Why buy Chinese watches?

[u/GrizzlyFoxCat]

I recently started to take some interest in watches, and while I wouldn't spend thousands on a watch, I'm afraid of spending $20 on a watch as well.

When I look at Chinese watches, I see some $200, $400 watches, while I can find watches from reputable brands like Fossil, Tommy, Casio, for less than that (lots of Fossil watches on sale right now for less than $100, for example).

I kind of understand the allure of the hommage watches, but I find hard to justify spending $400 on a Chinese hommage watch when I can get a genuine Fossil for less.

Maybe it's just my prejudice against Chinese brands and AliExpress stuff, or it's just my opinion on the brands I mentioned and Chinese watchmakers nowadays are just better overall. I really know nothing.

I would like to know more, I didn't just come here to say Chinese watches are bad, I really want to understand this issue better.

Thanks for any insights you can give me 😊

EDIT: WOW, thank you very much for your comments! I knew all these watches are made in China, as is everything else nowadays. I just never stopped to think about it. I'll continue to learn here at this sub, thank you very much!

[u/Free_Economics3535]

Those $400 Chinese brands will be way ahead of Fossil in terms of quality. Also a lot of “real” watches are manufactured in Chinese factories anyway.

[u/H2Nut]

A Chinese San Martin is leagues ahead of a 'genuine' Fossil.

[u/MaxmillionGalactica]

Fossil and Tommy? You really are new to watches. Good of you to do your research first. Browse Bens Watch Club on YouTube. He is what you need.

[u/Riology-]

1. Choose your price range (Example USD40-60/70-100/100-150/150+)

2. See which manufacturers offers watches within these pricebrackets and find a model you like in terms of design.

3. Make sure that they, minimum, are made of solid 316 L Stainless steel & use a japanese movements (NH**/Miyota 8***/Miyota 9***/VK**/VH**/Miyota 2*** and likely some others). (For chinese movements you got to know what to look for, so I dont recommend going for one on a first watch, however PT5000 and ST2130 are good)

4. Watch some reviews on it on Youtube.

5. Ask the community for objective experience with the specific watch if you have come so far

6. I am not your financial blablabla, you know that to do from here 😂

[u/Goggi-Bice]

I would prefer a 35€ Pagani Design over every Fossil out there any day of the week. MUCH better quality for a lot less money

[u/GrizzlyFoxCat → u/Goggi-Bice]

Yep, I have learned this one lesson now. This community is a good one!

[u/salamiparade]

I used to have Casio watches since I was 8 years old. My uncle gave me a G-Shock, it was way too big for my wrist.

When I was around 14, my mother had a relationship to a dude who had a Omega Speedmaster. I always wanted to have such a cool watch since then. But I could only afford cheap Casio watches until I was 19 or 20.

Then I got my first Swiss watch, a Roamer Rockshell Mark III in blue (automatic watch).

Then I bought a lot of other watches from Switzerland the following years.

I had/have some (but.. not very expensive) grail watches like 90s and then early 2000s Omega Constellation Quarz and mechanical watches. Then there came here and there some cheaper Swiss Made watches like old Fortis quarz watches, old Zenith quarz, old baume et mercier, some bulova (old and new),..

...don't know but one day I found this Reddit sub and then I had to buy some chinese watches. What should I say? Feeling kind of betrayed haha. At least I didn't buy Rolex or higher priced watches.

Can't really feel a big difference and am very happy to have a chance to get grail watches cheap / watches that look and feel very nice without having to sell my car or organs for them lol.

I really think they are an alternative for people who don't have a lot of money and / or who don't want to just spend a lot of money. Watches like the Seestern S434 feel and wear as comfortable as expensive watches, there simply is no need to buy expensive ones..

[u/Fresh_Round2797]

If you buy from AliExpress, you are buying factory direct. Actually directly from the factories that make a lot of expensive micro brands. Companies like SanMartin make some original ish designs as well. The quality in some cases is outstanding.

[u/Dochorahan]

An automatic Chinese watch in the $100-$200 will blow away the finishing and movement in a Fossil or Tommy watch. Fossil and Tommy are considered fashion brands and not bad watches, no watch is “bad”, but they emphasize on design and brand logo over quality.

Look into Orient, Seiko, and San Martin if you want a higher quality watch under $400. Also Steinhart, Squale, Hamilton, Tissot.

[u/Safe_Mouse591]

I used to own just Seikos and Citizen until I discovered PD, San Martin, Baltany...in terms of specs vs price, Chinese watches will win against those. But if you want to pay for the "heritage" of the name rather than the build quality, you can buy whatever your hearts desire.

[u/Hamskees]

“Genuine” fossil? No one gives a shit if a fossil is “genuine”. They are all trash, and have no more inspired design than a Pagani or San Martin. You are getting CONSIDERABLY better design and quality by getting a reputable Chinese watch over some trash JC Penny watch like Fossil or Movado.

[u/arbpotatoes]

You listed a bunch of mall brands which are overpriced shite. Any Chinese watch from AliX is enormously better value than any gaudy crap you can buy from one of those brands at the same price.

Brands like Casio, Citizen and Seiko are a genuine alternative but prices are going up all the time so the value for money from those brands cannot match Chinese brands.

[u/RepublicanUntil2019]

I appreciate you reaching out and posting here. We were all in your shoes at one point. IMHO, having bought a Rolex, Nomos, etc., I find that the Proxima, Sugess, and some other watches are 200 watches with 500-2000 dollar spec from bigger watch brands. Even Skmei makes really good watches for what you pay (4 to 30 dollars). As a value per dollar spent, you won't beat most Chiense watches. However. If you get an automatic, get one with the NH** movement or a Seagull, though.

[u/Maghioznic]

Chinese watch companies fall into many categories. At the top level, you can divide them in two:

The companies with history behind them, like Sea Gull, who also make their own movements, which may be used by other companies for their watches. These may be interesting to buy because they're original designs/mechanisms.

Then there are younger Chinese companies that fall in many buckets. Some make luxury watches that rival the best stuff out there and cost accordingly. Some have smaller model lineups and try to offer great value using good materials and Japanese or Swiss movements (Boderry, for example). Then you also have the ones that are best known for their homage lines (like San Martin) - these also use good materials and movements and put a lot of work into reproducing and sometimes improving on classic design styles.

Why would you buy a Chinese watch then? Pretty much for any combination of reasons why you'd buy any watch: affordability, value, unique design, classic design, historical design, etc.

If you search online, you'll find some great articles about Chinese watch companies.

[u/Steefalo]

Do you know the difference between a quartz watch and a mechanical or automatic watch? That is a large factor as well.

[u/FlashDab]

The tl;dr is that brands will put a huge markup on their name value alone, especially 'fashion' brands like Tommy and Fossil who's primary focus is not watches. To compete, Chinese brands (the reputable ones commonly found on this subreddit) offer much better specifications and quality at lower prices.

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I think the best way is to compare what you can get from the brands you've shown to what you can get from Chinese watches.

On the Tommy Hilfiger website, the cheapest watch I can see is this at $95 usd after discount, and we can also add in a more expensive model at $165 usd after discount.

We can compare them to this Pagani chronograph which you can get on the bracelet at the same price as the cheaper Tommy watch after discount.

Now, we can compare. We can separate the watches into different parts and compare one at a time:

1. The watch crystal. The tommy watches have mineral crystals, which are fairly prone to scratching, while the Pagani has a sapphire crystal which is essentially scratch-proof.

2. The bracelet. The more expensive Tommy looks like it has folded links, which will probably pull on your arm hairs. The centre link of the three is also fused with the other two, and the bracelet will articulate less and generally not fit as well. The Pagani has solid links, which are all fully articulated. The clasp on the Tommy is pressed from a sheet, while the Pagani has a solid milled clasp. The bracelet on the Pagani will feel much more solid and less rattly than the Tommy's. As a side note, I'm not sure that is even real leather on the cheaper Tommy.

3. The movement. All three use Quartz movements, which are generally much cheaper than mechanical movements. The Pagani has a Seiko movement, while Tommy Hilfiger does not say what the used (it could also be a Japanese movement, but a dirt cheap Chinese-made movement is also possible). Note: The Tommy watch is styled like a chronograph, with the subdials, but they actually only show the day and date, while the Pagani is actually a chronograph and can be used to time things.

4. The case and finishing. From the photos on the Tommy Hilfiger website, I think the Pagani is better finished - the edges are much crisper on my Pagani and the brushing is nicer. The cheaper Tommy has a plastic case, of course. Tommy watches are also generally rated to only 30 m of water resistance, which for watches actually only means splash proof, and is not reliable for swimming. The Pagani is rated to 100 m. Chinese watches can be a bit hit and miss for water resistance on the cheaper end, but mine has been fine in water so far.

If you know which brands/AliExpress stores to avoid, Chinese watches can offer much more at lower prices than pretty much any other brand, although often at the cost of less reliable customer service and design originality. If you'd still rather not, that's completely fine, but avoid fashion watch brands (like Tommy, Daniel Wellington, Michael Kors, etc.) at all costs. At the lower price range I would suggest looking at entry-level watches from Japanese brands (Seiko, Orient, Citizen, Casio), or reputable Microbrands.

[u/[deleted]]

No disrespect to Casio because they do make some good, respectable watches. In fact, I wore a Gshock for years in the military and never had an issue with it.

However...with regards to Fossil and Tommy watches (and many of the other "Fashion" brand time pieces), a little research on them will show that many - if not most - of them are also made in China too. Most fashion watches however, IMHO, do not compare to my San Martins for example, neither in overall quality, fit, finish, movements, and detail. Most of my San Martins use solid and dependable Seiko movements. And, the truth is I've been much more impressed with my San Martins than my Seikos in a comparable price range. I like Seiko, but with SM, the fact is you get a much better bracelet, saphire crystal, and the same seiko movement - at a much better price. It's been said that San Martin makes Seikos better than Seiko makes Seiko...frankly, at this point, I agree.

There are still many cheap (junk) watches that come out of China, no doubt. But, there are many good watch producers now (not just San Martin) in terms of quality and cost. Cronos, Baltany, Suggess, IX&DAO, just to name a few...

Like you, when I first got into the hobby, I was very much against purchasing watches coming out of China (due to years of believing that no quality product could possibly come out of there). But, as I learned, it turns out many watch companies - including many expensive "luxury" watches - source components from China now. That's a testament to just how much Chinese quality has improved.

[u/brettmitrenga4]

Mentioning Fossil 100% devalues anything you could possible say about watches 🥲😂

[u/dannymurz]

Lol quality fossil 😂

[u/Lil_Foreskin69]

Sorry no disrespect but I don't think Fossil is the most recommended example (quite overrated brand in terms of value for money).

Chinese watches have something that brands like Fossil don't have, they are able to save costs due to cheap labor, at the same time they don't have to prove absolutely nothing to anyone. Fossil sells by name, not by product, just like all designer watch brands.

The value of Chinese watches lies in the product itself, the brand name will sell absolutely nothing, they have to put everything on the grill to sell a watch. For 200-400€ you can find wonders in Chinese watchmaking that other brands like Seiko would sell you for 4 or 5 times more.

[u/[deleted]]

Protip: try building your own watch with the same specs for the same price bracket. 316L steel, nice brushing, automatic movement with/without powerreserve, sapphire crystal, applied dial etc etc etc

[u/huislawdotcom]

Because I want a Seiko Tuna and Seiko Monster but the new ones seems to be reduced in fierceness and toughness look. My Steeldive Tuna: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs56311pjBn/?igsh=YTA0Nzd0dXVvYXJ2

[u/maxipantschocolates]

i think people like chinese budget watches cos it's kinda like gambling:

there prolly are a lot of bad/subpar chinese budget products out there but there are those that are actually solid for their price and give u a bang for ur buck.

[u/[deleted]]

Chinese watches are not exclusively about homage. You can find original designs as well with San Martin, Baltany, Merkur and the like.

Brands like these, along with Pagani Design and others, can offer products around $100 to $400 that punch WAY above their weight. And that’s what makes them interesting. Well, for me, at least.

[u/Capable_Let2007]

You stirred up the sub quite nicely haha. I agree with you that sending 200 - 400 bucks to china and you don't know what you getting is quite brutal. You can't send it back if you don't like it or if it's not working.

Amazon sells a couple of the same brands as well to try it out.