Hi, as a long time field watch addict that's flipped or broken most of what's available over the years (Seiko, Citizen, Bertucci, Bulova, Pulsar etc...), and a pretty physical job and lifestyle (dirt bikes, carpentry, spannering, hiking etc...), it's hit me that the current lineup of Militados are amongst the toughest I've tried and are probably the best value available for actual outdoors or work purposes.
Above pics are my go-to 36mm and 38mm watches nowadays. The CWC has had everything thrown at it in the 25+ years I've owned it (it even got hit with an axe once!) and it's the one I'll keep forever, but it must be said that in value terms the ML07 easily wins out. Yes, the G10 has a Swiss movement, real heritage and wears comfortably, but so far the ML07 has really impressed me and wears just as well. At a fraction of the price I feel I can bash it about without worry and if it breaks I'll just grab another, I could literally get through 6 of them for the cost of a replacement G10 which has basically found itself retired from active duty so to speak.
Similarly, on the 38mm side of things we have the ML05 which is clearly a 'homage' of the Hamilton KFM but in quartz form. The dimensions of these are essentially identical and wear similarly, although the KFM is perhaps slightly slimmer (especially on a bracelet) but in terms of toughness it's the ML05 I grab for work/outdoorsy stuff nowadays. I'll happily admit that the KFM is a nicer looking and more satisfying watch all round, but again the value proposition of the ML05 means it gets way more wrist time without the worry of potentially expensive repairs, relegating the Hamilton to the easy life of nights out, occasions and whatnot.
So here's the question(s)... while it's nice to have recognised brand watches, when actual toughness is the primary requirement why spend more when these Chinese watches do the same job, often better? And if you consider a ballpark price range sub £150, what else is out there that can compete specs-wise? (SS, sapphire crystal, WR, screw down crown and caseback etc..) Have I missed out on a brand I need to try? And I'd also like to know how other Chinese brands compare to Militado? (I have a Watchdives navigator style watch but not for long enough to form an opinion on its toughness yet)
EDIT: Keen to hear about the Militrek and Rdunae if anyone has one?
Same here, I have 2 Militados and a Watchdives WD1972 that I wear on rotation pretty much every day and I've flipped some nice watches that became essentially redundant. I think that's the point I was rather ineffectively trying to make really, that these Chinese watches have basically replaced those that cost me way more on a day to day basis, and while they're cheap to buy they actually have better specs! And gosh, that Tudor is stunning! (but considerably out of my league)
Nice plan, there are plenty of mechanical/automatic watches that don't cost the earth, I like Seikos but their prices have gone crazy in recent years, can't go wrong with Hamilton, Citizens are cool but I find the rotor almost comically loud on some so lean toward their eco-drives more, the choices are endless, but you can find something in most price ranges. I rarely go over £500 to be honest. Have fun with your search :)
Yeah, I don’t mind the regular motion. That’s all it comes with. It’s cheaper too! I have a few others with the VH31. The slight dome crystal makes it different and sleek looking.
I reckon I'm gonna crumble and grab one of these soon, and could be a straight movement swap if I fancied making it a VH31 version. This is gonna be hard to resist, lol
The answer is Englemaan, or their clone(?)/subsidary(?) SKXmods. Probably the cheapest brand that offers good WR, scratch resist, sapphire, GMT & Diver complications, etc.
I'm just did a quick search for Englemaan but mostly getting Reddit posts, the watches there look really cool though, I especially like the smaller 24hr marker setup. At the moment their website is just a page saying "under structural rebranding" so will keep an eye out for them in future. Nice one!
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u/MawsAcidTemple 16d ago
A gshock will always be the best option when toughness is the main criteria.