Okay what’s wrong with Zelos

I saw one in person and it seemed nice. Not sure which model exactly.

My only complaint is the leather accessories. Same complaint for almost every micro brand. It raises the price and the leather industry is a nightmare. I'm just not a fan and it's just unnecessary. 

Personally if I wanted titanium (which I always do) I'd go with Citizen or Casio. Decades of history and known to be the most reliable watches on the planet. Plus loaded with features.

I have the Casio already. Total spec monster with field watch styling (or there's dressier versions).

The rest are just a few I saved recently. I really like the pilot's watches personally. 

Quick tip: always check the the other country websites for Casio and Citizen. Lots of different watches in different locations. Japan etc. 

Thanks for the tip I rate Citizen’s titanium collection highly as well. I haven’t seen that Casio before I might check that out. 

Interesting to hear that the Zelos looked good in person. I haven’t got hands on yet with one, which is another reason I’m hesitant. 

I’ve only had one Zelos (Horizons 39) but have had a few issues with a loose and misaligned bezel and clasp issues. I think they put a lot of value into specs for money but not necessarily into finishing or reliability-so the specs are usually great, but a subpar experience after a few years. I’m ok with that. 

I've no experience with Zelos, but I do have experience with specs not telling the whole story. 

I've heard the finishing on the lower end models like the Swordfish is a bit lacking when compared to even higher tier Zelos offerings. I think most people that buy them accept that they are getting a $300 watch, so they forgive some sharp edges, or other minor faults that would not be acceptable on a $1K watch. 

I had Zelos Swordfish 40mm Ti Frost Launch Special... Awesome full loom dial and a great quality watch. Had some fun with it, but it was titanium and it felt a bit too light for me. I decided to sell it rather quickly. I regret it now cause I dont have any diver of that sort at the moment. However I made money of it. Trick is to subscribe and buy as soon as it is out as an early bird. They are limited and sell like hotcakes so in the secondary you can make some small profit... Overall was great experience and now I regret selling...

Zelos prices are normal for watches with Asian movements. If you check them they  have a few watches with Swiss movements and they are a bit more expensive. 

I have 3 zelos (2 Makos, and 1 Blacktip).

Good:

1. Customer service is top notch. I had an issue with one of the bracelet and had no issue with the exchange.
2. Lume - most of their models comes with very strong lume.
3. Dial - always something interesting in each collection.

Cons: 

1. you gotta buy in the early bird special offering period else they sell out very quickly.
2. Finishing - most of their watches are sub $500 range and the finishing can be as good as some large branch in the $1000 range. This is not really a con as you are getting a lot of value for your money. Just don't expect $5k level finishing.

Love Zelos. I’ve reviewed many and owned a few too. They have always delivered excellent bang for the buck. 

I have  2 Zelos watches, and feel that they are quite good value for the price.

I picked up a Swordfish Bronze in 2019 when I first discovered the brand. I wanted to to be able to see what a bronze case was like, and for the price, it seemed like a great deal. The NH35 movement isn't the most accurate, but the watch is well built, and features killer lume.

I was impressed enough with the Swordfish that I also purchased a Horizons GMT V2  with the teal dial in 2020. The dial is absolutely gorgeous in my opinion, and the fit and finish is reasonable, and in line with the price point.  I hardly ever wear it because I don't like the way the box crystal protrudes from the case. 

I kick myself for not buying the Blacktip Diver with the crimson red dial when it was available, as well as the burnt orange dial version of the Spearfish diver. I passed on both of those because I thought they'd just end up sitting in my watch box, but every time I see a photo of either one I'm filled with regret.

Thank you this was what I was thinking. With the specs being this good I couldn’t see how the quality could also hold up. I’ll keep this in mind. 👍

Thanks this was what I wanted to know. I’ve also had issues with buying based solely on specs and then not being completely satisfied with quality and then I don’t wear the watch and end up selling it after a couple of months at a loss. 
Thanks for the info. 

They do look great do’t they? Maybe I’ll hold of until I find a new edition that takes my fancy. 

I don’t know about that. Most of my watches have Asian movements, but they normally don’t match the price that Zelos offers. A few of the other comments have mentioned issues with qc and from my experience that’s something to look out for. 

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this up. I’ll have to take a good look at Zelos. 🙏

Thanks I’ll check out those reviews. 

The problem with Zelos is the limited inventory and the narrow window of opportunity. As it's an online shop it require a leap of faith to jump on the early sales to benefit from the discount before the prices are ramped up or the model that was of interest disappear. Then there is also the matter of warranty which is only one year.

Aside from these issues, Zelos are excellent if you like the style are if the price is right for you. They are among the best microbrand and my own Horizons GMT is an anecdotal evidence that they don't skimp on quality.

Well that may be true ive never purchased Zelos but i can tell you from what ive read they are highly sought for a microbrand .  Of course you may have paid more for other reasons . Price is not always a determiner of quality . Read reviews and experiences from Zelos buyers and research if you wish to buy Zelos and are hesitant .  My experience is watches form any brand can have quality issues look at Seiko the biggest asian watch seller and you will find quality issues especially the watches on the lower end of the brand.

I've got 4 Zelos and like two of them, love the other two. Since I'm downsizing, I'll be getting rid of the two I just "like" and keep the other two. Personally, the brand gets my thumbs up. Their Vitesse Chrono is my favorite chrono. 

Thanks that’s good to know. 

I tried getting the new Swordfish with the yellow, fully-lumed dial ... but it sold out in like five minutes.  

Probably will show up on the resale sites at double the price...