TGV and Islander's latest... er... thing

I imagine that bulk Miyota 9000 automatic movements are way cheaper than a manual wind variant (supply/demand) and adapting the autos is a way to hit a reasonable price point.

I give them kudos for finding a way to keep the watch slim and relatively inexpensive by machining out the caseback crystal. I can't think of many other brands that would bother.

It doesn't look any better than a lot of cheap field watches. I anticipated something a little better.

My concern, that I stated before on another post, was that I have always heard that an automatic is not as robust as a mechanical movement when it comes to manual winding. Yes, it can be wound to start it up, but it's not designed to be wound for full power, all of the time. If that's true, will this be a future failure point?

I like manual wind and I like the strap. That's all I have to say on the matter. 👀

Here we go……

I could buy that watch on Aliexpress for less than $120 myself, admittedly it wouldn’t have the two smudges on the dial but it would be basically the same watch. It’s a meh watch for me I think I would rather spend the money on parts and build one myself… imho 👍🏻

So did it actually get thinner because of this? I've wondered why this isn't done but I think we have an answer. The charity nonsense annoys me as well.

For me the band is the most impressive part, but I know where to get something like that for $20.

I like everything about it except for the distended look of the 3-6-9 font. That’s subjective so it’s fine. 🤣😂

Am I the only one who actually likes this watch a lot, I’m considering buying one

I already roasted the watch on another thread, but I’ll do it again. These guys are industry experienced, they are experienced in designing watches, and supposedly have a feel for what the market wants. And they release a field watch with a sandblasted case with a golden skeletonized movement on it? The more I look at it the less I like it.

I don't like the face design at all 😬

I just don't get the need for a display case back with a mass produced movement.

I'm not normally negative and I do watchboth these guys on you tube and like them both but........

This watch looks like it was created by a troop of monkeys locked in a room and persuaded to try and draw the clock face on the wall?

It has no redeeming features bar the size of the case and the colour of the strap.

Crap effort chaps. Try again.....

I'm fine with it. <shrugs>

I think these two are of the persuasion that the Rolex Explorer is actually a field watch, and so they created a watch whose looks is somewhere in between.

Wow, there’s some over reacting going here.. went too far guys. You’re entitled to your opinions- yet keep it off the personal blows. I think it’s not becoming of this platform.

I can’t understand from this emoji- are you satisfied or disappointed?? Because I have one on the way..

Exactly! I really need to hold back sometimes, because i have to many watches and the releases of seiko are very often VERY tempting 😅

I would definitely have a Seiko or two if they would just move the date to 6 o'clock or better still leave it off completely.

I had to go and check real quick and realized youre right, not a single seiko in my collection is actually a no-date. On a daily watch I wear for work, i really dont mind a date window, but usually i too prefer no date versions nowadays.

AM or PM 😂🤣😂

Caliber Corner. Website designed for explaining and reviewing watch movements

I think the issue with that would be that the first one was touted as a limited edition of 500 pieces, never to be made again. Everybody who rushed to buy one would be pissed off if LIW just reneged on that and released more, even without the individual "X of 500" markings on it. Kind of like the guy who bought Tom Brady's last touchdown ball, only for him to come out of retirement the next season. Come to think about it, didn't Seiko do something shady like this with the Alpinist a few years ago?

Well, it's like Grandpa always said....

" We can't ALL like the same things, otherwise everybody would be on top of Grandma! "

You got a really valid point there.

Perhaps they can do a slight adjustment with the case size or dial design/color then name it the Rangemaster 1.1 without any limited qty gimmick, AND lower price coz it's now UNlimited edition? Win-win for everyone 😜😁

Yeah, I'm not sure why they felt the need to do another limited edition. Make 500, and if they sell out, make another batch. I guess it's just a marketing trick to make sure they sell fast. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that still wanted the first Rangemaster, so they kinda shot themselves in the foot with that. They could always do a limited number of special numbered, fancier case backs, and the rest could have the standard fare. I'm not really a fan of LEs, can you tell? 🤣

Edit: I do think they could've made this release a little better. Stick with a true hand-wind movement, change the dial color and/or design, and possibly move the logos to a closed case back (or make them integrate better on the dial, if a see through case back is a must). Maybe tweak the handset just slightly, so it doesn't look like a straight rip off of Tudor.

Definitely marketing trick, considering both of them have their own fans. And yes, it's a shame they chose to made the 1st Rangemaster as LE. I'm sure lots of us wanted to get one, thus more profit for them, but like you said their decision to made it LE kinda sabotaged it 😑

And regarding this 2nd release, i can't really explain it but i just couldn't get to like the design. Some stuffs are just not my cup of tea with this one. I'm not into sandblasted finish, the 3-6-9 font style are somehow too wide & not vintage enough for me, the inner markings with both TGV & LIW logos just made the dial too crowded for me, and i'm a sucker for BGW9 rather than C3 lume. So it's really subjective from me, but i'm just not into the 2nd release 😅

I was not crazy about the first one. I just didn't care too much for the font on the dial, and I thought the bezel was a little chunky and not proportional to the rest of the watch. I don't mind a bead-blasted case, though a brushed is ideal for hiding micro-scratches. I was disappointed that they kept a similar dial, hoping they would change it up a little. I really think a cream, white, or even champagne dial would have been nice; more vintage looking to go with the hand-winder. They could have offered a few color options, and not make them LE, of course.

Another issue, besides the choice of movement, would be the case back "divot". Someone else mentioned it, and I thought the same thing, that this may be a potential weak spot in the sapphire. Drop the watch on your dresser while trying to wind it, and you may shatter the back rather easily. Kind of an odd fix to an odd problem to have, due to the movement choice.

A bracelet option also would've been nice, because of its smaller size. I think a bracelet helps a watch appear bigger, which might help sell it for those that were hoping for a ~40mm. Again, brushed finish would've been the better option here, too.

Agree, the movement could have been better so that they didn't need to cover the minus point with creating a sapphire back with a "hump" on it.

Brushed finish with bracelet would be ideal, since we can easily find rubber/canvas/leather strap anywhere, while finding a bracelet that really matches the shape, design & curve would be much more a hassle.