# Kronos Pseudo - Rhula Review



## JoT

*Kronos Pseudo-Rhula*

*1. Case and Bracelet*

The uni-directional rotating bezel is fitted with a metal insert with the standard 60 minute markings. There is no luminous dot/mark at 60/12. The bezel turns 360 degrees in 60 clicks; unfortunately there is little resistance so it easily moves off station. The bezel is stainless steel with a finish to match the case, it has a serrated edge giving good grip, however given the lack of resistance to turn it is more of a cosmetic feature than a necessity. Bezel diameter is a shade over 42mm.










The case is reported as being made of 316L stainless steel which has been bead blasted to a matt finish. The case width is approximately 48mm including the crown and just over 51mm lug to lug. There are no sharp edges and the lugs curve towards the wrist making it comfortable to wear. The lugs are drilled through and the lug width is 24mm.










The screw in case back is polished stainless steel with the Kronos markings, the thread is not very deep, as a 360 degree turn removes the back. It is rated as 200m â€œwater protectedâ€ whatever that means! The crown screws in smoothly and seats after a couple of turns.










The bracelet is reasonable quality solid link with screw-in pins, the clasp is a bit flimsy and does not do the quality of the links any justice. The finish is also bead blasted with a very good colour match to the case.










*2. Crystal, Dial and Hands*

The crystal is a thick domed mineral glass approximately 30mm in diameter, clarity isnâ€™t great partly to do with the thickness and partly due to the quality of the glass.

This dial is a familiar British MoD style with a date window a nice deep black colour (a yellow dial is also available), the printing on the dial is crisp and the luminous paint is well applied. The luminosity seems OK, although I will need to check how long lasting it is. The dial is fitted under a matt steel chapter ring. The hands are the classic MoD sword style (a plongeur minute hand is available as an option), the lume is different shade of green to the lume applied on the dial.

*3. The Movement*

This Pseudo-Rhula uses a 25 jewel ETA 2824-2 movement, I havenâ€™t had it long enough to assess accuracy although it loos as if it is running at about +14 seconds a day, pretty standard for the 2824 that I belive leaves the factory set at +15 seconds. The movement is not engraved is gold plated and held in place with a plastic spacer.










*4. Overall Impressions*

For Â£100 delivered you get a hefty, good looking military style automatic watch with a Swiss movement. The only real down side I can find is the bezel which is too easy to turn. Is it a genuine diver? I suspect it is more of a desk diver than a genuine diver; however it would make an ideal everyday or work watch. With watches like the Pseudo Rhula and other military styles based on the RN and SBS diverâ€™s, G10 and Benrus Type 1, Kronos are going to make inroads into the military style watch market. The likes of CWC, Broadarrow and others offering military and military style watches could suffer with the loss of the more budget conscious customers.

Case Diameter: 48mm including crown, 51mm lug to lug

Bezel Diameter: 42mm

Crystal Diameter: 30mm

Lug Width: 24mm

Weight: 180g on a bracelet

*5. Comparison With CWC RN Diver*

Link: Comparison With CWC RN Diver


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## Mrcrowley

I have no experience of military watches. However for the looks (and size) of it I could go for one.


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## jasonm

Nice one John, Ive liked this style of diver for ages and this looks like just the job, Ive also wanted a watch with 24mm lugs, Ive never had one









I would imagine if you took the bezel off, one could bend the wire strips underneath to get a tighter action ( if it uses them)

Ive no excuse now









Or shall I wait for an ex JoT example?


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## PhilM

Great review John and great photo's. Like you say for Â£100 quid you get a lot of watch for you money


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## mach 0.0013137

Great review John









As you can see there are some differences with my one ie the hands and date


















I don`t find the bezel too loose on mine although it`s not as tight as any of my other divers but it is tighter then then Vostok Amphibia`s









Also I don`t find any problem with the clarity of my crystal









I`m very happy with this watch, in fact I don`t think there`s been a day since I bought it from `The Welshman` that I haven`t worn it even if only for a few hours









I like the look of the CWC but not the price, so this`ll do nicely as a cheap substitute


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## mach 0.0013137

I forgot to mention that the lume (on mine at least) is on a par with my Orient CEX04 200M Diver ie not up to the Seiko SKX007, however Colin (Nalu) did mention newer models are better


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## Nalu

Should have known better, he's everywhere!









The bezel on mine is 'just right'. After much discussion over at TZ-UK I was convinced the crystals are sapphire (at least in the newer models). Mine may very well be: it spent a month in my boot bag (put there before a touch match and forgotten) and turned up none the worse for the wear!



















The lume shot below is with the watch fully-charged with a UV torch. The lume is not all that long-lasting, being more like a 10-15 yo watch than one brand new.










With the brushed case and off-putting fake MOD markings, maybe we're not even dealing with the same watch/company. I was told by the (Scandinavian) seller it was a Ray/HK special, but who knows?

Nice review John, well done.


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## Nalu

Forgot to add that I've seen the prices around $120-160 in various configurations. I paid around $100 and that was with a Hirsch CF strap and a NATO.


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## JoT

The person behind Orsa seems to be a Martin Berger, Kronos is Ray Wong's brand so perhaps they are not the same company. The watches are similar but with differences especially the bezel and case back.


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## mach 0.0013137

I have been trying to find information on the original Ruhla NVA watch but it`s somewhat scarce.

I found this elsewhere ....



> Genuine Ruhla NVA watches appear on German eBay from time to time. Price is between 120 and 200 EUR. The Miltec watch is sold by some German online shops, you may want to try google (or google.de). Price is usually around 50 EUR.
> 
> If you want a genuine NVA for your collection, beware of fakes (re-labeled Miltec watches). The NVA watch is not of very high quality, the case is chromed brass and the dial and hands look cheap. On the other hand, the strap is held with thick screw-type bars and the (inner) crown is big enough to use it.
> 
> The Miltec watch uses thin spring bars which are IMHO insufficient to hold the heavy watch, and the inner crown is too small to use. Hands and dial of the Miltec glow only very faintly and for a short time - even the NVA has better luminous stuff. Accuracy is also better on the NVA.
> 
> I have both, but the only one I wear is the Ruhla NVA (bought the Miltec first, but found a Ruhla on eBay a few days later )
> 
> If you want the watch as base for a frankenwatch, please use the Miltec - don't destroy a genuine NVA watch. They are rare. I've been told by a guy from "Garde Uhren" (a watch company in Ruhla - not a direct successor of VEB Ruhla but many of the old hands work there) that only about 5000 were made.
> 
> *Hans-Georg Zipperer*


Unfortunately I haven`t been able to find a photo


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## JoT

There is some debate about Kronos and Orsa; it seems that they both brands are made in the far-east. Orsa are Quebec, Canada based and the principle is Martin Berger. Kronos are also made in the far-east (China-Hong Kong) and the principle seems to be Hong Kong based Ray Wong.

Orsa use Ronda quartz and Miyota automatic movements in their current watches and Kronos use mainly ETA quartz and ETA2824-2 automatic movements.

The cases of many of the watches are so similar I wonder of they have the same source?


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## dapper

JoT said:


> There is some debate about Kronos and Orsa; it seems that they both brands are made in the far-east. Orsa are Quebec, Canada based and the principle is Martin Berger. Kronos are also made in the far-east (China-Hong Kong) and the principle seems to be Hong Kong based Ray Wong.
> 
> Orsa use Ronda quartz and Miyota automatic movements in their current watches and Kronos use mainly ETA quartz and ETA2824-2 automatic movements.
> 
> The cases of many of the watches are so similar I wonder of they have the same source?
> 
> 
> 
> ←
> ​


Great review, thanks.

I read somewhere that Ray was Martin's original supplier.


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## Nalu

Ray originally had the Orsa name on the obverse of his watches (as seen above), whereas the Canadian 'real' Orsas say "Orsa" on the dial (as Hakim has shown on RLT in the past).

The Kronos label is a more recent development, presumably prompted by Mr. Berger's understandable reaction to being undersold by Ray's ersatz Orsas.

I believe that Ray Wong is truly trying to make a creditable line of bon marche, military-style watches. Just because he started off on the wrong foot doesn't mean he's not putting out some interesting pieces (nor does it mean he doesn't have a ways to go still). He does seem to have incorporated feedback from customers into his designs, although he may have made some missteps along the way (witness the disappearance of the 12 pip on the bezel on John's watch).

Thanks for the Ruhla info Mac - that's all news to me. I've been thinking more and more about fixed bar watches in the last 6 months and am increasingly of the mind that they are an essential feature in a milwatch. The complementary conclusion is that there are too few milwatches out these days with fixed bars. Thus, I am convinced I am going to buy a Yao Blackwater.


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## JoT

Thanks for the explanation Colin









If it wasn't for the sloppy bezel and the lack of the luminous pip the ETA 2824-2 Kronos Pseudo Rhula would be amazing value, as it stands it is still a very good watch for the money.

I agree about fixed bars (ref my many posts on exploding spring bars!).

My tough condition watch is now a CWC RN diver on a grey NATO; it is the only watch I have on a NATO now, RLT17 aside everything else is now on steel.


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## Sargon

I really like the ones that have the Proplof hands. If only they made them under 43mm.


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## mach 0.0013137

Nice to see what the original looked like, the babelfish translation is a bit weird but the important details of the watch are....

Case size excluding crown...46mm

Depth 15.5mm

Ruhla 8 Jewel Quartz


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## mach 0.0013137

Forgot say thanks for the link Chris









Interesting to see that the Kronos`s unattached canteen crown was on the original


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## mach 0.0013137

Nice to see the similarities & differences between the Kronos & the original, I prefer the dial and hands on mine also I gather the Ruhla had a plated brass case









*Kronos Pseudo-Ruhla, 2824-2, 25 Jewels*


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## bobbysamd

Good review. Thanks for posting it.

I bought a Ray watch like this one last summer. Paid $65 for it and expected little. I was surprised. The case is good quality, the watch is comfortable and it keeps reasonable time. Lume is fair. The nylon NATO might be too thin for some people, but it is completely servicable.

Comparing a watch like this against serious products such as DOXA, Citizen and Seiko, etc. is unfair. There is no comparison. But, as a fun watch, this one is a good value, and Ray provided excellent service. It arrived from Hong Kong to Denver in seven days, when Ray told me to expect ten.


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