SQUALE vs TANDORIO - results may surprise you

[cvp3 2,103]

Tandorio 40mm Coke NH34 GMT lefty with Sapphire crystal w/cyclops on 316L SS jubilee $55 (at ALX summer sale with RetailMeNot rebate)

LINKY - https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLOa8de

VS

Squale 40mm Coke ETA 2893-2 GMT 30 Atmos Ceramica, superluminova on 316L SS jubilee $600 (bought from SeriousWatch with a serious personal discount)

LINKY - https://www.gnomonwatches.com/products/30-atmos-black-red-gmt-ceramica-40mm-jubilee

I’m no watch expert….just a fan of watches under $1,500 which is my personal limit. So is the Squale worth 10X? And FYI no grading on a curve for specs…..you either punch above your weight or you don’t.

PRICE - When you consider what a watch does and costs, it’s really hard to argue that this Squale is worth 10 Tandorios. Once we get through the comparison I think you’ll agree.

T-1 S-0

DEPTH RATING - Squale uses Atmos (atmospheres) in fact 30 of them and Tandorio states 20 bar. The difference between atmos and bar is 1 bar = .986923 atmos. So really a rounding error. But 30 is in fact 50% more than 20, so Squale wins

T-1 S-1 (our first of many ties to come)

CASE FINISHING - Some differences in polish vs brush but overall both are very nice, no sharp edges and no misses or obvious cost cutting. We have a push here.

T-2 S-2

BEZEL - The Squale is ceramic and really looks the part, however this makes the red more muted. The engraved numbers are also thinner and there’s 90 clicks for a full orbit. Action is a little muddy actually, but zero back play and hits the marks perfectly, relief cuts are smooth. The Tandorio is aluminum and the red really pops. Clicks are super precise and have a very nice audible ‘snick’ to them with zero back play and again hitting all the marks. Relief cuts are grippier (better for a true dive watch), but not sharp. 120 clicks here for a full round trip. Close but advantage Tandorio.

T-3 S-2

MOVEMENT - Not worth unpacking. No mass-produced Seiko is going to match a Sellita. Sweep vs. stutter for the win. Advantage Squale.

T-3 S-3

BRACELET - Both are jubilee, although the Squale is chunkier. More of a preference difference than an advantage either way. The end links though was a different story. Both fit perfectly against the case with no noticeable differences in tolerances. The Squale’s however do not reach the end of the lugs. I’m sure it’s to allow for better articulation of the bracelet around the wrist, but frankly it just doesn’t look good. The Squale’s bracelet feels slightly more premium, however the clasp does not. Tandorio copies the Rolex here right down to the scuba deployment and the quick adjust. It works and works well. Advantage Tandorio. 

T-4 S-3

CASEBACK - Squale nicely etched and definitely some attention paid here, vs. bargain-bin-bland on the T. Advantage Squale.

T-4 S-4

CROWN and GUARDS - Both crowns are screw downs with rubber gaskets for water-proofing. The Squale’s gasket is red vs. plain black for the Tandorio. The Squale’s crown is also engraved. I do think the Tandorio looks better due to the height of the guards which masks the crown height. The Squale’s sits a little too proud of the guards so doesn’t look as clean. Both operate easily and correctly so ultimately  another push here for me.

T-5 S-5

DIAL - Both use applied indices, hands are well lumed with no overspray (will do lume next). The printed dials are very similar, however Squale’s are slightly raised. After that its pure aesthetics. I prefer the GMT-hand on the S, the minute/hour hands on the T - as well as the way the minute markers fall just short of the rehaut. So another tie.

T-6 S-6

LUME - Both dials are wonderfully lumed and last as long as you’d like. However, only the Squale lumes the bezel and the superluminova lasts just a bit longer. I’m also a sucker for an lumed bezel so…….Advantage Squale.

T-6 S-7

RESALE and VALUE - We can argue brand-equity, warranty, etc. Honestly have you ever had a Seiko movement fail? Me either. Is there an upside on the Squale? Possibly. But I’m confident I could sell either watch for 10-15% more than I paid…..so you guessed it, another tie.

T-7 S-8

I bought the Tandorio (my 3rd) because I wanted a lefty to try out. I’ve been impressed with their quality and the fact that you can buy one for a tenth the price of a Squale or Steinhart. They can definitely hang with the more premium brands with zero apologies. In the end the Squale edges it out……but just barely. 
 

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by cvp3

[NCRich 13,764]

Nice review.  Can't go wrong with the NH34.

[GingerApple 7,304]

Deffo prefer the cheaper one, irrespective of price. They're both a bit wokky for my liking though.

[rm65453 108]

Wouldn't mind giving this a shot. What's the RetailMeNot code?

[cvp3 2,103]

JusT setup an acct and link thru

[rm65453 108]

2 hours ago, cvp3 said:

JusT setup an acct and link thru

Thank you!

[RussP 22,358]

Just bought a Tandorio, not like yours, but a Dirty Dozen look a like, for $55 posted to Oz.

[cvp3 2,103]

3 hours ago, RussP said:

Just bought a Tandorio, not like yours, but a Dirty Dozen look a like, for $55 posted to Oz.

I actually have 4 total. Another diver w/green black bezel, a sterile dial from ebay and a blackout from ALX that actually came branded as a Seiko.

[cvp3 2,103]

Sorry gave you bad info. The Feiko was ALX from this seller. I paid ~$70.

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