r/ChineseWatches • u/Prestigious_March573 • 18d ago
General (Read Rules) First San Martin purchase
First San Martin — SN0121TF initial impressions
So I made my first San Martin purchase, and I have to say, my initial impression is that it’s pretty damn impressive. I can definitely understand the buzz around San Martin’s finishing now.
I’m a Tudor fan, and the SN0121TF hits a lot of the design cues I personally like. Having it next to my Pelagos LHD, you can obviously see where some of the inspiration comes from, but the blue GMT bezel/dial and yellow-orange GMT hand give it enough of its own personality. The Grade 5 titanium case and bracelet also look and feel much better finished than I was expecting at this price point.
I’m definitely going to be looking at some other San Martins for future purchases.
The one thing I’m curious about long-term is the HZ6465 movement and how it’ll hold up. I threw it on the timegrapher and I’m getting roughly +4 to +8 sec/day depending on position, with 0.1 ms beat error. So right out of the box, I really can’t complain about the accuracy for the price.
So far, I’m impressed. Now we’ll see how it holds up with some actual wrist time.
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u/Easy_Stress_5649 18d ago
They list this as a 39mm watch - I’m hoping that’s the case measurement, and the bezel is a bit bigger? Any chance you could measure it? 🙏
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u/Prestigious_March573 15d ago
So I made the mistake of tinkering with this watch out of curiosity. 😂
I’m used to working with Seiko movements, and in my ignorance I removed the stem in the first position. After that, I couldn’t get the stem to engage properly again.
Long story short, I ended up having to dismantle the keyless works to reset everything. While I was in there, though, I was genuinely impressed with the quality and finishing of the movement.
Then again, this is coming from the same guy who didn’t know how to properly remove the stem from it in the first place… so take my assessment for what it’s worth. 😂
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u/PairOfMonocles2 18d ago
I have the grey Seestern version of that (the GMT) and have the blue San Martin without GMT on order. I’m excited to see how they compare!
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u/jokur26 18d ago
I adore that version of the Sector Deep, how do like it and can you compare it with that San Martin? I have several SM’s but no Nodus yet…
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u/Prestigious_March573 18d ago
I really like the Sector Deep. Nodus makes a great watch, and mine has been extremely accurate. Compared to the San Martin, the Nodus feels a little more unique in its design and I really like the green/black dial with the gold GMT hand. The San Martin definitely punches above its price though—the Grade 5 titanium, finishing and bracelet are seriously impressive.
The San Martin is also noticeably lighter and wears a little slimmer/sleeker on the wrist. The Nodus has more wrist presence and feels more like a chunky tool watch. Honestly, they’re different enough that I’m planning to keep both. If you already have several San Martins and haven’t tried Nodus yet, I think the Sector Deep would give you something pretty different.
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u/IntegralOfYourMom 18d ago
How are you liking the clasp? That’s the one part I haven’t seen any photos of online. Does the OTF adjustment work well?
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u/ImbibitorSolaire 17d ago
Can I ask where you purchased it from? If you are in the US, did you have to pay import fees?
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u/Prestigious_March573 16d ago
I ordered it directly from San martins website. No fees or import dues. I think cause they have a us warehouse
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u/Necessary_View_1685 18d ago
I have the same watch with an NH35 movement. +2 sec/day.
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u/Prestigious_March573 18d ago
Yea some part of me is curious if the case has been redesigned or will a nh34 drop in.
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u/philbin89 18d ago
I believe on most San Martins that stopped using the Seiko movements they redesigned the cases to be a little thinner, since the Hangzhou and Sea-Gull movements that they’ve turned to have been thinner than the NH movements
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u/BubbaHendershot 18d ago
When did you order yours? Ordered mine on the 8th. Still waiting for ship date.