That's what I call professional watch review I really enjoyed it.. Overall how highly you recommend this watch am only one step away from clicking proceed to payment
Great review Sir! I love the Glycine Combat Subs! I own a few myself. I also own Omega, Breitling and Tag Hauer but still like the Glycine just as much!
This is the reason i never bought a model with the date at the 4. The models with the date at the 3 do not have this issue. I own 2. A chrono and a grey numeric dial standard auto. Both great watches on well built bracelets.
Best wearing watch I own. 10.5 height and curved lugs wears smaller and easy on the cuffs. Mine is blue/blue and on a jubilee right now but it looks classy on a Hirsch Pure blue strap in the summer. Oh, as a bonus it keeps +3spd time. It’s not my favorite but does get a lot of wrist time. Bang for buck on this one.
A great looking watch, and some lovely photography. This is really good value watch too. The date window is the highlight for me. Legible, and the orientation is first rate. A winner for me.
I think some the misgivings you have are unique to the model you have chosen. The date wheel issue does not apply to most of the other models. The hands on your model are also quite different than those of other models. I now own five of these watches. Initially, I bought the black dial/blue bezel model. I loved the design and the accuracy so much that I started lusting after many of the other models. These watches are so inexpensive and come in so many variations that they are hard to resist at less than $ 350. The fact that they are so reasonably priced means that I can wear one in the pool, working on my car, replacing a faucet and never worry about damaging my watch. As for the quality of the movement, I dont think it matters whether it is an ETA or Sellita movement. As I said I own a five of these watches and not one of them is off by more than 4 sec/day. I agree it wears a bit large on the wrist. If this watch was a 40 mm it would be an unbeatable value.
I own the red bezel version on a bracelet, and it really is a great watch. I ordered it from Jomashop, and it cost a Total of £320 delivered to my door in the UK, which included duty. If I had bought it through a UK supplier it would have cost £695. Strange yours is 120 click, as mine is only 60. Also, mine has polished sides, and the date is at the 3.00. To be honest, it's a totally different watch.
Thanks Shane for the video, I have an 8” wrist and own two GCS’s the GL0076 and the GL0088 and both fit my wrist very well. They both run a little fast but since I have over a dozen autos, I set the time when they come up on rotation. Bought the 76 at Costco for less than $400 and the 88 at Jomashop for $329. For me who owns a Steinhart OVM and a SWC diver these are some of my favorites.
Yes, It's most likely a Selitta. As Invicta, is now Glycine's "parent company", and Invicta's close association, with Selitta . Though still finding an ETA movement with either Brand is Not rare.
My GoldenEye has an ETA. It's buttery smooth like most hi-beat watches. Do not own any Sellita yet, but do have a Chinese clone of the ETA which actually runs great to..
thanks for a very pleasant review - currently, my combat sub is my daily wear, I like it a lot! I don't know if an ETA of Sellita is inside, but at -15 sec a month (!) it's astonishingly accurate.
I recently bought the GL0188, and I've found I share most of your compliments for it with less of the negatives. Date window is black with white text and the frame is lumed, has applied markers that don't compare to the Orient Star Diver, but are sufficient. The brown bezel and dial work well with the bronze case, compared to a stainless steel one, and I think the not-mercedes hour hand works better having round indices for most of the hours. On my model, I found the leather band to be very nice for the price. Haven't taken it off it yet, though part of that might be the trouble finding bands with a rose gold buckle to match better with the bronze case.
I just bought the bronze and blue version GL0174. The lume and date wheel, as well the hour hand looks much better. The minute hand could be a little wider. Great review. Tot me it is a keeper.
I love the date window. It's sitting there saying, "Date windows are monumentally useful, especially when they are easy to read. Here's the date. You're welcome."
I've been watching your vids long now to know that you love "weird" colours in dials, greens, reds, browns, azure, grey, etc etc... And then you combine these with all kinds of straps types and colours! It's such a great opportunity for us to see these. Thanks mate, honestly. PS This one on any leather strap looks classy but the navy blue seatbelt Nato strap makes it fly high (or dive deep LOL)! Awesome combo! (joke tip: a drop of a red ink in the middle of the hour hand circle could save it... plus it's gonna look like a RAF sigh, but who's to do that? LOL)
Hey Shane, thanks for the review. I'm looking to buy either a Glycine or a Hamilton Khaki field.... not sure which one yet, I'm still in the research phase. Btw, you have a great voice.... makes me feel like I'm listening to Rod Serling of the Twilight Zone. :)
Own 3 Glycine's, C/Sub bronze +2sec., a Airman gmt. 24 hr. sub dial, and a c/sub chrono. All run flawlessly, wear great, finished nicely at a great price point. All old logo. Will buy 3 more. Recently found a n.o.s. Airman book @ $25.00 great purchase.
Great review I just got mines. The watch is more than solid and worth the 500 bucks or less. If you don't care about the look or colors. I recommend any Seiko Diver or Citizen you do not loose any quality.
Great review as always Shane. I keep going back to thinking about getting a Combat Sub. I'd love one of the black coated ones with black bracelet. I think I have to let it go with my 6.5 inch wrist though.
@@RelativeTime It's a very comfortable strap and it suits the watch, but I like to put my own touch on my watches. Right now I got it on a dark blue croc with white stitching. I'm going Kevin O'Leary on it next just to see how it works. I really like your effort to show of watches with many different straps. Great inspiration Shane.
Hello my name is Alan Foster, I have a GLYCINE- GL0166,BRONZE I liked the strap that you were using 22 mm, Quit release, Bronze buckle, Anyway that I can find a strap exactly like the one you're using in this video?
Glad to see someone else got a watch off Drop. I was a little leery. I just purchased 3... Naruto Seiko watches. Yeah yeah I know. I watched it with my kids and the dials are really nice. 2 for my boys and one for me... one boy is 14 the other 6 so I’ll be “holding” onto it for him. My goal when I started this hobby was to leave one watch for each of my kids. Nothing super special, just a watch dad bought for them or left to them. My dad didn’t collect anything to leave me or my sister...
Yeah, the crewed the pooch on that one. If they would have run a brown or black date wheel it would have blended okay. The 3 o'clock versions don't have this issue. My GL0188 has a black date wheel at 3 o'clock coverage and blending are perfect....why they didn't at least use a black wheel is beyond me.
Hey 👋🏾 thank you. That was very helpful. I'm relatively new to watch collecting. I do have a Seiko SKX which I bought about 2 years ago. I am looking for something a little different in this price range. The fact that its a Swiss movement and its got that nice combat,sub combination. Although I agree I I'm not very keen on the colour position of that date on the dial I think It could be a watch for me to considered. My question is. Is there anything else you would recommend me look before diving in? 😂
Always love your content. Can you review watches under $500 that are options for gents with diminishing eyesight? There's plenty of watch options out there for those of us with normal eyesight but I've yet to come across good reviews specific for those who have a passion for horology/collecting whose vision may be not as it were some years ago such as father's, uncle's, friends, etc. who have a passion for watches but struggle to wear just the typical recommended value pieces.
That's a great idea! Although I'm not sure where I'd start on that other then look for watches with large and easy to read dials. Nothing small and hard to read. Have you found any in particular you like for that?
I have this watch. I also wish it was a no-date. I think it’s a fine watch and am enjoying it even more as it patinas. I wore mine to the pool all summer on a NATO..... I was hoping you would recommend a NATO with bronze hardware or maybe a tropical rubber strap with bronze hardware.🤔. My brown leather strap looks awesome and wears great, it’s just not great in the summer months.
Hi Shane. Great review as always - but more importantly - great choice of piece to review. I've had my eye on one of these 'Explorer dial' Combat Subs for the last month or so, when I first came across the dial configuration. Unfortunately, I just dropped my watch savings on another piece but I am hoping to see one of these in my future. I particularly like the Explorer dial with the black PVD case & bracelet and blue bezel. Blacked out watches are not usually my thing, but I'm imagining the watch head on a blue canvas strap with that blue bezel and I like what I see...in my imagination! I have a Glycine Airman Purist that I picked up for $350. It's an ᴀᴍᴀᴢɪɴɢ timepiece at an ᴀᴍᴀᴢɪɴɢ price, so I'm sure the Combat Sub would be the same. I don't mind the date, but I have the same issue with the crown guards/crown and hour hand. To me it's just a Mercedes hand minus the things that actually make it a Mercedes hand!, so why bother?, just finish the job! I would much prefer to see an original shape. I think a *rounded off* rectangular hour hand would complement both the arabics and baton indices well... So simply swapping the second hand to a lolly-pop style & the hour hand to a semi rectangular style could work well. Anyway. Despite this I really like the piece and would be more than happy to call it mine. Cheers, Anthony.
Thanks! Glycine is a great brand. I think the next one I look for will be a combat classic moon phase. I kept thinking this would look great with a snowflake hand set. Yet someone mentioned that Tudor already did that with their Black Bay Bronze. I always thought the black Bay bronze had the same black bay dial, but evidently they went with an explorer dial as well.
I wish you would have gone into the "bronze" concept a bit more with this brand and watch. I am looking to get my first bronze watch, I favor divers and I have a Glycine Combat Sub in steel already - also a couple of Seikos, Hamilton Khaki Field, Orient, Helm, Squale and Zelos. This version of the Glycine Combat Sub is one I have decided to represent my bronze (wouldn't be interested in more than one) - the GL0266. I really like the diver/field combo and the Glycine Combat Sub in particular, but I do have a slight issue with the narrow hands and the painted markers.. but for $400 ???!!! Other representative options anyone suggests?
Good review, Shane. I did notice the edge of the date wheel; even before you mentioned it. The coffee color looks to lean a little towards red-brown, at least; on my monitor. I do think it is worth the price of admission, though. This version is just not for me. Particularly, with the wheel being like that. Congrats on you new watch. I'm looking, still; myself.
Ugh, Shane! You complain about the 4 o'clock date and you missed talking about the two distinct positives about it! 1) the date is oriented horizontally even though it's at 4:00 -- a rarity and a welcome attention to detail in my view, and 2) the date is exactly where a "4" would be, and the contrasting color lets it serve as a stand-in for a normal index at that position. I always enjoy your reviews, but sometimes you let your nit-picks obscure the nuance and execution of design decisions. Thanks for the rundown, as always.
The 60 degree date is a nice touch but someone should have said hey you can see the movement, maybe we should use a black date wheel or add a dab of paint to disguise it.
The rotation is a nice touch, and I should of mentioned it. Yet as a whole it rubbed me the wrong way and wound up being more of a distraction. Although that's also why I like to show as much detail as I can on stuff like this, as not everyone will have the same opinion. This way they can see if for themselves. Still a great watch, and shouldn't stop anyone from getting one. Cheers!
Nice Watch. I Like a white date indicator . My Eyes are bad the white date wheel helps my eyes to see the date. One Man,s trash is another Man,s Treasure . Great demo for the Glycine Combat dive Watch .I knew to watches and i really enjoyed the Video
if you did not buy this watch, on my word do so if you can. invest in a very nice new hadley roma strap or something and it is a black bay then bro trust me. this watch brand is official and i have several top tier brands in my collection.
Nice. Do they make any references without any date? Not fussed whether Arabic or indices or colour, just don't like dates on most watches, especially divers. Cheers, good review 👍🏻
Nice review. I have a Combat Sub from 2017. Mine has full Arabic’s, both a 12-hour and 24-hour track. It’s a very nice watch. I really can’t think of another Swiss Made Auto Diver for this price. Usually there would be over $500 or more. I alactually brontosaurus think I can think of anything comparable this thin with 200m wr. Your still at the NH35 at this price, starting to go into the 9015 territory. Lots of microbrands between $300-$400, but none be Swiss powered.
That's a pretty sexy watch overall. I'm not loving the color but I like the basic style. It's surprisingly thin, which is nice. A high-beat Swiss movement for $400 is pretty good! If they ditched the date and added tritium I'd be pretty stoked.
Shane, ETA doesn't make it easy for non-Swatch Group brands. I've heard they no longer sell ready to run movements, just the core. So Glycene's approach is a practical necessity.
Was about to buy the blue dial w ss bracelet but then I found out that they are owned(stained) by Invicta. I had to cancel my order... hope im wrong but I’m not willing to take that risk and it’s funny how many color ways they offer and the massive price drops. Two tactics of Invicta
A lot of people say that Invicta hasn't changed anything since they took over, that they are mostly leaving them alone. Yet when in doubt, and you can't see it in person, always better to be cautious. Personally, I'd love to hear from Someone who has both a pre-Invicta and a post Invicta combat sub, but I haven't yet. So far so good on this, although if I do experience anything goofy with this one long term I'll be sure to leave a comment here about it.
I know you already cancelled your order but I have the blue dial GL0077 with the winged logo as well as the similar gray/black GL076 and the all black GL079 which I happen to be wearing today. The last two have the old and new replacement crown logo. I assume all are post Invicta acquisition since purchased within the last two years. I have zero concerns with the quality as they are well made, run very accurately, have quality bracelets and fit my 7 inch wrist very well due to the curved lugs. If you could have bought it around $300 like I did then I think you missed out by canceling. The three I bought are all the same dial design as each other with bracelet with color matched date wheel at the 3 and totally different than the model Shane reviewed.
I own the GoldenEye. Great watch. And luckily not the faux Mercedes hand. That's is my greatest turn off. No worries about the black case whatsoever.. it also has the other, smaller logo.
@@RelativeTime correct, and I changed it out for a black Milanese. The original band is very comfortable and well made, but the Milanese looks stunning on it 👍instagram.com/p/B5XQ9hdnDjW/?igshid=d8q4b14d8bii | instagram.com/p/B39CER8Hs7W/?igshid=1ib6d9gptny8x
@@RelativeTime Mine came on a leather lined black canvas strap. Perfectly fine and comfy but I changed it to black lizard. Officially my most dressy diver ;-)
How about this? Wears well, rugged, water proof , accurate, and, I've had mine for a year and wear it all the time. Down Side, none. YOU HAVE TO LOVE GLYCINE
@@HVG67 Strange... mine (bezel) looks much more golden than brown. Anyway, great combo with the mesh, was thinking about that too. Mine is on black lizard nowadays, def dresses it up.
I have a Combat seven it is a nice watch I kind of wish I would’ve went for a combat diver oh well I got what I got it’s a nice watch others can learn from my mistakes I just don’t dress up enough to justify a combat seven dress watch
Which website? Drop or Glycines? It was a "limited" release, and drop has recently moved away from watches. So maybe they are trying to cash out on the last few. Although if that's true, it's pretty silly. You can get a similar not limited one directly from Glycine.
@@Ajnihah7 ok gotcha. That's an overinflated MSRP. Some companies do that, so it seems like a better deal when you buy it. It's not a practice I agree with, but they aren't alone in that. Which is why it's always important to check multiple stores to see what the street price is.
@@RelativeTime these watches are beginning to increase in value because people love them and sales and reputation are increasing. if invicta helps build on this and does not cheapen them but increase quality they will be a force in 5 yrs
Well ingesting any heavy metal will be toxic, but not sure if bronze is against the skin. I'll have to do a little bit of research. I know the primary reason is that the copper alloy in bronze can react with sweat and oils to turn you skin green. So far I've never personally had that happen.
Excellent video and I think you really do provide a balanced view with all your reviews. I have a GL0257 46mm which for $315 was a fantastic buy and one of my favourite divers in my collection. The SW200 has 26 jewels compared to 25 jewels for the ETA 2824 and from what I read does provide an improvement on the ETA design. My combat sub is running at +9 s/d. I also have an Airman GL293 GMT (which I love) with the same movement (I suspect) running at ~3 s/d. By the way, the 46mm combat subs are 13.5mm thick compared to 10.5mm for the 42mm variants despite what Glycine publish on their website!!
@@pastoriusmonk6971 For a true 100% everything comes from or made in Switzerland, I think you are correct. Heck, I'd say it would be impossible under $2,000. Yet this shows it is possible for a "swiss made" under the legal definition of Switzerland. Which is 60% of the value has to from Swiss origins. So odds are it, and most swiss made watches under $1000, have a lot of components made elsewhere. Then they are all assembled and final QC is done in Switzerland.
Bronze sub $ 450. delv blue strap. Airman $356. delv.blue strap, c/ sub $ 217. delv. bracelet. Some of the most comfortable watches I own, straps are of very good quality. A Fan Boy.
Can't say I'm a big fan of the explorer dial, and I never get weak at the knees at the prospect of a Swiss made movement, regardless of the price. Needless to say not one for me, even without the poorly designed/executed date wheel/window
Dies Swiss Made always translate into higher quality? I think there are plenty of Asian made watches that are also of high quality. Glyicine is owned by Invicta and who knows how they could destroy this brand. I don’t believe anything by Invicta is of higher quality.
That's a rather large can of worms to open up, with a wide range of opinions. Especially considering that at this price range, or really anything under a grand, a lot of the components are being made in Asia and then assembled in Switzerland. My own personal opinion is that if you are talking "Made in Japan" vs "Swiss Made" there isn't going to be a big difference in quality when comparing a similarly priced watch. Yet if you are talking "Chinese Made" vs "Swiss Made", then I think there is going to be some potential differences. For me it comes down to quality control. Where I think the Swiss are going to be a lot more thorough, and less inclined to let something sub-par ship out. Which is why I think a lot of Microbrands, who have their watches made in China, do the final QC themselves before shipping to the customers. As for the Invicta factor, I'm not sure. From the limited research I've done, it doesn't seem like they've changed to much. But time may tell.
Thank you for a well thought out response. I do wonder if people just believe that Swiss made is better than any Asian made product. I do believe that there is some bias there. Really manufacturing took place in Switzerland due to cheap labor but now it is equated with superior quality. I’m not sure that Swiss made is actually better. I think it’s a good marketing ploy though.
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