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Flieger Type A or B Watch (NH35 Seiko Movement) - $188 with Express Post Delivery @ alternative time watches

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Flieger Type A or B Watch (NH35 Seiko Movement) - $188 with Express Post Delivery @ alternative time watches
Go to Deal
Babbit on 10/01/2025 - 18:17 alttime.au (1770 clicks)
Last edited 11/01/2025 - 09:27 by 1 other user
OZB40

Hiya anyone and everyone!

I've very generously been given a coupon code by the owner of Alt Time Watches after my dad stumbled upon his small business saying I should support someones small idea vs some random "outlet" retail shop in your local shopping center. We bought both watches and love them both, I'm wearing the type-b as I write this.
The code OZB40 is limited to 20 total uses with a max of two watches per customer as there are just under 30 units of each flieger left at the moment (Type A & B) Both watches use a Seiko NH35 Movement with a sapphire crystal. 39mm case width, 10ATM, cute engraved backing, luminescent numbers, hands and markers.

To get a jist of who you're buying from, here's some writing from his about me page within his website:

"I’ve read way too many inspirational start-up stories and useless FAQs with no mention of country of origin on their website, or “Made in (insert country)” on dials or casebacks. So I made the assumption that most microbrand watches are made in China, and thought, “F^%k it, how hard can it be? This will be fun!”

I’m a one person operation who designed and ordered 100 custom Fliegers (MOQ is normally 500-1000pcs) from a very well established watchmaker in Guangdong, China, who also makes watches for other brands a lot of you may have heard of. I reached out to several factories, but most ignored me or laughed at my 100pc order. One large and very popular manufacturer even borrowed my idea, after some back-and-forth where I told them what design and specs I wanted. A few weeks later they were selling Fliegers themselves but still managed to get the design wrong"

Apologies if I've gotten something wrong in watch terminology 😅

Fashion & Apparel Watch

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alternative time watches
alternative time watches

Comments

    • MS Paint on 10/01/2025 - 18:52
      +6

      As the owner of both a type A and type B from alternative time I can confirm that you will not find this watch on any other sites. Similar, yes. The same, no.

      It is not a drop shipped watch. It is a custom watch. Flieger timepieces, by their very nature, only have so many design variations.

      I challenge you to show me this exact watch on any other website.

      • SS625 on 10/01/2025 - 18:55
        -2

        Just don't

        • MS Paint on 10/01/2025 - 18:56

          Don't what?

      • corbz on 10/01/2025 - 19:00
        +6

        It’s as custom as mixing different scoops and the pick ‘n mix at the shops. Brother isn’t getting anything manufactured custom, just mix and matching options from generic suppliers.

        • MS Paint on 10/01/2025 - 19:04

          Show me a Flieger on any other Chinese parts bin website with the same crowns.

          I'm waiting.

          • corbz on 13/01/2025 - 10:35
            -1

            @MS Paint: Yeah you’re right. These ground breaking custom
            hands and crown are worth the mark up

        • Associated[Deactivated] @ alternative time watches on 11/01/2025 - 08:12
          +3

          If you bothered to read anything on the website (I tried to make it as transparent and short as possible), I explained what was off the shelf and what was custom.

          The case, crystal, and dial are off-the-shelf. The crowns are custom, as are the hands, but both watches share the same second and minute hands to keep costs down. The blue edges on the hands are matte because it costs less than the cheap-looking shiny blue paint on other Fliegers; proper blue hands are made using a process called thermal-bluing and involves heating the steel hands to a certain temperature, and is very cost-prohibitive. Bead-blasting the case costs the same as brushed or polished. Engraving the caseback increased the cost a little bit but I think it’s fun.

          The hands are custom, you won't find the same shape hour, minute and second hands on any fliegers on AliX. The crowns were also made to my specs.The lume dot at the end of the second hand tracks the inner circle of the Type-B

          If you look at the watch @soundboy5010 linked: https://aliexpress.com/i/1005004374443605.html
          - the hour hand is too long
          - the second and minute hands are too short; they don't reach the outer ring
          - second hand is different, minute had is a different shape
          Among other things others have already mentioned.

          Here are the design diagrams for both models:
          https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/532008/118996/type-a.j…
          https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/532008/118997/type-b.j…

          Happy to answer any other questions

          • corbz on 13/01/2025 - 10:34

            @[Deactivated]: “ Happy to answer any other questions “

            deactivates account

            • G-rig on 13/01/2025 - 10:37

              @corbz: Well you're still posting 🙄.
              What other questions do you have?

      • Gazmassive on 10/01/2025 - 20:42
        +1

        I own the Type B and love the different colour lume on it, really makes it pop in low light.

        Looks great with a mustard yellow leather strap or a light NATO fwiw.

      • Babbit on 10/01/2025 - 20:55
        +1

        I should have included something like this, he does explain this within his website I just didn't put it in this post.
        Thank you (:

      • soundboy5010 on 12/01/2025 - 20:24

        Interesting, you're right. I jumped the gun on that one! I was speculating due to the generic website, low social media activity and previous posts marked as spam).

        Whilst the OP isn't the owner of the business, I appreciate a simple website design without it looking like the 100's of woocommerce scam shoe stores that look the same. But I guess that's on me for not reading further than the homepage.

    • Speckled Jim on 10/01/2025 - 18:58
      +6

      I mean, those kid scribble casebacks gotta be worth something right?
      Plus:
      • these are 39, your AE link is 42mm
      • case has different finish
      • hands with blue accents

      TBH, deal watches look better to me, and I'd order if I didn't get two watches recently.
      A + will have to do.

      • Corgsta on 10/01/2025 - 20:04
        +4

        OzB is a strange place sometimes. People out to diss at any opportunity. Looks like a decent watch, and you’ve pointed out the stark differences.

        Maybe the actual issue is that the Chinese copied this design and the clone is available on the above mentioned websites. That is pretty common too.

    • MonkDog on 10/01/2025 - 19:10
      +4

      Err… that's a different watch?

      The case isn't bead blasted, it's 42mm diameter verses 39, the crown is different (ie not a flieger style), different lug width. So in summary, it's possible to get something similar but different, cheaper?

      I'd rather pay more for something that has a bit more of a flieger feel to it.

      • G-rig on 11/01/2025 - 18:06

        Yes that express one isn't better in any way. Only 30m water resistant too. Looks like a generic miss mash of parts.

    • Originality on 10/01/2025 - 19:59
      +10

      Negging the deal and claiming its dropshipping, then linking a completely different watch that isn't the same as the one in the OP is wild.

      • MS Paint on 10/01/2025 - 20:20

        Clearly has an untrained eye when it comes to the finer details of watches. What a muppet.

        • Originality on 11/01/2025 - 08:47

          5 people have +'d his comment since I made my comment.
          I wish mods would step in for situations like this, where the "majority" of the community is objectively wrong and are boosting a false neg vote.

          • WatchNerd on 11/01/2025 - 08:58
            +1

            @Originality: Basically the reason for the neg vote isn't something the mods judge on unless it's something that's meant to be reported. They generally leave it up to the community.

            This member negged a Tesla post because of Harvey Norman.

            • Originality on 11/01/2025 - 10:18
              +1

              @WatchNerd: Yeah I know that they don't step in, but I do wish they would in circumstances where the neg is just a flat out lie/not in the slightest bit correct.
              Just a frustration of mine, not something I'm outright demanding of them.

      • Originality on 12/01/2025 - 10:49

        Hey @soundboy5010 you have been online multiple times since making your comment. Any reason you're choosing to ignore the fact that you were wrong?

        • G-rig on 12/01/2025 - 11:12

          @soundboy5010 must be trolling or knows nothing about watches, or deals.

          Anyone can link any old AliExpress watch that isn't as good as this one, means nothing.

        • soundboy5010 on 12/01/2025 - 20:32

          Hey @Originality, just had my wedding this past weekend so I've been online checking deals but never made it back to my notifications until now! I've addressed my comment (which is now unpublished), you can see it if you scroll above.

          Whilst I do collect watches, I am a web developer by trade. So my eye tends to look at things like website design, company legitimacy, common traits from scam websites among other things. My web developer eye was a bit quick off the mark and wrongfully assumed it was a scam or dropshipping.

          • Originality on 12/01/2025 - 21:03
            +1

            @soundboy5010: Congratulations on the wedding.

            Glad you've unpublished the comment and acknowledged you were wrong.
            Sorry I was a bit aggressive, just sucked seeing so many people rushing to like your comment which was wrong and (unintentionally) harming an Australian business.

    • Associated[Deactivated] @ alternative time watches on 11/01/2025 - 07:47
      +2

      I was going to stay out of this but I feel that I need to clear some things up.

      Pro tip: Everyone can see when you use drop shipping. We can see alibaba/aliexpress too.

      That's why I use MyPost Business: https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/532008/118994/mypost.j…

      And my watches were shipped here via DHL and had I to pay duty and GST to Customs before they released my package.

      Proof of life: https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/532008/118995/al.time_…

      Can you remove the neg now?

      • Originality on 11/01/2025 - 08:42
        +1

        They haven't logged on since leaving the comment.
        Hopefully they'll remove it once they log back onto ozb.

        • Associated[Deactivated] @ alternative time watches on 11/01/2025 - 08:53
          +2

          Microbrands get posted here all the time; I don't get the hate. People think they can just fly to China and get a manufacturer to make them 2x 50 custom watches when the minimum order quantity (MOQ) is usually at least 500-1000. I don't have much to do this morning so I'll stick around to answer questions and clear things up. A lot of the commenters here clearly aren't familiar with watches, and maufacturing processes for custom parts.

          • soundboy5010 on 12/01/2025 - 20:39

            @[Deactivated]: No hate for microbrands at all, apologies for mislabeling your post! I'm interested in the watchmaking process, how do you find reputable manufacturers these days? I previously worked for a small boutique pen retailer, we used to go to China every few years to meet with manufacturers. Was super interesting.

            Edit: Dang, OP is deactivated. OP, if you have another account, I'd love to chat.

  • r33tom on 10/01/2025 - 19:01
    +2

    Seems like the only difference is the hour hand, the AliExpress watch hour hand is way too big and overlaps the hour markings.

    They tried to immitate but missed the fine details.

  • HolyCr4p on 10/01/2025 - 19:25
    -2

    What an ugly watch

    • Thrifty Dan on 10/01/2025 - 22:43

      User name checks out!

    • WatchNerd on 10/01/2025 - 22:46
      +4

      Maybe you'd prefer this watch.

      • MS Paint on 10/01/2025 - 23:00
        +1

        Fun fact: This is the first time I've seen this in 2025. I'm expecting to see it at least 27 more times in 2025.

      • HolyCr4p on 11/01/2025 - 09:39

        No thanks

        • G-rig on 11/01/2025 - 15:41

          No idea 😂.
          Most people criticizing these aren't obviously into watches let alone have one or seen them in real life. IYKYK.

    • Speckled Jim on 11/01/2025 - 22:05

      Another techbro who doesn't like trad watches?
      Here, strap a mini smartphone on your wrist.
      https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/88188/119003/dm100.jpg

  • tonyjzx on 10/01/2025 - 19:43
    +4

    $200 gets a really nice steel dive

    also no strap with these and they use a phantom no date wheel nh35 with a hilarious warning:

    Ignore the “first position”. The date wheel has been removed. Because the watch has no date. DO NOT TURN THE CROWN IN THIS POSITION BECAUSE YOU CAN DAMAGE THE MOVEMENT!

    • Babbit on 10/01/2025 - 20:57

      "NH35 Movement Manuel - Read this s&@t!!!!"

    • MS Paint on 10/01/2025 - 21:09

      Even Seiko mention similar for their automatic movements. Potential damage is not unique to this watch. The NH35 is just a 4R35 in disguise.

      Avoid amending the date when the watch is displaying between 9 PM and 1 AM. Doing so may cause damage.

      Source

    • G-rig on 10/01/2025 - 23:37

      Tony wouldn't own an automatic watch obviously. Steeldive is one word and if he paid $200 he got taken advantage in a bad or good way lol.

    • Associated[Deactivated] @ alternative time watches on 11/01/2025 - 08:34
      +2

      In the first post, @soundboy5010 linked this watch: https://aliexpress.com/i/1005004374443605.html

      You get to pick 3 movements:

      • Seagull 1612 has a date complication
      • Miyota 8215 also has a date
      • NH35 has a date

      But the watch has no date. If you are knowledgable aboout watch movements, then you will know that you can damage the movement if the hands are between certain times and you change the date. That's why I included the warning. I doub't any of the AliX watches include this warning. My watches have 2 years warranty, so I need to make sure people use the watch properly. You (not you specifically) can buy a watch from AliX, damage the movement and then what? I see that all the sellers on AliX have warranty but what's the process like? Will you even be able to make a claim?

      $200 gets a really nice steel dive

      Here are a couple. You can decide if they're really nice

      https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/135113433865
      https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/135113415756

      • Fullhalter on 11/01/2025 - 22:04

        My watches have 2 years warranty, so I need to make sure people use the watch properly.

        Then you should've spec'd NH38 in the first place, instead of attracting flak like this. I personally found ghost date incredibly annoying.

        The negs are a bit harsh tho. All the best with endeavour

  • Circly on 10/01/2025 - 19:59
    +1

    You can buy real Seiko at these prices… Don't buy these "mod" watches.

    Removing the date wheel so you can damage the watch at the first click is also really stupid.

    • Associated[Deactivated] @ alternative time watches on 11/01/2025 - 08:45
      +1

      Here are the most siilar Seikos I can find:

      This is their Type-B:
      https://starbuy.com.au/seiko-5-sports-mens-watch-srph29k/
      https://www.watchdepot.com.au/products/seiko-5-srph29k-autom…

      This is more like a field, but closest to a Type-A:
      https://starbuy.com.au/seiko-5-sports-mens-watch-srpg27k/
      https://www.watchdepot.com.au/products/seiko-5-srpg27k-sport…

      People can compare the specs, design, and price and decide for themselves.

      Other microbrands get posted here and don't get negged. The SD1970 is a "mod watch", as are the many others posted here. My watches are manufactured in China like all the other "mod" watches.

      • KRRacing on 11/01/2025 - 10:45

        This is OZBargain so the price makes a big deal. The SD1970 can be bought for $100 less than your watches and it has more features. If you drop your prices by $100, I am sure the sentiment will be different. The type of watch you are selling are listed on Aliexpress with similar design, e.g. Tandorio which cost $100 less.

        • G-rig on 12/01/2025 - 13:02

          Yeah people go frothy over the steeldives, I've had a couple and they are a solid choice for the price, bit heavier and thicker than the Willard they are copying. The brand has been around for a long time so they can sell them pretty cheap with the volume of sales.

          I've had a look at some of these Tandorio fliegers. Not bad nothing special and seem to use generic parts. No mention of anti-reflective coating, plain crowns, no bead blasting case, date is arguably not as true to form (look at Laco and stowa).

          Mostly I wouldn't want a watch that sounds like a chicken curry 😅.

  • gccmelb on 10/01/2025 - 20:50

    Looks another site called watchvault has similar watches

    Edit: And other sites plus Alibaba

  • nerdinary on 10/01/2025 - 22:07
    +1

    "designed and ordered 100 custom Fliegers"

    Designed is a bit of a stretch. The suppliers give you some watch faces to choose from and you pick the ones you want. You're trying to sell to wrong crowd here.

    • Originality on 11/01/2025 - 08:43

      How is this a valid neg reason?

    • Associated[Deactivated] @ alternative time watches on 11/01/2025 - 09:00
      +2

      Here is my reply to the top comment who also negged this deal

      If you bothered to read anything on the website (I tried to make it as transparent and short as possible), I explained what was off the shelf and what was custom.

      The case, crystal, and dial are off-the-shelf. The crowns are custom, as are the hands, but both watches share the same second and minute hands to keep costs down. The blue edges on the hands are matte because it costs less than the cheap-looking shiny blue paint on other Fliegers; proper blue hands are made using a process called thermal-bluing and involves heating the steel hands to a certain temperature, and is very cost-prohibitive. Bead-blasting the case costs the same as brushed or polished. Engraving the caseback increased the cost a little bit but I think it’s fun.

      The hands are custom, you won't find the same shape hour, minute and second hands on any fliegers on AliX. The crowns were also made to my specs.The lume dot at the end of the second hand tracks the inner circle of the Type-B

      If you look at the watch @soundboy5010 linked: https://aliexpress.com/i/1005004374443605.html
      - the hour hand is too long
      - the second and minute hands are too short; they don't reach the outer ring
      - second hand is different, minute had is a different shape
      Among other things others have already mentioned.

      Here are the design diagrams for both models:
      https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/532008/118996/type-a.j…
      https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/532008/118997/type-b.j…

      Happy to answer any other questions. I'd also like to learn from you because it sounds like you have a lot of experience in this business.

      Can you explain the neg?

      • commandershephard on 10/01/2025 - 23:24

        That’s because he’s 99% stupid and I’m 100% sure of that

  • Captain Cheapskate on 11/01/2025 - 01:30

    this is what the offspring looks like if Farer Pilot and Timex expedition had a baby.

  • Jakeh on 11/01/2025 - 10:50

    have you got a lume time lapse? this is how you coould prove its not a tandorio

    • AssociatedChazzozz @ alternative time watches on 11/01/2025 - 11:53

      Hi there. That's a good question, I did take some photos for a review I was planning to post (but couldn't due to my association) so I'll see if I can rig up something to do a proper video. Jody at the Just One More Watch YouTube channel always does a 20-minute test, on the assumption that anything still holding on after that should still be readable later on. I'd be looking to do a similar test.

  • opposablethumbs on 11/01/2025 - 11:06
    +6

    Good on @alternative time watches for having a go, but given they appear to have deactivated their OzB account now, suspect they couldn't handle the blowtorch of the OzB bargain hunter community.

    From my own perspective, as someone with a fairly large automatic watch collection but still on the lookout for new/interesting/innovative style twists, I like the crown and different coloured lumes/hand design on these two watches, but as I paid US$60 delivered for this one from AliX just can't see the value proposition in those customisations being worth that much of a price difference.
    https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005002345628651.html

    As the Steeldive/Addiesdive offerings are famous for how long and strong their lume is, biggest question I have for the orignal poster/designer is how bright and how long do the different coloured lumes on this watch glow for?

    If your after the best in lume, thanks to an OzB post, I recently started the journey of tritium tube markers on dial and hands, for 25 years of continuous glow :-). Bit more expensive than watches in this post, but worth keeping an eye on the Mystery Box deals from Aragon Watches, if interested in affordable T100 tritium tubes on a highly regarded watch brand (probably couldn't call them microbrand anymore, given their success and number of offerings).

    • WatchNerd on 11/01/2025 - 11:17
      +2

      Wow that's a massive over reaction for a couple of neg votes, especially when it has received 17 upvotes so far.

      I regard this as a successfull post.

      • Circly on 11/01/2025 - 11:33

        The way they responded to the post shows they can't handle being criticised.

      • Babbit on 12/01/2025 - 12:49

        Thanks man, any publicity is good publicity anyway 🤷‍♂️

    • AssociatedChazzozz @ alternative time watches on 11/01/2025 - 11:49
      +1

      Good on @alternative time watches for having a go, but given they appear to have deactivated their OzB account now, suspect they couldn't handle the blowtorch of the OzB bargain hunter community.

      Or, they have inadvertently stepped on one of the landmines that are the posting rules around here and the Mods have nuked their account. We won't know because that's between the Mods and the account holder, it's not shared knowledge.

      I'll point out that I posted these watches nearly a month ago and had to declare association because I'd been in contact with the brand owner prior to launch to provide some feedback, even though I'd legitimately purchased the watch. I wanted to post a full review but that wasn't allowed, plus I found that I have to be careful what I do and don't say in comments (i.e. no sales pitches).

      I don't have time at the moment to hang around in the comments all day long but if people have legitimate questions then I'm happy to try answering. If I don't know then I'll send a message to the brand owner and find out for you.

      • opposablethumbs on 11/01/2025 - 12:22
        +1

        Two questions above about lume intensity & longevity.

        • AssociatedChazzozz @ alternative time watches on 11/01/2025 - 12:27
          +2

          Sure thing - I've already replied above that I'll see what I can do about taking a video showing the lume decay over a period of time. I don't have a fancy camera setup so I'll have to get creative how I can take a quality video.

    • AssociatedChazzozz @ alternative time watches on 20/01/2025 - 16:18
      +4

      Apologies it's taken me this long but I'm not a videographer and had to learn some of this stuff as I went along. I've now managed to get a decent time-lapse video showing the lume decay of a Type B Fleiger, which you can access here https://imgur.com/a/r5gpMMG. I set the watch up in near total darkness, charged the lume using a UV torch for one minute, then filmed a continuous video for at least 20 minutes to show the decay. I don't have a fancy camera so this is done with an iPhone using the built-in time-lapse feature with the camera positioned about 150mm from the watch. If anyone wants a proper full-length video in realtime I did one of those, too (before I learnt about the handy time-lapse feature), so I can supply that on request if you really want to watch it all the way through.

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