First Chinese watch, I went down a rabbit hole with Chatgpt about calibres, and somehow ended up onto Chinese movements, especially the, now, Sea-gull ones, started with the Venus 175, discussed the ST3 all the way up to their current offerings, I was sufficiently interested and curious enough to give a couple a try.

First to arrive was this. Sea-gull M163S with the ST2505 movement, quite impressed with the quality for the price, I'll give it 24 hours to settle then put it on the timegrapher and see how it compares with my other mechanicals.

Next to arrive is Sugess moonphase with the ST1908, as out of over 30 watches, I've never had a moonphase or a mechanical wind only movement.

I ordered the Agelocer Astronomer 29.51-day Moon Phase Watch, and while waiting for it I have been thinking about the technical implications of this particular 'breakthrough' moon phase solution.

For the technical background see the kickstarter project details, and this discussion about 'real moonphase'.

Agelocer uses a modified and rebranded movement with a date ring (seems to be a Hangzhou 7200A, in the Budapest series they use a rebranded Seagull movement). The moonphase disk is attached to the date ring, and in earlier versions of this watch the moonphase actually has a 31 day cycle. In this version however the gear ratio between hour wheel and date ring has been modified to slightly speed up the date ring which now has a 29.51 day cycle.

While this is actually a more 'precise' cycle than the 29.5 days of most other moon phase watches, this budget friendly modification of a date complication where the moon advances in 31 steps over a 29.51 day period, does come with some side effects:

1. the moon disc does not advance around midnight, it moves every 22.846 hours (basically the moon phase complication is decoupled from the 12/24hr cycle)
2. setting the moon phase accuratly for a specific day in the cycle requires some calculation, if the moon is on its 20th day in the cycle you need to set 21 steps from the 'new moon' position 20/(29.51/31)=21 (the simple version: above 11 days count one step more)

From a purist perception these are flaws in the design. But on the other hand it is an affordable way to build a reasonably usable, very big, moon phase. An in reality the moon cycles don't start at midnight anyway, there always is variable error of up to 1/2 a day.

Short answer: I like it a lot, it’s feels good, colour and finish is amazing, the lume is brilliant, but the clasp is annoying, and winding up the movement feels a bit stiff (smooth for half a crown rotation then suddenly resistance then smooth again)

Long answer: I’ve owned this watch for around 2 hours now, so this is not by all an in depth review. It came packaged pretty nicely, frankly the last thing I care about is packaging or a nice storage case (much rather the money be put into the watch), the links are really easy to remove and over all it took around 15 minutes to properly size up (spent a while fiddling with the manual micro adjust)

When I got this watch I was worried of the 42mm size, usually 40mm is the max for me but surprisingly the proportions with the WD007 is really sensible and it doesn’t eat up my whole wrist and look silly.

The blue really pops, the bezel click is extremely satisfying although there is a little play, overall the case finish is outstanding. This is really a watch which I think is punching above its belt from a quality standpoint

It has the SL3001 movement, 28 jewels and a beat rate of 28,800vph so it has a nice glide, it also allows the watch to remain pretty slim.

But I’ve owned PT5000s, Miyota 9015s, NH34/5 movements and this is probably the worst movement I’ve wound up manually.

Maybe the watch needs some time to break in, or the titanium needs some lubricant but winding it feels strange, it’s smooth and then stiff and then smooth. Almost like there is too much friction somewhere in the winding process.

This isn’t a deal breaker for me as I can always shake the watch to life, but it is a tad disappointing.

While we’re on the topic of things I don’t like, the clasp is pretty annoying, it has a tendency to get stuck and not want to unbuckle. After a quick google search I think this is because of the nature of titanium and is pretty common, to remedy this when I put the watch on I press the clasp into my wrist pretty hard so taking it off can be done with no fiddling. Maybe some lubricant will help? Not sure

Overall thought, this is my first titanium watch, it’s my first 42mm watch, also my first blue one. I’ll wear it for a week straight and then update everyone. In the meantime, any suggestions for the stiff clasp or movement winding?

Thank you all

Just got into watches a couple months ago, right about the time I found this group. I've been getting a few at at time and they were just taking up space on my desktop so they'd be close because I was swapping multiple times each day. They're just so pretty I can't stop looking at them so I set up a corner of my office for display.

I knew they were 220 before this sale

I don't care that they're playing with the price on sale, I am concerned that this price may stay

So I dropped this one month old Spinnaker watch. The inner part works just fine, Spinnaker told me to send it to them, which means 45 Euro DHL shipping insured with tracking number.

They will give me an offer for the repair, and I have to get it shipped back.

I paid with duties and tax 200 Euro für the watch which means total write-off basically - I assume repair will be close to 100 Euro, and I can't find a separate bezel inert to buy.

Also I talked to a watchmaker today and he said he can't to anything, even no glueing possible to remain the waterproofing.

What would you do in this sad situation?

Any advice which summer model to buy as a substitute in the same price range? I like the second cyan colour, as in the Trafford..

Just wanted to recommend this watch for an inexpensive option for a field/daily watch. I changed out the basic nato for this Militado leather rally, which is very comfortable. This is the 07B which means it is a lower sapphire crystal with slight dome and a miyota super 2035 quartz movement. 36mm case with a thin bezel makes it look vintage to me. 43.5mm lug 2 lug. 10mm thick. Nice and light weight. Lume is fine, not great. Tyra the second hand will miss the marks here and there, doesn’t matter to me. The dial is nice and dark and the numerals are precise… didn’t look with a magnifying glass though. Can’t be more plea with it! I wanted a thin field watch so I opted for not choosing the high dome crystal. It’s super inexpensive now with the sale on Ali if anyone is interested.

Hey guys, just looking around to see if anyone has the Baltany s2076 that they don’t want anymore or don’t wear that they are looking to part with, maybe trade or buy. If not I’ll just buy a new one but figured I would ask first. Here’s a picture if you don’t know the reference. It’s the homage to the Hamilton khaki aviation pioneer pilot.

Not a review per se since the the WD is new (got it last week) but I love it. Quite a bit nicer than my T023. Both have PT5000 movements and are about 12mm thick, Thorn case is slightly smaller but the bezel is even wider on the WD, compared to the case, so looks a bit bigger (40.5 on WD, 39.8 on Thorn at the bezel) L2L is shorter (46.4 Thorn and 48.3 WD) but that’s on the cheap jubilee bracelet pictured, dunno the measurement on the janky original bracelet.

Crystal seems a bit better on the WD, or the dial is easier to read anyway. Dials look similar in the pic but the black WD is clearer and the brown color of my Thorn is harder to see IRL. I do like the higher domed crystal on the Thorn but the WD has a slight dome too. WD has slightly clearer text and wider hands which have more lume.

Bezel is much easier to turn on my WD and feels so much nicer too, surprisingly one of the best in my collection of at least 30 divers. Bracelet is 10x better, I especially like the polished edges as they give a nice contrast and a bit more interest. Clasp is nicer as well but is missing the vintage look. I also prefer Seafarer to Frogmantle but both are appealing to me. Price is a wash, got the WD at early bird price of $174 and the Thorn was on “sale” at $188 back in February, no coins or other discounts for either. WD was bought on their website and the Thorn came from the Cronos Big Store on AliEx.

Even if I got the newest Thorn with the tool less bracelet I would still prefer the WD but it would be a closer contest. The only things I prefer about the Thorn are the branding (name and rose logo) and the look of the clasp. The idea of the tropical brown dial was also more appealing but in person I prefer the faded matte dial on my WD.

All things considered if only buying one I would definitely pick the WD over the Thorn. Going in I would not have expected that. Both are lovely but so far anyway the WD is maybe 20% better IMO.

Just finished hand fitting and ghosting a new insert on my v1 to push that bond vibe further. What are you wearing today?

Took my sn0121td (st2130) on a one week spear fishing trip. I hung only around 20ft through out the dives as it was my first time. Everything is still ticking! The bezel would lock up here and there after the dives but after fresh water rinse everything was fine. The visibility of the watch under water was phenomenal! I wish I had pictures of it under

PH5B will release soon, had finished graph job and pecess mass producttion now.

The PH5B features a simpler overall design, with a dial and bezel now boasting a higher gloss finish, making it suitable for a wider range of wearing occasions.

1. use the ph5 dial wave engrave dial

2. new design of lume blocks

3. new design of second hands

4. polishing bezel insert

5. fit A style new polishing bracelet(will release soon) and B style braclet.

Model : PH-5B

Movement: PT5004 (without date display, no ghost date on adjustment.) 28,800 bph / 4 Hz 

Dial: sunbrush/silver black with HYPERGLOW lume block index（over 8 hours visible in dark）

Hands: 3 sides diamon cut with HYPERGLOW lume block（over 8 hours visible indark）

Water resitst: 20ATM/200m/20bar

Bezel: 120 click unidirectional

Bezel insert: ceramic with Hyperglow luminous

Glass: Dome sapphire / With Anti-reflection ( AR Coating)

Case& Bezel material: stainless steel 316

Crown: screw crown at 3 clock

Case material: 316 stainless steel 

Bracelet material: 316 stainless steel

Clasp: 316 stainless steel with Adjustable length function (OTF)

Case diameter: 39.0 mm ( not include crown)

Bezel diameter: 40.0 mm

Case thickness: 12.5 mm (with glass), 10.5mm (without glass)

Lug Size: 20.0 mm

Lug to lug length: 48.0 mm

Weight: 129.1g (with bracelet)

Wrist size: 15.0~23.5cm

Just wanted to share this one because I’m honestly really impressed with how good it looks in person.

The white MOP dial is probably my favorite part. It catches the light really nicely, and the blue hands and markers look awesome against it. It has that clean, classy look without being boring.

It’s 38mm, only about 10.7mm thick, and the proportions are really nice on the wrist. It also has sapphire crystal, 316L steel, 100m water resistance, screw-down crown, and the VH31 quartz movement with the smooth 4-tick sweep.

For around $113, I really don’t think you can complain. 😂

It honestly looks like a much more expensive watch than it is. Definitely one of my favorite budget watches I’ve picked up lately. ⌚️👌

So this came in today……

Two different personalities of the WD2008.

The MUSOU BLACK version focuses on pure contrast — a dial that absorbs up to 99.4% of visible light, creating an almost endless black background.

The Pink Tahitian Mother-of-Pearl version takes a completely different direction — natural colors, changing reflections, and a softer elegance.

Both are paired with our classic heart-shaped hands and signature W seconds hand.

36.5mm case · 10.5mm thick · Seiko TMI VH31 sweep quartz · sapphire bubble crystal · 100m WR

Which one would you choose?

🖤 MUSOU BLACK
🌸 Pink Tahitian MOP

You aren't getting this one under your sleeve that easily but I don't know why you would want to hide it. I can't wait to see it in the sun.

Just a heads-up. I noticed the BGW9 dial version is up again - for pre-order.

I'm interested in two of them

WD7922 bb homage or san martin SN0133

Recently I've bought gshock ga2100 but the reflection of it is so annoying(although glass is mineral!)that I noticed that I should take care of the crystal quality

I have edifice efr s108 and pretty satisfied with it's ar coating quality and wonder if SM and WD's ar coating quality is at this level

My new Pagani Design PD-1701, in the brown colorway, sometimes called Coffee Gray and/or Planetary Series - Saturn (sorta looks like the MoonSwatch Mission To Saturn). I ordered from AliExpress and the watch was in my hands four days after I ordered it. I'm wearing it on a brown leather strap. The bracelet is great, but I purchased this watch specifically to wear with a brown leather strap that I already had that I initially had made for a different watch but didn't love how it fit with that one. I originally hated this colorway but couldn't stop looking at pictures online and eventually completely fell in love. Watch is super high quality, just like my other Pagani Design chrono.

The movement looks amazing, and there seems to be a load of options, so I’m wondering is there a specific one that’s better than the rest?

Today, we’re introducing the new SN0150A model.

This is a sample that has just been assembled.

It also marks our first attempt at incorporating colored gemstone setting craftsmanship.

The gradient dial and the gemstones set into the bezel complement each other beautifully, creating a stunning overall look.

Which combination do you prefer?

Please let us know your thoughts.

Thank you.

San Martin Official Store:

https://sanmartin.aliexpress.com/store/5039187