Tag: NH35

Mysterious Code Submariner Guan Yu Watch

Post author By Bob
Post date August 18, 2023
No Comments on Mysterious Code Submariner Guan Yu Watch

Perhaps you do not remember this brand now, Mysterious Code was a popular watch when homage watches just entered into the market, that’s the period of Parnis. Now few people talk about this watch, but I still think some of you guys will be interested in this brand because their watches are really cheap, besides, when browsing the website of Mysterious Code, you will find some watches that have unique designs, which are very interesting, just like this watch I am showing here, it has an unique face.

The watch is very interesting, seeing from its case shape, it does not look like Rolex Submariner, but on its face, it is printed ‘SUBMARINER’. That is strange, now this word ‘SUBMARINER’ is being misused among those homage watches made in China. What this watch really impresses me is its low price and the character image on the dial. Do you know him? His name is Guan Yu, which is 关羽 in Chinese, the weapon he uses is Guandao, Guan Yu is a very famous person in Chinese history, he represents loyalty and righteousness. I did not imagine that he will appear on the face of a watch. This will be a very special watch for people who like him.

The watch looks very big, it is 40mm in case diameter and 13mm in thickness, this is also a correct size for a Submariner watch, but the bezel is totally different, this Mysterious Code watch has a stronger bezel, the case and bezel are more roughly finished. What another thing makes me excited on this watch is the strong blue lume on the bezel. Actually I like this bezel design. There is a dragon relief on the solid case back.

This is really a nice watch if you can accept its dial, the watch also has a high configuration including Titanium case and Seiko NH35 automatic movement, many other Chinese homages with the same configuration are being sold much higher prices.

Tags Guan Yu, Mysterious Code, NH35, Submariner

Octopus

Octopus Vintage Pilot’s Watch

Post author By Bob
Post date August 16, 2023
No Comments on Octopus Vintage Pilot’s Watch

I have introduced three Octopus watches on my blog, actually I do not like this brand just because it has this name, while the Tudor Pelagos homage watch made by them is the most favorite one for many people. There are only several pieces on the website of Octopus, but they are all quality timepieces, especially the Tudor homages they make, why they do not make more watches like San Martin and Steeldive? What is the real reputation of Octopus among watch fans? Actually I heard few people talking about this watch in the forums and reddit, most people are talking San Martin and Steeldive, a lot of them show hands-on pictures, I am not sure if these are real orders, but San Martin and Steeldive are indeed more popular than other Chinese homage watches.

Today, I want to show you a pilot-style Octopus watch, actually I do not like this watch very much, there are a lot of other pilot watches in the market that look cool, but some people may like this style, its bezel and band have somewhat vintage flavor, but the blue dial looks a little bright and does not blend well with the vintage bezel and strap.

The case is big and is completely brushed with fat lugs, the bezel is unique, it is the so-called coin bezel, the big crown has flutes that is in line with the style of coin bezel, the big crown is screwed down and also very easy to rotate to adjust time. If including the bubble sapphire crystal, the entire watch is about 12.5mm in thickness.

The dial is highly readability, not only because the sapphire crystal features an anti-reflective coating, but the dial has a high-contrast color combination, which is blue and white. The central hour hand and minute hand are classic style of the hand on vintage pilot’s watches, the track-style minute scales is also an obvious feature of some pilot’s watches. By the way, Octopus also offers a grey dial option for this watch, but it was sold out when I selected.

The watch is equipped with a vintage style brown leather band, now few watches use adopt this type of leahter band except some vintage models. Because made of genuine Italian leather material, the band feels very comfortable and soft. The inside machine is a NH35 automatic movement, which has been micro adjusted by the watch company to ensure a higher accuracy.

Tags NH35, Octopus

San Martin

San Martin SN0125 Review

What does this watch look like? This watch seems to be a homage of a Panerai, is it really a homage watch of a certain Panerai model? I know a lot of Panerai watches but have not seen a model that looks like this one. San Martin rarely made Panerai homages, most of them are usually Rolex homage watches, while I like the style on this watch, it looks more fashionable and luxury than those PAMs made in the past.

The watch uses three different materials, titanium, bronze and rubber, now more watches are likely to adopt several types of materials, this has been a trend for years. This San Martin has a 42mm case, which has the same size as the Submersible Panerai has published in recent two years, by the way, the case is only about 13mm in thickness, for a diver’s watch, this is a very proper case size suitable for men who can not hold very large watches. The titanium case has a special finish that is sand treated, which looks greatly different from the bronze bezel. The brushed bezel finish forms a high contrast with the sand-finished case, which gives the wearer a strong visual impression.

The gradient dial also has a sanded face that features tridimensional hour markers that is filled with cyan Swiss luminous material. The lume light on the hour markers and hands is strong green, the sword-shaped hour hand and minute hand also have lume on the center, the central second hand is its own feature of this San Martin watch, actually I think they can use a sundial to display the seconds.

The movement is powered by a NH35 automatic movement, which is the mostly widely used movement among these homage watches made in China. The black rubber band is made with natural soft rubber material, the buckle is not titanium but stainless steel, it is also sanded finish. By the way, besides the rubber band, a nylon strap will also fit this watch well.

Tags Bronze, NH35, Rubber, San Martin, Titanium

San Martin

San Martin Seamaster Spectre 007 Homage Watch

Post author By Bob
Post date July 31, 2023
No Comments on San Martin Seamaster Spectre 007 Homage Watch

I introduced a homage watch of Seamaster 007 Spectre made by Pagani Design before, it is a blue one and looks beautiful, today, I want to show you another Seamaster Spectre homage watch from San Martin, I made a full review of San Martin including the background of this brand before, you guys must know this brand better. San Martin is a homage brand that has been in this industry for many years, it has a very good reputation among watch fans all over the world. Usually San Martin has a higher quality finish than other Chinese homage watches, although also sold at higher prices, I still recommend San Martin, which you can consider as your first choice when need a high quality homage watch of Submariner, Tudor Black Bay or Rolex GMT-Master.

The watch is made with solid 316L stainless steel, it has a case diameter of 39.5mm, not including the crown, the case is 13.5mm in thickness, which includes the domed sapphire crystal, to enhance the transparency of the crystal, the inner side of the crystal has anti-reflective coating. Check the pictures in this post, the finish on the case and bracelet is really superior to that on Pagani Design. However, considering the price, the finish of Pagani Design watches is also much better that other watches with the same price level.

The bezel is ceramic made and has a lume pearl that looks different from the one of real Omega Spectre, the numeral markers on the bezel are also different. In dark conditions, the bezel markers will also emit a strong green lume light, like the hour markers and hands on the dial.

Now comes to the dial, which is sandwiched, the strong and long-lasting lume is guaranteed, and this structure also enhances a more tridimensional visual experience. Hour hand and minute hand are well cut in correct shape with nice finish on the edge, the central second hand has a small round lume dot on the top, this is a very obvious feature on Omega Spectre, while on Pagani Design, the position of this lume dot on the second hand is wrong.

The watch has a NH35 automatic movement inside, a very common movement that can be usually seen among this type of watches made in China. In a word, I think this is a very quality Omega Spectre homage watch, but unfortunately San Martin does not offer extra nato band for this watch.

Tags NH35, San Martin, Spectre

STEELDIVE

Steeldive Black Datejust Homage Review

Post author By Bob
Post date July 13, 2023
No Comments on Steeldive Black Datejust Homage Review

Among these homage watches, Steeldive is the one that has a good finish but also with much more affordable prices. I introduced several Steeldive watches before, some are homages of Seiko, one is a black Submariner homage and one is a pilot watch, today, I will introduce another good quality Steeldive watch, which has a very similar outlook to Rolex Datejust, there are a lot of dial colors available, I chose the black one.

It is a black Datejust homage watch, but the size is different, this Steeldive has a case diameter of 39mm, Rolex Datejust does not have this size, however, 39mm is also a very suitable size for men, 41mm is too big, while more suitable for men than the 36mm ones. The watch is made with solid 316L stainless steel and measured to be 12.3mm in thickness. The entire watch is about 163 grams, a little heavy even it only 39mm. The crown is a little small, it will be more convenient to rotate if has a bigger size.

The black dial has very good finished details, the unique brand logo printing is more acceptable for me than the one piece of metal on the dial of San Martin. The bar-shaped hour markers and numeral minute markers refer to the design of that on Datejust. The central second hand runs smoothly but does not look that slender like it on the 41mm Datejust. Steeldive claims the watch is 200m waterproof, it is hardly believable.

The bracelet is fully brushed, the buckle has Steeldive logo engraving, the satin finish on the bracelet looks very nice, the brand also offers a rubber band option for this watch. By the way, the watch is driven by a Japanese NH35 automatic movement that has 21,600VPH, 24 jewels and 41-hour power reserve, most importantly, this movement has stop seconds feature. Except its elegant dial design, the watch looks like having more features which a diver’s watch should have.

Conclusion:

The quality is solid and movement is very reliable, you won’t have few issues on the movement and the watch can last for more than five years. Please choose the one with stainless steel bracelet, it looks better than the one with rubber strap.

Tags Datejust, NH35, STEELDIVE

San Martin

San Martin Submariner 116610LV Homage Review

Post author By Bob
Post date May 31, 2023
No Comments on San Martin Submariner 116610LV Homage Review

Actually I do not want to introduce San Martin watches on my blog, they are too good for homage watches, I am not sure how many people are willing to choose a San Martin because its price is a little higher than other homage watches made in China, after I review Pagani Design watches, I more believe that this is the homage most people want to buy from China, with Japanese movement and moderate finish, the most important is the price is more acceptable. However, San Martin is more suitable for those watch fans who are looking for high-end homage watches, I reviewed San Martin before, they customized watches and the finish is really good, they focus on case finish and dial details, a lot of watch fans in Reddit have given San Martin a very high evaluation. Today, I will show you another watch from San Martin, it is a homage watch of the green Submariner 116610LV, Submariner should be the mostly talked watch in the homage field, almost every homage brand has made this watch, and it is the most usual diver’s homage watch, Submariner is also very popular in replica watch industry, in future, I would like to make a summary list of the best Submariner homage watches, today, let me see how is the quality of this green Sub.

This is the Submariner 116610LV homage that looks closest to the real Rolex, its case shape, bezel construction and the green color, they are exact copies of the real green Sub. The watch is made with solid 316L stainless steel, it has 40.5mm case diameter and measured to be 13mm in thickness, this is exactly the size of the Submariner 11660LV. The San Martin uses a real green ceramic bezel, the bezel is rotatable and has diving markers coated with platinum, San Martin claims on their website, if being coated with platinum, the markers won’t become dark as time goes by. The bezel is soft and smooth to rotate, with slight resistance. The tooth on the bezel are finished very well, your fingers won’t feel scratched when rotating, but I think they should be deeper. The bezel pearl has a domed face.

The green dial is under protection of the sapphire crystal that features anti-reflective coating inside, there is white lume coating on hour markers and hands, I do not like the shield logo of San Martin, fortunately it uses brand lettering instead of the shield at 12 o’clock. The watch is powered by a NH35 automatic movement, which is supposed to have 15 seconds inaccuracy each day, now it gains 8 seconds, I have had it for two weeks. Submariner is really a necessary diver’s watch you should to get when considering a homage.

Tags 116610LV, Ceramic, NH35, San Martin, Submariner

Octopus

Octopus Bronze Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date May 5, 2023
No Comments on Octopus Bronze Watch Review

Bronze watch always looks special and outstanding, I have introduced several pieces of bronze watches on my blog and I love the pilot’s watch made by San Martin most, in my impression, it was Panerai that started the trend of using bronze material to make watches, then many brands followed the lead. You do not need to buy too many bronze watches to rich your watch collection, but need to keep a good one that could be used for a long time, because as time goes by, the bronze watch will change in appearance and will give you a surprise.

Octopus is a niche brand created in China, many watches they make are diving styles, I like them, but I will buy only two or three Octopus watches because I already have too many diver’s watches. So, this bronze watch may be my last Octopus watch. It must be a homage of another Swiss or Japanese brand, but I do not remember which one this watch is copied from. Any way, it is the best bronze watch I have received.

The case, bezel and buckle are all made with bronze material, and the bronze tone is exactly in line with the brown color of the crazy horse leather, the entire watch is totally in one color, except the outstanding green dial, I love this style. The case is made with solid bronze and is completely brushed, the bezel is rotatable and the hole inside the triangle marker at 12 o’clock is filled with lume material, at night, it will emit a strong green light, like the hour markers and hands on the dial. The case back is screw-down and made with titanium, not bronze, there is a big octopus sculpture engraved on the back. The bronze case will be oxidized as time goes by, my friends suggest me deal this with ketchup to renew, but I just like the oxidized appearance.

I like the dial, it is green, it seems like green is the best dial color for every bronze watch. Besides the extremely strong dial lume, I like the color of the lume material applied on the hour markers and hands, it is very close to the tone of the bronze, the end of the central second hand has the brand octopus logo, the grainy green dial looks unique, but I would rather it to be smooth green, the tip of the second hand can be applied with red color to enhance dial readability.

The watch is equipped with a Japanese NH35 automatic movement, many homage watches made in China use this low-end automatic movement, I trust its quality, it is from Japan, and its accuracy is acceptable, now gaining about 8 seconds per day. Besides, I believe all movements from Japan are durable and have a long service life. The smooth crazy horse leather band on the watch can also be changed to a suede band, it depends on which type you prefer.

Tags Bronze, NH35, Octopus

Pagani Design

Pagani Design Green Hulk Sub 116610LV Homage Review

Post author By Bob
Post date August 2, 2022
No Comments on Pagani Design Green Hulk Sub 116610LV Homage Review

It seems like that many micro brands in China have the homage of Rolex Submariner, whether the black sub or green hulk, they are very popular homages, a lot of people still bought them even they know it is not Rolex. Dozens of micro brand watches in Chinese watch industry know how to make a rapid success by creating homages of some popular Rolex models, Pagani Design is such a brand, and with the promotions of E-commerce platform Aliexpress, the watches designed by Pagani Design can be delivered to every corner of the world, and almost every person can get one Pagani Design watch because of their low price. The green watch from Pagani Design I am going to introduce today is a good homage of Rolex Submariner 116610LV, actually in my collection there are several pieces have a similar look to 116610LV Sub, but I love this Pagani watch most.

I have several Pagani Design watches, most of them are homages of Rolex and one Tag Heuer homage, but this green one is my best Sub homage I have ever bought. It has an excellent quality and a great value for money, the case and bracelet is solid stainless steel made, with a stable Japanese automatic movement, it is the best Chinese watch I have bought at this price point less than 90 US Dollars.

The case has a diameter of 40mm, case thickness is about 13mm, actually Pagani Design also makes the latest 41mm Sub homage, both 40mm and 41mm available in different dial and bezel color. The case is fully brushed, except two sides and the crown guards, which are polished. The crown is screw-down, compared with the Sub, the crown guards are little short. The bezel is good, it fits the middle case perfectly and there is no loose feeling, when rotating it, the bezel action is superb with a nice click, no backplay or movement otherwise. A little pity that the bezel insert is not made with green ceramic. The bezel pearl has a round and domed face, it has white lume coating filled and will emit a blue lume light in the dark.

The green dial is under protection of a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with lents 2.5x. Both hands and hour markers are applied with lume material, they will glow at night, the same blue lume light as the bezel pearl, the lume won’t last very long, but after absorbing enough light during the day, the lume still looks very strong. Benz hand is an exact clone, the innder bezel is empty without engravings, each hour marker stands a little higher on the dial, but not too high, if Pagani Design uses a 3D logo at 12 o’clock, the dial will have an enhanced sense of layering and look better. By the way, my friend has a super clone green Sub, after comparing it with this homage, I found there is slight difference in the green color.

The watch has a display case back with a good exhibition of the movement, which is NH35 of Seiko. I bought one Seiko five years ago, it still works fine, so I trust this movement quality. I have had this Pagani watch for three weeks, now the movement has a waste of about 10 seconds each day. The bracelet is all brushed with screws, its edges and corners are a little straight and sharp, that’s ok for me, I have the bracelet polished more smooth and round in a store. Any way, considering its price, the watch is a perfect homage, I give this watch an eight out of ten.

Tags NH35, Pagani Design, Rolex, Submariner

Pagani Design

Pagani Design Blue Sub 116618LB Homage

Post author By Bob
Post date July 26, 2022
No Comments on Pagani Design Blue Sub 116618LB Homage

Now, Pagani Design has become one of my most favorite homage brands, in the past, I loved Parnis most, but now as long as Rolex published a new model, I will go to the website of Pagani Design to see if there is a homage of it. Many people in various watch forums are also talking about this watch, they love it, perhaps the main reason is the cheap price, but in my opinion, the quality has been recognized, even it is not the best, but it is the best option to choose at the same price point. I have bought several Pagani Design watches, my most favorite one is the Daytona Paul Newman homage, several days ago, I got another watch from Pagani Design, it is a full gold watch, its bezel and dial design remind me of the blue Sub 116618LB.

The watch is in full yellow gold tone, the inner material is 316L stainless steel, there is a layer of yellow gold coating, I am sure the gold layer is not thick because the price is there, it is also not the 18K gold we usually see on some replicas, if you do not take a good care of the watch, the gold will fade in a short period. Well, that’s not the issue I care about, I won’t wear it every day, because there are dozens of watches in my collection. The case has a correct size, the same 40mm as Submariner, case is also not thick, which is 13mm. I appreciate the finish on the case and bracelet, the alternative usage of brushing and polishing gives the wearer a great visual experience. Every link of the bracelet has gold coating on each side, a lot of golden watches at this price point can not achieve this level of craftsmanship. The bezel has a blue insert, which is not ceramic made, the lume pearl at 12 o’clock looks too white, lack of some transparency like the pearl on Submariner.

The dial looks nice, the blue color is very close to the blue on the bezel, like the bezel pearl, every hour marker is filled with white luminous material, the benz hand is also a feature we can see on Sub. The date window positioned at 3 o’clock features a black font, with a 1.5x magnifier attached on the sapphire crystal. The inner bezel is empty, there are no engravings, it is my fortune that the seller picks up a good watch for me, because the central second hand can stop exactly in the middle of the triangle 12H marker, which is perfectly aligned with the bezl pearl and the 60-minute scale.

From the printings of “JAPAN MOVT”, we know the watch is equipped with a Japanese automatic movement, actually Pagani Design also claims that the movement is a Seiko NH35. I know a lot about Japanese Miyota 9015 movement, but about Seiko NH35, I only know it is a very common and old movement, but the quality and stability can be trusted. I have several watches bought from China niche brands use this movement, their inaccuracy is about 10 seconds to 25 seconds, no big issues, I can accept as long as there will be no repairing issues within several years.

Tags NH35, Pagani Design, Seiko, Yellow Gold

STEELDIVE

STEELDIVE Green Marine 200m Review

Post author By Bob
Post date July 8, 2022
No Comments on STEELDIVE Green Marine 200m Review

Now, STEELDIVE has become my first choice when considering to buy a diver’s watch, it is the Chinese brand that has the most authentic diving watch genes, I have seen a lot of STEELDIVE watches, this is my fifth piece I bought from STEELDIVE, each of them has a strong case design, the dial is regular diver’s watch dial style, strong lume and big markers to increase readability, everyone likes such type of diving watch, wearing it is also a way to show your personality. When you are thinking of a diving watch to buy and do not want to spend too much, then a watch made in China is a great choice, do not consider these big traditional Chinese brands like Sea-gull, Beijing, Shanghai or Fiyta, because they do not have homage watches that have a more popular outlook and design, so sometimes that’s the reason why you see niche brands such as STEELDIVE and Parnis are more popular among watch fans in forums.

This is a classic diver’s watch from Green Marine series of STEELDIVE, the watch is full stainless steel made, there is also rubber band option to choose, STEELDIVE offers several colors, black, blue and green, I choose the black one, it is the most classic, just like the Submariner 116610LN from Rolex.

The watch is made with solid 316L stainless steel, both case and bracelet are brushed, the case has a diameter of 41mm, not including the crown, it is a little thick, which is up to 13.5mm. The lugs have a short design, the end link of the bracelet is also bent well with the curved lugs, seeing from the side, the case side has polished face, there is a STEELDIVE logo on the crown, it is the oxygen tanks and mask for diving. The bezel stands high above the middle case with a black ceramic insert, which features blue lumed bezel markers.

The dial is a hot spot of the watch, the hour markers seem to be bigger than those of other diver’s watches I have seen, the hour hand and minute hand have a much wider design, they are all applied with cyan luminous material, the lume light is green and so strong. The dial has white minute markers printed on an beveled inner bezel, which brings a three-dimensional layered effect to the entire dial. From the red printings above the marker at 6 o’clock, we can know the series and water resistant depth of the watch.

The watch is powered by a NH35 automatic movement that comes from Japan. Almost all diving watches from STEELDIVE use this movement. It is one of the most affordable automatic movements in the market, also with considerable accuracy and stability, its accuracy is claimed to be -20 to +40 seconds per day, now I have had this watch for three weeks, it is about 35 seconds faster each day. For the Chinese watches with the same price level, I would rather choose the one with a Japanese movement.

Conclusion:

This watch is more suitable for your daily wearing than other STEELDIVE diver’s watches. Made with solid stainless steel and uses Japanese automatic movement, the watch can be used for more than five years.

Tags Ceramic, Green Marine, NH35, STEELDIVE

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories