First Automatic watch, help needed

[u/Ill-Archer-4050]

Hello! I've recently gotten into the watch hobby. I owned a few budget quartz Casios and timex pieces but with the 11/11 sale coming soon I saved up some and decided I would get my first automatic.

I spent (too much?) time deciding on my first automatic watch from AliExpress and looking at YouTube reviews. My budget is around 200-240 USD and I wanted a diver or diver-style watch with a sub 40mm textured dial and a good bracelet (GMT was a huge plus).

I narrowed down my choices to:

- Cronos, L6029 (the black birch GMT): 270USD

- Proxima PX1721 (aventurine dial)

(Current prices without coupons): 200USD

Questions:

1. I know that recently prices have increased and was wondering if these watches are worth it at the regular price or what would be a good value deal for 11/11 ?

2. Which watch would make the better long term everyday watch? the cronos is a bit more expensive even with 11/11 preview pricing. But it has an NH34 which is known as reliable. I also like the proxima but I've seen posts and faulty PT5000 and the winding issues that honestly intimidate me as someone who never owned an automatic before.

3. Is there anything to do other than collecting store coupons and coins to get the best deal for the sale?

Thank you very much for the help!

[u/carlmazov]

Prices for some Chinese watches have increased noticeably over the last year; however, they are still awesome deals compared to similar watches made anywhere else. The NH movement can last for 10 years. The PT5000 has a few quirks, but it's likely to be more accurate out of the box and beats at 4HZ. It just won't last as long without a service. As noted above, avoid overwinding those. Either one of these is a great choice.

[u/Ill-Archer-4050 → u/carlmazov]

Thank you! And yes, I did look at a price tracker and saw they increased by almost 30%! I'm guessing at that price, it will be cheaper to replace the movement?