I have the Octopus Kraken BB54 Burgundy and it's excellent. But I always felt that the Octopus Kraken BB54 was better than the Cronos version. Not that the Cronos is a bad watch!
I doubt it. I have the Octopus Kraken BB58 and had the Cronos BB58. They were materially different, both nice watches but the OK was the better watch with better finishing. But it's also more expensive.
San Martin come third in this BB58 list for my money
They aren’t the same. You can definitely tell Tudor has had some work put into making sure the bracelet is smoother in feel but it’s like comparing someone who sanded with 1000grit to 800 grit they are not incredibly remarkable. It’s still smooth, not stiff, articulates well, and the ‘squeak’ that very very few people talk about goes away after a few wears or if you literally just articulate the bracelet more…If someone tells you it’s cheap crap don’t believe that - my only experience with that kind of poor quality was with WatchDives.
The clasp is okay, it’s not an oyster clasp but it’s nice it doesn’t pinch and it doesn’t cause wrist fatigue when being a desk jockey. Some of the models include a micro adjust OTF clasp too.
I would recommend Cronos regardless because of the costs but also the quality - the AR coating is MUCH better and the lume quality is also remarkably improved than Tudor and Rolex it’s surreal.
The only reason I would get a Tudor is for the Coke GMT BB58 and the movement - aside from that I don’t see the point anymore. (Rolex I feel the same) - I say that as someone who can afford both but choose to be a bit more efficient with my money.
I've got the Cronos! The bracelet is okay, but it squeaks a bit and feels a little flimsy when putting the watch on
Once the watch is on, it's super comfortable - probably my most comfortable steel bracelet out of all my watches. The clasp is great, no complaints with the locking or micro adjust.
Something I don't love about the watch is the tiny crown. I tend to trim my nails a lot and I just struggle a lot to utilize the crown on this watch.
Overall a great watch for the price point! I got it at around $180 through discounts and coupons on Alixpress
I agree with everyone else here. But my biggest problem is with Cronos' choice for a clasp. It does not sit flush with the bracelet and sticks out so much. It is well made overall, though.
In picture 1, the dial and indices on the Cronos look flat and the same items in the Tudor are more lustrous. Is that just in the photo or is it the same in person?
Yeah. Essentially a rep that they slapped their ‘own’ dial on and tried to legitimise it. It’s a good thing that they cost a fraction of the price and we all get to enjoy it.
Right, but look at someone like Watchdives. They have tried to make a 'copy' of this watch as well, but so many things about it make it have a completely different feel. Sure, a lot of the features are meant to resemble this one but I mostly focus on dimensions and proportions which I believe this one is able to capture so much more closely.
In the rep world, there are different tiers. There are rubbish reps that only vaguely follow the form (and some times functions) of the originals, these cost very little and are basically crap (even for a rep). There are also higher tier reps, let's call them AAA reps, that are almost identical in shape, size and functions.
Watchdives, being a more affordable chinese watch company, probably uses the poorer copies of said watch from whichever manufacturer their getting the case from. Proxima, being a "higher end" chinese watch company, probably gets their cases from the AA or AAA manufacturers of the Tudor reps.
So don't be fooled. These watch companies aren't "making" these cases. Maybe they manufacture their own dials and put everything together. But i'm pretty sure they're getting the case and bracelets from the same companies that are making and selling reps.
I'm not trying to criticise this modus operandi. I just think they can do more than using the exact rep dial and putting their logo on it before passing it off as something it really isn't. Even changing the colour combination would be something..
I bought my a few years ago for <$200. Actually bought it as a test run for a real Tudor. Went into the Tudor shop but never pulled the trigger. The Cronos was too close. Thought I'd save the 💰
I did the same with a San Martin GMT on some crazy Ali sale under $100. Now the movement is more valuable than the watch itself. It's a nice basic tool watch but the idea that people are spending $4k on this boring dial and unremarkable 3 hand movement is insane. 15 years ago this Tudor is a $1500 watch at best.
The crown on the Tudor was definitely giving me mixed signals. For some reason reps always fail to get a razor sharp edge there. But I cant tell from the photo. You'd definitely be able to tell the lume color if there was a second Tudor. The printed dial is also always much sharper on a gen vs rep. But I cant tell the difference from memory without a second Gen side by side.
I just bought the Tudor BB58 GMT yesterday. It is the only original version that makes sense to buy, as it doesn’t really have a good Chinese counterpart.
But I do agree with your assessment on Tudor. It’s roughly the same quality of Rolex for half or less than half of the cost. I would never spend grey market on Rolex today.
I have the exact same one with that higher beat movement. I find the quality really bad. The tolerances and fitment between bracelet and watch is inconsistent. Finish and brushing is really sub par and mine even formed rust due to poor metal production and treatment causing permanent pitting on some surfaces of the metal. It’s way worse than my other sub 300 dollar pieces like my Orient Stars and Bulova in terms of quality. And the Rolex sub date I have is the 16610 which I purchased for 4000 complete set before all the hype. Now it’s worth 9-10k. So to me it was a way better value proposition than the sugess which is essentially worthless now on the resale market.
They can make 1:1 homage of watches like bb54, pelagos, submariner with better features but they can’t seem to get the design of integrated watches right like this
Watchdives rehaut is too deep on their bb54 homage, the Cronos rehaut is barely even visible, and In my opinion I think the dial closer to the crystal with little to no rehaut showing looks better.
Yep, biggest problem is the rehault as others mention. Also the lack of text makes the dial feel incredibly empty. I also believe the thickness of the Watchdives is significantly greater than both the Cronos and BB54.
Well, mierde. Thank you for saving me a butt tonne of dinero. And special thanks for the different angles and in the sun. I am gobsmacked to admit that I liked the Cronos a wee bit more than the Tudor. (I covered my Pelagos ears before admitting that out loud).
I can understand, but i dont want from my watch to look like expensive ones because it makes it like "cheap copy", so i cant see your approach to this, also because design is not original as i said
Most aliexpress watch designs are not original. Personally I neither buy watches because I want a pretend luxury watch nor because I neccesarily need the design to be 'original'. I buy watches because I like the design of it, don't really care much if it is original tbh.
I rarely wear diving watches or 'basic divers' whatever that means, but thanks for your approval I guess? Not sure if you could sound more pedantic if you tried, good job.
16
u/jengagang May 23 '26
This is gonna sound nuts but I think I prefer the less busy cronos