Watches on AliExpress - the Good, the Bad, the Ugly
I will keep this short. There is a surge of newer watch enthusiasts that are considering buying watches (or have bought watches) from the Chinese website AliExpress. I base this statement form the popularity of youtube channels like JustOneMoreWatch and I Like Watches.
The Good: There are incredible deals for automatic watches on this website. Watches typically range from $50-$500. If you find the right watch with a "reputable" seller, you can land yourself a watch that looks and feels much more than the price.
The Bad: The site is a bit shady. Pictures and descriptions may not match the product, and you may end up with a complete dud. Shop at your own risk because those rating and reviews (if in English) are not reliable.
The Ugly: 90% of the watches sold on this site are blatant replicas or copies of more popular more expensive watches (e.g. rolex submariner, omega speedmaster, patek, AP, etc.). This website hands-down attracts customers who are wanting that certain look and want to get as close to the real deal without committing a crime.
My main point: I am not here to judge because I have bought a few watches from this site. However, I want to know if shopping from this site is acceptable within the watch community, specifically within our watch community--watchcrunch.com (@Max )
So, What do you, crunchers, feel about AliExpress? Have you bought a watch from here? If so let's see it. If not, tell us why.
Husband | Father | Watch Wearer Just a regular guy with a ⌚ and a 📷
I have two. They are both homage watches featuring a Chinese clone of the ETA 2824-2, the PT5000. It is fully legal to purchase an homage watch, but not a fake watch. It has long been held that watch dial designs cannot be patented. The first is an homage to the IWC Mark XVIII Le Petit Prince:
I bought this one because I have always liked the flieger design, but I've never liked it enough to pay IWC's asking price. This gets me about 80% of the same watch and ran about $200 all in with the bracelet.
The second is an homage to the Hamilton Khaki Field:
I don't like the new low-beat Powermatic-based hand-wind movements. This offered an automatic movement with a high-beat and came in under $100 including the bracelet ($85 for the watch with taxes and about $14 for the bracelet). It's certainly not the best-finished watch I've ever owned, but it works, it's all stainless as advertised, and I defy you to find a cheaper watch with a movement that has similar specs. So I bought a fully stainless watch with a clone of a high beat Swiss movement, 200M WR (claimed), and sapphire for less than a Vostok -- that's a complete win.
It's a bit more like gambling than shopping to me but the stakes aren't that high. Many people have been happy with their purchases. I've seen some nice San Martins and Sea-gulls that were scored on Ali Express.
I like the Sea-Gull watches but buying from Ali Express is interesting. Above £200 and you need to consider what you are losing. I was looking at a PRX (ish) clone around £250 and thinking you lose:
There comes a point where you end up losing too much.
If they'd make some smaller stuff I'd be more interested.
Long delivery times. Little to no warranty or recourse, Substitutions, Only the ones with Japanese movements any good and then the rest has QC issues. I like them because they are upgradable with Swiss or Japanese movements. This place does not seem to mind the fake watches so far where other sites forbid them. I go for the sterile parts without logo and know i'm not overpaying for the cheap stuff there.
As long as you go in with a clear head about what you are buying, there is nothing wrong with buying from Ali Express. I have a Seagull 1963 I picked up from the site a couple of years back, it's been running great, and given me no issues.
I like to buy watches usually on eBay or Amazon as I don’t have the obscene watch budget some people have, being the sole income as well, however I have seen some worth getting on Ali express mainly Sam Martin. I usually buy watches to mod as Ive caught the modding bug. Usually swapping out the hands or dial. I don’t think there is anything wrong with buying off Ali express you just have to be careful.