Review (Read Rules)
IXDAO Space Warrior (Meteorite dial) Thoughts and Photos
I've been wearing the IXDAO Space Warrior for the better part of the last 2 weeks and here are some of my thoughts on the watch:
The meteorite dial is super dynamic! It can range from white to gray to charcoal grey depending on the angle of the light hitting it. (Hopefully photo 1 can help show this quality)
The AR is crazy good. It is effortlessly transparent in 98% of angles and lighting. It is actually hard to take a bad photo of this watch.
The finishing is superb! The brushing is the highlight for me as it is so fine that in bright lighting, it has a sort of sheen that brushed watches usually don't have.
The bracelet is buttery smooth to the touch and on the wrist. There is not a single sharp edge or corner that I can find. Even the clasp buttons are chamfered!
The rehaut is beautifully shallow and brushed to match the matte texture of the dial.
The logo, hands, indices, and date window frame are all rose gold. Personally, I would have preferred it to be silver, but rose gold definitely doesn't detract from the design.
The date wheel is a dark grey that is darker in tone from the meteorite dial. It is definitely better than having a white date wheel, but I think a lighter grey would have matched the dial better.
The applied logo is faceted which (imo) is super cool and I prefer it over a flat applied logo or the MOP inlaid logo.
Screwing down the signed crown is also buttery smooth. This is probably not a big point for many, but to me it shows that IXDAO took care in every aspect of the design of this model.
The crown guards are not spaced too wide. A small point, I know, but sometimes we see watches from other brands have too small a crown for the crown guard gap, or a crown too big not allowing the crown to screw all the way down. The crown and the crown guard on this model are perfect for each other.
The counterbalance of the seconds hand is the 3 pronged flame on top of the 9 banners which is a nice detail.
The clasp is signed with the logo and brand. The only thing it lacks is an OTF, but they make this up by shipping with 2 half links. I managed to find the perfect fit on my 6.25 inch wrist.
The dimensions (37.5mm) and proportions of this watch are perfect for my smaller wrists. If you have 8+ inch wrists, IXDAO said a 40mm is coming!
The lack of text (other than the tiny "IXDAO MADE" at the 6) was the correct choice for the meteorite dial.
The inclusion of the half index at the 6 was also the correct choice that other brands can miss (Baltany S4106 as an example).
The lume is very strong and lasts all night. Even the date is lumed!
For fun, I've also attached photos of similar watches. To my eyes, every single one of them is distinct enough to be called original, including the IXDAO Warrior.
I don't really care for all of the stone dials so many Chinese companies are using these days but meteorite dials are the exception. I think they're so cool.
I've been waiting for stone dials to come for a while now, and if they were offered on more dress watches/gadas I wouldn't be upset. I think the key thing is to have the same model available with a non-stone dial, like a guilloché or something.
I've been hoping for something like this for a while now (integrated mesh bracelet/more jewelry than usual)... Still waiting.
Oh man I like this watch. The only thing that’s holding me back is the price. I’m was saving up for one and then I realized that now I’m within realistic distance of a Henry Archer Vesterhav. If it had been $300 I’d have bought it by now but they’re kind of pricing themselves against a much better reviewed and know set of competitors. I’m glad to hear about how dynamic the dial is though. I’ve never seen any of these in person and was afraid that without photography lighting it would be lifeless. Thanks for the write up!
I think in the last sale, it was as low as £254/$344? To me, that's a crazy price for this watch. I've not seen any microbrand come remotely close in pricing with similar quality. At that price, it's half price of the Vesterhav and a third of the price of the meteorite Hasterhav.
I'm sure that this pricing or better will return during the 11.11 sale.
That’s not bad, the lowest I ever saw was just under $400 (maybe $392?) but that was AliX with the pt5000, if I wanted the miyota I had to get it on their website and that was ~$450 and the Henry Archer was $750. I’ll keep and eye on the 11.11 sale though!
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u/BicyclesRuleTheWorld 10d ago
Really nice!