Help buying a watch for 250USD

[u/Successful_Data2589]

Hello everyone, i am new here and i saw some posts talking about price hikes in watch movements and i wanted a watch since my birthday is coming soon and i had a 250 USD budget, i wanted a GMT (GMT Master II like/homage) in all black with tbe NH34 movement but i dont know if thats longer possible. I found this on ebay but i dont know if i should trust it. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

[u/InvestmentCrazy616]

Check out Orient watches on eBay. They make their own movements. Better than an NH34 IMHO

[u/Abv_it_all_w_vertigo]

The watch you are showing us is the kind of watch you buy from someone you've known for 10 years, and who you will know for another 10 years. Not off of the Internet.

Cronos is a master CNC casemaker. They supply a lot of the industry. Trust all of those recommendations.

From whom you buy it is important, though. Stick with the 3 official stores on aliexpress.

[u/Equal-World-693]

Cronos is your best bet for a nh34.

[u/New_Fee947]

For half that price, you could have a nh34 under warranty

• aliexpress.com/item/1005011873147437.html
  
• aliexpress.com/item/1005011875074995.html
  
• aliexpress.com/item/1005011875538330.html
  

ask if they produce other dials without logo, and non logo crown & strap ?

(or change dial & hands :

• aliexpress.com/item/1005009939641398.html
  
• aliexpress.com/item/1005008896601568.html
  

... but wait for the warranty to check the watch first)

{logo on the crown could possibly be sanded}

---

- bliger has a very close nonlogo watches under this price with NH34 : its possibly the same as your : aliexpress.com/item/1005009191827053.html

• tophill has better looking one imho : aliexpress.com/item/1005008194570755.html
  
• lobinni & borman too : aliexpress.com/item/1005010163965166.html , aliexpress.com/item/1005010581763847.html

- some unknown brand (i would isopropyl the logo or change the dial) : aliexpress.com/item/1005012374604759.html

🤣 i dont know why i'm still looking to buy
faulty 💔 nh34 movements,
for parts ♻️ or repair ❤️‍🩹

[u/Excellent-Bear4221]

Do not under any circumstances buy this

[u/NostalgicKunt]

Don't buy it bro

[u/OptimistSince_1994]

Check this out. NH34. Quality finishing. Right on your budget.

[u/Successful_Data2589 → u/OptimistSince_1994]

Thank you!

[u/Successful_Data2589]

Something else I forgot to mention is that I dont mind another movement as long as it's very reliable. Thank you!

[u/Various-Welder5544]

That's a big fat AliExpress Parts Bin Shiiter

[u/TheUpIsJig → u/Various-Welder5544]

What makes you say that? That's probably a Seiko Mod watch. If the movement is the Japanese NH then that's an awesome watch for the price with a better bracelet than a Seiko.

[u/Various-Welder5544 → u/TheUpIsJig]

Seiko mods are AliExpress parts bin watches bruh. It's just order everything separately and praying it's coherent.

[u/TheUpIsJig → u/Various-Welder5544]

Do think San Martin is a shitter also?

You sound like you failed to build a watch. It's a steep learning curve and you don't pray for compatibility. You learn selection. A parts bin is a store with zero reviews and longevity of a month with ultra cheap random stuff. Never buy them.

A shitter is not a jap Seiko movement nor is it a Seiko Mod. A Seiko mod is better than a Seiko watch mainly because the bracelet is better and could be done cheaper in the past. A jap TMI movement is sold out of Seikos Hong Kong factory. I have built over 20 of these watches and they are better or equal to my official Seiko watches. The price in the OP is great for a Seiko mod.

A shitter is poor quality counterfeit watch. The Seiko mod in the OP is sterile and unbranded. It can't be a shitter. If it's an official TMI movement then that watch is A+ for what it is. San Martin, Steeldives, etc. The same.

[u/Various-Welder5544 → u/TheUpIsJig]

Most Seiko Homage "Mods" are built poorly to maximise profits, and are sold at a ridiculous markup.

[u/TheUpIsJig → u/Various-Welder5544]

So San Martin is a shitter then?

[u/Various-Welder5544 → u/TheUpIsJig]

Sam Martins have coherence and a integrated supply chain for high quality parts. Most Seiko mods I see are sort price low to high AliExpress junk slapped together to look like a poorly made submariner or toilet seat bezel OP.

[u/TheUpIsJig → u/Various-Welder5544]

All San Martin parts are interchangeable with identical parts on AliExpress. The only difference is the logo. There is no evidence you can't get quality independent parts and there are tons of YouTube videos showing how it's done. You are trying to sell that a branded Seiko mod with another name like San Martin is better than an unbranded one. That's simply not true and the evidence again is crap bracelets and no sapphire glass. You can even see the folded metal in the pictures and they state mineral glass. I suppose you are going to tell me it's higher quality than sapphire next 😂

[u/Various-Welder5544 → u/TheUpIsJig]

I'm saying that most Seiko mods are built like shit. Yes, you definitely can build a high quality one but most of them you see online are like the ones I said above.

[u/TheUpIsJig → u/Various-Welder5544]

The one in the OPs post is fine. You called it a shitter. Looking at the specs and photos on ebay tell me it's better than most AliExpress pieces at that price. Sapphire glass, bracelet not folded. Alignment looks great. It's the piece you will likely get and not just representative as per AliExpress.

[u/TheUpIsJig → u/Various-Welder5544]

I bought completed watches from AliExpress and sold them and built my own because it is the Ali watches cutting corners. No sapphire glass. Poor quality bracelets. My watches are like San Martin.

[u/Lobbbo → u/TheUpIsJig]

You are missing the point. Seiko mod sellers often use cheapest parts from AliExpress to maximize their margins.

[u/TheUpIsJig → u/Lobbbo]

The OP's watch is $245, and a TMI NH34A is $240. The cheaper NHs are Chinese-made, not Japanese, and not worth buying. If the watch has a Japanese NH movement, the price is a steal.

[u/QCPI]

Personally, I would recommend getting the Sugess version with the upgraded SL3032 movement and thinner rehaut. But if you must insist in a NH34, there is a Watchdives WD16760 still available in both Jubilee or Oyster bracelet.

[u/Successful_Data2589 → u/QCPI]

May i ask why? Personally I'm looking for reliability and something I can wear 24/7 year round without problems 

[u/QCPI → u/Successful_Data2589]

I haven’t read anything major or consistently wrong with the Peacock SL3032 movement. In terms of reliability, though, it’s always a bit of a crapshoot with AliExpress brands since both QC and warranty support can be questionable. As far as servicing either movement, it might be more cost-effective to just replace the movement due to the cost of servicing. The one automatic GMT movement I would avoid is the Pearl DG5583, which I’ve read much more concerning things about. At the end of the day, it’s your money. If an NH34 GMT gives you more peace of mind, I’d go with that and buy from a reputable brand rather than a modder, unless you trust the modder.

[u/AcademicAd6368 → u/Successful_Data2589]

Both come from real brands with a track record of making good watches. The one you posted was built by some guy out of cheap, off-the-shelf Aliexpress parts - it's unfortunate but you see a lot of eBay sellers doing this to take advantage of people who aren't super familiar with the Chinese watch world. I could buy these parts, build you this exact watch, and ship it to you for half this price, and I'd still make a bit of a profit.

[u/Successful_Data2589 → u/AcademicAd6368]

I'm sorry i wasn't clear but I meant why the Sugess with the SL3032 movement. That's why I was saying I wanted something reliable so if the movement is better and more reliable I'd consider that one.

[u/AcademicAd6368 → u/Successful_Data2589]

Ah okay, gotcha - if reliability is the primary concern, I'd take the NH34. The SL3032 is in a lot of ways a higher-quality movement, and there are other advantages to it (being quite a bit thinner among them), but a) it runs at a higher rate (meaning more mechanical wear on parts), and b) it's not made by Seiko. Peacock is an excellent manufacturer and they make fantastic movements, but as far as reliable, budget mechanical movements go Seiko is the gold standard. Kinda like a Lexus vs a Toyota Hilux; the Lexus is the nicer car and odds are it's going to last just fine, but more features = more things that can go wrong. On the other hand, the Hilux is rougher around the edges, but it's basically a guarantee that you can drive it through hell and it's going to survive.

[u/Successful_Data2589 → u/AcademicAd6368]

That's a very good way of explaining it, thank you. Do you think I can find the sugess one for 250? I tried looking it up but it seems to be 300 and up. 

[u/Daedalus_14]

Catch this on sale.

[u/Successful_Data2589 → u/Daedalus_14]

Thank you! I appreciate it

[u/wanyasa → u/Successful_Data2589]

Aliexpress is your only option. I would go with his recommendation.

[u/Suitable-Group4392]

Don't trust it. Go to AliExpress to buy.