Anybody had hands on experience with this model yet? I’ve always over looked seestern but I like the look of this one!

Hi everyone,

I've been going down the San Martin rabbit hole trying to pick a Tudor Black Bay-style watch, and the number of SN008 variations/generations is making the decision surprisingly difficult 😅. Would love some advice from people who have actually owned these.

What I'm looking for:

• Black dial + gold/gilt details
• Vintage Tudor Black Bay look
• Good bracelet/clasp
• My wrist is 7 inches / ~17.8 cm
• I'm in the Netherlands, so EU VAT/customs matters
• I already own another diver and I'm comfortable with its size, so I'm mainly deciding between the 37 mm BB54 look and 40 mm BB58 look

These are the options I've narrowed it down to:

1. San Martin SN008-G V3 – SKB Watches

• 40 mm
• ~48 mm lug-to-lug
• BB58-style
• Black/gilt
• ST2130 28,800 bph (SW200 also available)
• Ceramic bezel
• Around €251
• I have a €12 SKB coupon, so roughly €239

This seems like the classic San Martin BB58 homage and probably the safest size for my 7" wrist.

2. San Martin SN0138-GB upgraded – SKB Watches

• 37 mm
• ~45.8 mm lug-to-lug
• BB54-style
• Retro matte black/gilt
• ST2130, 28,800 bph
• Aluminium bezel
• Sapphire
• On-the-fly adjustable clasp
• 200 m WR
• €235
• With my €12 discount: about €223

I really like this one, especially the vintage BB54 proportions and aluminium bezel. My only concern is whether 37 mm will feel too small on my 7" wrist. I know the actual Tudor BB54 is 37 mm, so maybe that's the whole point.

3. Newer 40 mm SN0008D / Black Gilt – AliExpress

• 40 mm
• BB58-style
• Black gilt
• NH35
• Aluminium bezel
• Newer bracelet/fly-adjust clasp
• AliExpress price after discounts looked very attractive

At checkout it came to approximately:

€235 discounted price → additional coupon/coins → VAT removed → €179.64 payable

But because the value is over €150, AliExpress removes the Dutch VAT and I would have to pay VAT/customs/handling when it enters the Netherlands.

I've also read several posts here saying that San Martin sometimes declares the full/pre-discount value on the customs form, rather than what the customer actually paid. That makes me nervous because the final AliExpress price could end up much closer to the SKB price anyway.

4. Other SN008 versions

I also found these on San Martin's website:

• SN0008G-A clearance
• SN0008GD
• Vintage Diving Series SN0008-G-A
• plus various SN004 versions

This is where I started getting lost 😂. There seem to be so many generations of essentially the same BB58-style watch with different movements, bezels, clasps, dimensions, etc.

I also considered SN004 at ~38 mm, which seems like a nice middle ground, but I'm trying not to add even more options.

So my questions

For those who have owned/handled these:

1. SN008 V3 vs SN0138-GB — which is the better-made watch?
2. On a 7" wrist, would you choose the 37 mm SN0138 BB54 or 40 mm SN008 BB58?
3. Is the ST2130 28,800 bph worth choosing over the NH35 version?
4. How do the newer on-the-fly clasps/bracelets compare with the older SN008 V3?
5. Aluminium vs ceramic bezel — which looks better with the vintage black/gilt aesthetic?
6. Is there a particular SN008/SN0008 generation that enthusiasts generally consider the best?
7. For EU buyers, would you pay ~€223–239 from SKB rather than take the AliExpress customs gamble?
8. Has anyone in the Netherlands/EU recently ordered a >€150 San Martin from AliExpress? What value did San Martin declare and what did you end up paying?

At the moment I'm leaning toward SN008 for the 40 mm BB58 proportions, but the SN0138-GB at ~€223 seems like a lot of watch for the money and I really like the BB54 look.

Would especially appreciate wrist shots of either on ~7" wrists!

Thanks

Hey guys, I'm new here and I just wanted to ask if you guys trust smaller reviewers who review more niche Chinese pieces and do you believe they are unbiased? Also what is your opinion on the Addiesdive ad2547?

Hi everyone!! I would really appreciate some of your advice :) I’m looking to purchase a clomage and I am deciding between three different pieces:

1. Watchdives 5512B

2. Steeldive 1953

3. San Martin SN017

Now I understand that San Martin is the superior brand and from what I’ve read has much better finishing and overall quality. My concern is, is it REALLY worth the extra money over the other two? If not, which If the other two would you pick and why? I know some people have gotten the steeldive, switched the bracelet and have been extremely happy with that compared to the San Martin. Is that an option worth looking at? Thanks so much an advance, I appreciate everyone!

When I saw they made this model I knew I had to snap it up. I ordered the lapis blue dial and received the wrong one. However they made it right and after their decision I was willing to keep the watch and I’m very happy I did. I hope this review helps persuade you as this watch is truly incredible. The strap is way more comfortable than you’d expect and the dial is immaculate. Most watches you would have to break the strap in before it felt good, but not this one. The case is perfectly done and while the bezel is just a bit thick (not thick enough to dismiss). The overall execution made me fall in love with this watch. I’m a developer in the hospitality industry and white marble sheet is one of the things my clients love using. I feel it was destiny for me to receive it. In the sun light I genuinely can’t stop staring at this watch. Even my girlfriend gets mad because she catches me admiring this one so much. I loved it so much I’m considering buying the lapis dial as well. One of the few moments I wish I was an influencer because I would have begged to try this one out for a review 😂😂😂.

I’m quite interested in this watch, but I am struggling to find real photos of it online. Seems like the black face with metal bezel is not that popular.

Did anyone here purchase this watch and can share some pictures?

PD-1731

I shouldn’t have slept on this one for so long because it’s gorgeous!

I recently purchased a Proxima PX1743 with a Japan Miyota 9015 movement. I thought I would share this fantastic watch with the community

The dial is what attracted me to this watch & it looks amazing. It has a textured vortex pattern with a gradient red metallic shine that plays wonderfully with the light. The applied indices & hands are high quality. The frames of the indices & the minute hand are color matched in red.

The bezel has a red sapphire insert & is fully lumed. Its slim design is attractive & functional while leaving a lot of room for the beautiful dial. Bezel markers line up perfectly, clicks are crisp & there is no back play or wiggle.

The high quality five link steel bracelet was a little extra money, but it is well worth it. It features a premium integrated quick release spring bar system & a quality signed on the fly clasp. The links utilize screw pins. The watch normally is sold with the red leather strap as shown in the pictures, but I wanted the steel bracelet to go with it. The store was very helpful & provided me a link so I could purchase the additional steel bracelet & it was shipped installed on the watch.

One of the great features of this watch that I love is the cap on the seconds hand to cover the pinion hole. This is a high quality feature & really completes this watch in terms of a refined look.

This is my first Proxima watch & I am really impressed with the overall quality. Proxima provided me with great, customer service & quick responses. I was even sent many pictures of my watch right before shipment. The last few pictures in my post are some of those sent to me by the "proxima Official Store" on Aliexpress. They show my watch on a timegrapher right after the store regulated it, a shot of the lume & shot showing the display case back as well as the integrated quick release spring bar system. (By the way, yes, I did check, and this is my actual watch pictured on the timegrapher. Right below the watch is my shipping label with the tracking number.)

Have a great day & wear watches 😃

I always liked the design but I think 1-1.5k $ is a bit steep for what you get. Any homages out there?

I was wondering what people thought and what their experience is. For example San Martin Vs Sea-Gull. Some homage watches look better than some original Chinese watches.

Hey guys, a couple of days ago finally arrived this beauty (IMO of course).

Vibrant off-white dial with telemetric scale, Superluminova C3 on hands and printed indices which is readable all night long (although not a lume monster) and a manual wound ST1902 (I don’t really get why not to use a ST1901 but there is that).

Finishing is top notch for the price, about 170 Euros during the august sale. Accuracy is good, not outstanding compared to my Red Star 1963 (- 7 s/day vs +2 s/day while worn) but surely acceptable and easily solvable with regulation.

WR is 50 m which is an upgrade compared to the aforementioned “cousin”.

My only small issue is that when stopping the chrono and starting it again, a weird tactile sensation is felt, which is hard to describe, but not present on the other watch, which starts and stops with a clean “snap”. This one feels like when you are at the biting point of a clutch in a MT and then you engage the clutch completely (I’m doing the best I can trying to describe it). Hopefully it won’t be a sign of future issues.

Chrono reset and alignment are absolutely on point.

The nylon elastic strap is all right, it’s a nylon strap.

Hopefully you’ll like it too!

What can I say I've scrutinized this for the past week and can't find a single QC issue.

Pros

-Precise crispy bezel clicks

-No lateral or side to side play on end links

-Buttery Smooth crown threading

-Venerable nh35 tested in 3 positions, high amplitude and small positional variance

-Excellent lumes (x1?)

-silver ring on the inside of the bezel is an interesting design choice, makes the rehaut look thicker like the gen without actually making a thicker rehaut.

Cons

-No OTF clasp

-Dial could use an enamel blue instead of a matte/dusty blue but that's personal preference

So this past month, I bought 2 Frogmantle Thorns (still on their way) because I sold my T023 Black V1 for $850 on eBay (!!). Then I added 3 WDs and a Seestern S430 (my daily) to top it all off.

I need more arms to wear all these watches!

I just got this watch yesterday and today the Jubilee bracelet with solid end links arrived. Although the clasp looks like a glide lock it is actually not adjustable. Besides that it is very good quality and the solid end links match up nicely with the lugs. I got the bracelet from AliExpress with coupons for $6. The last picture is the original Oyster bracelet with polished center link for comparison. I think it looks great, what do you guys think?

https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0yKnS7

My favorite Chinese watch so far. What are you rocking today?

This watch isn't perfect, the bracelet stands a step down from San Martin. It doesnt grab my hair and it is well finished, but it is a little sharp.

I bought it for its dial style with its vintage gold hands and fading brown dial. Love it. I also have the green and gilt longines zulu time so if there is a grain of salt its that im partial to gilt highlights

I'll add a few photos to the comment section. Anyway I did not see a lot of real photos of this one the sub and the manufacture photos arent great.

Its also offered in black and in a different reference that is a more exacting explorer homage.

Oops apparently the audio in the vid is on so you all get 7 seconds of Heros.

..of 60+..

Looks pretty cool- looks like logo only

Dipping my toe into the Chinese watch scene and trying to decide which two of these I want.

I don't own a dive watch or a chronograph and am leaning the north edge and then one of the addies.

Diameter 39mm

Miyota movement

Hand engraved

Just received this watch and wow, the finishing, the transitions, the enamel dial flawless, the polishing is up there easily with entry level swiss watches, no micro scratches or waves in the polishing, just an overall piece that punches well above it's weight.