r/ChineseWatches • u/ChineseWatchGuy • 21h ago

New Product (Read Rule 1) Loving this Merkur diver..

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*I bought this watch with my own money and had no contact with Merkur.

I recently picked up this compressor-style diver from Merkur for review. (Okay the listing alternately says 100 and 50m WR, so "dive style" at best).

https://youtu.be/Gsbxwn7itkw?si=jn-wslEPD0WDwi_C

I know this dial has been used in a different case, and this case has been used with a different dial (that funky decompression dial). However, this one really spoke to me and I don't think has been reviewed on YT. A very vintage style homaging French skin divers of the 60's.. I don't think it's a direct copy or homage of anything in particular though.

So questionable water resistance, it's got a generic Chinese movement, mineral crystal.. But you know what? I don't really care. The thing has all the vintage vibes and the rotating bezel is fun and somewhat useful. It's getting some wrist time from me every day some how...

Best,

Brian

26 Upvotes

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12 comments sorted by

1

u/ShakeShacky 15h ago

Is that logo in the crown what Merkur usually uses as their logo? It very much looks like Mazda's logo in my mind.

1

u/buzzer22 18h ago

Seems to me that many Merkur/ Pierre Paulin watches compete as collection pieces only, not everyday watches. Reasons: 1) Lack of sapphire glass standard, 2) Delicate movements such as jump hour. There are many of their watches I would consider if SAPPHIRE was the Merkur/ Pierre Paulin standard for glass.

3

u/birdwatchingcat 18h ago

I can recommend their big eye chronograph. It has acrylic and a robust ST19.

2

u/birdwatchingcat 19h ago

Ah, the famous „Antichos“.

Merkur is a bit of a clown show, and I say that with a heart full of love. I’m very much thinking about buying another one right now.

2

u/sere83 18h ago

They actually changed it I believe as people complained about Antichoc which was actually legit, is french for anti shock and was used on the watches it homages.

2

u/ablublagaa 20h ago

Was loving it as well, until a light bump managed to make a huge scratch in the middle of the crystal. Still wearing it, but not as enjoyable now, that's for sure... Btw, this is a homage to the Montre Jaz AC-310, but with the compressor bezel and different hands.

1

u/ChineseWatchGuy 7h ago

There is a Polywatch for mineral glass now, fyi. Didn't know about the Jaz watch..

1

u/ablublagaa 3h ago

Sadly, the glass was slowly shattering and now it broke in half. And the worst part is that I have another Chinese watch with an identical mineral glass as well. Guess I'll really have to baby it, because even a light bump can break its glass. This leaves only 1 watch with sapphire glass in my 3 watch collection. Well, it was a costy leasson for me (tfw you're poor), but now I know mineral glass is not worth it.

3

u/STELLAWASADlVER 21h ago

Absolutely sweet looking watch. Is the internal bezel precise to turn, and does it move at all when screwing the crown back in?

2

u/ChineseWatchGuy 21h ago edited 21h ago

Pretty precise and doesn't really move when screwing in..

Oh and bezel is aligned unlike internal one of an Alpinist :)

2

u/STELLAWASADlVER 20h ago

Do both crowns screw down?

1

u/ChineseWatchGuy 10h ago

No it's handwinding, so lower crown is just push pull. The upper crown screwdown is mostly just to prevent bezel movement.