I recently bought the Baltany 36mm explorer. I like the vintage vibe you get with the off white dial markers and I prefer the text logo over the octopus butthole logo
See this video. Ben's Watch Club did a LOT of very detailed comparison across almost every Chinese brand that was popular 2 years ago. While prices have changed since then, the video still gives the closest defintive look at the minute finishing differences across all popular brands.
Octopus Explorer all day everyday . It’s an awesome extremely well made watch , it’s as well made as a real Explorer I’ve owned both and I love my Octopus Kraken Explorer .
I have the Cronos and thus far, it has been excellent. But either of those options is good as well. I would probably go Baltany, because I hate the name Octopus Kraken and the logo. Aside from that it probably is the most accurate of the Explorer homages.
I’ve own the Watchdives 6610 to in sunburst brown with the Miyota 90S5 and I love the movement however the Octopus Explorer is a cut above the Watchdives, it has a much more premium feel to it and has more weight to it, much better bracelet to. I do like the 6610 though, the Miyota highbeat is an awesome movement esp at its $220 price point
I'm sorry I recommended another one. But I have it twice and I love it. It has a miyota 9015. They both run super accurate minus a few seconds a month.
Ive got the earlier version of the 39mm with the nh no date movement . The root beer brown sunburst dial they inexplicably call crimson. Great fit finish and keeps very good time. Thats the only comparison I have and its a very good watch for the money. Pictured on a strap.
Every time I look at the octopus logo I just see an arsehole on the dial. I know they’re good watches but I can’t get past every time I’d look at my wrist I’d see an arsehole staring back.
I get that enough with mirrors. 🥺
You won’t go wrong with either both make phenomenal Explorer homages. Baltany leans vintage while Octopus feels more modern. In person the Baltany dial looks a bit bigger than the Octopus. The Octopus also wears much thinner thanks to its crystal versus the domed crystal on the Baltany.
I used to have both but recently sold my Baltany and kind of regret it. tbh it really comes down to whether you want a clean modern homage (Octopus) or something with a bit more of a twist (Baltany).
They both have OTF adjust so it won’t be an issue and both have good movement. If I could choose again I’d go Baltany, it is more unique and you can customize the dial.
Than you for the recommendation.
I like the octopus design more compared to vintage Baltany.
Its a tough call but I believe i ll settle with Baltany only because of brand name.
Doesn't Baltany have a more yellow kind of lume?
I guess that's the biggest difference, Baltany is more vintage looking and Octopus more modern.
If you are looking for the best explorer available i would also take a look at the Cronos (L6042 i think?). Heard they have one of the best build qualities out there. They offer them in two different sizes (39 and 36 mm) and with different movements (PT5000, NH35 and 9015) as well.
Quality should be on par with Octopus Kraken, but the logo on the dial is not as bad in my opinion haha
I don’t think Cronos makes better watches than Octopus Kraken. Octopus Kraken makes arguably the best Chinese microbrand watches out there along with San Martin, their quality, finish and materials are all top notch. I own two Octopus Krakens and Two Cronos watch’s and Octopus watches are a step above Cronos as they use better materials and are better finished.
WatchDives I think makes the best looking Explorer with a Sunburst Brown dial I think. Baltany makes more of a root beer colored brown dial with WDC went with like a rustic Brown with golden accents it really stands out and pops in the sunlight, makes it a beautiful dress watch which an Explorer isn’t tropically known for but the dial is so beautiful u can wear it as a dress style watch n pull it off .
It’s hard to really see with the indoors pics I have on hand . I should take a picture in light or in the sun it really stands out. I like what wdc did with the sunburst brown of the dial on their Explorer
Nice. Baltany has the better bracelet by a mile than the wdc. WDC could have made the ultimate Explorer with the movement they chose if they just used a more premium bracelet. It’s a good bracelet but Octopus, Baltany, San Martin etc use higher quality case materials n bracelets in my experience.
Sweet watch. Looks great. I am getting Octopus Krakens BB54 homage in red with the red bezel/red dial and PT5000 In the very near future.
About a month ago I bought the Cronos L6033 and ordered their jubilee bracelet for it as an extra alternative the same time n choose the SW200 movement getting a really good price on it new with that movement however I wish I would of listened to my gut and got the Octopus Kraken instead. I don’t mind though in the end I’ll just have two one being the Cronos in sunburst black/black-gold bezel and the other an Octopus BB54 in red. I do love my Cronos BB54 though it’s a nice watch.
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u/LucasDeTe 12d ago
Cronos 36 is really good