Tag: Merkur

Merkur

Merkur World Time Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date August 8, 2023
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I am a loyal fan of Merkur, this watch company always adhere to their own principles and offers us good timepieces that look different from other homage watches, you must have seen a lot of homage watches made in China, but most of them just simply copied the designs of Swiss watches, while Merkur has their own designs on most watches, perhaps they are also homages of some watches which I am not familiar with, the development of Chinese watch industry is still very slow, now a lot of homage brands have caused a false prosperity, this is a wrong road they are on, we need to see what important achievements these big three can make, they are the leaders.

In the past, I have reviewed some Merkur watches, I like them, one or two of them are even my favorites, today, I was just attracted by another watch designed by Merkur team, please check the pictures, this colorful timepiece has an unique feature, which is a world time, you can see different time in different cities on the dial.

There are a lot of watches with GMT function here, but few have this design that shows time of different cities on one dial, yes, the biggest selling point of this watch lies in its dial, which has a great look, on the center of the dial, it is the Earth but only shows the Africa continent in front of your eyes, the time in different cities can be adjusted through the button at 10 o’clock on the case. So, you can obtain the time in different cities, this is a very practical timepiece a business man who often travels around the world. By the way, the color combination on the dial is amazing, it makes the Earth on the center look very vivid.

The watch has a hand-winding mechanical movement inside, I do not know where this movement comes from, in most cases it is made by a movement factory in China, it beats 21,600 times per hour and has a 42-hour power reserve. The black leather band looks great on the watch. By the way, for its hand-wound movement, I only suggest you give the watch a 20 rotations when winding.

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Merkur

Merkur Alarm Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date June 27, 2023
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I am greatly surprised that I find a Chinese alarm watch, first, it is a watch on mens wrist, but has the alarm function. I have never paid attention to alarm watches before, those big Swiss brands also seldom made alarm watches, I read one or two reviews, but never saw an alarm watch in hand before. Merkur is a Chinese watch brand that doing different things, not like many other Chinese brands that just know how to copy and make homage watches, after seeing a lot Merkur watches, I am in love with it more and more. And an alarm watch coming from a Chinese brand is really a big thing.

This is a very simple alarm watch, its functions are hours, minutes, seconds and alarm, no date. Merkur watches are cheap and usually sold at less than $150, but this alarm watch is a little expensive, more than $300, which is still much cheaper than those Swiss brands. The alarm watch is interesting, set the alarm, and the watch will really make a sound, all functions are shown on the dial that has a bit Bauhaus style, especially the Arabic hour markers of 6 and 12. The central red hand is an alarm hand that can be adjusted through the crown at 2 o’clock, check these red numbers on the outermost, you will know how to set the alarm time, and when the hour hand meets the long red hand and both on the same line, the alarm will immediately make a sound.

It is said that the watch is powered by a Russian alarm movement, which is Soviet Poljot 2612, I do not know this movement, but I think the watch is produced in limited quantity is just because the company can not get too many Poljot movements. The suede leather band just looks ok, if you do not like this type of band, you can change a new one in easy effort.

Tags Alarm Watch, Merkur, Poljot

Merkur

Review of Seizenn W10 Manual-winding Watch

Post author By Bob
Post date September 22, 2022
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Never heard of Seizenn before, but I found watches under name Seizenn on the website of Merkur, so I guess Seizenn is a sub-brand of Merkur. According to my introduction and reviews on Merkur, many of you guys now have a full understanding of this Chinese watch, it is a very young brand, not like other Chinese watches I have seen, on Merkur, you can see a lot of new features which you did not see on other Chinese watches before. Too many brands in China manufactured homage watches under the name of “customize”, this is not the right way all micro Chinese watches should follow, while Merkur is not like them, that’s the reason why I like Merkur most among those niche brands I have met. This Seizenn watch looks very nice, it has a simple military style, most important, the watch can be equipped with several types of bands, whether on leather band or rubber band, it still looks good.

The case is a big metal piece, it has an unique shape like a abalone. The case is a whole piece made with 316L stainless steel, without a bezel, it is completely brushed. The whole piece of case is slightly curved, it looks very obvious even seeing from the front, that’s not like the case of my other watches. Besides, the case has an exquisite brushing finish, you can not find the brushing trail, it is not obvious visually, but can be felt with hands. The solid case back is screwed down and has some engravings which I do not know their meaning.

The dial is under the protection of an arched mineral crystal, it is black and has white Arabic numeral hour markers, Seizenn also offers other dial styles for this watch, for example, the California Dial, I chose this Arabic dial because it has a radiation logo at 6 o’clock, which looks a little yellowish like those arrow-shaped markers on the outer edge of the dial. The lume applied on the hour markers and hands make them glow very strong at night.

I did not open the case back, it is said that the watch is powered by a Shanghai 7120 movement, which is manual winding, do not know too much about this movement. Unfortunately the watch did not use a see-through crystal back, or I will love it more. The watch is equipped with a nylon band, well, for its vintage outlook that looks a little military style, there are a lot of band options to choose for this watch, you will have fun to play with.

Tags Merkur, Seizenn

Merkur

Hands-on Review of Merkur Vintage Red Star Pilot’s Watch

Post author By Bob
Post date September 21, 2022
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Except those big famous brands, most micro watch brands created in China I have seen are homage brands, Merkur is an exception, it is not simply a homage because a lot of watches made by them have some unique designs, some watches can even give me a surprising impression when see them for the first time. Besides, Merkur is the brand in China that has a very close relation with some popular Chinese elements which you can only find on those Chinese watches made in the old times. Merkur is a very young brand, but I think they will succeed as long as they have creative designs in future, making homage watches can bring a great amount of sales in a short period, but it is not the right way for a brand’s long-term development.

This is my sixth Merkur watch I have bought, actually each Merkur watch in my collection is not expensive, the price is much affordable than other homages I bought. Merkur said it is a pilot’s watch, but I do not find any obvious features that make it a modern pilot’s watch, perhaps those pilot watch made in the old times by Chinese watches factories are like this one, so this Merkur is just a tribute to these vintage pilot’s watches made in China.

The case is measured to be 38mm in diameter, not including the crown. That’s a correct case size for a vintage pilot’s watch made in the past. The watch looks very nice on my wrist, not big or too small. The polished case has four narrow lugs that are arcuated, round bezel feels smooth on the edge. There are two cap-style buttons up and below the middle crown, they are for chronograph usage. My overall impression about the case is its simple but refined design.

All your focus must be on its dial, which is ivory and looks a little yellowish, plus the light yellow nylon band, both are two main elements making the watch full of vintage style. The red color usage on the dial is very eye-catching, central second-chronograph hand, minute-chronograph hand and the five-pointed star are all in red color, especially the red star at 6 o’clock, it is the soul element of the entire watch, aha, just my opinion. Those arrow-shaped hour markers are in yellow gold, so are hour hand and minute hand, but not look too yellow gold, the gold tone is light. The Merkur has a working chronograph, so both small hands you saw on the subdials have real functions.

The exhibition crystal back is a big feature I like on the watch, the inner engine is a manual winding movement that has chronograph feature, looking from the back, the inner machine has a stunning construction, it is too complicated for me. About this movement, I have an advice for you, do not rotate the crown too many times when winding the watch, no more than 20 rotations. By the way, this movement has a short power reserve, I suggest you wind it to gain enough power every day. Well, the movement is not a problem for me, I like the watch’s style most.

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Merkur

Merkur Pilot Manual Winding Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date July 11, 2022
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Merkur, I like this brand more, many watches coming from this brand not only have creative design ideas, but also feature some characteristics of old Chinese military watches. This is a very young watch brand created in China, perhaps few of you guys have heard of it, in fourms, Merkur may not be as popular as some diving-style brands such as STEELDIVE and Proxima, but it is the brand you will be immediately attracted once see one watch from them, because there are a lot of new designs you did not see before, just like this watch I am going to talk about today, it is completely new.

The watch has a lot Chinese elements, that’s my first impression with it. About the dial, you will never think this is a pilot watch’s style, yes, besides its big dial, is there any design on the watch related with a pilot’s watch, that’s my first thought if you have to say it is a pilot watch. But after analyzing each element on the dial, it is indeed a pilot’s watch based on Chinese elements, so you guys may not understand. There is a Chinese word “鲛” on the small dial at 6 o’clock, it has a special meaning in China, it is an old animal, which is called crocodile dragon or shark dragon. The black dial has cloud patterns decoration, usually in Chinese cartoons, such cloud will appear when a dragon flying in the sky, so seeing from these two traditional Chinese elements, this Merkur is indeed a pilot watch. By the way, the track-style hour hand and minute hand are applied with luminous material, so are Arabic numeral hour markers.

The Merkur watch is equipped with a manual winding movement, you may ask why Merkur did not choose an automatic movement, but you know an automatic movement will increase the cost of the watch, so, sometimes a manual winding movement will be a good option for such a watch with creative designs. By the way, when winding, do not rotate it too tight, it will affect the servicing life of the watch. The last is the specification of the watch.

Movement: Manual Winding
Case Material: 316L stainless steel
Case Diameter: 38mm
Case Thickness: 12mm
Crystal: Acrylic
Dial: Black, Lumed hour markers and hands
Band: Nylon
Water Resistant: 30m

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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

Merkur

Merkur 304 China Pilot Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date May 31, 2022
No Comments on Merkur 304 China Pilot Watch Review

Merkur offers a lot of watches with novel designs, different from other watch brands coming from China, Merkur is more willing to use the elements of some old Chinese army watches on the design of their products. Sometimes, I was more attracted by the mysterious symbols and novel designs on a watch, rather than its quality, I know the quality of each brand watch is very close within a certain price range, so whether a watch has an innovative design will be the main factor in my decision to buy. As a new designer watch brand in China, Merkur is the first one to use a lot of elements which you could only find on old Chinese army watches, that’s the main reason why I have bought three watches from them.

This 304 pilot is my third watch bought from Merkur. It is a manual winding watch that sets a vintage dial in a modern case frame. On this watch, there are four design elements I like very much, the red star, “航空”, “304” and blue color. Merkur offers three bracelet options for the watch, stainless steel bracelet, black leather strap and khaki nylon strap, I choose the nylon band on their website.

The dial is most attractive, the sunken digit “304” is in dark black, which is still clearly readable on this black dial. Central hour hand and minute hand are in track style with blue frames. the hour hand is special, it has an exteneded tip, so the entire hand looks like having the same length of the minute hand. All Arabic hour markers and two hands are applied with retro yellow luminescence, they will emit a green lume light in dark conditions. The small subdial at 6 o’clock also looks beautiful, it is a display of small seconds with a small blue hand. There is a very small red star ★ above the Chinese words 航空”, which means Pilot, so I think the design inspiration of this watch must come from those old Chinese pilot watches.

The case is brushed, which forms a high contrast with the polished round bezel. The case has a diameter of 38mm, not including the crown, it is measured to be 12mm in thickness and 45mm in length(including the lugs). The crystal face is arched, it is not sapphire but made with acrylic. The solid case back has brand’s name engravings in Chinese.

Inside the case, Merkur claims that they use a Sea-gull TY2901 movement, which is manual winding. This movement has inherited some features of Swiss Venus175. The khaki nylon strap is a perfect fit for this vintage pilot watch, you can also replace it with a brown leather band, it is very easy to do this, tool not needed. In a word, the Merkur 304 is a very good China Pilot watch full of retro flavor.

Tags Merkur, Nylon, Sea-gull

Merkur

Merkur Pierre Paulin Panda Style Watch Review

Post author By Bob
Post date May 13, 2022
No Comments on Merkur Pierre Paulin Panda Style Watch Review

Merkur, which is a young Chinese watch brand, now has owned a great reputation abroad. I usually visited their website and found that many people bought their watches, at the same time they left good feedback. About their sales store on aliexpress, they have an almost ninety-eight percent of positive feedback, a lot of other Chinese brands can not achieve such a high rate. Each watch Merkur has produced has their own features that make them different from other Chinese watches, I like them so much, I want to choose one at least from each of their series, now this Pierre Paulin is the second watch I bought from Merkur.

Merkur Pierre Paulin Stainless Steel Case

The watch I bought from Merkur watch company is a sub-brand, which has a name “Pierre Paulin”. I like this watch because it shows the elegance to the maximum, but keeps a little sporty feature and retro flavor. The watch is a chronograph model, the chronograph function works, it uses a Sea-gull TY2901 movement that offers a working chrono. You can push the two buttons on the case to operate the chronograph, when the button at 2 o’clock is pressed down, the central silver second hand will move, if you want to stop the second, press down this button again. When the button at 4 o’clock is pushed, the central second-chronograph hand will be reset to zero, which is precisely at 12 o’clock on the big dial.

I like its white dial, the two black small dials like the two eyes of a Panda, I remember Rolex also has the Panda Daytona, just like this design. Two small dials, one is for small seconds display at 9 o’clock, the 30-minute chronograph counter is positioned at 3 o’clock. The dial has a high readability because it only uses white and black color, all hands and hour markers are in silver tone. The printings of “PIERRE PAULIN” indicates the designer name of the watch. The panda dial has white tachymetre scales on the outermost circle in black.

The Merkur Pierre Paulin is equipped with a Sea-gull TY2901 movement, it is hand-winding and looks like a copy of the Venus 75 movement. Usually this movement is used by most Chinese brand watches that has a chrono feature but with very reasonable prices. The movement has 21 rubines and a frequency of 21,600 times per hour. The Sea-gull TY2901 is a perfect match for this retro-style Pierre Paulin Panda watch. Besides the manual winding movement and panda dial, the third retro element on the watch is shown through its arched acrylic face.

The watch has a black leather band that features fabric textures and white stitching. For this white panda dial version, Merkur also offers one stainless steel bracelet option.

Tags Merkur, Pierre Paullin, Sea-gull, TY2901

Merkur

Merkur Red Star – a tribute to the classic Chinese army watch

Post author By Bob
Post date April 13, 2022
No Comments on Merkur Red Star – a tribute to the classic Chinese army watch

For people who are looking for an affordable watch with classic Chinese army elements, this Merkur is a good choice.

Merkur is also a very young custom-made watch brand in Beijing, China, it was founded in 2020, yes, it is very young, and many watch custom-made Chinese watch brands like Merkur have been established in recent years, they offer customers a lot of other choices which they can not get from traditional Chinese watch brands like Sea-gull, Shanghai and Beijing, the competition between these custom brands and traditional big three is a good thing for the development of China’s watch industry. Now Merkur owns several brands, including Merkur, Pierre Paulin, Fod, Seizenn, Red Army, etc., their watches are being widely talked in a lot of watch forums.

The Merkur watch reproduces the design of Chinese army watches manufactured in the 1970s, the case is 38mm in diameter and only 12mm thick, the entire case is delicately brushed, while the round bezel is smoothly polished, that makes a high contrast. On the solid case back, there are engravings of Chinese words “中國製”, which will be “Zhong Guo Zhi” in Pin Yin, means “Made in China”.

The dial protected by the arched mineral crystal face looks a little yellow, it has a classic style of those army watches made in the 1970s. If you know little about Chinese army watches in the old times, you will know three elements on this dial are essential for those army watches, they are the Red Star, “19占防水錶(19 Jeweled Waterproof)” and “中國製(Made in China)”, they look attractive to me and placed a certain role in helping me decide to buy this watch. Hour markers, hour hand and minute hand are made with 316L stainless steel, and then being plated with gold, they all use 3D cutting technology and have an angular clean-cut shape.

The Merkur watch uses a Chinese Hangzhou SL07 manual winding movement, which has a beat rate of 21,600. Considering the price, this movement is a good enough, and the watch still works very accurate since I received it two months ago. The watch came with a spring stainless steel bracelet that has a certain flexibility, but I love the nylon band more, it looks better on this watch, the nylon band is also a good presentation of the military essence of this Merkur Red Star watch.

Merkur not only makes such type of retro Chinese army watches, but their pilot’s watches and diver’s watches are also very attractive with unique designs.

Tags Merkur, Red Star

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