Experiences with Timefactors/Smiths?

Please be aware that the original Smiths brand is defunct (as of 1979). If you are looking for a vintage Smiths, Smiths de Luxe, Smiths Astral, etc… to ease the craving whilst you try and obtain one of these later homages then always check the dial for Made In England as you want the movements that were made in Cheltenham.

Tried a couple of times and give up, the whole setup is a joke. 

I bought the Smiths Monopusher with a white dial a few months ago and have really enjoyed the watch:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ7DUEwLwz3/

You're right, their watches do go fast, but the customer service was very good in my experience so it might be worth trying to shoot him an email and seeing if he could help?

There's one on eBay (uk) right now for £700!

You could probably get an original for around that if you hunt around and were lucky. ~ 100% mark up be damned.

It seems strange to me that the owner doesn't want to ramp up the production and sell much more watches that people really like. That would destroy the flipping which he doesn't like either.

They do pop up at WUS on occasion. That's where I bought mine. And sold it a year later.

Check Watchrecon.

Yeah I know they're not the original brand anymore but the current offerings are great functional watches at a great price

At the risk of playing Devil’s Advocate, surely that only applies if you can obtain one at said price which you have been unable to do so?

He’s an oddball, releases a few watches on a Sunday afternoon and that’s it. 

Same here. I've tried the site numerous times to no avail. I'll keep hunting although they're obscure here in the states. 

You’ll be better off sourcing a decent vintage Smiths that was “Made in England”. They are highly collectible so you could easily flip it if it didn’t work for you.

After a few tries I managed to snag the Smiths Commando that I wanted - its a fantastic watch with a gorgeous dark brown dial.  I did have a problem with the delivery however, but the customer service couldn't have been more helpful.

Persevere - you wont be disappointed, if my experience is anything to go by.

Thanks! I believe a vintage Smiths will be my next purchase.

(I love it when a plan comes together. Soon they will all be buying vintage…)

I nabbed a Smiths Commando in tropical dial with a acrylic crystal this week off Reddit.....it was a catch and release.....I'll post on WRUW when it gets here.......they pop up here and there but Timefactors is still the best priced source. I work shift work so being up at 6am is no thing.....but u gotta move quickly on that keyboard and pray for a decent connection.....it can be frustrating

gave up as well after the 4th try. 

I've had the worst customer support experience with this uni personal "company". Timefactors is run and owned by a single person that depending on the day might treat you in the worst possible manner should you have any slight issue with the watch. There are tons of stories in the web so my advice is to stay away from this company. Watches are ok, good quality design copies, nothing really original there, bracelets are not that good. I sold the two I had (at retail price, yes I'm dumb) and made this video I'd suggest you to check so you are aware of what you might end up dealing with: https://youtu.be/UfN4TLjsXPg. 

I know it's a stressful experience but if you persevere you will get lucky, it may take some time but you'll get what you want in the end.

Good luck....

I managed to get one in the April store opening, and what I did was typing all of my info to a word doc first, then just copy and paste them during checkout. However, having been wearing for a few days now, I would suggest you look into the San Martin 36mm. For the same amount that you will have to pay for the Smiths, you can get one with the SW movement. The finishing of the 2 watches are almost equal. The San Martin bracelet wears even better.

1. I have four Smiths watches from Timefactors. There has been a time or two that I missed out but I usually managed to snag one. I do wish the store was open more so people could get them, although I can see that the exclusivity does add to the allure. I also haven't had and bad experiences, but there are plenty of horror stories and the way marioap was treated is quite appalling. Things like that really give me pause about ordering from the company. He has some really good looking watches though, especially the everest expedition. I would say buy at your own risk and your mileage may vary. 

Absolutely. Here is my recent correspondence with Eddie regarding the new Commander watch. The clasp is too narrow for the wider links.

"I have a skinny wrist. I had to remove all removable links. Now I cannot use the micro adjust on the clasp past the third hole because there is no taper on the last link.

I need a wider clasp or a narrow half link. Your help is appreciated.

Best regards,"

Eddie's reply: A wider clasp or narrower link is not available.

My reply: It is a design fault and you know it. I guess the internet is right about you.

Eddie's reply:It is not a design fault, a dive watch is designed for a bold wrist and if you don’t have a bold wrist, you shouldn’t be buying a dive watch.

Regards,

Eddie

The guy is a genuine asswipe.

It is stories like these that people need to be aware of. Even the WC Smiths review conveniently leaves out the horror stories that Timefactors customer service offers up every now and then.

The other issue is why does the Everest pay respect to the Explorer and not the A404/A409. It’s a cynical cash-grab, personally, as most people will want a Rolex at the end of the day (we can rail against this, but Joe Public wants Rolex). The Expedition is more akin to the A-series offerings, but even then, it is still sad to see. There are some great models in the Smiths catalogue that would make for beautiful blueprints for modern interpretations, but here we are… Timefactors are doing well for themselves, and power to them, but in the essence of objectivity, caveat emptor.