As someone who's always keen on getting a good deal, I found a watch that checks all the boxes at a bargain of $290 (£210 in 2021 exchange rate) -- The J&G Exciton II! Unfortunately, this was a Kickstarter campaign from August 2021 and they're not going to make this version again.



However, there are still some units left that were set aside, in case existing backers get a faulty unit. You could also get one pre-owned if any of the existing backers decide to sell theirs.

This didn't get enough attention during their Kickstarter campaign last year. Now that it's been delivered and people see the finished product, some people told me they regret missing out on this.

About J&G Watches 

If you're not familiar with J&G Watches, it's a partnership between James, and engineer based in Canada and Gary, a youtuber based in the UK (he has work outside of Youtube but I don't know what it is).

James does the product development and design side of the work, while Gary does the marketing and business administration side of the work (at least, that's how I understood the split).

For the marketing and promotion of the Exciton II, it was mostly through Gary's "I Like Watches" (ILW) Youtube channel, James's Instagram Account, and through guests appearances in podcasts like SoCal Watch Reviews. (As of July 2022, J&G does not have its own website and its own Instagram account.)

While I think the campaign should have done better given what they had to offer, I can understand the reluctance of people who aren't ILW fans in supporting the Kickstarter campaign. A big factor for me in backing a project is the reputation of the project owner (how likely are they to deliver). I've been a long time viewer of the "I Like Watches" channel, so I trusted they wouldn't let us down. The manufacturer of the watches is Cronos (formerly known as Lugyou) and they've had very positive reviews when it comes to the quality of their watches.

At the end of the campaign, they met the minimum target of the campaign just in time for the deadline, so the fundraising was a success.

Fast forward to nine months later, the watches have arrived. It came in this plastic case and it came with these tools. And the watch itself? Oh boy, you are getting so much for the price. 


Dimensions:

  • Case diameter: 38mm
  • Lug-to-lug: 44mm
  • Case thickness: 11mm
  • Lug width: 20mm
  • Bracelet: Starts at 20mm, tapers to 16mm

Highlighting the combination of features that make it a bargain at $300:

  1. Original but Not Outlandish design: Looking at the angular brushed stainless steel case, the BGW9-filled applied hour markers, the case back with the conversion units, the bespoke engineer style bracelet... these are not off the shelf components that they just slapped on together. To achieve the proper balance and proportion of the design, each component has to be exactly how it needs to be. To me this watch looks just right. It's a nice, tool-y, original design that's not going to stick out in a bad way.
  2. Sapphire Crystal With Anti-Reflective Coating: It has a flat sapphire crystal with AR coating. Yes, you can get those on other homage watches but what if you're like me and you don't want an homage dive watch? The other choices in this price range are the Seiko SKX or the Orient dive watches (note: except the Orient Kamasu which I found out later on uses sapphire crystal) and they only use hardlex or mineral crystal, which is not as scratch resistant as sapphire. To be fair there are other dive watches in the same price range with original designs that also use sapphire crystal but... moving on to the next feature...
  3. Powered by the Hi-Beat Miyota 9015: It's powered by the Miyota 9015, which hacks, hand winds, and beats at 28,800 beats per hour. This results in a smoother sweep compared to the other budget watches using the Miyota 8000-series movement or the Seiko NH35, which only has 21600 beats per hour. Also with the thinness of the Miyota 9015, they're able to keep the watch thin at 11 millimeters, compared to other budget dive watches which are about 13 millimeters. Typically watches using the Miyota 9000 series movements are priced much higher at about $500 or more.
  4. Ceramic Bezel Insert: The 120-click unidirectional, coin edge bezel uses a brushed ceramic bezel insert. Budget watches typically use aluminum bezel inserts which is less scratch resistant. Ceramic bezel inserts are said to be tougher and won't fade away as quickly, but they are generally more expensive so that's a downside in the future should you need a replacement.
  5. Custom 5-Link Engineer Style Screw Link Bracelet: The bracelet on the Exciton II is one of the main highlights of this watch. It's a screw-link bracelet, whereas typical budget watches come with split pin bracelets. The individual links are flat on the outside, which helps it catch the light, in a way that makes it look like it's glimmering. The inner part is curved to help with comfort. I'm sure the watch will look good on other straps but with a bracelet like this, I don't even want to bother taking it off.

When it comes to water resistance, it has a rating of 200m and it has a screw down crown. I think 200m is typical and expected even for budget dive watches. I probably won't be going diving for real, but it's nice to know that I can use it for diving should the need arise.

The BGW9 lume here is sufficiently bright, but it's not as strong compared to my Spinnaker Croft watch. Maybe it's just that teal is not as strong as lime green (so there's an illusion that green lume is brighter), but comparing the two, the Spinnaker Croft's lime green lume really is much brighter. However for the Exciton lume, I do like that it's evenly done throughout.

Now, I don't mean to sound like I'm selling this watch. I mean it is what it is! However, it's not a perfect watch. There are some minor flaws due to the limitations and admittedly some of these are a little nitpicky:

  1. Ghost Date Position: The ghost date position is going to be a problem for some people. They weren't able to get no-date movements for the ones with no-dates on the dial for cost reasons (I think). While they do have dials with the date, I went for the no-date one for the symmetry of the 3-6-9-12. 
  2. Gap between End Link and Bracelet: This is a little nitpicky, but there is a wider gap between the end link and the bracelet, which breaks the flow of the watch to the bracelet. 
  3. The Coin Edge Bezel Hurts My Fingers: This one is also nitpicky, and it might just be me. While it's got great bezel action and the sound of the turns are satisfyingly crisp, the coin-edge hurts my fingers. When I turn the bezel, I feel like if I use it often enough my fingertips are going to develop callouses. 
  4. No Minute Markers on the Dial: This was raised by someone in the Watch Crunch forum as it bothered them, but it doesn't really bother me because I just use the minute markers on the bezel.  However, I thought I should include that in this review. 

Overall, I like that they were able to combine the affordability of Aliexpress watches with a very good design. If you're interested in buying the Exciton II for yourself, get in touch with Gary at "I Like Watches". OR.... maybe wait until there is an Exciton III? 😆

Here's the link to the video: