Pagani Speedmaster homage review
I'm not really a fan of chronos, but I have already collected a substantial number of watches and wanted to give chronos a fair try to win me over. The first attempt failed, as that Ochstin had multiple quality issues, but then it was too cheap to truly count as a fair try.
For my second attempt I wanted a watch with a good mecaquartz movement, e.g. the VK63 or VK64 from Seiko. Rationale behind this constraint was that mechanical chronos are very difficult/expensive to service, so I wanted to avoid this guaranteed obsolescence, while keeping a bit the mechanical feel.
AliExpress is awash with homage watches that fill that criterion, but not too many originals. Pagani Design does make an original chrono of that ilk, but its dial diameter of 46mm is simply too big for me. So, at that point I had narrowed down my options:
the Monaco homage by Specht & Sohne
Patek Philippe homages by Mysterious Code and Hruodland
the Speedmaster homage by Pagani, the PD-1701
As you can see I settled with the Pagani, more precisely version 3 of the traditionally coloured watch, with black dial and white hands and markers. This is a well-specced watch, 40mm dial, with sapphire crystal, VK63 movement, 100m water resistance, branded screw-down crown, lumed hands and markers - and all that for £80 (amazon: £120).
If one looks a bit more closely the functionality differs from the speedy. The Pagani has a barely noticeable date window at 4:30 which the speedy lacks, and its subdials do not have the same meaning as the Speedmaster either. These distinctions derive from the movements, so Pagani did not have much choice of what to do. As a side note, the Monaco homage by Specht & Sohne was originally given the same dial as the Monaco - which was at odds with the movement used - in a later version they apparently fixed the issue by making the dial match the movement.
So, what do we have here: the seconds of the running watch sit at the 6 o'clock position (Speedy: 9 o'clock), at 9 o'clock we have the minutes dial for the chrono, and at 3 o'clock is a 24h dial for the main watch, so if you like: a moonphase. That's an odd subdial choice for a chrono, but that's what you get from the VK63.
What took me by surprise, showing you how new I am to chronos, is that the large seconds hand sits normally stationary at 12 and only moves when the stopwatch is engaged. Without that behaviour, the tachymetre on the bezel would be misplaced. Doh. A side-effect of this is that this seconds hand obscures the Pagani logo on the dial quite a bit.
The pushers of the case engage with a satisfying click, the crown's date manipulation is a tad difficult to engage.
I bought the watch on the bracelet (a spare, branded, NATO strap was also supplied). My wrist is with 16cm not tiny, but certainly on the smaller side, and I had to remove all removable links to make the bracelet fit, at which point one could tell that the bracelet was not meant to be used with so many links removed. On the AliExpress store I purchased the watch from, all options came on a bracelet, but one can find it on a canvas strap in other stores. Strap aside, for a 40mm dial watch it wears fairly large.
Overall, the watch did not really click for me - and that has probably more to do with my indifference to chronos in general rather than this watch in particular.
Pagani Speedmaster homage review
Yes
No
- well specced mecaquartz chrono
- generally well made
- bracelet not good for small wrists
- a moonphase on a chrono?
UK-based German expat. Likes cheap watches. Not bothered about brands.
We need to countdown to the gibbous moon, grab the Pagani!
This luminous is much better cheaper than Pagani and closest to the speedy with Seiko Vk63 quartz and smooth sweep chrono seconds hand...
This luminous is much better cheaper than Pagani and closest to the speedy with Seiko Vk63 quartz and smooth sweep chrono seconds hand...
...and where would you find it? As far as searchable brand names for watches go, "Luminous" is a pretty terrible choice, for obvious reasons.
...and where would you find it? As far as searchable brand names for watches go, "Luminous" is a pretty terrible choice, for obvious reasons.
Whatever it beats the heat out off the Pagani design which I had owned 3 and all were awful in quality, Qc and price to value categories...sold them all off in a week...what's the point in searchability it's available on same platform aliexpress as the pagani just explore the site...simple...
Whatever it beats the heat out off the Pagani design which I had owned 3 and all were awful in quality, Qc and price to value categories...sold them all off in a week...what's the point in searchability it's available on same platform aliexpress as the pagani just explore the site...simple...
I explore AliExpress more than most people - most of my watches come from there, but I had never seen this. I put in "luminous chrono" in Ali's search engine, I scanned the first 10 pages of search results - nothing. (The search engine is heavily biased towards pages you looked at in the past, so this is by no means the same for you.)
My best guess is that this is a variant of Corgeut's speedy homage. Corgeut sometimes produces non-branded watches.
I dug a little deeper and I did find that "luminous chronograph" - but not on AliExpress, it is here on its parent company's website, AliBaba. It is sold there by Guangzhou Yangqi Trading Co., Ltd., who I have never heard of, but apparently Heimdallr is one of their brands.
I explore AliExpress more than most people - most of my watches come from there, but I had never seen this. I put in "luminous chrono" in Ali's search engine, I scanned the first 10 pages of search results - nothing. (The search engine is heavily biased towards pages you looked at in the past, so this is by no means the same for you.)
My best guess is that this is a variant of Corgeut's speedy homage. Corgeut sometimes produces non-branded watches.
I checked in my shopping history, Unfortunately the shop is unavailable on aliexpress however this one is available..though with a branding name you will definitely like closest to the original🤣🤣 mind you the chrono hand sweep is jerky not smooth sweep as luminous but still much better than Pagani or Corgeut
US $62.65 66%OFF | OUMASHI 39mm Men Watch Sport 24 hours Multifunction Watches Top Brand Luxury Full Steel full chronograph Quartz Clock OS20 Men
https://a.aliexpress.com/_ExNCSTl
I checked in my shopping history, Unfortunately the shop is unavailable on aliexpress however this one is available..though with a branding name you will definitely like closest to the original🤣🤣 mind you the chrono hand sweep is jerky not smooth sweep as luminous but still much better than Pagani or Corgeut
US $62.65 66%OFF | OUMASHI 39mm Men Watch Sport 24 hours Multifunction Watches Top Brand Luxury Full Steel full chronograph Quartz Clock OS20 Men
https://a.aliexpress.com/_ExNCSTl
If a listing is gone, that is one thing, but if a shop's gone that is a bit of a red flag - they might have been caught selling fakes.
The Oumashi has a dial like the Pagani or Corgeut, which would fit the VK63. This makes me wonder: are the subdials on the "Luminous" actually matching the movement? Or is there, as in earlier versions of the Monaco homage by Specht&Sohne, a situation where the 12h-dial of the chrono is actually a 24h-dial of the watch, and the 30min subdial of the chrono is really a 60 minute subdial?
If a listing is gone, that is one thing, but if a shop's gone that is a bit of a red flag - they might have been caught selling fakes.
The Oumashi has a dial like the Pagani or Corgeut, which would fit the VK63. This makes me wonder: are the subdials on the "Luminous" actually matching the movement? Or is there, as in earlier versions of the Monaco homage by Specht&Sohne, a situation where the 12h-dial of the chrono is actually a 24h-dial of the watch, and the 30min subdial of the chrono is really a 60 minute subdial?
Well don't know about the shop though...I found the Luminous best in business w.r.t Pagani, Oumashi or Corgeut.. The 12 hr marker is infact a 24 hr sub dial that already I knew before buying but qgain the real speedy had 12 hr sub dial so went on with it...as for the VK63 its sure is one as I had it verified by removing the case back which was a big saucer shaped made for automatic movements and made the watch sit too high so had to change it to a flat one which sits flush on the wrist...
Any idea if there is a fitting and affordable metal bracelet for smaller wrists?
Even with all links removed, the bracelet is still too big.
Thank you
Any idea if there is a fitting and affordable metal bracelet for smaller wrists?
Even with all links removed, the bracelet is still too big.
Thank you
I think you should measure how long you need the bracelet to be, and then order one one that is slightly longer. Pagani sells spare bracelets on Ali - they seem to be all 22cm long, and chances are you have the same issues with those. I have seen a bracelet on Ali at 19cm, and this one at 17cm - one customer mentioned that they fitted that on a Pagani.
I am saying that as someone who never fitted an aftermarket bracelet onto a watch, so please take that with a pinch of salt.
If it's not been said already, the case diameter is 42mm, not 40mm. I know that the AliExpress site lists it as a 40, but I think that's just a typo, as size wise, it's an accurate homage of the Speedy. Also, the VK meca-quartz chrono movements are from Seiko, not Sony, unless you know something I don't.
If it's not been said already, the case diameter is 42mm, not 40mm. I know that the AliExpress site lists it as a 40, but I think that's just a typo, as size wise, it's an accurate homage of the Speedy. Also, the VK meca-quartz chrono movements are from Seiko, not Sony, unless you know something I don't.
Oh, the Sony bit was a brainfart🙄, I corrected that now in the review.
As someone who owns the PD-1701 and has been wearing chronos for almost 2 decades, I will say that this is a decent watch. Not great, since the VK63 is pretty basic and only offers a 60 min. timer, plus a pretty useless 24 hrs. dial. But decent, since the build quality is very good for the price and Pagani did a good job with paying homage to the Speedy, while also offering some originality with their beautifully designed caseback.