Thoughts on the Smiths Everest, a week into ownership
Apparently #SmithsSaturday is a thing, so in the spirit of that Instagram hashtag, I'd like to share my thoughts on my Everest, a week after it arrived at my door. And yes, I'll be talking about the buying experience too. (Warning: long-ish post ahead)
I'm going to gloss over the design, dial, and hands, as much has already been said by other owners and reviewers. Having said that, it's very clean and well-executed, and I think the steel hands and white second markers give it a more understated elegance over the gilt version (but that's highly subjective) and are more suited for a tool watch. It is a very good-looking piece.
My first impression putting on the Everest was that it was a VERY hefty watch -- you always feel that you're wearing it. I have a 6.25-inch wrist and even with a few links removed, it weighs in at 125 grams -- that's nearly 50 more than my Divers Sixty-Five, and even heavier than my Speedmaster Reduced. My suspicion is that it's mostly down to the bracelet, and I'll confirm this once I put it on the NATO I ordered for it (from RSM, as promoted by Max).
Thankfully the latest versions of the Everest do away with the exposed rivets on the bracelet, and the screw-down pins sit flush. Taking out some of the pins was a bit of a challenge though, and I had to use a pin tool to push them out of their sockets (I hope I didn't damage the threads). A word of warning to fellow members of the itty-bitty wrist committee: I'm down to the last removable link and have the micro-adjustment on the clasp in its tightest setting, but the bracelet is still slightly loose. I could remove the last link, but that would make the clasp and foldover sit awkwardly off-center.
The bracelet also makes the watch wear a little bigger, closer to a 38mm, and perhaps a more aggressive taper would have helped. As you can tell, I'm not a huge fan of the bracelet, but I will try to switch it out for a jubilee at some point as I think it would suit the watch a little better.
Finally, the buying experience. I learned about the watch almost a year ago (around the same time I developed a liking for the unobtainable 1016 Explorer) and have been on the Timefactors mailing list for almost as long. My first purchase attempt was in January -- I had actually gotten as far as inputting my payment details before being told that the batch was sold out... 2 minutes after opening. Mind you, I already had a Timefactors account with my shipping details saved, but while it did save me some time, ultimately it wasn't enough.
I tried again a couple of weeks later, but this time I made sure that all my card details were saved in my browser (this was one that doesn't ask for an OTP -- every second counts!), and I was able to finalize my purchase in the nick of time. From then on it was a week until the watch was shipped to my forwarder in the U.K., and another week before it arrived at my home in Manila.
Overall, I'm very happy with the Everest. While it has a few quirks and flaws, it looks amazing and keeps great time. I do think that it has the potential to kick many of my watches out of regular rotation, and I will have to make a conscious effort to make sure they all get their fair share of wrist time. Now I just hope the watch keeps running well, but rather than having to deal with the dreaded aftersales service (or lack thereof), I'll probably just choose to have it serviced locally -- the Miyota movement shouldn't be too difficult to fix.
While actually getting one can feel like threading the eye of a needle, I think it is worth being patient and camping out on the Timefactors website every few months for a chance at ownership. I believe that it is the best 1016 homage, and at £345 from a brand with a rich heritage (albeit in name only), it is worth every penny. Now do I think it justifies the $700-$1,000 prices eBay resellers are asking for? Probably not. And if you can't wait, the San Martin SN021-G would not a bad alternative.
Collector from 🇵🇭 with way more watches than he needs, but not as many as he wants.
If it weren’t for Rolex, I would say the buying experience is unacceptable. So I guess there’s an upside to the way Rolex does things. Anyway, glad you’re enjoying it.
If it weren’t for Rolex, I would say the buying experience is unacceptable. So I guess there’s an upside to the way Rolex does things. Anyway, glad you’re enjoying it.
It's definitely a three-way fight right now between Smiths, Rolex, and Swatch!
Beautiful watch, this one is my favourite. Too bad its hard to find one
To me it was a nice direct design copy watch and even got to be my favorite one until I had to deal with the owner of Timefactors when I had to interact with him because other watch I got from him. I finally sold both watches and the despicable experience almost ruined all my interest in the hobby.
I now prefer to try other brands with more unique designs and way better customer experience.
My Smiths Commando with the brown Explorer dial. These are very well made. see video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8foDH9bTxME
Stunning watch and i absolutely love it .... Great buy and i am sure it will kill the rotation policy 🤣
Btw i think the brand is iconic after reading about it ... It is argued that tensing norgay and Hilary actually wore this watch when they surmounted the Everest peak .... Rolex did better marketing over the years
Beautiful watch, this one is my favourite. Too bad its hard to find one
Yes, Timefactors definitely needs to find a way to sort out their supply arrangements.
To me it was a nice direct design copy watch and even got to be my favorite one until I had to deal with the owner of Timefactors when I had to interact with him because other watch I got from him. I finally sold both watches and the despicable experience almost ruined all my interest in the hobby.
I now prefer to try other brands with more unique designs and way better customer experience.
I actually watched your YouTube video about your experience and read a few of your other comments right after I bought the watch. I did hear a lot of horror stories as well on other forums, but the way he treated you, as you said, was not how one should talk to another human being. Even if we ignore his attitude, surely the cost of a little warranty work would be far less than the cost of losing a repeat customer like you and the damage to the brand's reputation.
Honestly if I had seen your video beforehand, I may have thought a bit harder about giving him my money. Knowing what kind of person is behind this brand does take a little bit off the shine of ownership.
My Smiths Commando with the brown Explorer dial. These are very well made. see video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8foDH9bTxME
That's a very tasty, tropic-look dial!
Stunning watch and i absolutely love it .... Great buy and i am sure it will kill the rotation policy 🤣
Btw i think the brand is iconic after reading about it ... It is argued that tensing norgay and Hilary actually wore this watch when they surmounted the Everest peak .... Rolex did better marketing over the years
Yes! And sadly it became one of the victims of the quartz crisis.
If you think about this watch from the revived brand... They could have gone with a reissue of the original model that summited Mt. Everest, but instead chose to make a homage of the Explorer, which was and continues to be marketed using the same Everest expedition, despite the fact that Rolex actually sent an Oyster Perpetual....
It's definitely a three-way fight right now between Smiths, Rolex, and Swatch!
And everyone lives a three-way.
It was between this and the san Martin and I went with the San Martin because I could buy one when I wanted it. Pleased I did.
Thanks for taking the time for the write up. Of particular interest to me is the buying experience, for which I have zero tolerance.
I tend to buy my Timefactors watches on the secondary market through Watch-U-Seek or eBay. Many times you have to wait a while for things to appear, but it is still a much more leisurely process.
Buying from Timefactors was one of my most bizarre purchasing experiences ever. I ended up with a gilt PRS-25 Everest which is going to be a 3 watch collection all on its own: The first, the last, and the only watch I ever bought from them.
Buying from Timefactors was one of my most bizarre purchasing experiences ever. I ended up with a gilt PRS-25 Everest which is going to be a 3 watch collection all on its own: The first, the last, and the only watch I ever bought from them.
I tried and failed. Ended up finding other options that fill the need and are arguably better.
I’m going to try mine on an Artem strap . Try taking out the extra link , take a look at my posts with it on the wrist, it looks fine …. Good watch , I love mine , I ended up paying grey market price as couldn’t get one from Eddie , same hassles experienced . With taxes and shipping I paid too much , but after the sticker shock , I am still glad to have one . I have exactly the same watch you possess, i ended up getting it already sized from NY USA 🇺🇸 for my same skinny wrist as you 🙂
And everyone lives a three-way.
Not if the only thing you can do is watch! Haha
It was between this and the san Martin and I went with the San Martin because I could buy one when I wanted it. Pleased I did.
It does look good with its raised markers!
I think the bracelet is a bit better too -- closer to those actually on the Explorer.
Thanks for taking the time for the write up. Of particular interest to me is the buying experience, for which I have zero tolerance.
I tend to buy my Timefactors watches on the secondary market through Watch-U-Seek or eBay. Many times you have to wait a while for things to appear, but it is still a much more leisurely process.
That's fair. Occasionally I do see some priced fairly, but a lot of scalpers really take advantage of the watch's scarcity.
Buying from Timefactors was one of my most bizarre purchasing experiences ever. I ended up with a gilt PRS-25 Everest which is going to be a 3 watch collection all on its own: The first, the last, and the only watch I ever bought from them.
Bizarre is the word! And same for me -- this is my first and last Smiths.
I tried and failed. Ended up finding other options that fill the need and are arguably better.
What did you end up getting?
I’m going to try mine on an Artem strap . Try taking out the extra link , take a look at my posts with it on the wrist, it looks fine …. Good watch , I love mine , I ended up paying grey market price as couldn’t get one from Eddie , same hassles experienced . With taxes and shipping I paid too much , but after the sticker shock , I am still glad to have one . I have exactly the same watch you possess, i ended up getting it already sized from NY USA 🇺🇸 for my same skinny wrist as you 🙂
I'll give that a try! Do you have a photo of where the clasp sits at the bottom of your wrist?
What did you end up getting?
Haven’t purchased. But I have my eye set pretty squarely on the Traska Summiteer. Just out of stock at the moment.
I'll give that a try! Do you have a photo of where the clasp sits at the bottom of your wrist?
I’m actually overseas ATM so sorry but my clasp in the bracelet manages to sit just fine under the middle of my wrist comfortably and visually not noticeably asymmetrical!
I actually watched your YouTube video about your experience and read a few of your other comments right after I bought the watch. I did hear a lot of horror stories as well on other forums, but the way he treated you, as you said, was not how one should talk to another human being. Even if we ignore his attitude, surely the cost of a little warranty work would be far less than the cost of losing a repeat customer like you and the damage to the brand's reputation.
Honestly if I had seen your video beforehand, I may have thought a bit harder about giving him my money. Knowing what kind of person is behind this brand does take a little bit off the shine of ownership.
No worries. If there are not apparent evident issues with the watch, given the easy to service movement it has, you should be alright. I believe the watch is rather good in general, so you should be able to really enjoy it. Thanks for your words!
Haven’t purchased. But I have my eye set pretty squarely on the Traska Summiteer. Just out of stock at the moment.
Oh, I've seen that! It's got nods to the Explorer but with enough design cues to set it apart!
I’m actually overseas ATM so sorry but my clasp in the bracelet manages to sit just fine under the middle of my wrist comfortably and visually not noticeably asymmetrical!
I gave that a try yesterday, David. You're right, the clasp didn't really look off-center and the snug fit fixed some of the jangling, but unfortunately it did not leave me room to adjust the bracelet as my wrist swelled throughout the day (I live in a very humid environment).
I guess I'll have to live with a slightly loose bracelet for now. Thank you for the tip, though!
I understand about the humidity as we are in Thailand atm . Glad to be of help brother