Chinese watches
What are your views on Chinese watches?, I bought this when I was doing night work at B and Q (UK DIY shop), mainly because I wanted something mechanical that I can bash around without worrying. Do you think these cheap Chinese watches, that in this case look like a child designed it, have a place in a watch collection?.
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Jonathan
Im an amateur watch collector, who enjoys collecting vintage and affordable watches.
England
Member since
Last active: 1 year ago
There is a wide range of quality and quality control in the Chinese watch market. There are brands that get a great deal of respect, for example, Sea Gull, there are a some microbrands out of Hong Kong that generally are pretty good (Phoibos and Spinnaker), there are AliExpress brands that get some respect, for example, Starking, Pagani Designs, Benrus, etc., and there are junk watches produced for the drop-ship market (MVMT, Daniel Wellington, etc.) that you can also get on AliExpress.
I have a number of Chinese watches I have purchased over the years, and I have been happy with them. I love my Sea Gull small seconds dress watch, and have not had an issues with it at all. I have several AliExpress watches from Starking and Pagani Designs, and they have been solid purchases with only minor QC issues.
My wife has two Starking watches I got for her as gifts, and she likes them even more than the Tissot PR100 Powermatic 80 I got for her. One of the Starking watches I got her is a skeleton and the other is an open heart with a dragonfly in jewels over the opening. They have both been operating with no issues, and she is wearing one or the other almost constantly. The other watches in her collection only collect dust now.
I would say that there are good watches in the Chinese watch market that are worth having in a collection, but I am not a fan of the watches produced for the drop-ship market and avoid them myself, even if I can get a MVMT watch (minus the MVMT logo) on AliExpress for USD $10 or less, including shipping.
Sorry my views on the Chinese watch market are a bit long-winded, but it is a complex market in my opinion.
Finally, to answer your question about your watch specifically, I see nothing wrong with a cheap mechanical beater watch made in China being added to your collection. How is it any different from having a cheap beater Casio ,Timex, or other budget watch in your collection?
There is a wide range of quality and quality control in the Chinese watch market. There are brands that get a great deal of respect, for example, Sea Gull, there are a some microbrands out of Hong Kong that generally are pretty good (Phoibos and Spinnaker), there are AliExpress brands that get some respect, for example, Starking, Pagani Designs, Benrus, etc., and there are junk watches produced for the drop-ship market (MVMT, Daniel Wellington, etc.) that you can also get on AliExpress.
I have a number of Chinese watches I have purchased over the years, and I have been happy with them. I love my Sea Gull small seconds dress watch, and have not had an issues with it at all. I have several AliExpress watches from Starking and Pagani Designs, and they have been solid purchases with only minor QC issues.
My wife has two Starking watches I got for her as gifts, and she likes them even more than the Tissot PR100 Powermatic 80 I got for her. One of the Starking watches I got her is a skeleton and the other is an open heart with a dragonfly in jewels over the opening. They have both been operating with no issues, and she is wearing one or the other almost constantly. The other watches in her collection only collect dust now.
I would say that there are good watches in the Chinese watch market that are worth having in a collection, but I am not a fan of the watches produced for the drop-ship market and avoid them myself, even if I can get a MVMT watch (minus the MVMT logo) on AliExpress for USD $10 or less, including shipping.
Sorry my views on the Chinese watch market are a bit long-winded, but it is a complex market in my opinion.
Finally, to answer your question about your watch specifically, I see nothing wrong with a cheap mechanical beater watch made in China being added to your collection. How is it any different from having a cheap beater Casio ,Timex, or other budget watch in your collection?
You make a very valid point, I am interested in buying a Chinese watch I really like one day like a seagull 1962 or a pagani. This particular watch fell out of favour fast unfortunately, and with a change of jobs, I no longer needed such a watch. Although I did once accidentally buy a jagar triangular watch in my sleep 🤣, I liked it but I find a lot of Chinese watches are suited for bigger wrists. Thanks for your input, it was very informative.
There is a wide range of quality and quality control in the Chinese watch market. There are brands that get a great deal of respect, for example, Sea Gull, there are a some microbrands out of Hong Kong that generally are pretty good (Phoibos and Spinnaker), there are AliExpress brands that get some respect, for example, Starking, Pagani Designs, Benrus, etc., and there are junk watches produced for the drop-ship market (MVMT, Daniel Wellington, etc.) that you can also get on AliExpress.
I have a number of Chinese watches I have purchased over the years, and I have been happy with them. I love my Sea Gull small seconds dress watch, and have not had an issues with it at all. I have several AliExpress watches from Starking and Pagani Designs, and they have been solid purchases with only minor QC issues.
My wife has two Starking watches I got for her as gifts, and she likes them even more than the Tissot PR100 Powermatic 80 I got for her. One of the Starking watches I got her is a skeleton and the other is an open heart with a dragonfly in jewels over the opening. They have both been operating with no issues, and she is wearing one or the other almost constantly. The other watches in her collection only collect dust now.
I would say that there are good watches in the Chinese watch market that are worth having in a collection, but I am not a fan of the watches produced for the drop-ship market and avoid them myself, even if I can get a MVMT watch (minus the MVMT logo) on AliExpress for USD $10 or less, including shipping.
Sorry my views on the Chinese watch market are a bit long-winded, but it is a complex market in my opinion.
Finally, to answer your question about your watch specifically, I see nothing wrong with a cheap mechanical beater watch made in China being added to your collection. How is it any different from having a cheap beater Casio ,Timex, or other budget watch in your collection?
It's not actually a bad watch, it's very accurate and has a very visible face being so big. They definitely make watches that are good for everyday use.
Member @SimplyVintageWatches just released a youtube video interviewing an expert and discussing Chinese watches and is well worth a look 👍
Member @SimplyVintageWatches just released a youtube video interviewing an expert and discussing Chinese watches and is well worth a look 👍
I'm going to check that out, thanks for the heads up.
Anything with a Sea-Gull or Seiko movement is worth buying and maybe Miyota. The cheap under $100.00 native Chinese movement watches are not worth buying unless you service them. They lack oil, adjustment and usually contaminated with hairs and filings. Crap shoot when they will quit and some are DOA. The expensive Swiss movement watches can last generations where Seiko watches can just get a cheap movement replace. The Chinese crap gets Seiko movements. If you buy cheap get it serviced to last.
Anything with a Sea-Gull or Seiko movement is worth buying and maybe Miyota. The cheap under $100.00 native Chinese movement watches are not worth buying unless you service them. They lack oil, adjustment and usually contaminated with hairs and filings. Crap shoot when they will quit and some are DOA. The expensive Swiss movement watches can last generations where Seiko watches can just get a cheap movement replace. The Chinese crap gets Seiko movements. If you buy cheap get it serviced to last.
Its good advise although I don't mine or like them enough to bother, its stopped most of the time. Ill probably use it for any decorating/heavy duty jobs as I did before and if it breaks, it breaks.