I wore a mechanical watch of one type or another for most of my time serving as a combat medic in the US Army from 1992 to 2006, including with the infantry with the 101st Airborne, and the artillery with the 41st Infantry Brigade. The watch I wore the most was a Hamilton Khaki Action automatic, but I used a Timex Camper Military manual wind for the first few years I was in, and did use a Citizen 200m titanium Ecodrive from time to time as well. I personally never had any issues with my mechanical watches in terms of them not holding up to hard service and considerable shocks, but that was just my experience. This watch seems like it'd provide perfectly good field and combat service if your only real functionality demands were to have basic time keeping (and elapsed time, obviously). It's a good looking watch too, and I really like that easily removable bezel. Cool stuff.
Thank you for your service, battle. I knew a few devil and Army dogs that wore mechanicals in the field and theater- never seemed to have had any failures during or by the end of tour/exercise. Mainly Citizens (some eco drives- so yeah, quartz) ,Hamilton and Seiko’s (automatics) . But generally my observations were- 60% of wristworns were G-shocks. The other 40% was split up between Suunto, Timex Ironman and so on. This Phalanx has me intrigued all the same.
Mechanical movement for the watch enthusiasts, rugged quartz (almost certainly GShock) for those that actually need to subject it to some abuse in the field.
Yes - I think they would sell more without “Geckota” on the dials. That, ghost position and pretty high price would mean this is a pass for me. Given the knocking these take happier to pay less for a workhorse NH35 say or to pay just a tad more to get a Marathon with tritium and probably a Sellita movement.
I agree as well- Geckota?? BUT…then I think of some of KIA’s naming conventions for their autos vs what you actually get in quality and innovation. So- Telluride, what an awful name….but it’s a decent SUV overall. Maybe, it’s not always ALL in the Brand (or model) name?
I think the distinction is important: a military “inspired watch” vs an actual in-use by current operators in the field military watch. Many are inspired- few make the actual cut. Seriously considering getting this piece of kit! Your review was very insightful as well- after action maintenance permissible on the removable bezel, brilliant!
It's a nice looking watch, unusually, I think I preferred the PVD one on the NATO, never thought I would say that! If I was unfortunate enough to go to war, I think I'd wear a G-Shock or anything quartz, the shock resistance and knowledge the time is always accurate is more important than a nice looking movement. Good review 👍
I think automatic movements are not suitable for people using heavy automatic weapons with recoil . I reached this conclusion by what a watch retailer told me ref a soldier who wanted to buy a Sinn 104 to take to Afghanistan . Dealer advised against but soldier brought and took the Sinn on a tour. He returned from tour with a broken Sinn, it just could not stand up to the rigorous Shock of military life. Now the Sinn have quite a lot of testing and are tougher than most autos. The dealer who made a living from selling Sinns basically said for military a Casio G shock was by far the best option. Obviously Sinns are more than suitable for diving and Flying but massive repeat shock no. Most dealers advise against wearing auto while playing golf due to shock if you mistime a shoot.
Not to mention a g shock is cheap so you wouldn’t worry if you broke it. I would much rather wear a cheap quartz to work when I was likely to scratch up a nice watch, get it caught if something heavy fell or pressed on my wrist or destroyed the watch due to large magnetic fields. I’ve lost count of the number of watches that stopped working so I quickly gave up on spending any money on a work watch.
Shock protection can only do so much. I've seen mechanical movements like the 7s26 killed just by driving T posts. I'd certainly prefer a good quartz for a real Heavy Duty watch.
There is an argument very few of the dive watches people get are actually used for diving. So how many of these watches are actually going to be used in combat situations? So why would I personally want a subdued lume? All in all, this watch is too expensive.
It's pretty decent looking, and like all Geckota watches well made. But they are pricey for what they offer. For a field tested tactical watch, look no further than a $80 G-Shock 😉
I like that the bezel can be removed by removing the 3 screws. What PHALANX needs to do is offer a sterile bezel so the watch can take on a pilot/field profile. This will also put more focus on the dial itself & even make the dial appear a bit larger while giving the overall watch a slightly smaller look.
The legibility is out standing....everything about these two watches was impressive. 52 mm lug to lug is a little large, but it looks like a piece that you could hand down to the next generation years on.
Looks to be a bit of a mash-up of a pilot's watch (dial & hands) and a dive watch (case & bezel). If I were making "The BEST Tactical Dive Watch EVER MADE"... I'd probably be looking for a few different things... titanium, quartz, tritium, oversized bezel for grip with gloves, etc.
I don’t think giving a Watch to someone in the Military, Classifies it as a Military Watch. If that were the case, Calvin Klein could say they make Military underwear. It should be Commissioned by a Military entity of some sort to Qualify in my opinion. Like a Laco Flieger is/wasfor example.
I'd tend to agree. If the watch (in NATO terms anyway) doesn't have an NSN and isn't available for issue through military channels, I'd not consider it a "Military" watch either. Even if it's 'commissioned' by a 'military entity', I'd still not consider it a proper military watch if it isn't officially issued, or have an NSN. I make this last qualifier to cover those cases where things such as potential "special order" watches that might be done by a unit as a presentation piece for various reasons and the like wouldn't qualify either, but to allow for OTS purchase watches to qualify, if they're legitimately issued for service, but don't have an NSN.
Watch enthusiasts live in their own fantasy land. If your life depends on your watch, you're going to wear quartz. Just see what real professionals wear IRL. If the most important aspect of wearing a watch is your fashion image, you wear mechanical watches.
Great Channel!! I love your reviews. I can't find the link to your vintage store. Can you please provide it. Have been to your Ebay store and I kind of like the Sea gull day date but wonder if the white hands are hard to see?
This definitely reminds me of a squale but with a less dressy aesthetic and a more usable crown which are both good. I actually really like how it looks without the bezel. They should sell a second bezel with a 12h dual time bezel. Can you show what the pvd watch looks like with the bezel removed. It would also be great if they offered a version without fauxtina.
Nice watch and great review. But in all likely military personnel use quartz watches, but I wouldn’t know unless my time on my PS5 counts. Thanks again!
That is a fantastic looking watch , and nothing like a Rolex design for a change . I really like it and if it was available in a high quality quartz with a date I would be pulling out me notes .
Great as a day off watch, as OD Watch is digital nowadays due to mini computers and quart due to timing,but it does not mean we wear automatic on downtime 😊
Nice looking watch Gary.. Pity about the lume, particularly for a dive watch. It's the one thing that they should always get right. Still the watch is nice enough to overlook!
Reminds me of the Elliot Brown Holton 101, worth checking out and currently issued to certain units, so it does have a NATO ref no. (Obviously, for me, the king is CWC.)
On the plain stainless, is there any harden treatment for the steel? I'm surprised they didn't use a nice high end quartz. I understand why not, and I certainly prefer mechanical movements, but I would think that quartz would offer better shock resistance etc.
I am curious about polishing and brushing, are there different level polishing/brushing on example: seiko , san martin, g-shock(metal), grand seiko, omega or rolex ? 😅
Nice looking watch. I'd hope our troops wear quartz watches though... The argument with your colleagues about mechanical having prestige, soul & beauty, and is a more intimate wearing experience falls flat if/when coordinating military operations!
If I had to depend on a watch to that extent it would be the rf solar square Gshock. If I was to imagine the ultimate analogue watch, it would be titanium, 40mm max, rf solar mecaquartz, tritium, day/date, and countdown/12hr bezel 😄
For that price and the functionality of this watch the date complication part of the movement should have been removed or I’m sure there is a movement that can be used that doesn’t have a ghost position. Other than that it is an attractive tactical watch
I'ts getting kind of annoying lol by now I've seen a number of Geckota watches I wanted but ultimately abandoned because I just cant't deal with that name printed on a watch on my wrist.
I also agree about the name on the watch, better with a logo. I’m also not sure about the proportions of this watch, for me it doesn’t look right on the wrist. I think the company need to go through the same process as Christopher Ward did with names and logos.
I don’t think sending watches out to some members of the military really makes a watch a “proper” military watch. I’d consider a military watch as one issued by a government to the military or at the very least one that was commissioned for the military and sold in the naafi or like. Most soldiers, sailors or airforce personnel would wear anything you gave them for free. 😂
As a long-time employee of the US Navy, (civilian), I get a chuckle out of the pronunciation of Phalanx, which is the name given to a self defense gattling gun on Navy ships. We stress the first syllable (FAY-lanks), as opposed to the second (fa-LANKS). Not saying you are wrong....just that English sounds different coming from the English. 😅
"In combat situations"? Can you hear yourself? What were you thinking, orcs and goblins hacking away at dwarves with axes and swords? If I go to war I'm really going to worry about the crown digging into my wrist.
Why is it the BEST tactical dive watch EVER? Is it the poor lume? The lack of crown guards? The ghost date? Removable spring bars instead of fixed, so you can lose it and buy a g shock like a real special operations diver? Or just a big payday for you? What a shill
I really think that any lume that needs charging from a light source isn’t ideal for a military watch. If you can’t see it when you want unless it has been charged is it really ideal? Shouldn’t any military watch either use tritrium or a led to illuminate the dial when you want? Of course pressing a button requires you to use your other hand but it also keeps the watch from showing your position and tritium is always illuminated so it’s a trade off.
the "features" are ridiculous.. sounds like the designer spent a lot of the time behind a desk rather on the field, perhaps a desk-"military"-diver is a more proper description... real soldiers (been one, still one) wear a g-shock...
Not when your life might depend on it…you think there’s never ever been a soldier wearing a g-shock that’s had an alarm go off whilst on duty…I would actually expect a professional military outfit to place bans on certain items or tech like this…doesn’t a military set out what’s acceptable to wear even down the the wrist watches?
I promise you, there’s almost ZERO need to wear your watch on the bottom of your wrist. Anyone who does is a loser. I’ve never been in a gunfight and thought “Hmmm, I wonder what time it is.”
I wore a mechanical watch of one type or another for most of my time serving as a combat medic in the US Army from 1992 to 2006, including with the infantry with the 101st Airborne, and the artillery with the 41st Infantry Brigade. The watch I wore the most was a Hamilton Khaki Action automatic, but I used a Timex Camper Military manual wind for the first few years I was in, and did use a Citizen 200m titanium Ecodrive from time to time as well. I personally never had any issues with my mechanical watches in terms of them not holding up to hard service and considerable shocks, but that was just my experience.
This watch seems like it'd provide perfectly good field and combat service if your only real functionality demands were to have basic time keeping (and elapsed time, obviously). It's a good looking watch too, and I really like that easily removable bezel. Cool stuff.
Thank you for your service, battle. I knew a few devil and Army dogs that wore mechanicals in the field and theater- never seemed to have had any failures during or by the end of tour/exercise. Mainly Citizens (some eco drives- so yeah, quartz) ,Hamilton and Seiko’s (automatics) . But generally my observations were- 60% of wristworns were G-shocks. The other 40% was split up between Suunto, Timex Ironman and so on. This Phalanx has me intrigued all the same.
Tactical forces will mostly use quartz.. Lot of seals use the gshock 6900 for diving, which is not a diving watch lol
G-Shocks are excellent for diving. There really aren’t a lot of “tool” applications where a G-Shock isn’t a damn solid proposition. 😂
Mechanical movement for the watch enthusiasts, rugged quartz (almost certainly GShock) for those that actually need to subject it to some abuse in the field.
Quite a handsome tool watch. Still think geckota is one of the worst brand names this side of ali express.
Yes - I think they would sell more without “Geckota” on the dials. That, ghost position and pretty high price would mean this is a pass for me. Given the knocking these take happier to pay less for a workhorse NH35 say or to pay just a tad more to get a Marathon with tritium and probably a Sellita movement.
I agree as well- Geckota?? BUT…then I think of some of KIA’s naming conventions for their autos vs what you actually get in quality and innovation. So- Telluride, what an awful name….but it’s a decent SUV overall. Maybe, it’s not always ALL in the Brand (or model) name?
Looks really good. You are tempting me again. Keep up the good work.
I think the distinction is important: a military “inspired watch” vs an actual in-use by current operators in the field military watch. Many are inspired- few make the actual cut. Seriously considering getting this piece of kit! Your review was very insightful as well- after action maintenance permissible on the removable bezel, brilliant!
It's a nice looking watch, unusually, I think I preferred the PVD one on the NATO, never thought I would say that! If I was unfortunate enough to go to war, I think I'd wear a G-Shock or anything quartz, the shock resistance and knowledge the time is always accurate is more important than a nice looking movement. Good review 👍
I think automatic movements are not suitable for people using heavy automatic weapons with recoil . I reached this conclusion by what a watch retailer told me ref a soldier who wanted to buy a Sinn 104 to take to Afghanistan . Dealer advised against but soldier brought and took the Sinn on a tour. He returned from tour with a broken Sinn, it just could not stand up to the rigorous Shock of military life. Now the Sinn have quite a lot of testing and are tougher than most autos. The dealer who made a living from selling Sinns basically said for military a Casio G shock was by far the best option. Obviously Sinns are more than suitable for diving and Flying but massive repeat shock no. Most dealers advise against wearing auto while playing golf due to shock if you mistime a shoot.
Not to mention a g shock is cheap so you wouldn’t worry if you broke it. I would much rather wear a cheap quartz to work when I was likely to scratch up a nice watch, get it caught if something heavy fell or pressed on my wrist or destroyed the watch due to large magnetic fields. I’ve lost count of the number of watches that stopped working so I quickly gave up on spending any money on a work watch.
Shock protection can only do so much. I've seen mechanical movements like the 7s26 killed just by driving T posts. I'd certainly prefer a good quartz for a real Heavy Duty watch.
Always enjoy your reviews
There is an argument very few of the dive watches people get are actually used for diving. So how many of these watches are actually going to be used in combat situations? So why would I personally want a subdued lume? All in all, this watch is too expensive.
It's pretty decent looking, and like all Geckota watches well made. But they are pricey for what they offer. For a field tested tactical watch, look no further than a $80 G-Shock 😉
I agree and besides the average guy cannot spend $758. US dollars on a watch.
Nice watches for a desk warrior. A G-Shock like the GW-9400 is a popular watch for real soldiers
I like that the bezel can be removed by removing the 3 screws.
What PHALANX needs to do is offer a sterile bezel so the watch can take on a pilot/field profile. This will also put more focus on the dial itself & even make the dial appear a bit larger while giving the overall watch a slightly smaller look.
The legibility is out standing....everything about these two watches was impressive.
52 mm lug to lug is a little large, but it looks like a piece that you could hand down to the next generation years on.
Looks to be a bit of a mash-up of a pilot's watch (dial & hands) and a dive watch (case & bezel).
If I were making "The BEST Tactical Dive Watch EVER MADE"... I'd probably be looking for a few different things... titanium, quartz, tritium, oversized bezel for grip with gloves, etc.
I don’t think giving a Watch to someone in the Military, Classifies it as a Military Watch.
If that were the case, Calvin Klein could say they make Military underwear. It should be Commissioned by a Military entity of some sort to Qualify in my opinion.
Like a Laco Flieger is/wasfor example.
I'd tend to agree. If the watch (in NATO terms anyway) doesn't have an NSN and isn't available for issue through military channels, I'd not consider it a "Military" watch either. Even if it's 'commissioned' by a 'military entity', I'd still not consider it a proper military watch if it isn't officially issued, or have an NSN. I make this last qualifier to cover those cases where things such as potential "special order" watches that might be done by a unit as a presentation piece for various reasons and the like wouldn't qualify either, but to allow for OTS purchase watches to qualify, if they're legitimately issued for service, but don't have an NSN.
Watch enthusiasts live in their own fantasy land. If your life depends on your watch, you're going to wear quartz. Just see what real professionals wear IRL. If the most important aspect of wearing a watch is your fashion image, you wear mechanical watches.
Wow that’s q pilots diver field watch, it does eveything 😂 great piece👌🏼👌🏼
Got to say I am going to pick this one up. I love me a Swiss watch. Good review.
Not bad at all🤙
The price needs to come down...a fair bit...maybe £250-300.
Great Channel!! I love your reviews. I can't find the link to your vintage store. Can you please provide it. Have been to your Ebay store and I kind of like the Sea gull day date but wonder if the white hands are hard to see?
This definitely reminds me of a squale but with a less dressy aesthetic and a more usable crown which are both good. I actually really like how it looks without the bezel. They should sell a second bezel with a 12h dual time bezel. Can you show what the pvd watch looks like with the bezel removed. It would also be great if they offered a version without fauxtina.
Nice watch and great review. But in all likely military personnel use quartz watches, but I wouldn’t know unless my time on my PS5 counts. Thanks again!
Geckota, PLEASE give it to me with a clean bezel! Gorgeous! 🔥🔥🔥
Great watch and you get to know what you need in combat in a watch. The 1st one looked better for me than the total black one
That is a fantastic looking watch , and nothing like a Rolex design for a change . I really like it and if it was available in a high quality quartz with a date I would be pulling out me notes .
Great as a day off watch, as OD Watch is digital nowadays due to mini computers and quart due to timing,but it does not mean we wear automatic on downtime 😊
Nice watch but it's very expensive for someone like me. I'll buy a few watches at that price point.
I’ve looked at these many times on their website. Nice to see them up close in a video. Might pull the trigger on one now (see what I did there! 😂).
Reminds me of my special edition Elliot Brown watch , very nice
Nice looking watch Gary.. Pity about the lume, particularly for a dive watch. It's the one thing that they should always get right. Still the watch is nice enough to overlook!
It seems to me solar would be ideal for military watches. Battery changes are not needed, but they just keep running!
If I need a tactical watch.. I'd really like this
Reminds me of the Elliot Brown Holton 101, worth checking out and currently issued to certain units, so it does have a NATO ref no. (Obviously, for me, the king is CWC.)
On the plain stainless, is there any harden treatment for the steel? I'm surprised they didn't use a nice high end quartz. I understand why not, and I certainly prefer mechanical movements, but I would think that quartz would offer better shock resistance etc.
Could you swap bezels between watches? I think black one will look great with steel bezel.
I am curious about polishing and brushing, are there different level polishing/brushing on example: seiko , san martin, g-shock(metal), grand seiko, omega or rolex ?
😅
Nice looking watch. I'd hope our troops wear quartz watches though... The argument with your colleagues about mechanical having prestige, soul & beauty, and is a more intimate wearing experience falls flat if/when coordinating military operations!
If I had to depend on a watch to that extent it would be the rf solar square Gshock. If I was to imagine the ultimate analogue watch, it would be titanium, 40mm max, rf solar mecaquartz, tritium, day/date, and countdown/12hr bezel 😄
For that price and the functionality of this watch the date complication part of the movement should have been removed or I’m sure there is a movement that can be used that doesn’t have a ghost position. Other than that it is an attractive tactical watch
Had me until that dreaded 👻 pull on the 👑 was brought to 🚨.
At $889/US, that is way too much to have a 👻.
You may throw a hairspring diving into a trench so quartz is probably in order
Love it...I also like watches..
First, lol! I'll take this as my free watch, thank you ;-)
I'ts getting kind of annoying lol by now I've seen a number of Geckota watches I wanted but ultimately abandoned because I just cant't deal with that name printed on a watch on my wrist.
Agreed, they need a logo or nicer font
I also agree about the name on the watch, better with a logo. I’m also not sure about the proportions of this watch, for me it doesn’t look right on the wrist. I think the company need to go through the same process as Christopher Ward did with names and logos.
@@StringyPete and a name change 😅
It’s a nice watch,but not very practical for actual military use,GShocks,Suunto etc with gps capabilities,compasses and so on are what most units use.
Manly watch for manly wrists. That's me out then 😂
Lol
I don’t think sending watches out to some members of the military really makes a watch a “proper” military watch. I’d consider a military watch as one issued by a government to the military or at the very least one that was commissioned for the military and sold in the naafi or like.
Most soldiers, sailors or airforce personnel would wear anything you gave them for free. 😂
Very nice.
Gorgeous watch!, BUT not for any practical use in a tactical situation (digital quartz is mandatory)
As a long-time employee of the US Navy, (civilian), I get a chuckle out of the pronunciation of Phalanx, which is the name given to a self defense gattling gun on Navy ships. We stress the first syllable (FAY-lanks), as opposed to the second (fa-LANKS). Not saying you are wrong....just that English sounds different coming from the English. 😅
How would you pronounce it when referring to a finger bone? What about the plural phalanges?
"In combat situations"? Can you hear yourself? What were you thinking, orcs and goblins hacking away at dwarves with axes and swords? If I go to war I'm really going to worry about the crown digging into my wrist.
Giveaway kb lavoge
Congratulations for hitting the target on "Watches for kids"
Why is it the BEST tactical dive watch EVER? Is it the poor lume? The lack of crown guards? The ghost date? Removable spring bars instead of fixed, so you can lose it and buy a g shock like a real special operations diver? Or just a big payday for you? What a shill
I really think that any lume that needs charging from a light source isn’t ideal for a military watch. If you can’t see it when you want unless it has been charged is it really ideal?
Shouldn’t any military watch either use tritrium or a led to illuminate the dial when you want? Of course pressing a button requires you to use your other hand but it also keeps the watch from showing your position and tritium is always illuminated so it’s a trade off.
A watch for David Manley
Vertex 🤔
Let's face it - no one's dropping £700 on a watch and actually using it in combat...
the "features" are ridiculous.. sounds like the designer spent a lot of the time behind a desk rather on the field, perhaps a desk-"military"-diver is a more proper description... real soldiers (been one, still one) wear a g-shock...
I wondered about g-shocks…in actual combat situations would the risk of hourly chimes and alarms not be a concern?
you simply set them off, and you also wear a "cat" (military slang) to cover it so there's no accidental glare
Not when your life might depend on it…you think there’s never ever been a soldier wearing a g-shock that’s had an alarm go off whilst on duty…I would actually expect a professional military outfit to place bans on certain items or tech like this…doesn’t a military set out what’s acceptable to wear even down the the wrist watches?
Um…no. The Glycine Combat Sub is a much better tactical diver available at very affordable prices.
Nice looking watch but
The name of the watch sounds like the name of a disease its a military watch why not name it after a military rank or anything like the combat master
There is no link to the Geckota website
Thanks…all sorted
I promise you, there’s almost ZERO need to wear your watch on the bottom of your wrist. Anyone who does is a loser. I’ve never been in a gunfight and thought “Hmmm, I wonder what time it is.”