Save some serious dough and by the Phylida. I have the green version on a black isofrane strap - holds that big boy firmly and comfortably in place and looks great along with the BLACK date wheel👌
Hello Jason. Great review, and agree with your comments. I happen to love Borealis. I own their Adraga and Portus Cale. I also ordered the Sintra with the blue dial, but I paid $435 on preorder with a discount on the first 50%. I agree that with this watch Borealis has moved into homage zone, and I confess that this time I don't mind because I'm also a die hard Omega fan...this said, I also hope their next pieces maintain the originality they normally exercise. My Borealis watches are both excellent in terms of fit & finish and quality, thus I expect the Sintra to be the same. As for their advertising... I agree that it is a little confusing how they note the price followed by a small note on the fact that there's another 50% to be paid. I wish they would state the full price and then clearly note that we pay 50% at preorder followed by final 50% when watch ships. Bottom line. I would keep and eye on Borealis as I believe it is an excellent company with great products and terrific customer service. Thank you mate. Sorry for the long rambling. Be well 👍👍👍
One thing is for certain my friend, they're creating absolutely fantastic watches! Finish, build and all together quality isn't questionable at all! The Adraga really did tempt me, gorgeous dials!
Borealis has always had something of an homage streak within its range. One of its earliest models, the Sea Diver, was an homage to a Kobold. And, there is certainly a market for higher quality homage watches - just look at the success of Steinhart.
The price is indeed a bit high, the case is nicely done, but more specifically at that price, I would like to see the final bracelet/product before purchasing.. Finally I think they have made this watch too big, maybe 39/38mm, would be interesting to know the actual diameter of the bezel outer hedges, but I believe if the case was in 38/39, the bezel diameter would be 36/37mm which would be more on par with the actual trend of slightly smaller watches. Might have wanted the 12/3/6/9 markers to be slightly larger than the others.
Some interesting points, it's definitely fine margins when it comes to fit of a watch and if it was for myself I'd definitely prefer a slightly smaller piece.
A very open and honest review……thank you. Have to agree that the dial is gorgeous but, irrespective of the price (which again I agree with your comments) it wouldn’t be a watch I’d go for.
It is a fantastic watch, this will be my first foray into a homage style piece but only cuz not only do I like the Aqua Terra but I prefer the blue dial to it. To me it's almost like a mosh between Grand Seiko and the AT. Few more things to point out, they are updating the bracelet so it should be more premium. Also the pricing in USD is $500 total but they blatantly advertise discounts so it could be had for under $450. When you are considering
I don't really think the Miyota 9 series warrants the extra $250 If you look to San Martin, they offer this quality with a SW200 which I'd say is superior to the Miyota
I guess there are plenty of precedents of micros borrowing elements from the big Swiss brands... And this is arguably not the first time for Borealis themselves, since the Adraga (which I was seriously considering picking up) was in many ways a bit of a homage to the Explorer I, just with a range of far more flamboyant dials. Sure, we'd all love to see copious amounts of innovation and originality, but then I think we have to remember that at the price-point and budget that microbrands operate at, it's often hard to justify the real risk that an original design may end up being unpopular and therefore unfunded-resulting in a clear net-loss for the brand-owner, both in terms of prototyping/marketing fees, and of course, development time. So long as the brands incorporate elements that distinguish themselves from the original well enough, I think it's still somewhat fair game, if not everyone's cup of tea. Case in point, the hugely successful Timefactors releases! I do absolutely agree on the rather sketchy payment structure though... And 500-550USD is a tad high for what they're supplying... Thanks for the brilliant video as usual, Jason!
Like yourself, I am conflicted....Borealis have produced some cracking watches....can't think of an occasion where I've heard complaints about the final production models....people really do love them....this does feel like a regression....these would have been the ideal pieces to kick off a sub brand, there is a market for premium homages and I believe this is where this and the EX 1 belong....now the price, I have no doubt that the final production pieces will be superb quality but the I don't believe the pricing is correct, drop this to 350-450 max and create a sub brand....as long as people know they're coming from Borealis but with another name folks will still have confidence and they'll sell out every batch....it is a tried, tested and proven method of expanding watch brands.... definitely want to see more from them on the channel....🏴⌚🏴⌚
Thats a pretty good point! It's just a really weird move for me however it's a fantastic quality and I love the dial but in terms of brand progression I don't think its the correct move
You can't understand why Borealis would made homage watches in light of the fact they have their own designs? Carlos is in the business of providing well-made, desirable watch designs at a profit. If he doesn't make money, he doesn't stay in business. It matters not to him whether it's original or not. His goal is to make money selling watches that people want to buy at reasonable prices. Their pricing structure is straight forward and made clear at the onset. It does require reading the listing to understand this structure which is in common use by a number of micro-brand companies. Ming, for example, immediately comes to mind. Also, the bracelet you're reviewing is a pre-production sample. The actual bracelet is different as it has female end-links, not the male ones that came with your sample.
Love the touch of blue on that second hand
Yeh, it really accents the dial nicely
Save some serious dough and by the Phylida.
I have the green version on a black isofrane strap - holds that big boy firmly and comfortably in place and looks great along with the BLACK date wheel👌
Thats a fair point! They are great watches for the money
Hello Jason. Great review, and agree with your comments. I happen to love Borealis. I own their Adraga and Portus Cale. I also ordered the Sintra with the blue dial, but I paid $435 on preorder with a discount on the first 50%.
I agree that with this watch Borealis has moved into homage zone, and I confess that this time I don't mind because I'm also a die hard Omega fan...this said, I also hope their next pieces maintain the originality they normally exercise.
My Borealis watches are both excellent in terms of fit & finish and quality, thus I expect the Sintra to be the same.
As for their advertising... I agree that it is a little confusing how they note the price followed by a small note on the fact that there's another 50% to be paid. I wish they would state the full price and then clearly note that we pay 50% at preorder followed by final 50% when watch ships.
Bottom line. I would keep and eye on Borealis as I believe it is an excellent company with great products and terrific customer service.
Thank you mate. Sorry for the long rambling. Be well 👍👍👍
One thing is for certain my friend, they're creating absolutely fantastic watches! Finish, build and all together quality isn't questionable at all!
The Adraga really did tempt me, gorgeous dials!
@@JasonTheWatchGuy Agreed my friend 👍👍👍
Borealis has always had something of an homage streak within its range. One of its earliest models, the Sea Diver, was an homage to a Kobold. And, there is certainly a market for higher quality homage watches - just look at the success of Steinhart.
Homage for homage I myself would buy 4 Phylidas, one of each collor, idk
That is a very fair point
The price is indeed a bit high, the case is nicely done, but more specifically at that price, I would like to see the final bracelet/product before purchasing..
Finally I think they have made this watch too big, maybe 39/38mm, would be interesting to know the actual diameter of the bezel outer hedges, but I believe if the case was in 38/39, the bezel diameter would be 36/37mm which would be more on par with the actual trend of slightly smaller watches.
Might have wanted the 12/3/6/9 markers to be slightly larger than the others.
Some interesting points, it's definitely fine margins when it comes to fit of a watch and if it was for myself I'd definitely prefer a slightly smaller piece.
A very open and honest review……thank you. Have to agree that the dial is gorgeous but, irrespective of the price (which again I agree with your comments) it wouldn’t be a watch I’d go for.
Thank you! I don't think I could justify the price for it myself. However, they have sold out so what do I know 🤷🏻♂️
It is a fantastic watch, this will be my first foray into a homage style piece but only cuz not only do I like the Aqua Terra but I prefer the blue dial to it. To me it's almost like a mosh between Grand Seiko and the AT. Few more things to point out, they are updating the bracelet so it should be more premium. Also the pricing in USD is $500 total but they blatantly advertise discounts so it could be had for under $450. When you are considering
I don't really think the Miyota 9 series warrants the extra $250
If you look to San Martin, they offer this quality with a SW200 which I'd say is superior to the Miyota
I guess there are plenty of precedents of micros borrowing elements from the big Swiss brands... And this is arguably not the first time for Borealis themselves, since the Adraga (which I was seriously considering picking up) was in many ways a bit of a homage to the Explorer I, just with a range of far more flamboyant dials. Sure, we'd all love to see copious amounts of innovation and originality, but then I think we have to remember that at the price-point and budget that microbrands operate at, it's often hard to justify the real risk that an original design may end up being unpopular and therefore unfunded-resulting in a clear net-loss for the brand-owner, both in terms of prototyping/marketing fees, and of course, development time. So long as the brands incorporate elements that distinguish themselves from the original well enough, I think it's still somewhat fair game, if not everyone's cup of tea. Case in point, the hugely successful Timefactors releases!
I do absolutely agree on the rather sketchy payment structure though... And 500-550USD is a tad high for what they're supplying... Thanks for the brilliant video as usual, Jason!
I don't see any points I can disagree with! The Adraga was also on my list but the pricing structure and price put me off too
@@JasonTheWatchGuy It's a shame too, because they had what was essentially a polar Explorer 1! Just couldn't bring myself to take the leap!
Good review, Jason. Insightful and nicely critical.
Thank you, I appreciate that
Nice watch nice review. What size is your wrist?
It's 6.25 inches
Like yourself, I am conflicted....Borealis have produced some cracking watches....can't think of an occasion where I've heard complaints about the final production models....people really do love them....this does feel like a regression....these would have been the ideal pieces to kick off a sub brand, there is a market for premium homages and I believe this is where this and the EX 1 belong....now the price, I have no doubt that the final production pieces will be superb quality but the I don't believe the pricing is correct, drop this to 350-450 max and create a sub brand....as long as people know they're coming from Borealis but with another name folks will still have confidence and they'll sell out every batch....it is a tried, tested and proven method of expanding watch brands.... definitely want to see more from them on the channel....🏴⌚🏴⌚
Thats a pretty good point! It's just a really weird move for me however it's a fantastic quality and I love the dial but in terms of brand progression I don't think its the correct move
@@JasonTheWatchGuy 100% agree, very odd....
They are using a case that omega has not used since the 1960’s
You can't understand why Borealis would made homage watches in light of the fact they have their own designs? Carlos is in the business of providing well-made, desirable watch designs at a profit. If he doesn't make money, he doesn't stay in business. It matters not to him whether it's original or not. His goal is to make money selling watches that people want to buy at reasonable prices. Their pricing structure is straight forward and made clear at the onset. It does require reading the listing to understand this structure which is in common use by a number of micro-brand companies. Ming, for example, immediately comes to mind.
Also, the bracelet you're reviewing is a pre-production sample. The actual bracelet is different as it has female end-links, not the male ones that came with your sample.
Good looking watch, however, bit steep for a non mainstream brand.
Quality is there but you're not wrong, little pricey
Cool watch . But sold out