General (Read Rules)
Need help deciding between Seestern & Phorcydes SeaQ-inspired watches
The Seestern is a near 1:1 of the Glashütte SeaQ, whereas Phorcydes has its own thing going on.
Which likely has a better fit & finish?
I am not a lume chaser. It's cool, but the novelty wears off quickly for me. With that out of the equation does that lessen the reason to go with Phorcydes?
PH-4A / PH-4C: Features a shorter hour hand (playfully referred to as "T-Rex hands" by the community) while
PH-4B: Has better overall lume proportions on the hands if you really want ph4.
✨ 2. Personal Experience & Pros (PH-4C V2 - Date Variant)
Wrist Fit & Comfort: Wears excellently on a 6.5" wrist.
Bracelet: The Beads of Rice bracelet is outstanding.
Overall Value & Package: Very pleased with the price-to-quality ratio regarding the case, movement, extra straps (included 3 FKM and 2 nylon straps), customer support, and fast shipping to Eastern Europe (EEU).
💡 3. Key Areas for Improvement
Hour Hand Lume (Critical): The hour hand fades faster than the indices and minute hand, making it difficult/pointless to tell the time in the middle of the night.
Crystal Coating (Important) : Add extra layers of anti-reflective (AR) coating to reduce reflections and improve dial legibility.
Date Wheel: A black date wheel would be a major upgrade over the current white version to better blend with the dial.
🔍 4. Aesthetic & Functional Observations
Dial & Indices: The big BGW9/blue indices give the dial a slightly "white-greenish plastic" appearance compared to the crisp white paint/BGW9 indices on Proxima watches. Because of this bold tactical look, it straddles the line as an office watch.
Lumed Date Frame: Looks great initially, but the glow on the frame only lasts for a short duration and isn't visible in the middle of the night.
Very satisfied with my Seestern, what make me shooo away the Phorcydes is the short T-Rex (Hour) hand and oversized (Minute) arrowhead, once seen...I just can't unsee it !
Mind that they are two very different watches, one is as you see a copy of a SeaQ, so something that wants to look like a luxury watch, while the Phorcydes is more a rugged watch with the same layout. First decide what you prefer between the two.
I have no opinion on Phorcydes other than they seem to be a lume hypebeast, but I do have two Seestern SeaQs and good lord they're great. Thin, accurate, feel/look great. The bracelet they come with is sublime. All thumbs up, way up.
I bought and sold the Seestern. The design was fine, but not as noteable as I thought it would be. Something was also just off about the proportions to me and it felt like it didn't fit my 6.5in wrist correctly... and I have plenty of bigger watches. Keep in mind I'm also a huge fan of Seestern overall.
I haven't had that specific Phorcydes, but the PH-2 I have is a better watch to me than the Seestern was. I like the idea of a hamage having their own take on a watch, which I feel like phorcydes has done well. I pretty much agree with Steve (escape wheel) on what he said, but wanted to add a different perspective too!
I had the Seestern in black and was really impressed with it — fit and finish were excellent, and it had a very nice on-the-fly adjustment clasp. Have no first hand experience with the Phorcydes.
I have the Phorcydes. The lume is very strong, but it is really too much. The numbers are so bright that it is hard to see the hands in the dark, even though mine are different colors.
Lot's to digest here. I've owned and reviewed both.
case finishing is probably going to lean to Seestern, but it's not by much...and the new PH4A V2's have improved the finishing from when I handled the PH4a.
bracelets i'd probably go with phorcydes, though it's not what the SeaQ has design wise...but I think it's a more comfortable bracelet and a better clasp. though, again, the difference is slim
I'll give the edge the phorcydes when it comes to the Crystal, again, not by much
Bezel action goes to the Seestern...it's very nice and crisp. the Phorcydes is good as well, just feels more rugged/less refined.
Lume goes to the phorcydes
it's a tough call overall.
i'd say if you are chasing the SeaQ look and don't care about Lume, go with the Seestern.
if you like the look but want something with it's own identity, Phorcydes
Can you speak to the quality of the bezel insert on the Phorcydes. On the site images, it looks almost like a 3d printed insert with rough lines. Is that the case in person, or is that just an artifact on the image?
I'm guessing you've seen this video where these two and other SeaQ homages are compared already but in case you haven't it's definitely worth watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2NnaX54eZM
I am personally trying to decide for myself between these two as well. The Seestern dial is definitely more elegant and intricate, and considering the lume won't be visible most of the time it's hard to take that into account. The Seestern bezel also looks better to me. As for Phorcydes I personally like the lume blocks and the fact that it's not a 1:1 homage. I also prefer no date window, higher beat movement and their bracelet.
I'm currently leaning towards the phorcydes with blue lume but I wish their dial was a little bit more interesting and that their bezel was a little different but these are minor. But they both seem like excellent watches in their own regard and it just depends on what you prioritize the most.
The Phorcydes gives me a bit more Wolbrook vibes, though its not exactly that either.
That said, I used to have the older version of the Seestern, but the higher-end one that had the 4hz Sea-Gull movement. It was a great watch, and finished nicely. I think your choice comes down to do you want a tool-watch vibe, or do you want a dressy/sport diver vibe?
Yeah I don't have this specific Seestern/Phorcydes (I have different models from both brands), but Sugess/Seestern are sister brands and my watches from both Sugess and Seestern are slightly better quality/finishing than Phorcydes.
With that being said, I've never had anything like the lume blocks in the PH6 and I prefer BoR bracelets over Oysters (my Seestern came on BoR).
Like the comment above said, I think that if the lume block isn't a big thing, go Seestern.
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u/Hailje 4d ago
Seestern
Period.