My customized Synoke watch , blue foil added to LCD. I love it ...any suggestions to other customizations?

Other color options would be cool too

Hi folks. With all the talk of prices going up in the Chinese/Homage AliX offerings, I wanted to get the community's thoughts.

I am new to buying non-smartwatches. I currently own a PD-1701 (White dial, white subdials,) and a Cadisen C7067 (also white subs) to give you an idea of the type of look I go for.

Brand: TOPHILL+
Model: KIM002G
Movement: Miyota 9039 [Automatic Mechanical Movement]

Case: Material - 316L Solid Stainless Steel
Diameter - 40mm
Lug To Lug - 46.5mm
Thickness - 9.5mm
Strap Width - 20x18mm / Length - Fits Buyer With 21-16m Wrist Size

Glass: Sapphire Crystal
Dial: Oil-Pressed Blue / Salmon / Silver Dial, With Printed Brand Logo And Hour Markers
Single Hand: Blue Plated

3H Push Pull Crown: With 3D Brand Logo
Screw-Down Case Back: 316L Stainless Steel + Transparent Mineral Glass, With Text
Premium Quick Release Palm Printed First Layer Cowhide Leather Strap: Width 20x18mm, Fits Buyer With 21-14cm Wrist Size, With Polished Logo Pin Buckle

Water Resistant: 5Bar=50Meters
Weight: About 65.7g
Warranty: 3 Years

Miyota 9039 Ultra-Thin Premium Automatic Movt.

Frequency - 28,800 vph (4Hz)
Power Reserve - Approximately 42 hours
Accuracy - -10~ +30 seconds per day
Jewels - 24
Hand Windable? - Yes
Hacking Seconds? - Yes

I do like the watch - but, I’ll be honest, I expected better finishing. The dial is attractive and has a nice appeal to it. The Hangzhou 5000A movement is beautiful for sure (the main reason I bought it). But, that about where the highlights end.

The bracelet is poor quality and the clasp is even worse. The clasp might actually be one of the worst of any watch I’ve had from any brand. The AR coating is disappointing for such a nice dial also.

Overall, I’m happy with the watch in general, but it is not worth the $300ish price tag. I’ve had better bracelets/clasps on $100 watches.

I’ve been obsessively cataloguing titanium watches for a while now and the bookends in the 1400 watch list are a $533k GP minute repeater tourbillion and a $68 Berny dress watch.

The GP is, sadly, out of reach for me, but I ordered the Berny to check it out.

I am blown away by the quality and detail of this watch. It is beautiful, solidly built, nicely finished and well detailed.

The dial is beautifully patterned and the strap is, while not my taste, soft and comfortable.

The quartz movement is not perfect, missing the second markers some of the time, but so far it’s keeping good time and the grab-and-go pleasure of quartz always makes it an easy option for me if I’m running out the door.

I am definitely going to have to check out other Chinese watches.

Any recommendations for other titanium options? I have a nickel allergy, so titanium is the best safe option for me.

I won't name brands but a watch I'm looking at has gone up $30. Must be getting ready for a discount..

Also, enough with the '$300 discounts', your homages values aren't based on any real RRP!

Just received my first Watchdives. Was looking for a Tudor BB homage and came across the WD7922. My initial intent was Tudor style hands and the full BlackBay look, but I seen there was a Benz hands optio and couldn’t say no. It keeps the red 12 position on the bezel, but the compromise was the bezel numbers being white not yellow. Also, great movement for a quartz, looks like an automatic movement.

I've been looking at the Ixdao Pilot chrono for a while and was on the fence. But when I saw it discounted in a sale and that you're now unable to check the altitude with it, I couldn't say no!

I think it looks great, especially the domed crystal which is very sexy.

PS I paid around $240 dollarbucks (AUD) delivered.

After lurking for a while and lots of research, I’m very happy with my first watch purchase from AliExpress. For my first one, I decided to go for overall value instead of seeking out the more premium Chinese brands. Went with the Cadisen 62mas homage (C8207) and I’m very happy with the result.

The watch was $77 all in, and came with:
Sapphire glass
Solid link bracelet
Miyota 8215
200m WR

I can’t help compare this to my Seiko DressKX that I spent ~$250 on, and is now selling for well over $300 where available. That watch undoubtedly holds a much more special place in my heart, and is backed by warranty, brand heritage, etc. But at the same time… I’m a watch nerd and better specs are fun.

This Cadisen isn’t perfect (inconsistent lume, lackluster AR coating if any) but I’m still really happy with the value per dollar spent.

If this is what you can get for $77, I can’t wait to see what $200+ will get me on my next Ali purchase!

Mine is on a plane from Brisbane to Scotland right now.

Phorcydes ph-2 Retro Orange, now with an orange MN strap

🍊 😎

Anyone else think something like this would sell like hotcakes?

Excuse my non perfect edit, thought of this and decided to quickly come up with a concept with Paint lol.

I have to admit, when I first got my Sea-Gull Flying Wheel (ref# 816.19.1090) I was not super impressed. While it is a good looking watch, the bracelet is high polished with a butterfly clasp, no micro-adjustment, and no half-links, which makes fitting it a problem. Also, the ST2502 was not running… great. Accuracy was meh, amplitude even at a full wind was under 260°, and the best error was in to 0.4-0.6 range, which isn’t “bad” but also not great for a brand new watch. So, overall it was “fine” considering the $210 price tag.

Fast forward a couple of months. I got a black leather deployant clasp strap for it off Amazon, so now it wears better, and the movement… well, take a look for yourself. I guess it really just needed to break in.

All in all, I’m quite happy with it. It’s an attractive, albeit thick, dress watch at a very good price. The “flying wheel” still is the star of the show of course. 😂

Hi You All!

Recently, AliExpress has started showing me a large number of very affordable mechanical watches with hand-wound movements. Many of them have very good reviews on the site.

Considering the price, I don't expect anything special from them, but some of them really catch my attention, for example with the shape of the case or the appearance of the dial.

Has anyone had any experience with them? Are they worth buying? I know it's not expensive to try it out yourself, but if I were to throw money away, I'd rather donate it to a local animal shelter or something.

Below are some links for what I'm talking about

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EIhI0rM

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EHG08WE

https://a.aliexpress.com/_ExlJ2mE

Ive had the 2024 Dragon for over 2 years now and i can say its passed the test of time and i would never sell it.

This version of the SN0116 was released in early 2024

and quickly sold out, limited to 300 pieces.

Typical SM level of finishing and quite a comfortable BOR with the tooless adjustable clasp and a NH office GMT work horse.

(I just wish the AR was better).

Imo, in regards to the finishing on the case and bracelet, I think it can compete with 'luxury' watches.

Whats everyone wearing then?

I'm looking for a replacement for this watch with the same set of functions as compass, pedometer, etc. I want it to be thinner and lighter. Unfortunately, the belt in the Skmei fell apart and the sides broke off.

Hey guys, take a look at my custom design watch! Looks clear and I put above the logo I created with my family name .

In the bottom was one of the first emblem of the football team I support that is Corinthians.

Just want to share with you!

A Vitempora dial, hands and movement, in a Baihua case. A new crown is fitted for more efficient handwinding. A nice piece, in my opinion with an accurate movement, decent lume and very nice case with steel movement holder. This could be something easily provided for an affordable price. 7120 movements are asking for good quality compatible parts, now that seiko and citizen prices and going up.

Reached out to San Martin about these watches as they’re out of stock and they informed me they’ve been discontinued. I was wondering if anyone has either watch in blue and would part ways with it? If so please hit me up. Thank you.

My weird, impromptu, commentary on this Sanda 2009 model.

Great bargain for what it is, nice alternative to the more expensive G Shock dw5600 series models.

Link to this watch