (my daily beater) with a sea-gull movement runs about plus four to six seconds per day out of the box. This watch should be able come close to that for near two hundred dollars.

[@rumatadestora]

They have other watches with a traditional dial with the same movement - I'd go for those. These are ugly as hell

[@gray_space_alien]

Not really a fan of skeleton watches myself, but I suppose it could grow on you. They are too hard to read which is basically what you wear a watch for, to tell the time.

[@johnleonard3951]

yes it is the second hand

[@pdmotors5027]

Sorry Shane, the movement could be made of solid gold, but although it’s an interesting design, it’s not floating my boat.

[@WorthAWatchReviews]

Very informative 👍

[@RelativeTime]

Thanks!

[@kenpickett9317]

What’s with the huge blobs of shellac on those pallet stones? Lol 😂

[@NathanChisholm041]

Adds performance! :-)

[@pedromonteiro6043]

Be aware that the movement is really unreliable. I bought the Urban model in titanium last June and in the last month the movement started to gain too much time. It is now gaining about +65 seconds/day. It’s the first time that I experience this with a Chinese movement after just after some months of using a watch.

[@Alias_Anybody]

Hard disagree. I totally see why they call the series Windmill. 😂 (small seconds, that design over the main spring, the main handset kinda) But on a more serious note, most Chinese movements still just aren't quite there yet. In a 25€ watch for the lolz or modding, yes, but I would be very careful spending a substantial amount of money on them.

[@glenh4971]

Thanx for this review. I can't stand the watch face for one thing. I can't read it. The other thing is that I don't trust complex Chinese watch movements. 185 dollars is a lot of money to me. I would not trust that money to the Chinese. Until they build a reputation for quality that is equal to a Seiko for the same money, I will not buy it. On the other hand, there are watches for less money that are Chinese-like some Parnis watches that I would buy. Not all Parnis watches. Some Parnis watches represent good value for example.

[@robbabcock_]

Interesting! Style-wise it's just kind of a bunch of random unrelated design elements all jumbled together. Like you I'm not a fan of skeletonized watches at all. An "open-heart" design with a window as opposed to all being open can look great but this one is a bit much.

[@markedfortime]

Thanks for the review...as always, top notch. My point of reference is my recently acquired skeletonized Zelos Skyraider 2. You can clearly see the differences in finish and forethought. This looks like it was forced to be a skeletonized movement just because they could. Compared to my Zelos, it has two effective layers to the the Unitas movement. The top layer is light gray, whereas the back layer looks to be pvd coated in a darker color. The hands are contrasting with the top layer to be easily identified and in true Zelos fashion, they have lumed the hands and 12, 3, 6 & 9 to be easily readable at night (along with the text around the back saphire crystal. This watch looks like a mishmosh of colors and little contrast outside of the plastic chapter ring. It makes it difficult to spot the hands, which is always challenging for a skeletonized design to begin with. Premium brands always include a stark contrast as part of their design..something Zelos was clearly aware of. Then you get to the case...using a rolex-esque case for this watch is such a bad design decision. The whole idea of a skeletonized movemenr is to make the watch light and airy. Zelos took this to heart and made the case (and bracelet) from titanium. The case is minimalistic but substantial enough. The fit and finish are amazing as usual and the way the lugs turn down, well, the wearability...I forget its on my wrist. Now as far as accuracy goes...I don't think Zelos typically regulate their movements, so perhaps the dead zero accuracy is an outlier...or perhaps they spent more time with these due to their $1500 price tag. Either way, even with a cheap movement, a reasonable accuracy is expected..or why bother? Lastly, at least for me, using an automatic movement is absolutely the wrong call on a skeletonized watch. I prefer a manual wind movement on a skeletonized watch because it feels like I'm more in touch with the watch...a dependency of sorts. The relationship between the wearer and a manual wind watch is something magical. While I have a majority of auto's, I have a different relationship with the manuals. Now one way they could have improved an auto is to skeletonize the damn rotor!...again, a little forethought! Take it from me, trying to satisfy your skeletonized need by picking up cheaper versions will not work. I tried with a number of cheaper watches and was seriously considering the Oris Big Crown ProPilot X or a Zenith Defy (which is still on the list) to fill this need. The Zelos Skyraider 2 seems to have satisfied me for now, so the way I look at it, I've saved about $5k! This company looks to be building cheap things without direction because they can. They don't know why they're building watches and are throwing stuff against the wall to see if it sticks. I'd bet money no one in the entire company is a watch enthusiast...if they were, with little effort, they would have done a much better job with this watch. My 2 cents.

[@dparis2172]

That was more like a buck, one-fifty.

[@RelativeTime]

Glad you like the skyraider. From the pictures I can see what you mean. Somehow it looks less busy and the hands are popping out. Elshan always seems to know what he is doing with design.

[@oceanwatchesclaudejolly1742]

Happy new year , I have few Chinese watches with Chinese movement , also a seagull Venus movement they are all in my drawer box I could keep them less than one year and they stop suddenly , that why zelos , phoibos, San Martin, Helm, and others serious Chinese brands are using Seino movements or Miyota. , I think the problem with Chinese movement is the low quality metal parts ,

[@rava2107]

You've got a bad one, I picked up one of these and it's running at plus 3 seconds a day on the wrist. It must be luck of the draw wether you get a good or badly adjusted movement.

[@danielteegarden8982]

thky

[@ivermec-tin666]

I fear that a high beat movement with a 72 hour reserve is overly ambitious. Even the Swatch group has had reliability problems with their 80 hour reserve movements for Hamilton.

[@urieelSEptim]

probably because they try to base it off an existing design? i think there are a few movements with similar specs.

[@fighterx4133]

Mine seems to be holding at +15 seconds a day

[@karlsenula9495]

Imo a nonconventional watch should come with a nonconventional strap. I get that in terms of value for money everyone wants a stainless bracelet ... but this watch just screams colored silicone strap (maybe green or red).

[@chasfoster9895]

Watch or mini circus?

[@RelativeTime]

Both? 😄

[@TheNickGuy408]

Tudor-style clasp, not Rolex-style

[@liangweihao7932]

Bezel is copied from RD Excalibur, and the clasp is ripped off a Tudor.

[@TinBin-Craig]

not a fan.. and the accuracy is put off for me... cheers and a happy new year..

[@RegNatarajan]

I bought one of their previous titanium skeletons. It's impossible to read. I'm into the skeleton look but this is just totally useless as a watch. Pity because all it would take is not painting the hands black to make it a useful watch.

[@dude28405]

I’m going to pass on this one It doesn’t stir any emotions other than screams I am a Chinese watch

[@finesse49]

It's ugly and it's hard to read the time. No thanks.

[@Mikey1951ful]

Nope, not for me.

[@MrRalphRosa]

That is one horrible looking watch !!!!

[@dparis2172]

This watch looks like a load of boderry.

[@RelativeTime]

For some reason I kept wanting to call it Boberry.

[@paulinejackson5861]

Never buy a Chinese watch.

[@jamesblonde2271]

The catch is it's off brand and ugly