Do not buy from watchesu571 on ebay

[whitestripes]

Take a look at eBay item # 180289398518. It looks like a pretty good deal, a nice MoD style watch, SWISS ETA quartz, white-lumed MoD dial. I picked it up as a beater.

When I got it, I was floored by the color of the lume. It looks nothing like the lume in the pictures, but an even lime green color throughout. It's the I-can't-make-out-the-white-even-if-I-put-it-in-direct-sunlight kind of lime green. It looks like a throwaway $10 piece of crap with this lume color, which I think it is. (Hong Kong seller, probably got it for $10. The lume pip is the same color. The hour hand, by virtue of being so large, can be made out in the dark, whereas I have to be very optimistic in seeing lume from the hour indices, even in direct sunlight. The lume on our reps is far, far better, it pains me to say. The bezel is sloppy, and the insert is misaligned, of course.

I asked him for a refund because of the color misrepresentation. I feel that in a dive watch, green colored lume significantly detracts from the look of the watch, and the image on the site was misleading. "no refunds if watch works" Two back and forths and it's done, seller doens't want to deal with it = negative feedback. On his response to my negative feedback, he said "Seller must be confused." I don't know how I can be confused: I know white and green, and more importantly, how to tell them apart.

So I'm posting it on here because I'm trying to sell it at a quarter off on the gen boards (and people are still buying it from his website so someone must want it...). I got some inquiries, and one guy asked if it really was Swiss ETA. I opened the case back to a sea of plastic, most of movement and movement holder. I look in the plastic, and engraved is "Swiss parts" "China Movement." On the one metal part next to the battery was the ETA logo, very thinly stenciled in. I've seen better ETA stamps on rep 2824 movements. Anyway, he was advertising it as Swiss ETA, which I feel means it is a Swiss-made mov't, which means the parts must be Swiss and at least 51% made there (or something like this...) I read that there are legitimate ETA mov'ts made for the Asian market there, but they are most certainly not Swiss ETA movements. Swiss parts, but not a Swiss movement. So if it's real it's misleading, and if it's a poor quartz fake, it's misleading.

He also sells more expensive "Swiss ETA 2824" movements in the $300 range. I bet it's Asia ETA. Don't know what the Swiss made means to others, but I'm pretty sure some part of it must be made and assembled in Switzerland. Now I'm saddled with this POS watch. I've seen better in Wal-mart for $20, better fit and finish. Now I'm saddled with this watch that pains me to look at. I might have to drop down to $50 in a few weeks... I paid $65 + $18 shipping for it, which would have been decent if there were functional lume and a SWISS ETA quartz movement in it.

All in all, beware of this seller and his movements/color representation. I don't know about you guys, but I'm finishing my undergrad and $83 isn't exactly pocket change, but it would have been a nice beater with white (doesn't even have to be luminous) lume and Swiss ETA.

/rant

[Chino]

I bought a PVD watch for that same guy a couple of years ago, with the same "swiss eta" quartz movement and put a pvd oyster bracelet on it... took it diving to Mexico on 2006 and it worked as a quartz watch should... excellent. It has taken lots of harm and it still running very strong, and as a daily beater works as a charm. So after 2 years of seldon use the watch has already paid itself and I don't care anymore if its movement is swiss, african or made in cybelia... it's a lot more accurate than my automatics and as a grab'n go watch does the job.

Lume was fine underwater but never as my old SKX007 Seiko when I still had it.

I'm not against whitestripes' post, but just letting you guys know those watches may not be 100% swiss but still they won't die on you. They are still good watches for the $80... and you won't suffer too much if they get scuffed, dinged or danged.

Now, I'd probably complete the $108 and get a Tudor hydornaut from trusty just for fun, or another nice non-super-uber-ultimate-mega-hyper rep.

just my 2 centavos.

cheers.

Chino.

[whitestripes]

My chief complaint is the misrepresentation, not the merits of the watch itself (although it is green, not even close to white)

[Chino]

got it in the first time... I mean, as it's a quartz movement, I wouldn't care too much about it's factory location... but on the other hand, yes, if they aren't truly swiss movements, then they shouldn't be be advertised as they are being currently done.

I'll open mine when I have to change the battery, this is my water watch after I gave my Ti Casio protrek to my brother... another soul-less instrument, now my instrument is my T-touch... too bad it won't work well under water.

cheers!

[steve123456789]

I have a phsudo Rhula from him and it works as stated. He used to be a great bargain but now he is overpriced. The acrilic plastic he uses on the watches scratches easily more so than Mineral Crystal. He did state it was Acrilic in his ad so I blame myself. I have seen a similar Rhula on Ebay for less than 1/2 his price in quartz. I got it and it is a better value. IT is advertised as Royal Swiss from a seller in Germany.

Steve