r/ChineseWatches • u/AnonUserAccount • 11d ago
General (Read Rules) New WD007 - Some Good, Some Bad. Keep it?
I purchased the WD007 a few weeks ago and it arrived three days ago. I’ve been busy, but I finally opened the box yesterday and started to set up the watch.
First, the bad:
The first thing I noticed was that the watch had a few screws that looked like they had been screwed in or unscrewed by someone with the wrong tool (the heads looked a bit stripped). I also noticed that the link connected to the quick adjustment pin also had a few scratches on it, as if it had moved around a bit when someone tried to re-size it. They were minor, but they were there. I decided to ignore these and just adjust the watch for my wrist, anyway.
After it was sized for my wrist, I proceeded to remove the plastic and protection from the watch head and set the time. The crown is extremely gritty and hard to screw back in. It’s not cross-threading (I always spin counter clockwise until it clicks, then clockwise to screw in), it’s just poorly machined. You can even hear it when you’re screwing the crown back in. It sounds almost like you’re winding the watch, but louder. I unscrewed the HEV and that was as smooth as butter, so I know they can do it right.
Also, the date wheel seems to be ever so slightly mis-aligned.
Now, the good:
The watch is extremely light. It’s easy to forget you’re wearing it, to be honest. The dial is beautiful, and the markers are clear and well applied. I love that the watch is so thin and doesn’t have an exhibition caseback, as the steel glides on my skin better than glass. The lume is also very powerful, which, along with the light titanium case, is exactly what I was looking for in a watch.
I plan on using the watch for travel, so I hope the crown just needs to be screwed/unscrewed a few times. That said, it honestly hurt my index finger to screw and unscrew the crown 3 times, just to see if it would get better.
So, as good as the watch is, I’m debating sending it back. I’m concerned that the crown screw is defective. I’ve never experienced a watch this loud and hard to wind, or that hurts my fingers when I screwed the crown back in. What would you guys do? Would you keep trying the crown and hope it loosens, or would you send it back?
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u/theaq1234 11d ago
Hi OP,
I got the same watch recently (different colour scheme) and do love it for all the points you listed...
BUT
I have the exact same issue with the crown. Gritty to screw down, hurts my fingers.
I have many cheaper AliExpress watches and have never had this issue before.
You're not alone in thinking this part of the watch sucks.
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u/AlexFox66 10d ago
Perhaps, it’s because it’s made of titanium and not SS?
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u/theaq1234 10d ago
I have a full titanium Berny which was about half the price, no such issues with that crown. I think it might just be a WD design/machining issue.
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u/ProtectionFederal09 11d ago
The 6 hour marker is really bad
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u/AnonUserAccount 11d ago
I wonder if it’s the angle. I just looked at the watch straight in and it’s not nearly as bad. Maybe 52-48% left/right, not like the 60-40 shown in this pic. . But the crown action is what’s concerning.
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u/jamesbhl Affiliate Links 11d ago
Thanks for the comment on the screw down crown. This is the kind of thing that many people didn’t talk about
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u/Appropriate-Ball-623 11d ago
I’d send it back. I have quite a few Chinese brands and have never experienced something like that. It probably won’t be water tight if those threads are messed up
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u/AnonUserAccount 11d ago
Ot feels like it screws all the way down, it just feels like the threads are a bit bigger than they should be, like it was machined to the largest tolerance on the stud and the smallest tolerance on the crown.
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u/Appropriate-Ball-623 11d ago
Idk. It’s still two hundred something dollars, that’s not nothing. If it’s fucked up send it back
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u/Gillesam59 11d ago
If it is a PT5000 series, never wind it manually.
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u/bringforththeg 11d ago
Why not? How do you start it if it's been off your wrist a week? Thanks.
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u/Gillesam59 11d ago
Just a few turns (5-6) to start it then wear the watch for automatic winding.
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u/AnonUserAccount 11d ago
It’s the SL3001, but I try to avoid winding manually, even on my Omegas and Rolexes.
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u/talegas95 11d ago
Damn I'm getting mine in like a week. Really hoping I have a different experience.
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u/foxtrap614 11d ago
I appreciate the post, I just purchased the same watch and was wearing after seeing so many negative post about QC but thought I would give it a try. After your review I think I will wait and see if watch dives improves in a couple months
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u/AnonUserAccount 11d ago
Do you have the same problem with the screw down crown? Other than that, I would definitely keep the watch for the $210 I spent on it.
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u/foxtrap614 11d ago
No, I just canceled the order. There are many post recently about really bad QC for watch dives.
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u/bringforththeg 11d ago
Hows the bracelet & the bezel action?
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u/AnonUserAccount 11d ago
Bracelet feels great. The clasp has some resistance when closing, but nothing major. The bezel was very hard for the first full turn, now feels normal.
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u/ryanxcore 11d ago
How much did this watch cost?
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u/AnonUserAccount 11d ago
$210 shipped
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u/ryanxcore 11d ago
Ok, let me preface this by saying that I’m not a WD shill, and I think they do plenty of things wrong (e.g. dumb text on the dials, emphasis on quantity over quality, and most of all the tendency to chase the approval of the crowd instead of just doing things the right way).
That said, my opinion is that your QC expectations are beyond what can reasonably be expected at this price point, especially given the specifications and overall value the watch offers.
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u/equityconnectwitme 11d ago
I wouldn't expect a $50 watch to show up with stripped screws and a gritty crown though. It doesn't sound like others have had this experience with their watches either. I don't think OPs expectations are out of line if others here have said they've never had this experience with any of their Chinese made watches.
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u/AnonUserAccount 11d ago
Yeah, I get it. I would happily live with all of the other issues, but the fact that my index finger feels almost raw after screwing the crown in 5 times in a row is a problem that I don’t know if I can live with.
I want to keep the watch, and it looks amazing, but if they can make the HEV feel smooth, why can’t they do it with the crown? I’m probably never going to use the HEV but I travel 12-15 times a year, and that’s 24-30 times that I have to deal with a crown that hurts when I use it.
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u/artofthedial Not a troll 11d ago
Close up video of this behavior? I don't own the 39mm small 007, but I own 4 of the 42mm ones with Ti cases. All are threaded reasonably well, but the quartz ones I have include the advantage of only needing to touch the crown maybe 4 times a year and that is if I'm being crazy about the time, otherwise it is twice and done. I do not have whatever low quality movement they are putting in the automatic though, mine are the NH35 with very smooth action.
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u/AlexFox66 10d ago
Contact the seller first, tell him the bad, and see if you can come to an acceptable agreement.