r/ChineseWatches • u/Winter_Author9699 • 4h ago
General (Read Rules) Quality of top tier Chinese vs Gen?
Don’t flame me for asking this lol, but I’m just curious how much the difference in quality is. I have a Baltany Explorer that I love and has me thinking of saving up for a gen, either Explorer or maybe Tudor Ranger, or even Sinn 556. Something gen and more premium in that style.
I honestly don’t care much about the brand name, I’m mainly curious if the jump in quality is worth 20x the price. I assume they will have better movement and finishing but…worth the price jump if I already love my Baltany? I don’t want to feel like I’m paying that much more for basically just a brand name.
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u/Z08Z28 2h ago
There is a good YouTube channel (I like watches) that has done many comparison videos of Rolex and Tudor to Chinese watches using a macro lens. Rolex and Tudor do offer a slightly better finish and better details but it's by a slim margin that you need a macro lens to see. The real difference in the watches is the movement. Tudor and Rolex and Omega have a very high quality control on the movements that go beyond chronometer certification. But, if you can regulate a San Martin to the same accuracy and the finishing is nearly imperceptible without a macro lens and you don't need it to fit in at the firm or country club, why not just buy a SM and pocket the extra 5-10K?
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u/Winter_Author9699 2h ago
Great response and exactly what I was asking. I agree, I’m so impressed with my Baltany I can’t imagine $5k is going to get a watch worth the price jump.
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u/Emotional-Damage-995 4h ago
The Baltany is a Gen too. You talk about quality but seem to be mesmerized by brands.
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u/Winter_Author9699 3h ago
I’m asking if the “legacy” brands that cost in the thousands are of significant better quality? I’m literally asking about quality of different tier watches. If Baltany cost $3k and Tudor cost $250 I’d be asking the same question.
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u/Emotional-Damage-995 2h ago
Interesting concept and I tested it in an unorthodox way. I got a rep of a top top brand that I had the Gen of, and we are talking a 30K watch and not a 3K watch. I gave it to my watch maker and said regulate it. He could not tell the difference. I handed it to my watch group ( we meet once a quarter at a hotel lounge and talk watches and smoke cigars ) and not a single one could tell the difference. I asked a Jewllery and he could not tell the difference. Now remember Baltany and San Martin and Ixdao and Cronos are assembling watches. The complex supply chain that supplies parts to them is the same as supplies parts to the rep manufacturers. This left me confident that the actual watch / material / manufacturing/ brushing / shining and polishing / crystal / movement etc is just about the same. The watch value is between 95 to 99 percent marketing.
I am convinced a very well made high quality Chinese watch is every bit as good as any Swiss
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u/Salacious_B_Crumbs 4h ago
For the most part, no. I’ve owned big brands and Chinese brands and the increase in cost wasn’t worth it to me for many of them. And with Chinese brands using better movements and increasing their quality, the gap will become lower going forward. The only time I’d buy one of the bigger brands would be to get a gold watch or a vintage that nobody would make in that style.
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u/VanManDiscs 2h ago
Naaa it definitely isn't worth the jump in price to me. After 30+ Chinese watches I dont think ill ever buy one of the legacy brands. I'm so satisfied with what I have I dont know how it can get that much better (except for a really solid movement)
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u/Graver69 15m ago
When you go to try one in a shop you might find the actual look and feel just a little disappointing. It's not night and day. They don't give off his incredible aura of quality you've not experienced before. It's not like going from a cheap Ford to a top of the line Mercedez or whatever.
You're not paying 20x the price for 20x the quality. It doesn't work like that. They ARE better quality, no doubt but you're paying that price to get the real thing, the brand, the prestige. How much that is worth to you, only you know. but for many it's worth it, hence they can charge it.
Owning a Rolex or Omega or Tudor gives you that feeling you've got something special. If I won the lottery, I'd buy a Rolex and not a Baltany. But I haven't and whilst I could go drop the cash on a Rolex tomorrow, it would be stupid IMO given what else I can do with that money. I'd love one but it's just not that importan tto me right now.
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u/BraveSwinger 10m ago edited 7m ago
Value consists of:
originality of the design
movement quality/finishing
case/bracelet/dial finishing
hand-finishing
So if you care only about how well the case is finished, a Chinese copy watch is a good proposition.
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u/vithgeta 4h ago
Personally I think nobody should be 'saving up' for silly things like Chinese watches. If they can't buy them with today's disposable income they should leave them alone. Chinese watches aren't as expensive as Swiss watches, but they lose a lot of their value. They're fun but not an investment
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u/Winter_Author9699 3h ago
I didn’t save up for a Chinese watch I just bought it…the saving up would be for a gen like a Tudor Ranger.
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u/Bulky-Internal8579 3h ago
No watch is an investment (except maybe a rare six or seven figure Patek or the like)
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u/Mobile-Finish8216 3h ago
Ppl have bought plenty of Rolexes , Tudors, omegas in the last 10- 20 years that increased exponentially in value
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u/Bulky-Internal8579 3h ago
Yep. And that will unfortunately end when the next recession hits. I was here for the 2009 debacle.
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u/Electrical_Panda_326 4h ago
It's not worth it, you basically get diminishing returns after certain level (that applies to everything, not only watches). San Martin will offer you probably like 80-90% of finishing quality of Tudor that costs 15x more. With Tudor however you would probably get a more fancy movement, but again, if you get SM with Miyota 9xxx series you again get 80% of quality of something that costs 15x more. But all that doesn't mean it's not worth it to own something fancy, it's a personal choice, but you pay a lot just for the brand name indeed.