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unimatic ..we will make it fit movement fiasco

  1. pIoNeErOfThEnILe Sep 29, 2019

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    came across one of their new models and wanted to delve into them more. while i liked their designs i always brushed them off because of them using an nh35 and being 41.5 x 49.5

    i noticed that one of their new models comes in a smaller case 38.5mm and 47.5 L2L

    i then stumbled onto a video about one of their watches.

    long story short.- what they did was use a case intended for a miyota 9 and rigged it with a cheap non fitting plastic spacer to make it work with the seiko nh35, kind of. ..the cheap spacer they used didn't secure the movement well. it was compressing into the movement causing issues.

    obv reason for them to do this is cost and profits vs either. they could have machined a holder to make it better but they elected not to do that as well.

    i researched this issue that there's a thread about in on dvc.

    http://www.thedivewatchconnection.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=64704

    somebody even emailed unimatic and their response was "haters gonna hate"..............lol





    maybe the newer smaller case actually fits the movement now...but they still use and sell the bigger cases as well

    [​IMG]
     
    Edited Sep 29, 2019
  2. pIoNeErOfThEnILe Sep 29, 2019

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    since some things are exposed now, unimatic still isn't saying anything and we can only speculate as to their exact reasoning as to why they did this.

    it's obv 100% cost vs profit.

    i mean. how much more is it going to cost for thousand miyota 9's over one thousand seiko nh35? twice as much? how many do you have to buy to get a bigger discount as well?

    maybe the case unimatic used which is clearly for a miyota 9 was a leftover and they bought a bunch at a great price?

    it might be safe to say that most unimatics are rigged to work and ill fitted
     
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  3. sdre Sep 29, 2019

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    I have owned a few Unimatics before, great looking watches but that's it.

    They aren't known for their movements, and even if they did use seagull movements; people will still buy them for the design.

    They aren't the cheapest but yet there's a demand for their design.
     
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  4. Foo2rama Keeps his worms in a ball instead of a can. Jun 18, 2020

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  5. lillatroll Oct 11, 2020

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    I just bought the u2-f with a grey dial. The watch has been delivered to my home country but I don't know when I will next get home to see it, probably next summer.
    I bought it simply for its looks. It may not have the greatest movement in the world but I am not sure that is the point of this watch.
    All the reviews I have read in the past say a good watch for the money. Plenty of people must agree as they pretty much seem to sell out in 24 hours or so.
    I think the key to the watches' success is that the design is very good as it stands out from the crowd in a sea of small independent watch brands.
     
  6. Dsloan Oct 11, 2020

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    I keep trying to grab one of these when the sale goes live, but can never get my order processed before they sell out. It's worse than trying to buy concert tickets. :mad:
     
  7. lillatroll Oct 11, 2020

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    I have liked quite a few of the previous releases but never managed before now. I signed up to the email alert after the previous release and forgot all about them to be honest. On Tuesday I happened to see the email and they were still available. If they had been gone I don't think I would be that disappointed but I do think they are nice looking watches.
     
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  8. Dsloan Oct 11, 2020

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    I woke at 4am a couple weeks ago to try and buy the white diver they just released... Only to realize that the link redirected to a Japanese retail partner. ::facepalm1::

    I guess it, I'll keep at it. One day, maybe I'll get lucky like you, lol.
     
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  9. pIoNeErOfThEnILe Oct 11, 2020

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    cool looking tool style,..great marketing as well..their collabs, all their LE projects, mask all that is bad with them and keep the demand. the LE edition thing is strong in the watch world. all micros should do it. from swiss to nh35.
     
  10. Gruesome Oct 11, 2020

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    Ploneer (or is it NEOTEIL?), what's actually wrong with an NH35 per se? I put an NH36 in my SK011, and so far I'm very happy with it.
    While I'm already asking: Sdre, is there anything wrong with Seagull movements? (I know Sdre posted a year ago.)
     
  11. mzinski Oct 11, 2020

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    Prompted by this link I popped my Unimatic U1-F open to see what was inside. I got mine a couple months ago - number 056/600. Case back says 21600 and so does my Timegrapher.
    No controversy and nothing to worry about. It’s a metal movement retaining ring with a metal case back compression spring.
    Not sure what happened in the video with the watch from 2-3 years ago but things look fine now.
    TBH it took some work to find a strap/bracelet I liked with it since it does wear pretty big. I tired the Unimatic NATO and steel bracelet but they only made the watch wear bigger in my opinion. But ever since tropicstrap.com released their 22mm version I couldn’t be happier with the combo.
    4E2FD7EE-9DEE-4F75-8ED0-439C67A98EDD.jpeg F283A3C1-F02C-4448-88E2-D7AA10AFF54E.jpeg

    Feel free to check out my full opinion on the watch here: https://fifthwrist.com/unimatic-u1-f-review/
     
    sleepyastronaut, CHRONOZEN and Dsloan like this.
  12. sdre Oct 11, 2020

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    Nothing wrong wrong per se, it's a working movement clone of ETA. Just that social/horological pressure deemed seagull movements to be subpar/cheap/mass-produced for what it's worth, If unimatic were to increase their margins, they could use seagull and probably 50% of the target audience won't bat an eyelid.
     
  13. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Oct 12, 2020

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    Looked at the video - nothing really too unusual about the spacer used. Lots of brands use plastic spacers (I've even serviced a ladies Patek that used a plastic movement spacer, although it also used screws and clamps). The guy on the video says things like "it's not really attached to anything" like it is some sort of anomaly, but this is exactly how these spacers work.

    I don't see any big controversy to be honest...
     
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  14. CHRONOZEN Feb 10, 2021

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    WHY SO MANY BAD WORDS ABOUT UNIMATIC,I HAVE AMNY,LONGINES,OMEGA,ROLEX SUB ...ECT AND I AM REALLY HAPPY WITH THE 3 UNIMATIC I BUY,GREAT LOOKING WATCH,VERY GREAT MADE CASE,DIAL,HANDS,CROWN VERY WELL MADE,JUST OPEN SOME GOOD NAMES OF WATCHES AND SEE INSIDE AND UNIMATIC WAS NOT SO BAD
     
  15. Pvt-Public Feb 11, 2021

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    Why all the YELLING??
     
  16. sleepyastronaut Feb 11, 2021

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    giphy.gif
     
  17. DirtyDozen12 Thanks, mystery donor! Feb 11, 2021

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    Must be a fan of irony, given his username: "Zen emphasizes rigorous self-restraint" (Wikipedia).