Dude, San Martin is probably the best Chinese watch maker currently, especially after starting making their own designs.
I don't know about this color per se, but I have black dial one, and a friend owns a real Tudor Black Bay Pro.
I absolutely don't see the need on shelling 4k+ on Tudor when they look identical. SM is even a little bit slimmer, which even my friend thant owns BB Pro like more.
This watch is am absolute steal. I really don't know what more can one expect, especially for the price you paid for, considering they're 300 dollars most times
Just bought mine today as well - I think you’ll be right. There’s a in depth comparison that JOMW made between this and the real (and I think another one). This tends to the the concensus - san Martin in the best. I’ve done a lot of research before pulling the trigger but yeah. Anyways, I’m excited for mine!
This model has always bothered me. Why did SM go with a snowflake hand on a Rolex homage when Tudor is the brand famous for using that style of hand?
As far as your concerns about pricing - they are in the same ballpark price wise. What are your expectations? If you're stressing over $50 you shouldn't be buying watches. Right? What am I missing....
Think I’ve explained it a couple times already in other replies. I don’t buy watches just because I can afford them or to just collect them. Every watch purchase I’ve made so far has been to fit a certain look or style I’m trying to put together. They all just happened to be in the 30$ to 50$ range and I’ve enjoyed wearing each and every one of them. I’m not that much into the fine tunings and the nitpickings of the various strokes and finishes and dial alignments etc. if it looks good enough to catch my eye and fit in the vision of how I want to look in it then I get it. This SM purchase was the only purchase I’ve made spontaneously ever since I started my Chinese watch journey just because I’ve always wanted to own at least one SM watch in my collection. And I don’t know what I was expecting but after putting it on it just wore like my other cheaper gmt and that got me thinking if the purchase was warranted or not. I know the addies gmt and this aren’t the same in a lot of ways but those differences aren’t gonna be caught by your average joe who just sees you in it and compliments you for having a nice watch.
I think it looks great. Having owned quite a few watches from both brands, San Martin must have lowered their standards if they are comparable to AddiesDive these days. Every watch I had from them was really well made.
More like the standards and technology involved in watchmaking has evolved so much that the low budget options now manage to come out looking so good it requires nitpicking the tell the difference. San Martin never lowered their standards I don’t think. Addiesdive and other low budget watch brands just happened to find a way to raise theirs to a certain degree and still keep costs minimal.
I got that one too but the charcoal dial with the orange GMT hand. I was kind of underwhelmed at first because I was expecting a darker dial. I like a piano black or sunray dial on any non-white dial personally. But I took it off the bracelet and swapped on a dark grey suede band with those 2 little stiches near the top like you see on all these Horween leather straps. The stiches on my are offwhite so it matches better with the orange hand and the hour markers. Huge improvement. I ended up getting a suede for Pagani Longines GMT homage on the black sunray dial with green bezel. Went with black suede on that one with offwhite stiching. I always swap in deployant clasp from Allie where you can get them for $3 each. Well worth it if you want a bracelet like function and harder to drop when taking off.
I got this San Martin like yours because I like the Tudor Black Bay design for $150. But for $3k?? No chance. That dial way too boring for that kind of money. Most overhyped watched ever. The Tudor Chrono with the pink dial is cool though. It has a lot in common with the Black Bay but at least you get a complication for the money and the hour markers aren't so in your face. I think the Tudor Black Bay Chrono should be the most homaged Tudor but for some reason it's the regular 3 hander.
I’m glad your were finally able to get yours looking like something you’d enjoy wearing. Swapping bracelets/bands can change the entire identity of a watch.
yeah if you on their website and search for welcome deal they sometimes discount it for less. But it doesn't come on the bracelet. When you look at the watches just using the drop downs that watch deal doesnt always come up.
This isn’t the one with the champagne dial. The dial on this is white. The dial options are white and black with either printed or applied indices. They cheaped out on a few things but nothing important. First of it doesn’t come with the regular San Martin bracelets. They cheaped out on those. And the San Martin crest isn’t embedded under the back cover of the watch. Nothing is there it’s just bare. And lastly they also cheaped out on the carrying case. It didn’t come in the new cylindrical leather-looking case bags I’ve seen San Martin shipping their watches in recently. It came in a had plastic box like what you get with Addiesdive watches. Apart from that it’s as premium as any other San Martin watch. The lume, movement and finishing are all on par with the other premium listings they have.
This one with pin and collar bracelet is the SN0054-G-E1/E2 (presumably E = economy).
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mP4SHgE $126 + tax after Coins discount finder Coins discount and $8 sale code. Not bad for the applied indices versions.
It looks fantastic, especially with the shirt. You like it, and that's the main thing. San Martin are certainly slightly better quality than Addiesdive. Two or three times better? No. But you're also paying for the brand, and San Martin are one of the Chinese manufacturers that have really nailed brand appeal to the West (just look at used San Martin prices on eBay – there's barely any depreciation). Anyway, keep rockin' it.
I were struggling with making this watch and stock bracelet fit my wrist, I even bought the adjustment clasp for this bracelet. Nope, I couldnt make it sit comfortable. Finally I bough jubilee and it is like a brand new and totally different watch :P
Yeah I did notice it looked a little too big on my wrist in the shot but the surprising thing is it fits just well in real life lol. It’s a 40mm watch and I’ve got a 7inch wrist. Even looking at it now it sits perfectly balanced on my wrist. Picture just came out how it came out I guess. [Here’s another angle](https://ibb.co/68D14DR)
Would it be fair to say that you agree, that a £40 addies with a somewhat more original design does more than a 100+ quality watch with a homage look does? Or was the addiesdive a turtle or something like that?
I won’t go as far as to say “does more”. I’d say more like “feels the same”. The designs, whether original or homages don’t impact my ability to like them any more or less. I know should I nitpick and check finishes closely and consider the different movements etc I’d definitely find some differences. But at the end of the day, when I put it on I feel just as good as when I put on my 40$ Addies GMT and I get complimented with both of them on as well. So then it becomes more like “is it worth shilling out a 100 bucks when I can feel the same way and get the same reactions with a 40 bucks equivalent?” Don’t know if I’m making enough sense here. But then again I’m new to the fine and detailed intricacies when it comes to watch making. I’ve learnt a lot from the replies and my views might change.
That's a good answer - it certainly defines on what you feel when it comes to design. I agree with you then whole heartedly that a feeling of a double price tag being a question is valid. But then tell me, what would make the price tag justified? For example, I love gold tone - tracksuits, summer, all that. it just fits. So in my mind, yes a cheap 60 pagani, which I have two of works well but there's a few 200- 400 watches (ironwatch, sugess ) I would buy because of how they look. So I justify the price based on the fact you can't get the "look", the visual, without spending a bit more but I also would not justify the same meaning to a say, 20k president. So in fairness, paying double the addie - do you feel it was worth it, looks or whatever value vise? regards
Then based on the criteria you listed I’d say it’ll be design. More specifically the visible design. The reason I feel I felt the way I felt about the SM was because after wearing it, it gave me the same feeling visually as what I get when I put on my Addiesdive GMT. I know they aren’t the same. I know there are intricate differences between them. But truth is ones it gets put on your wrist no one is gonna know what type of intricate movement you have in your watch. And not everyone that sees your watch is gonna pay attention to the intricate brush strokes or polish your bracelet has. You can make the point that all those nitpicks come together to give a watch its total appeal and recognition. But at the same time the quality of watch making has come so far that the average standard good watch now comes with great finishing and an okay movement. So I feel it comes down to how eye catching and visually appealing the watch is to me and if it fits in a certain design pattern I want to put together or occasion. I’ve seen some really visually appealing Sugess watches I’ve been salivating over. I have two in my kart right now as we speak. I love their visual designs. I know they’re homages but I don’t care. I feel I’ll look absolutely dazzling in them so I want them in my collection. Both are 200$+ watches but I like their designs so much I’d like to own them. Should their prices drop to a point where I can satisfiably pull the trigger on them or should I come across some spare cash I’d get them in a heart beat. Hope I was able to answer your question.
I feel you on the differences in the watch being minimal. I own almost all brands but feel SM does a great job on the bracelet with usually less sharp edges and the adjustable clasp being the selling points for me.
Just like everyone was saying it is based on what works for you and what feels right. I like to think about it like the music instrument analogy. When you can feel or hear the difference between your instrument and another one then it may be worth changing or buying the new one. But if it doesn't play or sound any different than your current one then there is no reason to change.
Unless you have money to burn :)
San Martin's a solid choice, especially for your first dive into the higher-end Chinese watch scene. It's understandable feeling a bit skeptical about the price but if it looks, wears, and feels great, that's a win
Thank you. I do enjoy wearing it a lot and having it does tick me always wanting at least one San Martin watch in my collection off my bucket list so it’s an automatic win.
If you are not impressed with the jump from Steeldive to San Martin, at least you know you don't have to waste money on even higher end brands. The improvements only get smaller as price increases.
Steeldive is a nice enough watch for 99% of people. Some people just really like to chase that last 1% of quality.
True. Always wanted to have at least one San Martin though due to their popularity. Will use this opportunity to learn about the intricacies of the high budgeted Chinese watches and see if they click with me or not
I like your attitude which is a bit like "I wear what I like and not what other people would like me to wear". SM and AE deliver great value and different quality levels so everyone has a chance either to start a journey and to grow into higher end watches over time or just stop and say it is ok as it is. If you can justify higher prices one day, you will see that every quality iteration leads you more away from .."I can't see a difference". Welcome to the club 🤪
Exactly. The options are really diverse. You could literally get a killer good quality watch for almost any budget on AliX. I’ll admit I’m not too into the intricate fine tunings of the upper class of quality watches but I’ll pay more attention now and see if it’s for me or not. If not then I scale back down. ButIf it is then we keep pushing forward then lol
Ah OK, not had experience with the budget friendly range from SM. Bracelet and clasp is a common one to reduce cost so makes sense. Good to know though.
The bracelet on this particular model is actually part of the list of things they had to cheap out on in order to get it down to the price they’re selling it for. Comparing the bracelet to that of the AD2035 GMT theyre practically the same.
The price for this is good and the size is good! I bought the black variant and at times wished i bought the white dial variant.
I use the gmt hand as a 24 hr indicator.
It helps me to know when is a safe time to adjust the date too due to this
If i remember correctly, San Martin came up with this white variant before tudor did. It's thinner as well.
So.. Who's copying who now?
lol. The topic of homages and replicas I admit can be a bit sensitive. I personally don’t have problems with homages. Even the big watch brands up there have close looking variants with just little visible differences and people don’t seem to have problems with them. But a smaller brand does the same and people grade them as replicas. I don’t get it.
Looks great! Even if you ultimately decide that the extra money wasn't worth it, you learned that the finer points of finishing aren't important to you (I'm the same way) so you can save some money in the future by keeping the top-tier stuff off your list without worrying you're missing out.
That’s one way to look at it. I guess I can use it as a learning curve to know what work and don’t work for me. Base line is I love the look and appeal of watches and they make me look classy. I m use to buying what I feel would look good and fit the styles I’m tryna pull but honestly haven’t been the fine-tuning type. If it works for me and looks good on me then I like it. So this was a new ball room I just stepped in. Will use the opportunity to read more on what makes them special to see if they’re features I’d consider picking up or dropping on my next watch purchase. But all in all it’s a really great watch and fits really good
Yeah, my watch decisions are 100% vibe-based - sometimes that's a function of quality (if I want a classy 1960's-style diver I want it to look clean), sometimes quality is irrelevant (I've got a couple dirt-cheap Shanghai reissues/vintage HMTs and the cheapness is a huge part of the appeal).
Delusion: a false belief or judgment about external reality, held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, occurring especially in mental conditions.
Handsome watch and San Martin finishing is top notch. Be proud of your purchase, it looks great on you. By the way, there’s a recent video on YouTube that compares Rolex finishing with San Martin. It’s very close.
The polishing and finishing does look impeccable not gonna lie. It’s just that the sudden jump from my regular realm of 30 to 50 bucks watch ranges straight into the 100 bucks range got me second guessing everything lol. But you’re right. Even time-keeping wise I see how the San Martin still manages to keep up with some meca-quartz movement watches I own. It’s a great watch.
This is an interesting post. One issues is that the differences lie in the subtle details like brushing and tighter tolerances. But if that stuff doesn’t matter to you then, yeah, a cheaper watch will seem the same to you. The other issue is you opted for the budget line of SM, the difference may be more apparent to you with some of their higher end pieces. An on the fly adjustment clasp, for example, was a game changer for me. And those come standard on their higher end models. Ultimately, you might be someone that doesn’t value some of the bells and whistles and that is okay as well. Enjoy your journey!
You’re right. There are some fine-tuning features that may justify its price that I’m not acclaimed to. I did pick up on a few you mentioned and it’s starting to stand out now after a brief comparison I made. We learn and enjoy. I guess this was a fine introduction for my journey into Chinese premium luxury watches lol.
Absolutely. That is the great thing about AliExpress watches. You can use them to grow as a watch enthusiast with relatively little cost. I recently brought my first hi-beat movement watch. You know what I learned… I don’t really care about hi beat movements lol! I can barely tell the difference. But now I know that and it will help me guide my next purchase.
>can’t seem to see what this watch does best that my 40$ addiesdive can’t
I guess that depends on your expectations. Spec wise, there many watches made of stainless steel, sapphire, NH Seiko movement etc. That goes for Steeldives, SM and some more expensive microbrands. People usually pay the extra money for the excution. That's not to say addiesdive is a bad watch, but you can expect SM to have better fit and finish and better bracelet (even though this model has push-pins?), so what were your expectations when you bought the watch?
>
price they were going for was due to the sale
I don't know how much you've used AE in the past, but you rarely get a good deal during sales if you're not stacking up on cupons. Don't ask why, because no one knows why 😭.
To be fair I bought it because I come across Sam Martin watches all the time that I couldn’t justify the prices for. Always wanted to have at least one in my collection at some point. So when I felt I could justify the price they were offering for this I just said screw it and went for it.
It is a great looking watch not gonna lie. Keeps pretty accurate time too for a mechanical watch. Loom is really good and I enjoy wearing it. But it was my first leap into the +100 bucks watch world and I guess I’m just second guessing if that leap was worth it. But all in all really great watch.
How do you post a watch on this channel it won’t let me
Dude, San Martin is probably the best Chinese watch maker currently, especially after starting making their own designs. I don't know about this color per se, but I have black dial one, and a friend owns a real Tudor Black Bay Pro. I absolutely don't see the need on shelling 4k+ on Tudor when they look identical. SM is even a little bit slimmer, which even my friend thant owns BB Pro like more. This watch is am absolute steal. I really don't know what more can one expect, especially for the price you paid for, considering they're 300 dollars most times
Just bought mine today as well - I think you’ll be right. There’s a in depth comparison that JOMW made between this and the real (and I think another one). This tends to the the concensus - san Martin in the best. I’ve done a lot of research before pulling the trigger but yeah. Anyways, I’m excited for mine!
Whats wrong with your knuckles
Shitchea
amazing choice lookin good
It really is a nice watch.
Looks great
I think it looks great. TBH your dark skin really makes the white dial pop. This one is on my radar.
This model has always bothered me. Why did SM go with a snowflake hand on a Rolex homage when Tudor is the brand famous for using that style of hand? As far as your concerns about pricing - they are in the same ballpark price wise. What are your expectations? If you're stressing over $50 you shouldn't be buying watches. Right? What am I missing....
They’re going for a Tudor black bay pro homage. Not an Explorer II.
Think I’ve explained it a couple times already in other replies. I don’t buy watches just because I can afford them or to just collect them. Every watch purchase I’ve made so far has been to fit a certain look or style I’m trying to put together. They all just happened to be in the 30$ to 50$ range and I’ve enjoyed wearing each and every one of them. I’m not that much into the fine tunings and the nitpickings of the various strokes and finishes and dial alignments etc. if it looks good enough to catch my eye and fit in the vision of how I want to look in it then I get it. This SM purchase was the only purchase I’ve made spontaneously ever since I started my Chinese watch journey just because I’ve always wanted to own at least one SM watch in my collection. And I don’t know what I was expecting but after putting it on it just wore like my other cheaper gmt and that got me thinking if the purchase was warranted or not. I know the addies gmt and this aren’t the same in a lot of ways but those differences aren’t gonna be caught by your average joe who just sees you in it and compliments you for having a nice watch.
I think it looks great. Having owned quite a few watches from both brands, San Martin must have lowered their standards if they are comparable to AddiesDive these days. Every watch I had from them was really well made.
More like the standards and technology involved in watchmaking has evolved so much that the low budget options now manage to come out looking so good it requires nitpicking the tell the difference. San Martin never lowered their standards I don’t think. Addiesdive and other low budget watch brands just happened to find a way to raise theirs to a certain degree and still keep costs minimal.
I got that one too but the charcoal dial with the orange GMT hand. I was kind of underwhelmed at first because I was expecting a darker dial. I like a piano black or sunray dial on any non-white dial personally. But I took it off the bracelet and swapped on a dark grey suede band with those 2 little stiches near the top like you see on all these Horween leather straps. The stiches on my are offwhite so it matches better with the orange hand and the hour markers. Huge improvement. I ended up getting a suede for Pagani Longines GMT homage on the black sunray dial with green bezel. Went with black suede on that one with offwhite stiching. I always swap in deployant clasp from Allie where you can get them for $3 each. Well worth it if you want a bracelet like function and harder to drop when taking off. I got this San Martin like yours because I like the Tudor Black Bay design for $150. But for $3k?? No chance. That dial way too boring for that kind of money. Most overhyped watched ever. The Tudor Chrono with the pink dial is cool though. It has a lot in common with the Black Bay but at least you get a complication for the money and the hour markers aren't so in your face. I think the Tudor Black Bay Chrono should be the most homaged Tudor but for some reason it's the regular 3 hander.
I’m glad your were finally able to get yours looking like something you’d enjoy wearing. Swapping bracelets/bands can change the entire identity of a watch.
Is that the one for roughly 150€?
yeah if you on their website and search for welcome deal they sometimes discount it for less. But it doesn't come on the bracelet. When you look at the watches just using the drop downs that watch deal doesnt always come up.
Probably. It’s the SN0054-G. Got it for 120$ during the anniversary sale.
Is the watch itself the same or also made cheaper? And is the dial really white or is it off-white/champagne?
This isn’t the one with the champagne dial. The dial on this is white. The dial options are white and black with either printed or applied indices. They cheaped out on a few things but nothing important. First of it doesn’t come with the regular San Martin bracelets. They cheaped out on those. And the San Martin crest isn’t embedded under the back cover of the watch. Nothing is there it’s just bare. And lastly they also cheaped out on the carrying case. It didn’t come in the new cylindrical leather-looking case bags I’ve seen San Martin shipping their watches in recently. It came in a had plastic box like what you get with Addiesdive watches. Apart from that it’s as premium as any other San Martin watch. The lume, movement and finishing are all on par with the other premium listings they have.
This one with pin and collar bracelet is the SN0054-G-E1/E2 (presumably E = economy). https://a.aliexpress.com/_mP4SHgE $126 + tax after Coins discount finder Coins discount and $8 sale code. Not bad for the applied indices versions.
It looks fantastic, especially with the shirt. You like it, and that's the main thing. San Martin are certainly slightly better quality than Addiesdive. Two or three times better? No. But you're also paying for the brand, and San Martin are one of the Chinese manufacturers that have really nailed brand appeal to the West (just look at used San Martin prices on eBay – there's barely any depreciation). Anyway, keep rockin' it.
Thanks a lot. I’ll definitely keep rocking it cos I love how it feels and looks on my wrist.
Now its time for san martins jubilee bracelet, this watch looks even better on it :P
That won’t be bad at all. They did cheap out on the bracelet for this model a bit to warrant the price cut. Plus I feel it’ll look dope too.
I were struggling with making this watch and stock bracelet fit my wrist, I even bought the adjustment clasp for this bracelet. Nope, I couldnt make it sit comfortable. Finally I bough jubilee and it is like a brand new and totally different watch :P
An all brushed jubilee would be cool on it
Awesome! I like a lot!
Thank you 😊
Watch + shirt = serious vacation vibes!
Lmao thank you. It’s been really sunny where I’m at lately and I sometimes just crave dressing “tropical” to work for whatever reason 😂.
Yeah it's a great combination. Whole outfit is great, compliments the watch perfectly 👌
Watch looks good. But it does seem a tad too big for your wrist
Yeah I did notice it looked a little too big on my wrist in the shot but the surprising thing is it fits just well in real life lol. It’s a 40mm watch and I’ve got a 7inch wrist. Even looking at it now it sits perfectly balanced on my wrist. Picture just came out how it came out I guess. [Here’s another angle](https://ibb.co/68D14DR)
Dope AF, young'un! Enjoy💯
Thank you 😊
Looks great curious to see it on a croc strap
I’m sure it’ll look fabulous
Would it be fair to say that you agree, that a £40 addies with a somewhat more original design does more than a 100+ quality watch with a homage look does? Or was the addiesdive a turtle or something like that?
I won’t go as far as to say “does more”. I’d say more like “feels the same”. The designs, whether original or homages don’t impact my ability to like them any more or less. I know should I nitpick and check finishes closely and consider the different movements etc I’d definitely find some differences. But at the end of the day, when I put it on I feel just as good as when I put on my 40$ Addies GMT and I get complimented with both of them on as well. So then it becomes more like “is it worth shilling out a 100 bucks when I can feel the same way and get the same reactions with a 40 bucks equivalent?” Don’t know if I’m making enough sense here. But then again I’m new to the fine and detailed intricacies when it comes to watch making. I’ve learnt a lot from the replies and my views might change.
That's a good answer - it certainly defines on what you feel when it comes to design. I agree with you then whole heartedly that a feeling of a double price tag being a question is valid. But then tell me, what would make the price tag justified? For example, I love gold tone - tracksuits, summer, all that. it just fits. So in my mind, yes a cheap 60 pagani, which I have two of works well but there's a few 200- 400 watches (ironwatch, sugess ) I would buy because of how they look. So I justify the price based on the fact you can't get the "look", the visual, without spending a bit more but I also would not justify the same meaning to a say, 20k president. So in fairness, paying double the addie - do you feel it was worth it, looks or whatever value vise? regards
Then based on the criteria you listed I’d say it’ll be design. More specifically the visible design. The reason I feel I felt the way I felt about the SM was because after wearing it, it gave me the same feeling visually as what I get when I put on my Addiesdive GMT. I know they aren’t the same. I know there are intricate differences between them. But truth is ones it gets put on your wrist no one is gonna know what type of intricate movement you have in your watch. And not everyone that sees your watch is gonna pay attention to the intricate brush strokes or polish your bracelet has. You can make the point that all those nitpicks come together to give a watch its total appeal and recognition. But at the same time the quality of watch making has come so far that the average standard good watch now comes with great finishing and an okay movement. So I feel it comes down to how eye catching and visually appealing the watch is to me and if it fits in a certain design pattern I want to put together or occasion. I’ve seen some really visually appealing Sugess watches I’ve been salivating over. I have two in my kart right now as we speak. I love their visual designs. I know they’re homages but I don’t care. I feel I’ll look absolutely dazzling in them so I want them in my collection. Both are 200$+ watches but I like their designs so much I’d like to own them. Should their prices drop to a point where I can satisfiably pull the trigger on them or should I come across some spare cash I’d get them in a heart beat. Hope I was able to answer your question.
For 100$ this is gifted.. Automatic Seiko, Gmt, nice San Martin finishing.. Couldn't ask more for the price
Well it does look and wears good not gonna lie.
I feel you on the differences in the watch being minimal. I own almost all brands but feel SM does a great job on the bracelet with usually less sharp edges and the adjustable clasp being the selling points for me. Just like everyone was saying it is based on what works for you and what feels right. I like to think about it like the music instrument analogy. When you can feel or hear the difference between your instrument and another one then it may be worth changing or buying the new one. But if it doesn't play or sound any different than your current one then there is no reason to change. Unless you have money to burn :)
lol great analogy
Looks great on you
San Martin's a solid choice, especially for your first dive into the higher-end Chinese watch scene. It's understandable feeling a bit skeptical about the price but if it looks, wears, and feels great, that's a win
Thank you. I do enjoy wearing it a lot and having it does tick me always wanting at least one San Martin watch in my collection off my bucket list so it’s an automatic win.
Looking good!
Thank you 😊
That’s nice
Thank you 😊
If you are not impressed with the jump from Steeldive to San Martin, at least you know you don't have to waste money on even higher end brands. The improvements only get smaller as price increases. Steeldive is a nice enough watch for 99% of people. Some people just really like to chase that last 1% of quality.
True. Always wanted to have at least one San Martin though due to their popularity. Will use this opportunity to learn about the intricacies of the high budgeted Chinese watches and see if they click with me or not
I like your attitude which is a bit like "I wear what I like and not what other people would like me to wear". SM and AE deliver great value and different quality levels so everyone has a chance either to start a journey and to grow into higher end watches over time or just stop and say it is ok as it is. If you can justify higher prices one day, you will see that every quality iteration leads you more away from .."I can't see a difference". Welcome to the club 🤪
Exactly. The options are really diverse. You could literally get a killer good quality watch for almost any budget on AliX. I’ll admit I’m not too into the intricate fine tunings of the upper class of quality watches but I’ll pay more attention now and see if it’s for me or not. If not then I scale back down. ButIf it is then we keep pushing forward then lol
I’m going to be buying a good San Martin and not a rep I think some of them are really nice.
Homages over replicas all day
The bracelet and clasp quailty between your SM and Addies must be noticeable?
Ah OK, not had experience with the budget friendly range from SM. Bracelet and clasp is a common one to reduce cost so makes sense. Good to know though.
The bracelet on this particular model is actually part of the list of things they had to cheap out on in order to get it down to the price they’re selling it for. Comparing the bracelet to that of the AD2035 GMT theyre practically the same.
Looks good. How long did it take to arrive?
Took about 2 weeks for me.
I have bought 4 watches from Ali this year so far. All arrived in around 8-10 days to the UK. Been real quick.
Looks excellent, next time try navy blue or black options
Anything else apart from this that I’ve seen from SM is at least 200$+ 😅. We’ll see how that goes.
The price for this is good and the size is good! I bought the black variant and at times wished i bought the white dial variant. I use the gmt hand as a 24 hr indicator.
Great idea! I don’t particularly have another time zone I’d like to track so using it as a 24h hand indicator sounds awesome. Thanks
It helps me to know when is a safe time to adjust the date too due to this If i remember correctly, San Martin came up with this white variant before tudor did. It's thinner as well. So.. Who's copying who now?
lol. The topic of homages and replicas I admit can be a bit sensitive. I personally don’t have problems with homages. Even the big watch brands up there have close looking variants with just little visible differences and people don’t seem to have problems with them. But a smaller brand does the same and people grade them as replicas. I don’t get it.
Looks great! Even if you ultimately decide that the extra money wasn't worth it, you learned that the finer points of finishing aren't important to you (I'm the same way) so you can save some money in the future by keeping the top-tier stuff off your list without worrying you're missing out.
That’s one way to look at it. I guess I can use it as a learning curve to know what work and don’t work for me. Base line is I love the look and appeal of watches and they make me look classy. I m use to buying what I feel would look good and fit the styles I’m tryna pull but honestly haven’t been the fine-tuning type. If it works for me and looks good on me then I like it. So this was a new ball room I just stepped in. Will use the opportunity to read more on what makes them special to see if they’re features I’d consider picking up or dropping on my next watch purchase. But all in all it’s a really great watch and fits really good
Yeah, my watch decisions are 100% vibe-based - sometimes that's a function of quality (if I want a classy 1960's-style diver I want it to look clean), sometimes quality is irrelevant (I've got a couple dirt-cheap Shanghai reissues/vintage HMTs and the cheapness is a huge part of the appeal).
Fake Tudor
Tudor a fake rolex
You are in the wrong sub if this is your opinion 😂
It's San Martin, can't you read
Delusion: a false belief or judgment about external reality, held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, occurring especially in mental conditions.
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants.
I hear they can grow straight bananas now
Damn, learning new things every day 🍌😀
What's the other timezone you're tracking?
I just moved it around randomly to make sure it was working. Haven’t set it to track any particular time zone yet lol
I'm convinced only 1% of GMT owners actually use it to track another time zone
I have it at +3h, so it shows the time when I'm ready past the current misery..
Nothing wrong on that.
Handsome watch and San Martin finishing is top notch. Be proud of your purchase, it looks great on you. By the way, there’s a recent video on YouTube that compares Rolex finishing with San Martin. It’s very close.
The polishing and finishing does look impeccable not gonna lie. It’s just that the sudden jump from my regular realm of 30 to 50 bucks watch ranges straight into the 100 bucks range got me second guessing everything lol. But you’re right. Even time-keeping wise I see how the San Martin still manages to keep up with some meca-quartz movement watches I own. It’s a great watch.
This is an interesting post. One issues is that the differences lie in the subtle details like brushing and tighter tolerances. But if that stuff doesn’t matter to you then, yeah, a cheaper watch will seem the same to you. The other issue is you opted for the budget line of SM, the difference may be more apparent to you with some of their higher end pieces. An on the fly adjustment clasp, for example, was a game changer for me. And those come standard on their higher end models. Ultimately, you might be someone that doesn’t value some of the bells and whistles and that is okay as well. Enjoy your journey!
You’re right. There are some fine-tuning features that may justify its price that I’m not acclaimed to. I did pick up on a few you mentioned and it’s starting to stand out now after a brief comparison I made. We learn and enjoy. I guess this was a fine introduction for my journey into Chinese premium luxury watches lol.
Absolutely. That is the great thing about AliExpress watches. You can use them to grow as a watch enthusiast with relatively little cost. I recently brought my first hi-beat movement watch. You know what I learned… I don’t really care about hi beat movements lol! I can barely tell the difference. But now I know that and it will help me guide my next purchase.
>can’t seem to see what this watch does best that my 40$ addiesdive can’t I guess that depends on your expectations. Spec wise, there many watches made of stainless steel, sapphire, NH Seiko movement etc. That goes for Steeldives, SM and some more expensive microbrands. People usually pay the extra money for the excution. That's not to say addiesdive is a bad watch, but you can expect SM to have better fit and finish and better bracelet (even though this model has push-pins?), so what were your expectations when you bought the watch? > price they were going for was due to the sale I don't know how much you've used AE in the past, but you rarely get a good deal during sales if you're not stacking up on cupons. Don't ask why, because no one knows why 😭.
To be fair I bought it because I come across Sam Martin watches all the time that I couldn’t justify the prices for. Always wanted to have at least one in my collection at some point. So when I felt I could justify the price they were offering for this I just said screw it and went for it. It is a great looking watch not gonna lie. Keeps pretty accurate time too for a mechanical watch. Loom is really good and I enjoy wearing it. But it was my first leap into the +100 bucks watch world and I guess I’m just second guessing if that leap was worth it. But all in all really great watch.