Influencers

so just for information, which one that have a sharp bezel?

Depends on who you are watching, what you are watching, and why. Some channels are better than others. Many call cheap homage watchmakers micro brands, they are not and should not be confused with the good micro brands out there (Monta, Formex, Farer, etc). Inexpensive $300 fly by night kickstarter brands with NH35 are usually best avoided. Micro brand does not equal micro price. You get what you pay for.

I know most channels like JOMW and others are largely driven by sponsored content. While I like Jody, I skip any sponsored videos, which rules out a lot of videos and channels. Watch for ideas and exposure to new brands, but take with a grain a salt and verify yourself.

Stick to the better blogs and channels from more trustworthy sources (Worn and Wound, ablogtowatch, Fratello, Monochrome, Time and Tise, etc). If you cannot find out about the watch short of a couple influencer videos, there is a reason why.

Funny I bought big name brand watches because of social media…PRX and CasiOak. It’s not just the micros who are guilty. 😂

Hell no!!!!

I watch 'em primarily for entertainment - it's better than UK TV!

I also watch for information on watches I'm interested in buying & to keep abreast of the latest releases...

... I fell for the hype and bought the new Seiko 5 55th anniversary model, dunno why because I don't want it & now have the hassle of flogging it 🤦🏻‍♂️

So as much as I'd like to say I'm immune to YouTube BS I'm as vulnerable as a noob (been into watches since the 90's 😂)

Revelot Admiral gmt. As you can see by the pic. Pretty jagged and sharp.

I live in a small city and can’t go to local stores and see many watches I am interested in. I watch YouTube mostly to see what the watches look like. I try not to pay too much attention to what they say since most are doing it for free watches. If you like what they look like, dimensions are right and it’s an established brand you should be safe. I normally only buy micro brands with several references that seem credible with no financial interest the best I can tell. I made one exception buying a micro brand without several recommendations and it worked out.

I just bought and got my Mido Ocean Star GMT from Teddy Baldassarre - couldn’t find the special edition anywhere locally so got it from my favorite watch YouTuber. Pretty happy with what I got. I would he’s pretty reputable.

I have not bought one based on them. I do like the up close and macro shots they are able to gather.

I guess I paid for my watch education with the dollars spent investigating watch brands that were not suitable for me. You do learn from your mistakes. During recent times I ventured out of my comfort zone when I went looking for a Parmigiani ad here in Toronto. I was too slow to source one from the Canadian agent who was losing the line for a rock bottom price. You have to find an honest independent ad but the gent that I lucked on to is a second generation watch seller/ genuine enthusiast who has been helpful introducing me to Grand Seiko, he is also quick to share experiences offered by some of his more insightful clients with brands that are new to me. Of course in the end you must still trust your own directions and budgets.

I watch multiple reviews before buying a watch. One reviewer might get some details wrong, but if watch videos from 5 different reviewers, I should have a general idea of what the timepiece has to offer

Everything has moved online with very few brick and mortar left so the Influencers are one of the only ways to see the new products left. I usually switch if one comes on for an expensive watch but the repair videos are more important to me.

Ooof that's rough. Must be a QC issue, I can't imagine all bezels leave factory like that

With this company they are

I think Teddy is one of the best

I tend to take influencer reviews with a grain of salt. My go to reviewers are established people like TGV from Urban Gentry, Mark from Long Island Watch, and MWC. There may be one or two others I can't think of right off hand, but honestly most of them just seem to be cash grabs lol

Also the best reviews IMO on a watch are reviews from people who have purchased the watch for themselves and not necessarily to review. Whenever I buy a watch the first thing I do is read the reviews and try to make an informed decision based on their thoughts

I have definitely bought one watch based on a utube video. I had already considered it but after seeing the video it put me into purchase mode

But I still love, have and enjoy the watch. The video content was fun, he's got a great eye with the camera and frankly after watching it I wanted one also.

It was the Seiko king turtle green grenade SRPE05 video that came out a couple of years ago by Oisin O'Malley (different channel name back then) was just that good. Like most of he's content really funny, great imagery, and just a fun channel to see a pretty honest take on most watches, wines, and other stuff. As far as I can tell he isn't sponsored by any watch groups but will definitely give a brand a heavy plug if he likes the product.

Anyway. I guess that's a yes I have been influenced by an influencer. Hahaha

Back in June I bought a Nodus Sector Sport because of Max. It was in a summer color I didn’t have and reasonably priced with a cool bracelet. Earlier also bought a Casioak after listening to several.

So do you like Nodus?

Well I guess it doesn’t take much influencing when it comes to a Seiko, right? I do like most YouTube influencers but some go overboard making a cheap Chinese watch seem as good as a Rolex. Those are the ones you have to watch out for. I guess one needs to just be careful when on YouTube.

Seems like most everyone feels like I do, like the photos and basic info, but never “because someone said I should”. I am finally old enough that peer pressure doesn’t mean much to me.

Right, they certainly do, and the moment I hear them say the watch has been sent in and doesn’t need to be returned I pretty much tune out. Which is a shame cause some of the Chinese brands look and sound statistically great for the price.

To give you my personal experience. A lot of small brands wanna send you watches to review. If the pictures catch my eye, I will say yes but make no promises.

1. If I like it: I review it and keep the watch and most often give it to a friend.

2. If I don't like it: I send it back to them, explaining the issues as feedback

3. If they offer to sponsor (aka money), I politely tell them that's too much conflict of interest

Most large brands will have loaner units they send out for a week or two. But as much as I hoped, IWC asked for all the ingeniuers back eventually 😩

Use your gut, if you feel like they are trying to "influence" you, then that's not the right reviewer for you. I'm just trying to find cool watches and tell people about my impressions.

And never believe them when they say getting the watch for free in no way impacts their review.

If saying nice things may mean more free watches in the future, you can be sure at the very least on a subconscious level they are highly motivated to say nice things.

You must be listening to very different YTIs than I. Many of them review "mainstream" watches, not just microbrands and Asian made. At least the ones I used to watch do. The only one I watch regularly anymore is Fed and he seldom does reviews. He mostly talks about different brands and the watch market in general and has a vast knowledge of these things. Even in his case, I pay more attention when he denigrates a brand because he usually has good reasons that resonate with me.

If I'm considering adding a watch to my long list, I look up a few reviews for reference but usually ignore their final judgment; that part is just an opinion that is seldom similar to mine. Maybe you should consider widening your horizons.

I listen to a lot of them and contact them when I think they missed something or got something wrong. I have yet to hear anything about customer service from any of them. My review is not one of an influencer but just a regular guy who buys watches and either the trouble or pleasure I had to go through.

Which would, by definition, influence people. There's nothing wrong with influencing people, it's just that, like everything else these days, so many are just dying to be offended and have made "influencing" a dirty word along with thousands of others.

Sorry just saw your msg now. They’re fine. I asked about availability and they were very responsive. Because of the Seiko mvmt it’s a bit chunky but overall I’m happy with it. First watch I have with on the fly adjustable clasp. 👍

Sorry just seeing tu is now. Overall I’m happy with it, in fact wearing it now. I’d say it’s a teeny bit thick but manageable. Also they were very responsive by email.