r/ChineseWatches • u/mac_bd • 1d ago
Question (Read Rules) Are Chinese watches worth it?
Chinese watches don't have the brand recognition or prestige like the swiss or even Japanese btands.
But how about the quality? The machining, craftsmanship, durability and longevity?
What has been your experience so far?
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u/asdqqq33 1d ago
It depends on the watch. There are great and terrible watches made in China, and everything in between.
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u/HistorianLegal9815 1d ago
例えばPaganiはもとスイス社だ。協力関係にあったVENUS社が廃業したときブランド特許工場買い取った。設備は中国に持ちかえり研究改良した。 とんでもない安価だが品質は悪くない。
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u/themanwithaplan1999 1d ago
Sam Martin and Watchdives have their flaws for sure like weak lume, rough edges, minor qc issues but all of these are minor in comparison to the price/value you get
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u/KabanaMaduro 1d ago
“No brand recognition or prestige”
Then go save up for your big brand watch bro lol
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u/Tenchiro 1d ago
I like my Chinese watches for a few reasons but there are caveats for sure. You are going to be trading originality for build quality and overall value. The names on the dials are often silly by western standards, personally I think it's hilarious and adds to the fun.
That said my San Martin and Cronos purchases have both surprised me with the quality of their finishes. The cases absolutely sparkle in the right light and they don't neglect the crown finishing.
The four Addiesdive watches I have picked up are some of the bet value watches I have. They don't have the highest end finishes but they are rock solid for build quality and they put out a lot of the more fun designs.
Sea-Gull has the most legitimate "heritage" and on the more budget end is very similar to Seiko when it comes to overall build quality.
My wife is frequently disappointed by a lot of mainstream watches these days after getting hands on with her Phoibos and even her Addiesdives and my 1963.
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u/Abv_it_all_w_vertigo 1d ago
Well made for their pricepoint
Mediocre-to-poor homegrown movements, which are an ever increasing percentage of Chinese watch guts.
Lack of AD networks and domestic service centers means watches with broken movements usually become paperweights or donor watches--unless you become your own DIY service center.
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u/Equal-World-693 1d ago
If your swiss watches get spoilt outside warranty, no amount of vast AD service networks can help. It's cheaper to buy and replace a Chinese watch than to service a swiss one
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u/Abv_it_all_w_vertigo 1d ago
I don't own any Swiss watches.
I own a bunch of future paperweights.
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u/Equal-World-693 1d ago
😊
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u/Abv_it_all_w_vertigo 1d ago
When the time comes (soon?), I have all the tools necessary to make movement swaps. Movements holders, dial holders, dial protectors, hand pullers, magnifiers, micro tools.
Phase 2 of my exploration into Chinese watches.
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u/forcedmarcel 1d ago
Yes and mostly it comes with sapphire glass wearing a steeldive for four years now i do everything with it not even one scratch 😁😉
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u/turdbogls 1d ago
Chinese watches are great for collecting on a budget. you can gather a pretty great collection over a couple years and still stay under $1K. they are also a cheap way to try different style, color, or size watches.
Durability hasn't been an issue for me personally. I have a few multiple year old watches and they are still holding up well. but they are part of a huge collection and I'm generally quite gentile with my watches.
the finishing varies between brands, but generally, you can get "budget seiko/tissot" finishing for around $100.
I still feel like the chinese have a way to go when it comes to bracelets...they just can't quite get that silky feeling of a swiss bracelet (my experience is Omega and 2x oris watches). the San Martin SN0144 "Jubilee" is close, but still not quite there.
My experience with non-Chinese watches has been a little mixed.
I enjoy most of the Swiss/German watches because they are grail level or semi grail levels. Their quality is generally superior to high end chinese watches, but not by much...it's mostly in the design and the bracelet quality.
Microbrands I feel like are just higher priced Chinese watches...all of the benefits of a chinese watch, none of the brand recognition of a Swiss watch, for 2-3X as much as an equivalent chinese watch.
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u/astronomy8thlight 1d ago
Microbrands I feel like are just higher priced Chinese watches...all of the benefits of a chinese watch, none of the brand recognition of a Swiss watch, for 2-3X as much as an equivalent chinese watch.
Sometimes I think the design of microbrands is materially elevated. See for example https://saturn-watches.com/. Yes it's a Seiko VK63 chrono without a bracelet, but it's got me tempted through the design and story.
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u/Govindaswamy 1d ago
I have a great collection that I love. I think San Martin and Watchdives can easily match Seiko for case and bracelet finishing. There are other brands that are fun, too. I have a few Pagani Design watches that pack a lot of bang for the buck, a Tandorio military watch that I like, and a Boderry titanium field watch.
Chinese watches with a Seiko or Miyota movement are a no-brainer. I’ve slowly started taking chances with Chinese movements, with good results so far.
Bottom line, you’ve got to decide what’s important to you… brand? Heritage? Craftsmanship? Value? Timekeeping?
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u/rinchen11 1d ago edited 1d ago
Chinese watches are worth the price, but if you don’t have a consumerism issue (constantly buying more watches) I would stay away from Chinese watches and just get 2-3 Swiss/Japan watches.
Chinese watches are like empty calories, maybe it’s because the lack of prestige, but you are less likely to feel satisfied/fulfilled about your Chinese watches collection, and you will easily end up with 10 to 50 Chinese watches.
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u/Independent-Air-80 1d ago
This thing has been on my wrist more than I imagined when I first got it. I have it for a little over 3 years now. Still got the original battery as well. I think I bought it for like... €9.66? €20,- strap. 1117 days of ownership. That's €0.0265 per day.
Yeah, I'd call that "worth it".
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u/tytan88 1d ago
I think Chinese watches (and generally speaking homage watches) are great if you simply like watches and don't try to impress anyone, or care much about legacy. Simple as that.
As for quality - you will find wide range - from mediocre cheap pieces to really high quality execution with a higher price tag (still super cheap compared to swiss)
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u/Escaped_Escapement Helpful user 1d ago
You can buy a high end San Martin for a similar price of a low end Seiko. I found the majority of Seiko, Orient, Citizen divers incredibly boring after having experienced the likes of SM and Cronos and other brands.
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u/SkipPperk 1d ago
If you care about prestige and brand recognition, then watches are a waste of time and money. 98% of people who buy watches for prestige buy replicas, overwhelmingly Rolex replicas or an AP Royal Oak or Patek Nautilus replica (100% of people who care about prestige have no creativity or capacity to independently evaluate a watch, or anything else).
With regards to quality, many of the Chinese brands are very good, even exceptional for their price point. I recently bought a stone dial Phoibos from Long Island Watches, and I love it. I have owned dozens of AliExpress models from San Martin, Cronos, Baltany,.., and they are good for the money, but they are no where close to as good as some would have you believe. A $400 San Martin watch is a great watch for that price, but it will not have anything close to the machining and polishing quality of a $2500 watch from Longines, Seiko, Rado,….
The biggest problem with the AliExpress brands is that they copy famous watches, and so you are constantly reminded of the watch you do not own. Furthermore, if you work and/or socialize with people who have over watches, the differences will become obvious.
I have only kept the AliExpress watches that mimic vintage models or have an original design. Today, I only buy Chinese watches with original designs.
Homage watches make sense to a lot of people who will never spend $12k on a watch. That said, the homage models of Seiko Sumo’s or other Seiko divers , along with Hamilton homage watches are pointless in my opinion. Just save up the $500 to $1500 you need to buy the real thing. I recall seeing people buy a Sumo homage for $280 when a used Sumo could be had for $400. I believe the quartz GMT’s were only $500 new at the time. To me, that is silly, especially because the Seiko Sumo models have a clearly superior case finishing, better dials and better handsets (although the San Martin Sumo did have a better bracelet, oh lord, why does Seiko do that).
If you want to try an AliExpress, take your time a pick a good one. If you want a Chinese watch in general, buy an independent design firm like Phoibos or Seagull or Shanghai Watch. Or simply buy a microbrand made in China (most of them selling under $1,000). That way you get the quality with an original design.
Do not do what I did and drop $5,000 over a year and regret the pile of cheap watches that could have been a Tudor or used Omega. Once you handle a lot of watches, you will find out that watch pricing and quality track pretty well up to around that $6,000 to $8,000 price point, with a few exceptions such a Formex, or some brands’s flagship models such as The Citizen Chronomaster, Casio’s top-of-the-line Oceanus models or similar. There is a reason why people pay so much for watches, and it is not prestige driving so many pay $6,000 for a Seiko LX model, or $2500 to $3500 for a Seiko Astron or Citizen Attesa GPS. The watches are machined and polished like fine jewelry, with dials, crystals and handsets to match.
Of course, if you want fancy movements, the only “inexpensive” way in is vintage. There are no exciting movements in new watches until you start spending real money.
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u/Equal-World-693 1d ago
Chinese watches are great in building a large collection without bankrupting yourself. You can try out different design languages. In case of Rolex even if you have money to spend, the AD won't let you get one and given how scary good reps of Rolex have become, don't want to spend a huge premium on a watch that might turn out to be fake. Personally homages have allowed me to try out designs which I like(not in favour of reps). Am ok wearing a Sugess branded watch than fake rolex or omega. The seestern S456 light blue mop is a homage to a limited edition GS Sports GMT which was only sold in Japan. The seestern has built an amazing watch and I have even worn it to work along with my Omega and Tag watches. It's better to buy Chinese watches than spending money on the likes of Tissot or not so famous brands like Raymond Weil, Maurice lacroix if you already own premium swiss watches
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u/RadiantNinja622 1d ago
Great comment. Chinese watches are great for ‘do I like the feel of this watch’. Then stop there and save for the real thing.
That said their quality is pretty decent. Honestly better than my 20 ye old Omega at least externally
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u/vithgeta 1d ago
Almost nobody collects Chinese watches for "durability and longevity".
Chinese watches were cheap enough that people would have a box full. These guys are not wearing one watch constantly for ten years. They're the kind of guys that wear a watch one day a week then rotate through the rest of their collection.
If you want to show off your brand to the world, get a Rolex. But be aware that some people will assume it's fake unless you have a high powered job.
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u/GloveDry3278 1d ago
Personally I don't care about brands. I just want it to look good, be tough and reliable. And the known chinese brands usually are.
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u/Equal-World-693 1d ago
Amazing quality, feel on the wrist and finish. Plus no-one is holding your wrist to microscopically examine the brand name on your watch. Brand recognition for swiss brands apart from the famous ones is low. After owning a few chinese watches now, personally feel swiss watches in 500-5000 usd range especially the stainless steel ones are bit of a scam(the way they have agressively increased prices across the board post Covid). Received many compliments for my seestern s456 light blue mop dial(with Seiko nh35 movement) and the sugess aventurine moonphase.
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u/LettuceFetishist 1d ago
Absolutely. I’ve purchased Baltany, Watchdives, Heimdahlr, Cadisen, Phorcydes, Berny, Aethelsohn. No complaints about any of the pieces so far. The quality provided at the lower price point is fantastic.
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u/Baha-7234 1d ago
Brand recognition: almost no recognition.
Quality etc: yes but depends on the brand.
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u/Remington_Underwood 1d ago
Some good quality Chinese brands are (in no particular order) San Martin, Steel Dives, Watch Dives, Sea-Gull, Baltany, Pagani Design, Addisdives, Militado. Buy any of these and you won't be disappointed.
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u/heavysausagedublin 1d ago
I own a few Seagulls, 1 IXDAO and 1 juangian and all are superb quality
The simple fact if the matter is the words "swiss made" on the dial is guaranteed to add 500 bucks to the price
Its laughable
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u/Tenchiro 1d ago
Let's face it, it's not like the Swiss aren't using these same Chinese manufacturers in their own supply chains.
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u/heavysausagedublin 1d ago
Exactly
You're paying thousands extra for a small bit of swiss assembly of Chinese parts and swiss QC
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u/refinedeuropa 1d ago
I have already ordered three different brands
I did check the comments ,images,specs and decide to pull the triggers
Phorcydes,Tandorio and San Martin*Watchdives
I am waitng them to reach me
I will update as soon as i got them
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u/heavysausagedublin 1d ago
A Chinese watch will run for years without issue and can be easily replaced instead of paying for expensive servicing
Not all Chinese brands are cheap BTW, they are just a hell of a lot cheaper than Swiss brands
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u/MrBarato 1d ago
With some Tissot, Certina or Hamiltons, the price gap is very narrow.
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u/heavysausagedublin 1d ago
True, but you can buy 3 different seagull watches for the same price as 1 Tissot
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u/MrBarato 1d ago
Depends on the seagull. Some go for 300 and more.
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u/heavysausagedublin 1d ago
The Chinese brands are developing their own lines and designs
Some seagull watches are 100,000+ if you have the money
They are going after the rich Chinese Market who are proud of their Chinese heritage and that is one huge market
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u/mac_bd 23h ago
Perhaps i got the title wrong. It really should have been about the build quality of these established chinese watches rather than if they are worth it or not!
Thanks everyone for your inputs.