Zenith Stratos Flyback First Impressions

rnaden · 2013-03-15T01:41:25Z

First impressions of the Zenith Stratos Flyback: 44.5mm size, build quality, and deployant issues. Is it too big for your wrist?

rnaden

WPS member · Zenith forum

10 replies4081 views10 photos

Rnaden shares his initial impressions of the Zenith Stratos Flyback, focusing on its imposing size and build quality. Despite its attractive design, the author notes challenges with its wearability for smaller wrists and critiques the deployant clasp's functionality, offering a candid first look.

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Decided to stop by my regular AD today over lunch, and the timing coincided with them packing up a Stratos Flyback to be shipped to a different store. They invited me to just check it out, though I did not want to have them remove the plastic wraps since they had so meticulously worked on it just before I stepped in.

The watch itself is imposing in size. It says 44.5mm, but with the thickness and heft, it certainly felt and looked larger than that. The build quality impressed me, and just holding it gave me the impression that it was very well made. I did like the dial and design, but unfortunately, it went beyond the maximum permitted size for my smallish wrist, and when I tried it on, my fears were confirmed. There was no way that this would fit me....to an extent, it reminded me of what my 9 year old son's wrist looked like when he tried wearing my watches.

Photos not all great due to the lighting and made worse with the plastic wrap, but it was the best I could do in the short span of time and not making them work to remove all that packing just for a few photos.

The deployant seemed a little strange though. Instead of the regular buttons, the grip pieces needed to be pushed back to release, which was not the most natural thing to be doing, not to mention pretty difficult to do. It also didn't seem to want to lock well, especially when the strap is adjusted to a short length and it kept springing loose for one reason or another. Not too sure why, but the touch of DLC coating on the deployant made it look good. As to whether the coating would come loose over time is another discussion altogether.

What are your thoughts?

The rose gold version. Although I'm not a big fan of gold, I personally thought it looked better than the black one (I've only seen it in pictures though, so it's not the best comparison)

Not so suitable for smaller wrists IMO

The applied markers and the circular grooves on the subdials lend some depth to the dial, and the touch of red brings out the sporty nature of the watch.

Comparison of thickness and size to my Captain Chrono. Pretty significant!

Thanks for reading.

Richard

This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2013-03-16 11:38:35

Key Points from the Discussion

The Zenith Stratos Flyback is described as imposing in size (44.5mm) and heft, often feeling larger than its stated dimensions, making it unsuitable for smaller wrists.
The deployant clasp design is a significant point of contention; its unique push-back mechanism is found to be unnatural, difficult to operate, and prone to springing loose, leading many to replace the original strap and deployant.
Nilomis suggests that Zenith designers could improve user experience by observing best practices from other brands, such as JLC for deployants, Omega for size variations, and Girard Perregaux for luminous materials.
Despite the size and deployant issues, the watch's build quality, dial design, and the combination of gold and carbon black in certain versions are praised for their attractiveness and robustness.
One user, Delamere, defends the deployant design, stating that it is easy to get used to and causes no problems, suggesting that Zenith simply does things differently.
Rhyzen expresses a common sentiment among collectors, wondering when the trend for oversized watches will subside, as many attractive models remain too large for their wrists.

The Discussion

nilomis

Mar 15, 2013

Richard, I share the same impressions that you had. Imposing, big but irresistible (at least to me). About the deployant, I got rid of mine on the first attempt to put on my wrist. Terrible is a soft word for it. Check the review of mine (SS) here: I'm testing several strap options and I plan to post those options sometime. Thank you again, Nilo

rnaden

Mar 15, 2013

Your experience with it is a whole lot more comprehensive than I could muster in the 20 minutes or so that I had, but my wrist is just too small to pull the Stratos off. It's a well made and a very attractive watch, for sure, and if it was available is something 42mm or less, it would definitely make my list of watches to have. It's robust and feels it...and the gold version was actually very inviting....the mix of gold and carbon black is a good combination IMO. Glad to see you're enjoying your

nilomis

Mar 15, 2013

Richard, Amazes me how, on all technological fields, designers simple refuses to "look to the other side". The deployant is just a small example of something that should be trivial but is not. If the Zenith designers just "look to the other side" we could have: a) A deployant that works smooth as the ones from ... JLC. b) Two sizes (42, 45) just like Omega do with the Planet Ocean that covers a much broad population. c) Luminous material that really works, just like the one used by Girard Perreg

DRMW

Mar 15, 2013

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Did you press the pushers and see how they feel? It seems like the black dial contrast well with the markers which makes it real legible. -MW

rnaden

Mar 15, 2013

...not too different from the Captain Chronos which are equipped with the cal 400. It's firm and clicks confidently, but not really as smooth and sturdy as the GO's for example. Richard

nilomis

Mar 15, 2013

Watches that I have or tried sports the same feeling. Firm. Cheers, Nilo

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