China Watches Review, Chinese Homage Watches Guide

Sea-gull 6099 Small-Seconds Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date July 6, 2022
No Comments on Sea-gull 6099 Small-Seconds Watch Review

Simple and Bauhaus-style mechanical watches are very popular, in Sea-gull catalog, there are some models with Bauhaus style. Born in China and as the biggest watch manufacturer, Sea-gull not only makes watches with features of old Chinese military watches, they are also keeping up with the latest watch trend and publish the models that are more recognized by customers abroad. Among all Chinese watches I have bought, Sea-gull is the only one that gives me a feeling that such watch can compete with other famous Swiss brands. Today, the Sea-gull watch I am going to review is exactly a bauhaus-style model, it completely fits the aesthetic standard of most people, and can let Sea-gull really go to the world.

The watch is made with 316L stainless steel, its case is measured to be 39mm in diameter and 10.5mm in thickness, a very thin case with narrow round bezel that is polished, four lugs are slender and narrow, classic Bauhaus style in case design. Due to the thin bezel design, the dial looks very big and so offers the wearer a better readability. The crown is screwed in, there is a big “S” logo on the face, which is sand-finished on polished face. Seeing from the side, the case has a beautiful streamline design with naturally curved lugs to fit your wrist more comfortable. The case back is see-through crystal, with reference number engraved on the rim.

The dial is under the protection of sapphire crystal, it has a simple design, maybe there are no other Chinese elements on the dial except the printings of “CHINA MADE”, but the design inspiration of the dial indeed comes from a traditional item of China – Jade Button Shape Mascot, which means peace. The gray circle on the center has Arabic numbers for hours display, the sunken subdial features a small second hand in orange color that is obviously eye-catching. Both the big dial and small-second subdial have a delicate sand texture. By the way, on Sea-gull website, the circle on the dial has three color options, gray, blue and green.

The watch is powered by ST17 automatic movement developed by Sea-gull, now Sea-gull has become one of the biggest movement suppliers in the world, I trust the quality of their movements. ST17 beats at 21,600VPH and has 40-hour power reserve. To achieve a thin and light case, it is a wise choice to use this movement. By the way, the watch uses a brown leather band with pin buckle, the company will also send one nylon strap for free.

Tags Sea-gull

Sea-gull

Sea-gull Green Military Watch Made for Chinese Army

Post author By Bob
Post date July 4, 2022
No Comments on Sea-gull Green Military Watch Made for Chinese Army

Sea-gull must be your first choice if you want to know the background and development history of Chinese watches, for most people, the Chinese brand they are most familiar with is Sea-gull, which is formerly known as Tianjin Watch Factory. Now, Sea-gull has grown to be a very big watch company, they have a very full watch series, and their movements are now being used in watches of many big brands in the world. So, if you are considering a very good quality Chinese watch as a start, I recommend Sea-gull.

I like the military watch made by Sea-gull, some of the elements on these watches look unique, I like the mysterious symbols. This watch is a special edition from Sea-gull, it is made to pay tribute to those military watches produced for the Chinese Army by Tianjin Watch Factory, the watch has a military green color, it comes in a green box, which looks very special. On the case and dial, there are also several elements related to the Chinese Army, each of them has unique meaning, which is attractive to me.

The case is made with solid 316L stainless steel, it has a diameter of 43mm and is measured to be 13mm in thickness. The case is brushed with angular crown guards, on the left case side, there is a piece of metal attached, and it is engraved with “陸軍1號”, which means Army No. 1 in English. Two crown guards look special, they are in ladder-shaped. The case back has special engravings, with a big five star on the center. Looking from the pictures, the screw-in back absolutely adds thickness of the entire case, but it makes the watch look stronger and more reliable.

The dial is green, which is in line with the green color on the nylon band. The dial has every necessary detail that makes the watch become a good military watch. Simple design, big hour markers, wide hands and strong lume. The slender second hand on the center has a red tip and a five star in silver on the end, both hour hand and minute hand are in sword-shaped, they have a wide design so that can be applied with more luminous material on the stem. There is a medal in the shape of a coin at 6 o’clock, I do not know what special meaning it has, the Chinese words under the medal are “五四式”.

The Sea-gull watch is equipped with an in-house automatic movement, which is ST2500. This movement beats at 21,600VPH and has a power reserve of 45h to 48h, the accuracy of ST2500 is ok for me, I have worn it for six weeks, the watch is about 18 seconds faster each day, for a basic automatic movement Sea-gull, such accuracy is normal. By the way, the green army green nylon band also meets the military theme the watch wants to present.

Not only this green, the watch also has black and sand color options on Sea-gull’s website, and the one in sand color looks more interesting.

Tags Sea-gull, ST2500

San Martin

San Martin Explorer Tiffany Blue Homage Review

Post author By Bob
Post date June 30, 2022
No Comments on San Martin Explorer Tiffany Blue Homage Review

The watches made by San Martin are selling very well, San Martin has also accumulated a high reputation among watch fans, everybody knows the solid quality of their watches and unique box, it is really a good custom-made brand coming from China. I made a research online and found San Martin is more popular among so many custom-made watch brands, San Martin is one of my most favorite Chinese watches, perhaps it is not as famous as other big traditional Chinese brands like Sea-gull, but the homages from San Martin seem to be more welcomed among watch fans.

The watch is full stainless steel made, it is a homage of the old Rolex Explorer watch, but with a Tiffany blue dial, which looks like the style of modern Oyster Perpetual. Besides the Tiffany blue dial, the watch also has a black dial option.

The case is made with solid 316L stainless steel, its diameter is about 36mm, I think it is a little small for men, while a very suitable size for ladies, the case thickness is 11.3mm, including the crystal. The case is brushed, while the sides and bezel are polished. Seeing from the sides, the case has a beautiful arched shape to make sure it can fit your wrist more comfortably. The crown has “SAN MARTIN” carving inside a hexagon.

The dial is the soul of this watch, many people like the tiffany blue color, the SAN MARTIN shield logo at 12 o’clock is three-dimensional, take a close look at the logo, it is delicately completed in a sanded background. All hour markers, including the numbers 3, 6 and 9, are applied with white luminous material, so are hour hand and minute hand, they will emit a strong blue lume light in dark conditions. The dial has some similarity to that of Rolex Explorer, the 3-6-9 dial design is an iconic feature, the central hands have a solid axis, many women choose this watch due to its Tiffany blue dial, while you can also buy a black dial version for your boyfriend. By the way, the dial is under protection of a domed sapphire crystal.

The watch is powered by a PT5000 automatic movement, I did not hear this movement before, but it is said that PT5000 is cloned from ETA 2824. The movement beats at 28,800VPH, it has 25 jewels and 38-hour power reserve. The movement is manufactured in China, by H.K. Precision Technology. San Martin also offers a SW200 automatic movement option for this watch, yes, I admit that SW200 is better, but the cost is also very higher. By the way, I have had this watch for almost three weeks, the watch is about 18 seconds faster each day, it is ok for me.

Tags PT5000, San Martin, SW200

San Martin

San Martin Bronze Abalone Homage Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date June 29, 2022
No Comments on San Martin Bronze Abalone Homage Watch Review

San Martin 44mm Diver with Brown Leather Strap

It is a big watch, diver’s watch type, the case is highly recognizable because of its turtle shape, the San Martin is a nice homage of the old Seiko diving watch made in old times, I like collecting diver’s watches, I usually went to the beach and shown my watches in front of my friends, they also like them, some even have bought several pieces, also from San Martin. Perhaps you do not know San Martin too much, they are a very good custom-made Chinese watch brand I like very much, now in the watch market of China, many custom-made brands appeared, but none of them now are as popular as San Martin.

This San Martin watch I am going to review is totally born for the ocean, the color combination of bronze and green, the deep water resistance, super dial lume and rubber band, these elements make the San Martin a perfect diver’s watch for you to dive in the ocean.

The watch is made with solid bronze material, it has a case that looks like the shell of a turtle, the case is about 44mm in diameter, but measuring from the top to the bottom, it is 47mm in height. The bronze case, including the bezel, is brushed, while the case sides are polished like a mirror, the entire case has a certain degree of arc shape so that it will fit your wrist in a better way, the crown is positioned at 4 o’clock, it is big and has unique threads design so that be more convenient to operate. There is a shark icon on the polished face of the crown, it looks fierce.

The dial is green, I like this color, it is a perfect match for the bronze watch. The hour markers are very big, hour hand and minute hand are very wide, they are all filled with Swiss Superlume that looks a little cyan. The dial has a very good readability first because of its green color, second, the green lume is very strong and long-lasting, the red dot on the central second hand is also a finishing touch of the entire dial. If you take a closer look at the dial, you will find this watch manufacturer did a great job on the hands finish, which is brushing on the front face and polishing on beveled sides.

I asked the supplier to change this green rubber band for me because the watch was originally equipped with an old brown leather strap. The green rubber band is a great fit for this watch, the brown leather band is also good, it matches the bronze case, how does this watch look on the brown leather strap? By the way, the watch is equipped with a Japanese NH35A automatic movement, which is stable but perhaps has a bigger inaccuracy than the Miyota, anyway, 40 seconds to 1 minute faster is acceptable to me. The box comes with the watch is my most favorite, it looks so solid and strong, a perfect match fo this robust diver’s watch.

Tags San Martin

Parnis

Parnis Date Casual Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date June 28, 2022
No Comments on Parnis Date Casual Watch Review

Simpe and practical casual watch in suitable size always attracts me, Parnis has made a lot of such types of watches, their most popular one is the watch with power reserve, which is a homage of IWC Portuguese 7 Days, I also have this watch, it is my most favorite casual watch, IWC Portuguese is my dream watch, but too expensive. It is unnecessary to describe Parnis too much, many people know this brand, it is the first brand in China to create homages of many Swiss watches, at the beginning several years, Parnis was very popular, now, few people will mention this brand, but some watches they make are still very classic.

All watches appeared on my blog are made in China, among them, Parnis has occupied a big market share, many people heard Parnis in watch forums and perhaps it is the first Chinese watch they bought. Many of you guys do not have too much official knowledge about Parnis, but I am telling you Parnis should be your first choice if you do not want to pay more for Sea-gull, Shanghai watch or Beijing watch.

This Parnis watch is stainless steel made, with black dial and black leather strap, this is the most classic combination on a casual watch. The case is made with solid 316L stainless steel, its diameter is 40mm, for a casual watch that looks a bit sporty, this is a very suitable size, and the case is only 11mm in thickness. Please more focus on the case finish, the brushing on the bezel and polishing on case sides and lugs form a high contrast.

Black dial has small grids that look like the ones on Audemars Piguet Royal Oak’s dial. These checkers on the dial look nice, white printings of “PARNIS” is under the big number “12”. All hour markers, including the Arabic numbers of 6, 9 and 12, are applied with white luminous material, so are the hour hand and minute hand, they will emit a strong green lume light at night. There is a date window in square shape positioned at 3 o’clock, it features black font in white background. In a word, the dial not only has a simple but practical design, but is also highly readable.

Through the crystal back, I saw there are engraving information about the movement, which is a Miyota automatic movement from Japan. This is nice, because I trust the quality of Japanese movements, they are more stable. I have had the watch for three weeks, now it is about 30 seconds faster each day, for me, such inaccuracy is acceptable. There are eight models available in different dial styles on Parnis website.

Tags Parnis

Parnis

Parnis Pilot Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date June 27, 2022
No Comments on Parnis Pilot Watch Review

Parnis Pilot Watch with Brown Leather Strap

Parnis is one of my most favorite homage watch brands, in the initial stage of development, Parnis completely copied designs of other Swiss brands, they made many homages at that time, now, they changed direction and began to use their own designs on the watches. It is Parnis that lets me know homage watch, many people talked this brand before in a lot of forums, now, Parnis seems to be not as popular as some new niche brands like STEELDIVE and San Martin. Anyway, as one of the earliest Chinese brands in homage watch field, the quality of Parnis has been recognized already, I have bought several Parnis watches, I love them all.

Today, the watch I am going to review is a pilot watch from Parnis, I have several pilot watches now, this Parnis pilot watch is very similar to the one I bought from Heimdallr before, but this one has a 24-hour display on the dial. The watch has a black case and brown leather strap, which seems to be a very regular match for a pilot watch.

The case is 44mm in diameter, it is about 12mm in thickness, which is more acceptable to me than those casual watches up to 13mm. The case is made with solid 316L stainless steel and has black pvd coating, the middle case with extended lugs that are naturally curved, the line of each lug is smoothly polished, it feels good by hands, no scratch feeling. Like the case back, the crown is also screwed-in, to ensure a good water resistance.

The dial is black, it is a classic pilot watch’s dial style, with a big triangle mark at 12 o’clock, I saw many pilot watch has this feature. Although there is a small round 24-hour indicator at 9 o’clock, the entire dial still has a symmetric beauty. The inside circle with 1-12 digits is showing hours, the outer numbers from 5 to 60 are minute markers. By the way, those numeral minute markers are applied with superlume material, so are hour hand and minute hand, they will emit a strong green lume light in dark conditions.

From the crystal back, we can see the watch is powered by a Japanese Miyota movement, the specific movement model Parnis claims is a Miyota 8217 automatic. I always trust the quality of Japanese movement, its stability is better than most mechanical movements made in China. In most Parnis watches, the engine is Japanese Miyota movement, so I think this is the main reason why many people still buy from this homage watch brand. Parnis offers three models options for this watch.

Tags Miyota 8217, Parnis

Merkur

Merkur Pierre Paulin Double Tourbillon Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date June 24, 2022
No Comments on Merkur Pierre Paulin Double Tourbillon Watch Review

Merkur Double Tourbillon with Black Leather Strap

I never thought I will buy a double tourbillon watch until I saw tis Pierre Paulin tourbillon from Merkur, I was simply attracted by its cheap price, which is less than 1000 US Dollars, it is hard to believe, because now even a replica watch with tourbillon movement is sold over 800 USD. Merkur is a watch company founded in China, it is a very young brand, I know very little about it, but the watches they made have a lot of Chinese elements, I love them, I have bought several watches from Merkur, I like their China army Pilot’s watch very much. Different from some traditional Chinese brands, the young Merkur puts more focus on the creativity of design, so many watches coming from Merkur will lit up your eyes.

This Pierre Paulin double tourbillon watch from Merkur looks like a homage of the one made by Roger Dubuis, but this Merkur watch looks more simple. Such a tourbillon watch is a show of your high-end taste. Merkur offers four dial color options, black, white, blue and this salmon.

All of your attention must be on its dial, the double tourbillon device, they are real and work accurately, I am a little regret to choose this salmon color, it looks like the black one is more elegant. Any way, the watch is good, I do not want to send it back to exchange. The salmon dial is divided into three parts by semicircle, the tourbillon device is set in a semicircle at 5 o’clock and 7 o’clock, you can clearly see the golden wheel and gears. The tourbillon is manual winding, you need to wind the watch every day, but do not wind it too tight each time. Two hands on the center are sword-shape and in blue color, actually the four models all have blue-steel hands.

The case has a big size, it is 42m in diameter and 11.3mm in thickness, I like its crown, which is very big, very convenient to operate with your fingers. The case has a fine finish with brushing and polishing used alternatively, the crystal above the dial is highly scratch-resistant sapphire. Through the crystal back, the turbo-shaped decoration on the movement plate looks unique, there are also golden egraving information about the movement.

The black leather band is made with genuine alligator leather, the embossed crocodile patterns on the leather band looks high end, actually the band also feels good and very soft. This allagator leather band obviously enhances the class of the entire watch.

Tags Merkur, Pierre Paulin

Heimdallr

Heimdallr Submariner Green Hulk Homage Review

Post author By Bob
Post date June 23, 2022
No Comments on Heimdallr Submariner Green Hulk Homage Review

Heimdallr has achieved some renown as a Chinese niche brand in watch field, in past years, many people were talking this watch in forums and communities, I also bought four pieces of Heimdallr watches before, I love them, they look nice and are good timepieces that meet current watch trend. For people who love diver’s watches, Heimdallr is a good choice, because most of their watches are diving styles with big face and superlume, absolutely solid made but with more affordable prices, so you can more homages of the original watches you like at less cost, so your collection will be richer.

Heimdallr Green Sub with Black Rubber Strap

This green one is my fifth Heimdallr watch I have bought, I gave two of my Heimdallr watches to my friends, so two weeks ago I made my decision to buy this green Heimdallr watch. Submariner 116610LV Hulk is always my dream watch and its price is always high, it is also hard to get one in the second-hand watch market, now this Heimdallr seems to have fulfilled my wish temporarily, it is also the best homage of green Submariner Hulk I have ever seen.

I made a lot of searches online and found that many Chinese brands have produced the green Submariner homage, but when I received this Heimdallr, I was surprised by its green color, it is the most correct green that is closest to that of Submariner Hulk, by the way, the bezel insert uses real green ceramic material, which has the same green color as the green dial, there is very subtle color difference, this is very important when making a homage of hulk sub.

The case is made with 316L stainless steel, its diameter is about 40mm, but not that accurate, a little bigger than 40mm, the case thickness is about 13.5mm, actually Heimdallr can consider using 904L stainless steel on this watch, after all many replica Rolex watches have used this type of stainless steel, but that also means higher cost if you choose the 904L SS, may be a bad idea. The entire case is brushed, except its smoothly polished sides and crown guards. There is a round pearl set on the bezel at 12 o’clock, it is fully filled with white luminescence, but it looks a bit white.

The green dial has radial textures, hour markers, hour hand and minute hand are applied with white luminous material, they will emit a blue lume light in dark conditions. On the dial, the are white printings of “HEIMDALLR”, no logo, the shark logo and brand name are engraved on the inner bezel, above the date window, there is a magnifier attached on the crystal. On the dial, we can say that Heimdallr claims it is 300m water resistant, this is a great depth, I did not test, but I think 30m water resistance is not a problem for this watch.

The watch is equipped with a Japanese NH35 automatic movement, it is a very common automatic movement made in Japan, many niche brands like Heimdallr and STEELDIVE choose this movement becuase of its low cost, also such type of Japanese movement has no big inaccuracy. By the way, the watch originally came with a stainless steel bracelet, I removed it and changed a black rubber band on, it looks nice.

Besides this green one, there are other two options for this Heimdallr watch, black one and the model with green bezel and black dial, they all look good.

Tags Ceramic, Heimdallr, NH35, Submariner

Heimdallr

Heimdallr Pilot Watch – the combination of simplicity and classic

Post author By Bob
Post date June 22, 2022
No Comments on Heimdallr Pilot Watch – the combination of simplicity and classic

Pilot watch is my most favorite type, in my watch collection, I am more willing to choose a pilot watch to wear than choosing a diver’s watch, I also often follow several brands I like to see if they are going to unveil new pilot watches, Heimdallr is one of these Chinese brands, for me, this pilot watch from Heimdallr is a charming timepiece, it looks simple but classic, and the watch has some similar designs to the Mark series of IWC.

The case is made with 316L stainless steel, it is fully brushed, the case, bezel and lugs, they are all brushed, except the bottom part on the bezel, which is slightly polished and looks nice. The bezel is screwed down into the middle case, both fit each other perfectly, the crown does not have any brand logo engraving on the surface, the sunray finish on the crown is obvious. The four lugs extened from the middle case are naturally bent and make the watch fit your wrist more comfortably. The case back is solid, there are eight holes and brushings finished in circles, the logo engraving on the center is mysterious, it is also one of the elements that attracts me to buy this watch.

The dial is black, the biggest feature on the dial is its lume, what you can see is applied with luminous material, except the date font and second hand. Those white markers, including hour markers and minute scales, are applied with white luminescence, even the printings of “HEIMDALLR” and arrow logo are luminous. In dark conditions, you will see a strong green lume light coming from the dial. The date is clearly readable, it has a black font in white background. The dial is ok for me, but I do not think it is necessary to apply luminescence on all markers, and the white triangle at 12 o’clock is redundant.

Heimdallr Pilot Watch Stainless Steel Case

The brown leather strap looks great on the watch, actually if it is a black leather band, I will also love it. There is nothing on the buckle, just a simple pin buckle, empty engraving. By the way, Heimdallr offers two movement options for this watch, Japanese NH35A automatic and quartz, my watch is automatic. In a word, this is a great pilot watch even there is room for dial improvement in design, I like it and will continuously follow Heimdallr in future.

Heimdallr Pilot Watch Brown Leather Strap

Tags Heimdallr, NH35A, Pilot Watch

CIGA Design

CIGA Design – a creative niche-brand watch from China

Post author By Bob
Post date June 21, 2022
No Comments on CIGA Design – a creative niche-brand watch from China

I have introduced several CIGA Design watches on my blog, each of them has their own features, perhaps this is the main selling point of CIGA Design, it is also the feature that differentiates CIGA Design and other Chinese watches. “Creative” is the most proper word to describe CIGA Design, at the same price level, CIGA Design focus more on creating their own designs than copy, this is also the reason why they can win design award from abroad. Several days ago, I received my fifth watch from CIGA Design, it looks so special, actually I did not see such type of watch with a floating square movement before, it surprises me.

CIGA Design Silver Watch with Black Leather Strap

This watch has two options, black and silver, I bought the silver model. Now I regret a little, I found the black model looks better, the black color matches well with its red hands.

The round case looks big, which has a diameter of 44mm, case thickness is 13.6mm, do you think it is a little thick? While the entire watch has a very light weight, which is less than 90 grams, you will feel very comfortable when wearing on your wrist. The case is completely polished, including the round bezel and lugs, through the crystal back, we can see the movement inside. Actually, I do not like the mechanical watch with an ultra-thin case, unless it has a very classic dial design, so, for some people, this watch’s case is a little thick, but for me, it is acceptable and looks very good.

The dial has a breakthrough design, first, it is hollow, almost each CIGA Design’s dial has this feature, second, it is a floating square frame, actually, the dial only shows you the entire movement and hands, there are no other extra elements. We can see that the front of the movement is in square shape, with four corners being fixed. The entire dial looks like a book. Both hour hand and minute hand are skeleton, with red tip, the long second hand is completely in red color, very eye-catching. The outer bezel on the edge of the dial is very narrow, you need to keep your eyes on the dial for seconds to read an accurate time.

The engine inside is an automatic movement, CIGA Design claims the movement is from Sea-gull, but did not tell us which Sea-gull movement it is. Any way, currently most Chinese watches in moderate or high quality are likely to choose Sea-gull movement, which is more popular at home and abroad. I have been wearing the watch for five days, now it is about one minute faster each day, the power reserve can also be up to 35 hours as long as I wear it on my wrist each day.

Tags CIGA Design, Sea-gull

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