Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
checkVerified Buyer
Why does mine look so ugly?
UPDATE: 10/25/19 I stopped following this thread a few months ago when I went on vacation and HOLY MOLY has it evolved into a cluster**** to the point where my original thread has been locked and I can't even reply to it. Thanks to those who got into contact with me about this. I'm here to clear the air about what has been going on. TLDR: I'm still working with MD for a refund since they want me to go through Aquacy (doesn't make sense) and Aquacy wants me to go through MD (which makes sense). I have both watches still and waiting for MD to fix this before I send anything back. Aquacy CS told me and I quote: "If we get you a tracking # tomorrow with another one with 1 pieces dial would you be willing to delete your comments in conversation and on review?" They sent me a replacement:
search
search
Unsatisfied with the replacement, I contacted support and they told me: "You won’t receive one as don’t exist." So there you go - the final answer from Aquacy support is that you won't get one that looks like what they are advertising. There was a member on Reddit that was one of the first to get this and he had a full abalone dial so I guess it was only the first batch that got them. What a shame. There's also comments that I "scammed" the company. Seriously? I don't know who came up with that rumor but obviously that is just absolutely not true. They know that I'm dealing with MD and waiting to send back the watch. Here's proof that I have both watches and they are in the same condition as I received them - along with the return label that I'm waiting to use. As the consumer, I want to make sure I get my money back before I send back anything. Here are the watches still with all protective plastic attached:
search
search
If anything, I'm the one that was "scammed" with the dial. I didn't even call it that when I posted the review. Gees. I can't believe that I'm being called a scammer after all of this and that I even have to post these to defend myself. I'm just a consumer who: 1) Wants what was advertised and 2) if unable to receive said item receive a refund instead. Again, I will be sending it back once this is resolved with MD - I have no intention of keeping either of these watches. _______________________________________ Original review: I held off writing this review because I really tried to being myself to like the watch but ultimately I couldn't. I really wanted to like this watch but I knew something was off as soon as I opened the box. Unlike any of the photos you'll see of this watch, mine looks completely different. Instead of the watch face done in one single piece like in other photos which would have looked amazing, mine looks like it was randomly pieced together like a mosaic. I've included photos to indicate what I mean as an example. It's hard to capture on camera but in person it looks really obvious that the watch face is split into multiple sections.
search

search
I don't think it's supposed to look this way and I hope that if you get the Abalone your RNG is better than mine. Very disappointed.
search
search

(Edited)
Recommends this product? No
Wanton86What is RNG? Its genuine Abalone. Note in 2nd pic he drew lines in. Dial does not look that way or have orange lines in its. Abalone dials may vary from one to the next as they are natural shells. We have sold hundred of these and virtually no complaints. We cant keep the Abalone in stock. Sorry you were not satisfied with yours. As far as "mosaic". 95% of pieces that were produced are single piece abalone dials. In future production all will be as it has been addressed with the factory that we would prefer all 1 piece only. Abalone is now sold out and more are in production and guaranteed to be single piece dials going forward.
(Edited)
AquacyRNG is simply an acronym that stands for "Random Number Generator" which is used to describe the often unfortunate nature of randomness. In my case I received a bad quality dial. I can't believe I have to say this, but OBVIOUSLY the dial does not come with orange lines - I even mentioned in the review that I was trying to illustrate what I was referring to. You're missing the point and being defensive. Instead of acknowledging that I - your customer - received a defective product you keep bringing up other "positive" points about the watch. You keep saying that you can't keep the Abalone in stock, but what does that have to do with me? I'm one of the ones that bought one and it turned out terrible. You mention that 95% of the pieces are single piece abalone dials. That means I'm one of the 5% that has a ugly looking dial. "In future production all will be as it has been addressed with the factory that we would prefer all 1 piece only." OK, well I would like one of those instead of the one I have now because it is NOTHING like the stock photos you advertise. "Abalone is now sold out and more are in production and guaranteed to be single piece dials going forward. " OK, but once again what does this do for me? I shouldn't have to settle for a bad batch now and have to buy another watch later when your production makes them correctly like your photos advertise. How many times would I have to purchase this Abalone version to get one like your stock photos? Is this the kind of support I'm going to get from this company? You're not listening to the customer. I was planning on buying 3 more of these watches: one in each of the MOP colors. However, based on the way things are going I might as well save my money and spend it on a company who cares about their customers. Massdrop support asked that I reach to your customer support for a exchange/refund. I sure hope it's not the same person that's writing the comments. If you can't make this right then consider the fact that you just lost out on a potential repeat customer.
Wanton86Sorry you are not happy.  You can contact customer support through our website Aquacywatch.com for potential remedy.  We do want you to be a happy customer.
DennisJames
35
Jul 22, 2019
AquacyI'm surprised this company won't take ownership of this. Instead they phrase their reply in a way that says your complaint is a problem with your taste. It's not even my watch, but I can tell that this is them trying to use up their extra abalone pieces that were too small to make a whole dial with. What a cheap strategy that they clearly know is shady. Their reply to you just lost them a customer. Sorry, Wanton86!
DennisJamesNo the case at all. Handling with customer directly.
MarPabl
1088
Jul 22, 2019
AquacyHopefully @Wanton86 will confirm in this conversation that his concerns are being addressed.
Holdenitdown
108
Jul 23, 2019
Wanton86This is really too bad. I have considered buying this watch, but 5 bad dials in every 100 does not inspire confidence. What does it say about the product overall? You certainly can't play down the impact of cosmetic defects (and this IS a defect) - appearance is a major concern for watch buyers. I would accept nothing less than an immediate replacement, postage paid.
DennisJamesThanks for your comment. We told customer to contact us via our website customer service regarding this. It's not something that we will hanlde and provide all details on a drop review thread but the customer is being taken care of.
HoldenitdownThanks for your comment. We do always take care of our customers once they contact us but playing out all details of that solution on a drop review thread is not something that we will do. As most companies would not. Most would not even respond to a bad drop review at all and tell the customer to contact them. Take a look at some other brands on drop that are sold and look at the bad reviews and you will typically see no response from the company at all. We often go above and beyond for customers but those instances typically never end up on review. As with most product sold a company can sell 100's of pieces of a product and get one good review if lucky even though all those customers are happy. Getting a bad review when something goes wrong is easy. Getting a good review is hard as most buyers if they are happy simply won't take the time to do it. This is with any product sold on the net. Customers are quick to review when unhappy, 100 times less likely to do so when happy. So for every bad review you find on any product there were likely hundreds sold and all happy but that one bad stands out.
Holdenitdownhttps://drop.com/buy/spinnaker-cahill-diver-automatic-watch/reviews?sort=lowestRated Great example here. 1100 watches sold. Only 69 reviews. 26 of them are 3 or less star rating. 3.7 starts out of 5. On bad reviews brand not present on drop and does not post any response. We are trying.
MarPabl
1088
Jul 25, 2019
AquacyThat will be all fine once @Wanton86 confirms his issue got solved 😅
Wanton86There was confusion on their explanation due to language barrier from dial factory. Larger then 15mm Abalone pieces are hard to come by that are suitable for watch dials. Very hard as in almost do not exist. The shells are small. All brands with dials larger then 15mm use multi piece abalone dials. They are put together by skilled artists. You just normally cant tell its multi piece but you can tell if you look hard enough typically under certain lighting etc. . So anytime you see an Abalone dial on a watch of any brand its 99%+ chance it is multi-piece although you should not be able to see the lines with the naked eye if done correctly but if you look hard enough in right lighting etc. you probebaly can find it if you are looking for issues. We will say that we have sold hundreds and hundreds of these Abalone dial pieces. Literally the only complaints we have had have been from drop customers that read this review then decided to find issue with their dial after the fact and in some cases after owning it for months with no complaint. Prior to this review there were no problems. The abalone dial is our #1 seller and everyone loves it, except fro a few customers on drop. We cant keep them in stock.
(Edited)
guisess93
143
Sep 15, 2019
Wanton86How did they solve your case? Did you receive any refund?
planb10113
352
Oct 1, 2019
guisess93I feel I should chime in here because I had an identical experience with a multi-piece abalone face. After commenting on Drop, I was quickly replied to by Aquacy providing an email address to contact. After sending the email with pictures of the face, I got a response in less than 24 hours with a return shipping label. Took about 3-4 weeks from there for me to get my replacement. While the communication from Aquacy on here may come across to some as defensive, my experience found them to be honest and genuinely interested in making me happy with my purchase. As a side note, I got the sense that they are a relatively small operation reliant on positive reviews to help spread and bolster their brand. While by no means do I think that alone is reason enough to positively review them, I do feel it explains why, in my experience, they are so focused on providing such quality customer support.
guisess93
143
Oct 2, 2019
planb10113Can you provide the email to contact them as well? Thank you very much.
guisess93We shipped the customer a replacement.
guisess93
143
Oct 3, 2019
Aquacycan you provide your email address? I need assistance as well.
planb10113
352
Oct 3, 2019
guisess93Info@aquacywatch.com
(Edited)
MarPabl
1088
Oct 5, 2019
planb10113Please provide link to that conversation where you got help I can't find it...
planb10113
352
Oct 5, 2019
MarPablI kind of blasted Aquacy with my comment and they politely replied something along the lines of "Please contact this email with your issue to get it resolved". Once I worked things out with them, I decided to delete my comment as it was a little aggressive and their customer support did a good job of making me happy.
MarPabl
1088
Oct 5, 2019
planb10113🆒😀 glad to hear that
tacticaltaco
5
Oct 19, 2019
Wanton86I literally just got the exact same thing. I asked them specifically before they shipped to pick me out one that doesn't look like that. I'm now attempting to get in contact with their customer service for a replacement.
search
search
search

RayF
22213
Oct 19, 2019
tacticaltacoAside from the multi-piece abalone dials (and a few other points I could mention that would get this comment hidden quicker than you can say: Bob's your Uncle), is the major design flaw that makes this particular version almost completely useless--SKINNY HANDS. One thing a diver shouldn't be is hard to read. Combining a busy, multi-colored dial with dainty little hands and petite indices creates a watch that doesn't do much of what it's supposed to do: display the current time. I don't imagine it gets easier to read 600' below the surface. I suppose if one is simply interested in the novelty of an abalone dial, and is willing to forgo the ease of reading the dial, it might make sense.
tacticaltaco
5
Oct 20, 2019
RayFYeah legibility isn't the greatest, but I bought this solely for the abalone dial. I'm very disappointed with my dial though. I don't mind the lines between the pieces as much as I mind the color difference between the two pieces of abalone. https://imgur.com/a/jYxF0n6/ Look at that guy's watch. I can clearly see two lines, but that doesn't bother me as his abalone are very dark and blend well together. It's easy to lose focus on the lines when you're looking at the watch. Mine isn't the same though. The majority of it is a light green with pinkish reflection, but that one square piece (that's dark blue/green) just sticks out like a sore thumb. It was so bad that I didn't even wear the watch because I want it to be in new ish condition for when I exchange it. From what I can tell, Aquacy does try to please their customers, so I'm not too worried, just a bit annoyed because I specifically asked for a non-ugly looking abalone dial before they shipped it out. I'll be updating this thread as I get things sorted out.
RayF
22213
Oct 20, 2019
tacticaltacoPretty sure he will take care of you; no one has posted otherwise and l know he wants to keep this gig. Let us know...
(Edited)
MarPabl
1088
Oct 20, 2019
tacticaltacoYes keep up posted please 🙏🏼 Good 🍀 with your request!
tacticaltaco
5
Oct 20, 2019
RayFHis responded on facebook and said that he would take a look on Monday at the other ones in his inventory and see if he can find any that I would be satisfied with. Otherwise, the other option is a refund. I'm happy that Aquacy has good customer service. Apparently the OP who started this thread received the replacement and refused to return his first one out of spite and ended up scamming Aquacy.
RayF
22213
Oct 20, 2019
tacticaltacoWell I certainly wouldn’t condone stiffing the guy after he tried to help them out, but he was very defensive when the first complaints came in. Probably rubbed some folks the wrong way. Hope he can help you find a winner!
guisess93
143
Oct 21, 2019
tacticaltacoDafug. How u know the OP scammed Aquacy?
tacticaltaco
5
Oct 21, 2019
guisess93That's what their customer support told me. Of course, I have no proof other than his word.
guisess93
143
Oct 21, 2019
RayFPlease excuse me, was on my phone :(
guisess93
143
Oct 21, 2019
tacticaltacoCS guy just randomly told you the OP scammed them? I wonder how the conversation led to that. Anyway, I'm contacting them soon too.
RayF
22213
Oct 21, 2019
guisess93That customer service guy was the...owner. Aquacy is a one-man-band sort of watch company. It's not like we're dealing with the Swatch Group here ;-)
guisess93
143
Oct 21, 2019
RayFOh I thought they have a few people. Not expected the brand to be 1 man do all
RayF
22213
Oct 21, 2019
guisess93Well I'm not counting the guys in the factory who actually do the manufacturing--strictly speaking, they're not his employees.
MarPabl
1088
Oct 21, 2019
guisess93Why are you contacting them? Bad dial as well?
tacticaltaco
5
Oct 21, 2019
guisess93I mentioned to him that I didn't want a dial that looked like OP's and mentioned the drop.com comment. He then went on to tell me the details of what happened.
Larger then 15mm Abalone pieces are hard to come by that are suitable for watch dials. Very hard as in almost do not exist. The shells are small. All brands with dials larger then 15mm use multi piece abalone dials. They are put together by skilled artists. You just normally cant tell its multi piece but you can tell if you look hard enough typically under certain lighting etc. . So anytime you see an Abalone dial on a watch of any brand its 99%+ chance it is multi-piece although you should not be able to see the lines with the naked eye if done correctly but if you look hard enough in right lighting etc. you probebaly can find it if you are looking for issues. We will say that we have sold hundreds and hundreds of these Abalone dial pieces. Literally the only complaints we have had have been from drop customers that read this review then decided to find issue with their dial after the fact and in some cases after owning it for months with no complaint. Prior to this review there were no problems. The abalone dial is our #1 seller and everyone loves it, except fro a few customers on drop. We cant keep them in stock.
tacticaltacoDial looks beautiful but we allowed customer to return for refund. Larger then 15mm Abalone pieces are hard to come by that are suitable for watch dials. Very hard as in almost do not exist. The shells are small. All brands with dials larger then 15mm use multi piece abalone dials. They are put together by skilled artists. You just normally cant tell its multi piece but you can tell if you look hard enough typically under certain lighting etc. . So anytime you see an Abalone dial on a watch of any brand its 99%+ chance it is multi-piece although you should not be able to see the lines with the naked eye if done correctly but if you look hard enough in right lighting etc. you probebaly can find it if you are looking for issues. We will say that we have sold hundreds and hundreds of these Abalone dial pieces. Literally the only complaints we have had have been from drop customers that read this review then decided to find issue with their dial after the fact and in some cases after owning it for months with no complaint. Prior to this review there were no problems. The abalone dial is our #1 seller and everyone loves it, except fro a few customers on drop. We can't keep them in stock.
(Edited)
RayF
22213
Oct 22, 2019
AquacyNice work--this is exactly the sort of defensive, insecure, and frankly unhinged, blame-the-customer response that has given you such a lousy reputation on this site. I could think of a hundred better ways to address this issue--without telling everyone you think the actual problem are the MD Members who've brought their concerns to you--as opposed to your product. But don't let me stop you--you just keep going the way you have--alienating current customers and scaring away potential future customers who read your rants. Lets see how your foot-in-mouth customer service philosophy works out next drop.
RayF
22213
Oct 22, 2019
MarPablNot if MD keeps hiding them!
RayF
22213
Oct 22, 2019
Aquacy
search
This is a 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" sheet of Abalone--very common for inlays on Guitar necks. Lots of other examples larger than 15mm available with a simple Google/image search, and tons of other sheets available on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/i/172423366381?chn=ps&var=472418664184&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=471258444387_172423366381&targetid=595232464789&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9029271&campaignid=2086087614&mkgroupid=76935344043&rlsatarget=pla-595232464789&abcId=1141016&merchantid=114764038&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsIy6mIaw5QIVLR-tBh1OygzVEAQYAiABEgL03PD_BwE Why are 15mm pieces so hard for you to source?
RayFIncorrect. You can tell that piece is multi piece put together. See the lines? they do not come that big. Abalone like this is sourced from New Zealand and for the meat industry there and in Asia. The size they are when harvested the largest usable pieces are typically max 15mm in diameter. Too small for most watch dials unless a small ladies watch. The shells are a bi product of meat industry and used in Jewelry , Watches, etc. and yes guitars sometimes but usually MOP is mostly used on guitar necks.
RayF
22213
Oct 22, 2019
AquacyI'm not suggesting there are 2.5" x 4.5" flat, abalones swimming around in the ocean, just waiting to be harvested by Chinese watch makers--but I am saying sheets are readily available, and evidently some people are better at putting the pieces together such that even a 2.5" x 4.5" sheet used as an inlay on a guitar neck, doesn't exhibit the lines people are complaining about here. Hard to imagine guitar owners are less picky about their inlays than watch owners... It's fairly evident at this point your M.O. has been to accept the product you're shipped and to pass that off in hopes that customers will accept what you supply. What you've run into here, are people who have an above average eye for detail, and who take their watches more seriously than the average Joe. You'd do better to explain the process and limitations of piecing together the mosaic your dials are made from up front, rather than after the purchase.
(Edited)
Midnightrider is RAYF by the way. He has used the account and multiple others to pump up his comments in the past and try to make himself appear as an authority on things. Is any other brand selling abalone dials bothering to explain this to you? No. Pictures you posted they are not better at putting together. The picture you posted the lines are clear even though picture is blurry. Nowhere on that sheet is there a spot to punch out a watch dial to fit our watch that would be all one piece. Every other brand that does Abalone is the same. Be sure to go comment on their stuff also please. I would also point out that RAYF has never owned our brand nor will he ever as since day one on Drop he has talked negatively about the brand. RAYF does have the same last name however as a large player in the watch industry that owns multiple brands some of which are sold on drop. We have seen him make multiple positive comments on those brands while the pieces were obscene prices and retails for the specs offered with only 2-3 items sold. We have known this since day one. Suspicious? Yes, to say the least. As all you regulars on here know if there is anyone with an opinion that will point out an overpriced low spec watch for sale on drop it is RAYF. Yet he talks kindly about such products owned by someone that shares his last name. Is it possible he is trying to disparage competition here from other brands? I don't know. Form your own opinion. He doesn't own the product but takes much time and paragraphs to disparage it. He even goes so far to call us a 1 person company when he knows nothing about us. We have multiple employees. Again one must ask why he would make up things he has no knowledge of? What is the motive?
(Edited)
AquacyNote that RAYF posted first as MIDNIGHTRIDER. Realized his error. Deleted then re-posted as RAYF.
RayF
22213
Oct 22, 2019
planb10113That was mighty big of you considering he just commented that the problem you were concerned with wasn't a problem with the watches he's selling, but instead, a problem with the MD members who bought his watches: "Literally the only complaints we have had have been from drop customers that read this review then decided to find issue with their dial after the fact and in some cases after owning it for months with no complaint. Prior to this review there were no problems." In other words, what he's saying is--it's only a problem if you notice it!
(Edited)
RayFApparently this review was flagged so many times that the system automatically hid it. I've reversed it, but I'm locking the thread because it's obviously not going anywhere positive at this point.
RayF
22213
Oct 22, 2019
AquacyYes, I withdrew them from that account and reposted them here so I could deal with your SLANDEROUS COMMENTS regarding my honor, man to man, you scurrilous dog you--on guard ;- )
(Edited by moderator AlexPk)
RayFComplaints are FAR less than 1% on all abalone dials sold. That speaks for itself. Literally 3-4 complaints of hundreds sold. Of those 3-4 we have communicated directly with the customer and did everything to make the customer happy. They were either given another watch or refunded. But again. RAYF does not own our product and one must wonder what is his skin in this game as from day one he was negative regarding it even though the price points offered on drop for the movement and specs were some of if not the best prices in the industry. Of course that does draw the eye of competition that does not like that! They would love to continue overcharging for low spec watches.
RayF
22213
Oct 22, 2019
AquacyWow!!! Thank you Donald Trump for that foil-hat reply to my comments, that is "you" at your best! Here's the deal: MidnightRider is absolutely my dual account. I was forced to create it because MD is in the habit of hiding member posts from others, while leaving them visible to the original poster--a second account allows one to see what others see. I initially took issue with your brand because of the ridiculous marketing claims you made, and you are absolutely correct that I have never owned one of your watches--I don't like them. As to your comments suggesting I'm some how in cahoots with other manufactures who share my last name, besides being nutty on the face of it, I don't know anyone in the watch business, with my name or not. However I would point out two things, A) Friedman is the third most common name in the largest city in the US (New York), so beside Milton and Thomas L, I'm not surprised you've come across some in the watch business (evidently you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one of us), and B) if you'd be kind enough to pass on the names of those Friedman owned companies, I'd be much obliged--I've always wanted a Speedmaster and if turns out the guy who owns Omega is Bernie, Max, or Harry Friedman, I might be able to get him to cut me a deal ;- ) Kidding aside, I call 'em as I see 'em, and I don't mince words. There are plenty of watches sold on MD that I don't care for, a few others that I don't like because of the way they're marketed, and a few that I actually buy. Your stuff fits more into the first couple of categories. If you made stuff I liked, I'd say so, and probably buy a couple as well. And just for the record, I don't buy watches on Spec or Price, I just buy what I like. PS: glad to hear you have additional employees--might I suggest you let one of them handle your PR on MD going forward? 'Cuz buddy--you ain't exactly crushing it here ;- ) By the way, here are Mr. Auqacy's original comments to me, before he "tidied them up" (ie: took out the loony bits) "Midnightrider is RAYF by the way. He has used the account and multiple others to pump up his comments in the past and try to make himself appear as an authority on things. Is any other brand selling abalone dials bothering to explain this to you? No. Pictures you posted they are not better at putting together. The picture you posted the lines are clear even though picture is blurry. Nowhere on that sheet is there a spot to punch out a watch dial to fit our watch that would be all one piece. Every other brand that does Abalone is the same. Be sure to go comment on their stuff also please. I would also point out that RAYF has never owned our brand nor will he ever as since day one on Drop he has talked negatively about the brand. RAYF does have the same last name however as a large player in the watch industry that owns multiple brands some of which are sold on drop. We have seen him make multiple positive comments on those brands while the pieces were obscene prices and retails for the specs offered with only 2-3 items sold. We have known this since day one. Suspicious? Yes, to say the least. As all you regulars on here know if there is anyone with an opinion that will point out an overpriced low spec watch for sale on drop it is RAYF. Yet he talks kindly about such products owned by someone that shares his last name. Is it possible he is trying to disparage competition here from other brands? I don't know. Form your own opinion. He doesn't own the product but takes much time and paragraphs to disparage it. He even goes so far to call us a 1 person company when he knows nothing about us. We have multiple employees. Again one must ask why he would make up things he has no knowledge of? What is the motive?"


(Edited)