@@duffydon1741 Why is that? Don’t tell me you believe that every Swiss watch is sprinkled with some kind of magic fairy dust? Swiss watches are way overrated.
Just dug out my Rotary Chronospeed (Argos purchase from many years ago) that looks very similar to like this. Had a play with the bezel every which way and no problems with mine either...Jody's is definitely faulty.
rotary was always a bit of a cheaper dress watch in the UK at least during the 90's 2000's anyway . They used to be sold at argos - a dare I say more "working class" pay and pickup type store. Its nice to see they are trying something new / diferent these days.Ive just been on the website and the range looks a lot better than it did years ago.
Argos was the place to buy a watch generally back into the 1970,s when Argos began.All their stores had a jewllery counter and for the average man Rotary was up there.Never bought a very expensive watch ever and most have come from Argos.
Agree if this had said Pagani instead of Rotary I think people would believe it ... but we would also expect a v2 to fix some of the moans and niggles.
Rotary have recently had a recent rebranding and have gone through their back catalogue to produce some interesting looking retro inspired watches. Would love to see you review the Genta style chrono as I think it looks the bees knees and very affordable.
I have a Rotary like this in my collection (only with a navy-blue dial) and you hit the nail exactly (as always) with your review, Jody. It is very wearable even for a sub-seven inch wrist, super-comfortable on the Rios strap I have fitted on it. It does not send out the same exclusive vibes as the real deal would on close inspection, but I would (probably) never spend 3k-6k USD on the equivalent Sinn og Breitling originals, being a sportswatch-slash-diverwatch guy.
Not my style of watch, but Rotary watches are much underrated. I have Les Originales/Avenger with a white dial, rose gold bezel and signed crown and I love the watch. I've also purchased watches from Rubicon and have been pleased with their CS.
Nice review Jody. I bought myself a Rotary automatic after working all summer 1974 before University. I was very fond of it and regarded Rotary as being a nice Swiss watch. So my surprise was great after moving to Switzerland, that they are practically unknown here. All the best, Rob
I have 7 Rotary watches - and am very happy with all of them. 3 autos, and 4 quartz. A few are chrono's and for the price you really get some good looking watches. The Scuba 7 is a lovely watch as is the Regent or Henley Seamatic. They make some fab looking dress watches and my daily beater is now the Commando. Just waiting on a few more good looking models to fill my Rotary watch box.
It's a good price and does, as you say, look good in the static shots, but having features that don't work makes it similar to having painted hands on a sub register. I wanted it to be good, because it is certainly a look I like.
Fantastic review, Jody! I love when you cover stuff like this, your channel is my favorite because I keep discovering new, affordable watches I want to buy that I didn't even know about haha.
To me the Navitimer has a very complicated dial and brain hates clutter. Most of us will only use this tool watch to tell time. I own a superocean steel fish, love it. Thanks for the video.
I was going to save thousands by purchasing a Sinn 903. However, it appears I can save yet thousands more buying the Rotary. This leaves plenty of cash to swap out that supplied strap. As well, I won't suffer the anxiety if I knock the watch against anything while wearing it.
Great review as usual, Jody! This looks like a decent watch, but a couple of the decisions really baffle me. 1) I'm sorry, but $200 for mineral crystal just doesn't work for me. I know Seiko does that habitually, but I don't like it when they do it, either. 2) Even though I'd never use that inner bezel for anything, when I buy something, I want it to have all the features that I paid for. So the fact that they whiffed on that is just disturbing. 3) This is just my own fetish, but I hate when watch companies put the date window at an odd angle. Especially on a watch face as busy as that one, that date window is useless to me.
Thanks for reviewing a rotary. I think it is a very affordable brand giving mainly very satisfying experiences for those on a budget. I have a similar version with two subdial and a nicer blue dial, but with that flat crystal and center second hand it is truth that lacks a bit of a life and glamour.
The more I look at it the more I find the proportions are also out of wack. Like if someone took a 1940's tricompax dial and put it on a modern Breitling hommage.
Interesting show! I have a soft spot for Rotary having seen some of their cool divers, but this one is hard to love. The handset belongs on a 36, by the look of it. The legibly challenges are real with these busy dials, but I'd take my Dan Henry 1945 any day of the week over this. And if you want that crazy slide rule stuff, the Citizen Nighthawk is basically the go-to. (Seiko Sna411 is cool, but the hands are ridiculously small....)
I have one of these Rotary 'navitimer' watches that I purchased around 2009 (GS03351/19(12881)), they seem to have gone through multiple revisions since. My movement is a Miyota 0S20 chronograph, it's an amazing movement which on mine has been accurate to under 5 seconds per year, far less plastic components compared to this Seiko movement. It only had one downside though, the movement only allows the setting of the second chronograph hand - but not the minute hand. Which is frustrating if the minute hand ever goes out of sync.
I’ve had a few of these rotarys in different colours. It is absolutely the flat mineral glass that cheapens the experience. The strap is always slightly ill fitting for a few weeks. I still love them at that pricepoint though (£99 usually)
I really like Rotary. They are as one of those brands that are happy to be in the homage realm. But you do get a value for money on the quartzes - but you're paying a little too much on anything mechanical.
Find yourself a Rotary GS03351 Chronospeed. Also a Navitimer-esque looker, but a bit older. The crystal is slightly domed, gimme that sweet distortion thanks, and the dial is a much richer/darker black. Makes a load of difference. Love mine. Worn it for years, so much so the leather strap wore out, but the watch and case look like the day I bought it, and coincidentally look great on a whole bunch of NATO color combos. I kinda wish metal bracelets were easier to source for these but be aware, because of the lug hole placement, you will need curved spring bars, which pretty much rules out most aftermarket metal bracelets. Straps and NATOs it is.
Rotary and Sekonda have done many incarnations of this watch over the last 10 yrs - black, navy, cream with tan leather, panda, black pvd, seven link bracelets etc. I've had a few and got fed up though with the slapdash bezel. I currently have a navy sunburst Sekonda version with a smooth sweep (4 ticks per sec) no chrono quartz, but what they really need is a seiko vk movement
Jody I love your channel you preach to the working man. Most of us can’t afford the astronomical cost of the luxury brands. But we can appreciate beauty of these brands. So thank you again for showing us affordable options and comparing them to the ones they are homages of.
I've had a Rotary Henley GS05235 chrono for about 12 months and I'm very happy with it. It has a much better quartz chronograph function than the one in this video, but no running seconds hand (only 2 sub dials) and the slide rule bezel works properly in all orientations (& actually does work as a decent slide rule calculator), plus it has the date at 6 o'clock. I really like the dial and case of the watch in this video, but I suspect mine is probably more functional. Also, I ditched the provided strap for a color matched nato.
Couldn’t agree more wit that comment, been watching jodi’s channel now for many years and always look forward to his videos, excellent content and very informative and always polite and funny other channels could take a leaf out of his book ! Superb 👍✌️
Coincidentally I was trying on watches I don't use and had literally just put this on my wrist , when your review came on, it cost 65.00 UK pounds and it's been on my wrist once 😅
This one's a bit silly..... the meters on the navitimer are designed with central seconds in mind! Rotary is like a british Bulova, they try to make great watches but fall flat on their face with the fine details. For the price I'd much prefer a casio ediface pilot's watch, or a Seagull 1963, or I'd save up for a flightmaster or nighthawk.
I do wish they had made the hands larger like the Breitling (small and too short hands being something Aliexpress watches have been blasted for) and I was expecting sapphire crystal at this price - again just because it is standard on most Aliexpress watches at this price. Sub $100 Pagani levels of lum. If this were an Aliexpress brand we would be waiting for a V2 to correct most of the moans and niggles. Sorry but good spec for value Aliexpress watches (including seen on your channel) have raised my expectations ... even on budget watches.
Oddly, I like the central seconds, in reality more useful. Have a blue Navi. Would I buy a Rotary no, would I get one for a 12 to 15 year old, yes. Seiko quartz is fine by me.
I love affordable watches. I looked on eBay and found it for 126 or so USA dollars but the only sellers I could find in several colors were from the UK. With the low price, I doubt there will be custom fees like on expensive watches. Not a bad-looking watch for the price. I have a 6.8-inch wrist, with Gshocks I have no problem with the 42 to 44mm sized resin watches as I usually forget I have them on. Such as the casioak ones. I have a couple of those too.
I'm curious if there is a VK series movement that would fit that has the central Chrono hand and the appropriate sub registers to match the dial (I am admittedly not very well versed in quartz movements outside swapping the batteries in a couple quartz pieces in my collection, so I may be WAY out in left field on this one lol). Might be a neat vid for the mod series though, if such a movement exists...
It's an appealing watch but that 24 hour subdial at 3 o'clock always bothers me by virtue of being pretty much useless and thereby almost fake. It's part of the puzzling but now well established trend of chronos that only go up to 60 minutes, thus having no need for the hour totalizer dial. Of course we can all put up with it because the price of such watches is so reasonable. Would this be because a 12 hour chronograph might drain the battery in short order if used too much?
ohh so this was one of the watches i'd looked at when i was considering getting something that is aviation related. ultimately i felt like i'd be a poser when i don't fly planes, dont even fly much as a passenger, and went for something more "inspired by aviation" than "make me look like a pilot". Plus, I have no idea how to work that slide rule haha.
an excellent and fair review of a decent watch. For me the black/white proportions are totally off and cheapen the look. but, hey, maybe thats just me….
I have one myself and there is a funny story behind it last year I was always getting adds for the Breitling Navi timer all the time and was really wanting one to I seen one in the shop and I hated it was way to bright I know it’s a breitiling clues in the name ha and then I see the rotary a more duller finish what I like
Nice to see that the company is still running but sad to see its come to this. A bit like a British based Pigani. I've a couple of Rotarys from the 60s and 70s Swiss hand winders one with domed acrylic and beautiful sunburst and the other solid gold both tell the time much better than my new Seiko nh35 powered microbrand.
For comparison at the same price point, take a look at the Casio EF-527D-1AVEF pilot watch. I'm really happy with it. Worth a review Jody. Thanks for great channel. Cheers
What did they send you a crate full of Rotary watches? Now this is affordable luxury! It looks ok. I’d much prefer the bullhead chronograph from Siegel Wyth, that swan neck column wheel Chronograph for $230! But I’m boycotting Chinese products… So I don’t know what to do!
Rotary was such a good household name when I was a kid. It's a shame to think that the brand is slowly being eroded with subpar watches. Wish they'd focus on a few high quality pieces, I thought the scuba 7 was a refresh for them, but doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Still want that brand name to exist though
I got very interested in this and then deflated a bit by the video. But thinking about it possibly it's ok. That's a Seiko movement I believe and identical in operation to the Orient Calibre RMD00 on my Orient Chronograph, which may be the same movement rebranded. On the rotating bezel Jody, might it be a safety feature that stops the bezel rotating accidentally in different positions? I think it might be....or maybe not.😁 It might scratch the itch for a Breitling at an ok price.
After buying these Ali type watches at retail I found out that you can get them for a few bucks on FB marketplace, I give them to my 12 yrs old with hope he'll take them appart. I'd love for him to love mechanical watches. Sadly the only one he destroyed was that overpriced swatch irony I got him last year 😂
They last for years... I have 3 Rotary watches at the moment, a Le Lockle Original Automatic, A Ocean Avenger (Pre Tudor Panda Chronograph) and the Navitimer. I even have sold my first Rotary to a friend, and that 4'th watch is also still ticking. And you have beeb very unlucky, to get a watch with some flaws. Non of mine have any flaws, and 2 are +5 years old.
There's better affordable chronographs for not much more money. Just need to get the info out to people. Rotary is a real "shopping centre" watch brand in the UK and Ireland. If someone wanted a "retro" quartz chrono today for not much money I'd definitely be pointing them towards something like Dan Henry.
Thanks for another great review Jody, I'm a new subscriber because I've recently started collecting watches....although I realised I had 10 already! I've bought 4 in the last couple of months after watching your videos and I'm really pleased with all of them. This one is nice but just not quite doing it for me, if I win the lottery maybe I'll get a second hand Breitling!! Thanks so much for sharing your passion and knowledge 👍
Oh man! They should have used a Seiko MechaQuartz for better “authenticity”! The hands should have been painted white for better legibility in low-light conditions! And … how accurate is the slide rule? I have a friend who was in the Navy and he can operate those slide rules blindfolded. I showed him several watches with slide rule and with most of them, the slide rule was not precisely printed, giving inaccurate readings. Even a Hamilton failed his test! Breitling however passed!
I would definitely choose GS05235/05 over this one. - nicer watch-face color (yup - I do love blue with a little sunburst touch); - better / logical date on #6 - and that lightning yellow seconds hand is just a perfect accent So. Go blue! (:
Had 2 different Rotary 'Navitimers both were disappointing in different ways, one similar to yours had a movement that didn't make sense, and the other with the right movement had numbers peeking out at 3 and 9 I hated. The quality control of both were poor. I am much happier with my citizen ca039.
The saved money in that movement by removing the independent hands. These days most cheap chrono watches have the seconds and minute hands moved by one motor only, so if you time 30 minutes the seconds hand need to turn back 30 times... Not a fast reset.
I see what you mean about "lifeless." It just looks a little cheap - the colors lack depth and richness, and it lacks sparkle. Still casting around for a nice Navitimer styled watch with a decent movement - i. e. not that silly Seiko with the useless 24 hour subdial.
On the one hand...there's too much going on there for me to like. On the other, I have watches with tachymeters on them that I don't need either, but I like the look anyway. Which is to say, I'm absurd, but only to a degree. 😅 But, thanks for saving me $13,000. I'll just save the remaining $150 as well.
A good effort i suppose but how much does even average lume on two hands and the most basic sapphire for protection cost? Its a timeless look and the sad thing is the Seiko movement has the potential to last a decade or two so even 50% more expensive with lume n sapphire would be worth it in the long run.
Why do many alternative watch models use large second hand instead of small second hand like the Breitling Navitimer? (Perhaps due to cheap quartz movements?)
There's a slightly bigger version....46 by 52. The dial has applied indices and circles within circles for the sub dials. Mine was a sensible price, the chronometer was out of kilt but running it to zero then reinstalling the battery sorted that out. Hardly a luxury watch but it's a tachymeter! So if you realise a watch can be used for more than telling the time or posing, it's a cheap educational tool. Ps. Anyone with a 'Navitimer' who doesn't understand how to use it is a poser. More bling than brain.
I love this channel because it feels like you’re just listening to a friend talk to you. Never says anything negative. Excellent commentary.
Thanks mate, I was a bit gentle with this one. Not bad, not great either.
@@JustOneMoreWatch Even your nigglies and complaints are genial.
So, about 3,6 on roentgen scale :)
What about the moans and niggles section? 😅
I think the RUclips comments section is compensating well enough for the politeness of the host. That's the beauty of it.
An Argos staple! Lovingly referred to as the "Chavitimer"
I have a Sinn 903 Navitimer as my Breitling Navitimer alternative and I couldn’t be any happier. Cost me $2100 used and its in great condition.
$2100 is not cheap, you’re lucky you can spend that much money on a watch!
Got an interesting history too, namely Sinn actually was licensed to produce navitimers by breitling!
A Sinn is definitely cooler than a Breitling.
@@e28forever30 dont get too excited, your statement is false
@@duffydon1741
Why is that?
Don’t tell me you believe that every Swiss watch is sprinkled with some kind of magic fairy dust?
Swiss watches are way overrated.
Rotary is definitely under appreciated
Nice to see Rotary making some moves away from Argos level bling!
I bought this from Argos 😅
Not bad for the price. I always liked looking at them in H. Samuels growing up in England. Thought they were posh ☺️
Yours is faulty Jody. My son in law has a similar Rotary and the slide rule bezel operates smoothly and reliably, in fact he uses it quite often.
Get him to try it upside down 🤣
Just dug out my Rotary Chronospeed (Argos purchase from many years ago) that looks very similar to like this. Had a play with the bezel every which way and no problems with mine either...Jody's is definitely faulty.
@@JustOneMoreWatch my GS05235 also works fine upside down and every other way
rotary was always a bit of a cheaper dress watch in the UK at least during the 90's 2000's anyway . They used to be sold at argos - a dare I say more "working class" pay and pickup type store. Its nice to see they are trying something new / diferent these days.Ive just been on the website and the range looks a lot better than it did years ago.
Argos was the place to buy a watch generally back into the 1970,s when Argos began.All their stores had a jewllery counter and for the average man Rotary was up there.Never bought a very expensive watch ever and most have come from Argos.
Always pleased to meet another Navitimer lover, it's my aspirational watch. The Rotary is nice but it doesn't have the same magic.
I kinda wish Pagani design would make one. Can you imagine? It would be hard to pass. As long as they don't print the full name on the dial...
Agree if this had said Pagani instead of Rotary I think people would believe it ... but we would also expect a v2 to fix some of the moans and niggles.
Rotary have recently had a recent rebranding and have gone through their back catalogue to produce some interesting looking retro inspired watches. Would love to see you review the Genta style chrono as I think it looks the bees knees and very affordable.
I have a Rotary like this in my collection (only with a navy-blue dial) and you hit the nail exactly (as always) with your review, Jody. It is very wearable even for a sub-seven inch wrist, super-comfortable on the Rios strap I have fitted on it. It does not send out the same exclusive vibes as the real deal would on close inspection, but I would (probably) never spend 3k-6k USD on the equivalent Sinn og Breitling originals, being a sportswatch-slash-diverwatch guy.
Not my style of watch, but Rotary watches are much underrated. I have Les Originales/Avenger with a white dial, rose gold bezel and signed crown and I love the watch. I've also purchased watches from Rubicon and have been pleased with their CS.
Nice review Jody. I bought myself a Rotary automatic after working all summer 1974 before University. I was very fond of it and regarded Rotary as being a nice Swiss watch. So my surprise was great after moving to Switzerland, that they are practically unknown here. All the best, Rob
A great time for Rotary. I wouldn't be surprised if it's still running fine.
@@philspencelayh5464 Unfortunately it was “lost” (stolen?) in a house move.
Rotary is a Swiss watch ??😅
I boight one of these second-hand years ago and it's what really got me into watches. Still cherish it to this day. Wears incredibly well.
I have 7 Rotary watches - and am very happy with all of them. 3 autos, and 4 quartz. A few are chrono's and for the price you really get some good looking watches. The Scuba 7 is a lovely watch as is the Regent or Henley Seamatic. They make some fab looking dress watches and my daily beater is now the Commando. Just waiting on a few more good looking models to fill my Rotary watch box.
It's a good price and does, as you say, look good in the static shots, but having features that don't work makes it similar to having painted hands on a sub register.
I wanted it to be good, because it is certainly a look I like.
I agree with the "dull" statement!
Fantastic review, Jody! I love when you cover stuff like this, your channel is my favorite because I keep discovering new, affordable watches I want to buy that I didn't even know about haha.
To me the Navitimer has a very complicated dial and brain hates clutter. Most of us will only use this tool watch to tell time. I own a superocean steel fish, love it. Thanks for the video.
I was going to save thousands by purchasing a Sinn 903. However, it appears I can save yet thousands more buying the Rotary. This leaves plenty of cash to swap out that supplied strap. As well, I won't suffer the anxiety if I knock the watch against anything while wearing it.
Great review as usual, Jody!
This looks like a decent watch, but a couple of the decisions really baffle me.
1) I'm sorry, but $200 for mineral crystal just doesn't work for me. I know Seiko does that habitually, but I don't like it when they do it, either.
2) Even though I'd never use that inner bezel for anything, when I buy something, I want it to have all the features that I paid for. So the fact that they whiffed on that is just disturbing.
3) This is just my own fetish, but I hate when watch companies put the date window at an odd angle. Especially on a watch face as busy as that one, that date window is useless to me.
A lot of Rotary's have screw down crowns you might not expect.i have 2 skeleton dial autos and a GMT 50M that have.
Thanks for reviewing a rotary. I think it is a very affordable brand giving mainly very satisfying experiences for those on a budget. I have a similar version with two subdial and a nicer blue dial, but with that flat crystal and center second hand it is truth that lacks a bit of a life and glamour.
The more I look at it the more I find the proportions are also out of wack. Like if someone took a 1940's tricompax dial and put it on a modern Breitling hommage.
Interesting show! I have a soft spot for Rotary having seen some of their cool divers, but this one is hard to love. The handset belongs on a 36, by the look of it. The legibly challenges are real with these busy dials, but I'd take my Dan Henry 1945 any day of the week over this. And if you want that crazy slide rule stuff, the Citizen Nighthawk is basically the go-to. (Seiko Sna411 is cool, but the hands are ridiculously small....)
I have one of these Rotary 'navitimer' watches that I purchased around 2009 (GS03351/19(12881)), they seem to have gone through multiple revisions since. My movement is a Miyota 0S20 chronograph, it's an amazing movement which on mine has been accurate to under 5 seconds per year, far less plastic components compared to this Seiko movement. It only had one downside though, the movement only allows the setting of the second chronograph hand - but not the minute hand. Which is frustrating if the minute hand ever goes out of sync.
Got fond memories of my now gone Ocean Avenger vintage inspired diver
I’ve had a few of these rotarys in different colours. It is absolutely the flat mineral glass that cheapens the experience. The strap is always slightly ill fitting for a few weeks. I still love them at that pricepoint though (£99 usually)
go on jody mod it 'put a nice dome on it ! been a while since you did a mod vid
I really like Rotary. They are as one of those brands that are happy to be in the homage realm. But you do get a value for money on the quartzes - but you're paying a little too much on anything mechanical.
Find yourself a Rotary GS03351 Chronospeed. Also a Navitimer-esque looker, but a bit older.
The crystal is slightly domed, gimme that sweet distortion thanks, and the dial is a much richer/darker black. Makes a load of difference.
Love mine. Worn it for years, so much so the leather strap wore out, but the watch and case look like the day I bought it, and coincidentally look great on a whole bunch of NATO color combos.
I kinda wish metal bracelets were easier to source for these but be aware, because of the lug hole placement, you will need curved spring bars, which pretty much rules out most aftermarket metal bracelets. Straps and NATOs it is.
Rotary and Sekonda have done many incarnations of this watch over the last 10 yrs - black, navy, cream with tan leather, panda, black pvd, seven link bracelets etc. I've had a few and got fed up though with the slapdash bezel. I currently have a navy sunburst Sekonda version with a smooth sweep (4 ticks per sec) no chrono quartz, but what they really need is a seiko vk movement
Jody I love your channel you preach to the working man. Most of us can’t afford the astronomical cost of the luxury brands. But we can appreciate beauty of these brands. So thank you again for showing us affordable options and comparing them to the ones they are homages of.
I've had a Rotary Henley GS05235 chrono for about 12 months and I'm very happy with it. It has a much better quartz chronograph function than the one in this video, but no running seconds hand (only 2 sub dials) and the slide rule bezel works properly in all orientations (& actually does work as a decent slide rule calculator), plus it has the date at 6 o'clock. I really like the dial and case of the watch in this video, but I suspect mine is probably more functional. Also, I ditched the provided strap for a color matched nato.
I think it looks great. I suppose you have to have a trained eye in watches to see its shortcomings.
Couldn’t agree more wit that comment, been watching jodi’s channel now for many years and always look forward to his videos, excellent content and very informative and always polite and funny other channels could take a leaf out of his book ! Superb 👍✌️
Dude… here I am in Sydney and you’ve worn two of my shirts over the past week!
Coincidentally I was trying on watches I don't use and had literally just put this on my wrist , when your review came on, it cost 65.00 UK pounds and it's been on my wrist once 😅
Love this channel..please keep up the great work!!! Never bought a Rotary but now I'm considering it.
With regards to the wings I believe Notes County gave an old strip to Juventus when they were starting up.
I have a navi Swiss air that I adore. I wouldn’t mind this but seeing it tick kills it for me.
Rotary! OK I'm here for it ....
Bought one of the earlier versions of this Rotarty from Argos about 16 years ago. Found it in the bottom of my drawer recently.
This one's a bit silly..... the meters on the navitimer are designed with central seconds in mind!
Rotary is like a british Bulova, they try to make great watches but fall flat on their face with the fine details.
For the price I'd much prefer a casio ediface pilot's watch, or a Seagull 1963, or I'd save up for a flightmaster or nighthawk.
I bought a blue dial version on the mesh a couple of years ago. It satisfied the Breitling itch, and made me realize the real deal would be too big.
I do wish they had made the hands larger like the Breitling (small and too short hands being something Aliexpress watches have been blasted for) and I was expecting sapphire crystal at this price - again just because it is standard on most Aliexpress watches at this price.
Sub $100 Pagani levels of lum.
If this were an Aliexpress brand we would be waiting for a V2 to correct most of the moans and niggles.
Sorry but good spec for value Aliexpress watches (including seen on your channel) have raised my expectations ... even on budget watches.
Nothing worse than "having a pile of crap on the tip". 😁 This rotary has turned me around 180. I'll stick to my Seiko "Flighty". 👍
Have a look at Dan Henry 1945. It's an affordable pilot chronograph homage that isn't as disappointing. At least IMO.
Oddly, I like the central seconds, in reality more useful. Have a blue Navi. Would I buy a Rotary no, would I get one for a 12 to 15 year old, yes. Seiko quartz is fine by me.
I love affordable watches. I looked on eBay and found it for 126 or so USA dollars but the only sellers I could find in several colors were from the UK. With the low price, I doubt there will be custom fees like on expensive watches. Not a bad-looking watch for the price. I have a 6.8-inch wrist, with Gshocks I have no problem with the 42 to 44mm sized resin watches as I usually forget I have them on. Such as the casioak ones. I have a couple of those too.
9:05 hm, mine here works absolutely fine
Really liking this one!! Good looking and wearable. The only issue for me is the central seconds ... really not a fan of that on chronographs!
Jody- How about a "Save on" video for an Oris pointer date?
I'm curious if there is a VK series movement that would fit that has the central Chrono hand and the appropriate sub registers to match the dial (I am admittedly not very well versed in quartz movements outside swapping the batteries in a couple quartz pieces in my collection, so I may be WAY out in left field on this one lol). Might be a neat vid for the mod series though, if such a movement exists...
I've bought one or two watches from Rubicon, great range and prices.
Way too busy a dial for me, so I'll probably save $13,000 and then save the $200 as well. But great video as always.
It's an appealing watch but that 24 hour subdial at 3 o'clock always bothers me by virtue of being pretty much useless and thereby almost fake. It's part of the puzzling but now well established trend of chronos that only go up to 60 minutes, thus having no need for the hour totalizer dial. Of course we can all put up with it because the price of such watches is so reasonable. Would this be because a 12 hour chronograph might drain the battery in short order if used too much?
ohh so this was one of the watches i'd looked at when i was considering getting something that is aviation related. ultimately i felt like i'd be a poser when i don't fly planes, dont even fly much as a passenger, and went for something more "inspired by aviation" than "make me look like a pilot". Plus, I have no idea how to work that slide rule haha.
an excellent and fair review of a decent watch. For me the black/white proportions are totally off and cheapen the look. but, hey, maybe thats just me….
Never been a fan of the Navitimer , just too busy for me
It's pretty full on, I agree.
I have one myself and there is a funny story behind it last year I was always getting adds for the Breitling Navi timer all the time and was really wanting one to I seen one in the shop and I hated it was way to bright I know it’s a breitiling clues in the name ha and then I see the rotary a more duller finish what I like
The dial is too busy for my old eyes and driving. Otherwise, chronograph addicts should have at this.
Thanks for the review and bringing attention to this lesser known brand. I really like the look of their GS03351/19 (panda) - going to order one.
Nice to see that the company is still running but sad to see its come to this. A bit like a British based Pigani. I've a couple of Rotarys from the 60s and 70s Swiss hand winders one with domed acrylic and beautiful sunburst and the other solid gold both tell the time much better than my new Seiko nh35 powered microbrand.
Its a nice looking watch but I think I prefer my Flightmaster more, and it has 200m water resistance.
For comparison at the same price point, take a look at the Casio EF-527D-1AVEF pilot watch. I'm really happy with it. Worth a review Jody. Thanks for great channel. Cheers
What did they send you a crate full of Rotary watches? Now this is affordable luxury! It looks ok. I’d much prefer the bullhead chronograph from Siegel Wyth, that swan neck column wheel Chronograph for $230! But I’m boycotting Chinese products… So I don’t know what to do!
Love the t-shirt Dr. Jody!
I’ve got a Breitling Navi but I think for the money & minor flaws it’s not too shabby Jody!🤔👍🏼
I picked up a Rotary Chronospeed for $60nzd not long ago, cracking watch
Rotary was such a good household name when I was a kid. It's a shame to think that the brand is slowly being eroded with subpar watches. Wish they'd focus on a few high quality pieces, I thought the scuba 7 was a refresh for them, but doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Still want that brand name to exist though
I got very interested in this and then deflated a bit by the video. But thinking about it possibly it's ok. That's a Seiko movement I believe and identical in operation to the Orient Calibre RMD00 on my Orient Chronograph, which may be the same movement rebranded. On the rotating bezel Jody, might it be a safety feature that stops the bezel rotating accidentally in different positions? I think it might be....or maybe not.😁 It might scratch the itch for a Breitling at an ok price.
I don't understand the use of that subdial at 3 that this movement has which it does nothing for the chronograph function 🤔
After buying these Ali type watches at retail I found out that you can get them for a few bucks on FB marketplace, I give them to my 12 yrs old with hope he'll take them appart. I'd love for him to love mechanical watches. Sadly the only one he destroyed was that overpriced swatch irony I got him last year 😂
They last for years...
I have 3 Rotary watches at the moment, a Le Lockle Original Automatic, A Ocean Avenger (Pre Tudor Panda Chronograph) and the Navitimer.
I even have sold my first Rotary to a friend, and that 4'th watch is also still ticking.
And you have beeb very unlucky, to get a watch with some flaws.
Non of mine have any flaws, and 2 are +5 years old.
2:53 at the 3 it looks like a 24-hour indicator, not a "12 hour indicator"
Indeed.
There's better affordable chronographs for not much more money. Just need to get the info out to people. Rotary is a real "shopping centre" watch brand in the UK and Ireland. If someone wanted a "retro" quartz chrono today for not much money I'd definitely be pointing them towards something like Dan Henry.
This is why criticism of Chinese homages doesn’t sit well with me - the big high street brands have been doing it for years in plain sight!
Thanks for another great review Jody, I'm a new subscriber because I've recently started collecting watches....although I realised I had 10 already! I've bought 4 in the last couple of months after watching your videos and I'm really pleased with all of them. This one is nice but just not quite doing it for me, if I win the lottery maybe I'll get a second hand Breitling!! Thanks so much for sharing your passion and knowledge 👍
Thank you for this review, too bad the quality is off putting.
Oh man! They should have used a Seiko MechaQuartz for better “authenticity”! The hands should have been painted white for better legibility in low-light conditions! And … how accurate is the slide rule? I have a friend who was in the Navy and he can operate those slide rules blindfolded. I showed him several watches with slide rule and with most of them, the slide rule was not precisely printed, giving inaccurate readings. Even a Hamilton failed his test! Breitling however passed!
Just thinking... If it has an internally operated bezel, why the coin edge? Flummoxed.
I would definitely choose GS05235/05 over this one.
- nicer watch-face color (yup - I do love blue with a little sunburst touch);
- better / logical date on #6
- and that lightning yellow seconds hand is just a perfect accent
So. Go blue! (:
Had 2 different Rotary 'Navitimers both were disappointing in different ways, one similar to yours had a movement that didn't make sense, and the other with the right movement had numbers peeking out at 3 and 9 I hated. The quality control of both were poor. I am much happier with my citizen ca039.
The saved money in that movement by removing the independent hands. These days most cheap chrono watches have the seconds and minute hands moved by one motor only, so if you time 30 minutes the seconds hand need to turn back 30 times... Not a fast reset.
Welcome to the *Rotary Club.*
I see what you mean about "lifeless." It just looks a little cheap - the colors lack depth and richness, and it lacks sparkle.
Still casting around for a nice Navitimer styled watch with a decent movement - i. e. not that silly Seiko with the useless 24 hour subdial.
Great review but a quartz is not in my future...just say no to batteries
Maybe too many quirks on this one. A Zeppelin might be a better afordable chrono alternative. Regards Jody
On the one hand...there's too much going on there for me to like. On the other, I have watches with tachymeters on them that I don't need either, but I like the look anyway. Which is to say, I'm absurd, but only to a degree. 😅
But, thanks for saving me $13,000. I'll just save the remaining $150 as well.
Minute time scale should b more readable u only need 10 minutes for the scale
what is the movt? miyota or epson or something else?
Dudes and Dudettes I’m throwing a $13,000 party with the money Jody saved me! Everybody’s invited!
A good effort i suppose but how much does even average lume on two hands and the most basic sapphire for protection cost? Its a timeless look and the sad thing is the Seiko movement has the potential to last a decade or two so even 50% more expensive with lume n sapphire would be worth it in the long run.
Nice review. A very uninspired watch. Could at least have sweeping chrono hand.
If I would buy a navitimer homage, I save up for a bit better watch.
But how does it compare to the Swiss Alpine Military 'Spirit' knockoff of the Navitimer? That one's also "Swiss."
Why do many alternative watch models use large second hand instead of small second hand like the Breitling Navitimer? (Perhaps due to cheap quartz movements?)
Do you have a link to that Queen of the sky?
where can I get this thing!
There's a slightly bigger version....46 by 52. The dial has applied indices and circles within circles for the sub dials. Mine was a sensible price, the chronometer was out of kilt but running it to zero then reinstalling the battery sorted that out. Hardly a luxury watch but it's a tachymeter! So if you realise a watch can be used for more than telling the time or posing, it's a cheap educational tool. Ps. Anyone with a 'Navitimer' who doesn't understand how to use it is a poser. More bling than brain.