Every year, the period between mid-November—when the Black Friday sales begin—and the end of December—when the last of the Christmas discounts end—can be quite hectic for all watch lovers. Every web shop you've ever purchased from, or even just registered with, starts sending exclusive offers, discount codes, and other tempting promotions.
This year was no exception. So, one day after receiving a special Christmas discount code from the Italian web shop orologichepassione.com
I decided to take a deep dive into their offerings to see if I could find something interesting for my collection. Since the shop has a rather large portfolio of different watch brands, it wasn’t an easy task. Many of the brands were unfamiliar to me; some I had never even heard of before. Others simply didn’t match my taste or collecting focus. Still, a few intriguing pieces did catch my eye.
In fact, I was surprised to learn that, for some of these brands, this store is essentially the only retailer within the EU. And what was an even bigger surprise—their prices for these brands are very competitive for EU-based customers. Often much lower than if you were to order from a non-EU shop and pay all the associated import duties and taxes.
One of the brands I wasn’t familiar with, but which immediately caught my attention, was Adley, with their three models from the FIXI-T1 collection. I quickly turned to Google to learn more about the brand and the collection, and soon found the official web page of this UK-based microbrand, which was established only recently.
As a passionate cyclist, I was thrilled to discover that the Adley FIXI-T1 watch is dedicated to cycling. OK, to be precise, it’s dedicated to a very specific type of cycling—a fixed-gear bicycle. But still, this is a watch that combines my two biggest hobbies: watches and cycling.
What I also noticed right away was that this watch would most likely be too small for my wrist, as it has a diameter of only 40 mm and features a bullhead-style case construction. Plus, in the official pictures, it looked like the lugs were hidden somewhere beneath the case. All classic indicators that the watch is intended for smaller wrists—definitely not for me.
But that wasn’t the end of my story with this watch. To help you understand what happened next, I need to take a short detour.
I have one very close friend. In fact, our families are deeply connected—our kids are continuing the friendship we started. Even though we live about 80 km apart, we’re in contact almost daily, sometimes just with a quick message. If either of us needs help, that distance means nothing.
And for the purpose of this review, there’s more. I’m the one who got him into cycling. Because of me, he bought his first bike, then later his first road bike, and eventually upgraded to a carbon-frame model. Now, he’s a much better cyclist than I am. We try to organize joint rides as often as we can, we enjoy them immensely, and we always support each other. In my Garmin, I’ve set him as the person who tracks all my solo rides—besides my wife, he’s the only person I can count on to react immediately if something goes wrong on the road.
He wasn’t really into watches before, but today he’s probably the most loyal reader of my reviews. He even bought himself an automatic watch and wears it with pride. And most importantly for this review—he has a much smaller wrist than I do.
So, while browsing the Adley FIXI-T1, I got an idea: the perfect Christmas gift for my best friend. A gift that would show my appreciation for everything he does—and one that would connect both our shared passions: cycling and watches.
Once I had made the decision to buy the watch, an even more difficult task lay ahead: which color version should I choose?
At first, my slight favorite was the blue Champion White version. The Midnight Black one wasn’t an option at all. In the end, I went with the Twilight Grey.
For a better understanding of what I’m talking about, I’ve included images of all three models from the orologichepassione.com webshop...
Next, I had to decide where to buy it from. Despite checking everywhere, I found only two options: Adley’s official web store, where the price was (and still is) 340 GBP (around 400 EUR), and the already mentioned orologichepassione.com, where the watch was—and still is—on sale, reduced from 395 EUR to 298 EUR. Considering that the official webshop is based in the UK (which means additional taxes for EU customers), and that orologichepassione was offering an extra Christmas discount, the price difference between the two was massive. For EU customers, buying from orologichepassione meant paying almost half the price. So—no brainer, right?
To be fair, there’s one important difference. The official store offers two straps of the buyer’s own choice, while orologichepassione only includes one strap—the default one for that model.
Just to be sure, I emailed orologichepassione before placing the order and asked about the strap situation. Very soon I received a clear and honest reply from Massimo (probably the shop owner or manager).
Everything was settled, and I placed the order. Even though the shop is based in Sicily, everything went smoothly, and just a few days later the watch was in my hands.
Unboxing the watch was an interesting experience. First, the watch came in a fairly standard cardboard box, with a large “Twilight” sticker on the outside and a handwritten serial number—probably added by the shop itself.
But the real packaging was inside. A nicely made box with a magnetic lid on one side revealed a leather roll-up pouch. In one of the pockets, the watch was finally revealed—tucked inside a kind of textile sock. As a little extra, another “Twilight” sticker was included as a gift. Even though I’ve opened a huge number of watch packages over the years, this one ranks among the cutest. Nothing luxurious or over-the-top, but efficient, well thought out, and clearly made with care.
Inside the box, there’s also a short write-up about the Adley brand and the FIXI watch. I didn’t feel like rewriting the whole thing, so here’s a photo of it:
If the first impression was generally positive, I must admit that my initial hands-on experience with the watch was a bit of a disappointment. In person, the watch doesn’t look as good as it does in the pictures.
The main issue isn’t the watch itself—it’s the rubber strap. It looks like a cheap AliExpress version of an FKM strap. The color is another letdown: while the webshop photos suggest a dark grey tone, the actual strap (and even the dial) are much lighter. The strap is almost whitish—definitely far from what I expected.
To make things worse, the strap comes with a black pin buckle. A stainless steel case paired with a black buckle is a strange combination. Sure, the dial has quite a few black elements, but still—I don’t feel this pairing works visually. The buckle should match the case. Howg!
That said, I also have to be honest and admit that the strap is very soft and extremely comfortable on the wrist. Plus, it features quick-release spring bars (20 mm at the lugs, 18 mm at the buckle), so replacing it with something more suitable is easy.
So, let’s forget about the strap issue and move on to the watch itself. Let me start with the case.
The bullhead case construction is far from new on the market. With a diameter of just 40 mm, the bullhead layout actually makes the watch appear even smaller.
But this case construction isn’t just notable for its visual proportions. The shape of the case resembles a UFO, tapering inward from top to bottom. Above the 12 o’clock position, a relatively large crown rises proudly from the top. As a counterpart to that crown, there’s a much smaller “nipple” located on the underside of the case.
I still can’t figure out what the purpose of that nipple is—nor can I decide whether I like it or not. But one thing I do like is that the serial number is engraved on it. A nice little detail.
The crown is—just as expected—signed.
In my opinion, the most debatable aspect of the case construction is the lug placement. The lugs are positioned beneath the watch case, almost hidden below the main body.
One consequence of this design is that the lug-to-lug distance is actually shorter than the diameter of the watch. As a result, the entire UFO-like case sits higher on the wrist, and it gives the impression that the strap runs underneath the watch rather than alongside it.
Even though the case itself is only 13.5 mm thick, it wears like a much thicker watch. I must admit, I don’t like that. The design exaggerates the height and compresses the visual size—so the watch ends up looking both small and thick. A real UFO on the wrist.
I believe the main concern of the designers was to ensure easy crown manipulation. But since the watch uses an automatic movement, the crown is only needed for the initial time setting—something that can easily be done off the wrist, where the bullhead construction is no obstacle. So, I would understand the unusual lug placement if the watch had a manually wound movement. But in this case, it feels somewhat unnecessary.
The caseback, on the other hand, is pure joy for the soul of a cyclist. A beautifully engraved image of a FIXI-style road bike, racing in a circular pattern (the same motif appears on the pouch beside the brand story). There are also some technical details engraved: British design, stainless steel case, automatic Seiko NH35A movement, and water resistance of 10 ATM (100 meters). The only key detail missing is the fact that the watch has a sapphire crystal—which should have definitely been mentioned, especially since it’s a real plus in this price range.
Still, the caseback confirms that the watch has all the components you would expect from a well-made timepiece. The Seiko NH35A is a cheap yet reliable workhorse, though it's known that high accuracy isn’t its strongest point. However, for this type of watch, it’s a perfectly adequate and logical choice. No complaints from me about the components used—thumbs up!
Let me now focus on the dial—or more accurately, the entire front of the watch—which is actually the most attractive and interesting part of the whole design.
The most dominant element is the central black pentacle-shaped circle, which clearly represents a bicycle crank. For those who aren’t familiar with cycling components, I’ve included a photo of a real crank for comparison.
Together with the minute hand, the visual resembles a complete crankset. I even took a picture of the watch with the crank arm positioned exactly the same as in the demonstration image—just for fun and to emphasize the parallel.
In general, I really like the idea of referencing the crank in this way. It’s a clever and subtle homage to the cycling theme, and it gives the dial a unique character.
I’m a bit less enthusiastic about the pink color of the second hand, but it’s far from annoying. Since the pentacle-shaped circle is fixed, it would have been much more interesting if it rotated instead of the second hand. That way, we’d have a perfect crank imitation. I understand that achieving this mechanically isn’t easy—the second hand would have to be mounted on a lower level instead of on top—but still, it’s a fun thought.
Around the chapter ring, you can see fine concentric lines. The same kind of lines appear inside the crank area as well. These lines aren’t obvious at first glance—you really only see them clearly when viewing the dial from an angle. That’s why I used an angled photo to show those subtle details.
I’m not entirely sure if these lines serve any specific purpose, but at least the ones on the chapter ring remind me of high-carbon wheel rims used on racing road bikes. The hour markers also resemble spokes. But maybe that’s just my imagination. The black outer ring could even represent the tire—though if that’s the case, the hour markers don’t quite fit. There are no spokes on tires, after all...
What I really like is how clean the dial is overall. There is some text on it, but most of it is printed in a very subtle light rose tone (in line with the color of the second hand), making it barely visible. This was a good design choice. I’m also glad the dial doesn’t include any numbers—numerals would completely ruin the clean, cycling-inspired aesthetic.
Another smart choice is the omission of the date window, even though the movement supports it. You can still feel the empty first crown position, which would normally be used for quick date setting, but now the crown just rotates freely in that position without any function.
The watch also has surprisingly good lume. As you can see, the lume is applied to the hands, the hour markers on the chapter ring, and the outer ring markers. It doesn’t last all night, but it performs better than expected.
Let me now address probably the most important aspect—how does this watch actually look and feel on the wrist?
Before I continue, let me remind you that my wrist size is 19 cm, which puts me on the larger side compared to the average user. And let me be clear: this watch is definitely not intended for a wrist of this size.
Just check the wrist shots…
As you can see, the watch doesn’t look good on my wrist at all. The lugs end somewhere in the middle of the top of the wrist, instead of gently wrapping around its edges. So the watch just “sits” on top. When you add the actual height of the case, combined with the additional lift caused by the unusual lug placement, the final effect is—let’s say—strange (to put it politely). Some vintage 34 mm watches look much better on my wrist than this 40 mm watch. But of course, no vintage 34 mm watch is this thick—or better said, looks this thick.
I can’t wait to see how this watch fits my friend’s wrist, which is almost 2 cm smaller than mine. Since we’ll be spending New Year’s Eve together, I’ll give him the watch then, take some photos of how it wears on his wrist, and update this review accordingly. Only then will I be able to give a final verdict on wearability. For now, I can only say this: avoid this watch if you have a large wrist. And with that statement, let me begin my conclusion.
I’m genuinely happy that we finally have a watch dedicated to the world of cycling. The cycling community is huge, and it definitely deserves watches that reflect that passion. Adley has given us a very interesting piece, filled with thoughtful and original design elements, backed by solid technical specifications.
However, some design decisions severely limit its wearability—making this watch almost useless for a large portion of its intended audience.
Usually, you can’t go wrong with a 40 mm case, as it’s often seen as the most universal size. But this watch is a perfect example of how case diameter alone doesn’t tell the full story. Yes, cyclists are often slimmer guys with smaller wrists—maybe the designers took that into account.
Now let me briefly address the price. At the moment, it’s very reasonable. I’m referring to what I actually paid. For UK customers, 340 GBP is still fair. But had I been forced to pay additional EU import taxes on top of that, the price would have been too high.
So if you’re a cycling fan and have a small wrist, I’d say grab this watch while you can—it’s an interesting and fairly priced piece.
And finally, I’d like to express my sincere compliments to the team behind orologichepassione.com. This wasn’t my first purchase from them, but it is the first watch from their store that I’ve reviewed. So I’ll take this opportunity to say: great job, guys—keep it up!
As promised, here are the pictures of the watch on my friend’s wrist:
You can clearly see that the watch fits him much better than it does me.
However, the optical thickness is still there. Even though the case isn’t actually that tall, it looks tall—even on a smaller wrist. That said, the height doesn’t cause any discomfort while wearing the watch. It’s more of a visual illusion than a physical issue.
If the designers intended to create a very unusual—maybe even strange-looking—watch, then they absolutely succeeded. But it’s definitely not a design for everyone.
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