Phoibos Apollo v3 review
I asked Father Christmas for this watch and he delivered!
I have been wearing it daily for a couple of weeks so feel it's time to drop a review ( my first ever) if you are interested in the brand or this particular model.
I was in the market for a well specd diver and had been thinking about phoibos for a while.
They can be polarising due to the octopus/kraken logo for starters. I happen to really like it. It's distinctive and unlike any other.
The same could be said for their designs. I believe they started out in Hong Kong making homages but nowadays their designs are pretty unique and again I'm a big fan.
This Apollo (actually version 3) comes in several different colourways including lava flow red and dark matter blue! Both were a bit too much for me and I went for the plainer black which has an unusual granular texture on the dial.
The apollo is entirely coated titanium so it wears very light indeed and is pretty scratch proof ( no marks at all so far).
Once I had sized the bracelet (which was huge) it wears like a dream despite a non tapering 22mm bracelet. Screwed pins and solid end links naturally.
Size wise it's 41mm x 48mm and 12.5mm thick so hits the sweetspot on my slightly over 7 inch wrist. The signed crown is a decent size and easy to grip. Screw down of course and disengages with a pleasant pop.
The movement is a Miyota 9015. I haven't measured or regulated the accuracy but it does not appear to have gained or lost at all in two weeks of wear. Its a more than decent movement at this price point IMO.
The Apollo has a 120 click bezel and dlc titanium insert ring. Alligment and bezel action is spot on.
The crystal is flat sapphire with 3 layers non reflective coating inside so clear to read HOWEVER the odd hand design (rockets) means telling the time at a glance in low light can be difficult. Its not the clearest dial to read.
The lume itself however is outstanding! 15 layers of superluminova in old radium.
I know old radium is an acquired taste but again I really like it!
Lastly the case back is titanium. No design inscribed other than the specs of the watch.
Being a natural skin flint with a constant eye on price and value for money I was drawn to the apollo for its sheer value for money in terms of the specs you are getting. As of early January 2023 this model is currently 330 euros (40% discount) on phoibos Europe website.
For that money you get a tremendous watch and an original design far removed from the crowd of generic divers out there.
I highly recommend!
Phoibos Apollo v3 review
Yes
No
- Spec monster!
- Original design
- Lume!
- Comfortable and light!
- Value
- Marmite looks!
- Legibility due to hand design
- Logo not to everyone's taste
- Bracelet has no taper
An enthusiast and collector for two and a half years. Got it worse now than when I fell down the rabbit hole! The more I learn the greater my affliction becomes... A particular interest in titanium di...
The sharp eyed may spot the school boy error in this review? I posted a picture within of my orient ray2 for some bizarre reason!
Apologies! Here is a picture of the rear view of the apollo which is what I meant to put there!
The sharp eyed may spot the school boy error in this review? I posted a picture within of my orient ray2 for some bizarre reason!
Apologies! Here is a picture of the rear view of the apollo which is what I meant to put there!
I was waiting for the Phoibos/Orient comparison that never came. Good write up. Like the watch. Like the brand.
Thank you. Yes me too. I know you have that striking red one. I like different in an often bland diver soup.
Thank you for the review Craig. I haven’t had the chance to experience a Phoibos. It seems very solid and I really like the slate dial.
Thank you. I've not done a proper review before so it was interesting to carry out. As it's a relatively unusual diver I thought it would be worth doing.
I like their Wave Master (more Omega styled, if yours here is Citizen styled, for want of a better description) and the dial, but much prefer the hands on your Apollo. The hands on the Wave Master look awful.
Nice job on the photos! Good background choice.
I hadn't thought of it as being citizen styled but I can see that actually now!
My least favourite part of the apollo is actually the hands. They look cool but they make actual telling the time challenging at times. Maybe hand design is an area of weakness for phoibos?
Love the watch. It looks very good in the flesh. You were obviously a very good boy last year 😉
Cheers mate! Well I didn't buy that many watches ( that Mrs W knows about)!
I am a big fan of Phoibos, and did a review on the Voyager 3 recently. My biggest criticism though is they make few watches for smaller wrists.
I hadn't considered that but you are right. Most if not all of their range are pretty large . I suppose being mainly diver based?