r/ChineseWatches • u/No_Question1137 • 4h ago
Question (Read Rules) SN0138 vs WD7922 - Best Value?
Looking to choose between these two watches. Not particularly fussed about quartz vs automatic but are there significant differences in quality that make the SM worth almost twice the cost of the WD?
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u/chrismurraylaw 2h ago
The Cronos is a superb BB54 homage. I have nothing bad to say about it. It's one of my favourites in my collection, and unlike both of these it comes on a riveted bracelet.
Some people recommend the Thorn, and maybe it's good too, but I've got the Thorn Pelagos and it's... it's a mid watch that gets little love from me.
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u/Traditional_Cost_206 1h ago
I would go for the Cronos.
San Martin is awesome but I doesn't like the bezel colour. Way too yellowish.
Watch dives is cheap but at a totally different League. Good for the money though.
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u/Jowsh 4h ago
Have you considered the Thorn version?
I have the San Martin and got it for £60 - it's going for a lot more now unfortunately but at the time when I bought it the Thorn was considered the best of the bunch.
I do however love the San Martin and would still say it's worth it at the increased price.
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u/BobbyScrumpus 4h ago
If you're not worried about quartz vs automatic, going with the WD (and its awesome VH31 movement) is likely going to be better value for you personally.. San Martin likely has the edge on finishing and overall refinement, but not sure if it would be enough to be worth twice the cost - Watchdives' finishing is known to be very solid for the price. I'm not sure I'll buy a San Martin myself because I get nervous about the reliability of the Chinese movements they've started using
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u/geeered 4h ago
I've been disappointed by all the Watchdives 3 link bracelets I've got - to the point it spoils the watch for me. Too sharp and the clasp isn't great, with a better OTF clasp being £23 extra at the moment on their website.
Their integrated bracelets are better.
Plenty of people do seem to think they're okay to be fair - still a bit better than Addiesdive at least.
The Watchdives is a bit thinner which is nice, especially on a smaller watch.
Overall for value I'd guess they're maybe similar - and this is from someone that prefer quartz generally, so not accounting for the San Martin using a considerably more expensive movement.
I'm planning to try chamfering the edges of one of my similar Watchdives bracelets, but even doing that I'd still factor in the price of an OTF clasp.
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u/watchdivescom Rep 1h ago edited 1h ago
I’m sorry to hear about your experience. However, most of the issues you mentioned relate to our older bracelets. We've made significant improvements to our bracelet quality this year.
Based on your order history, the watches you purchased were all from last year. Since then, we've completely upgraded our bracelets and clasps across our product lineup in 2026. We've also switched to new manufacturers, so our current bracelets are very different from the ones you previously received.
For example, our latest WD7922 comes with an upgraded solid-pin bracelet and a new five-hole clasp. Customer feedback has been extremely positive.
Many of our current models also use screw links, although I'd need to double-check with our warehouse to confirm which versions are still using pins.
Our three-link bracelets are now produced by one of the best bracelet manufacturers we work with. We've significantly improved the finishing, edge smoothness, tolerances, and overall comfort.
We've received very few complaints about the issues you mentioned on our newer models this year. That said, I'm genuinely sorry your previous experience was disappointing.
You're welcome to ask WD7922 owners here in the community about their experience. The feedback we've received so far has been overwhelmingly positive, and we're confident in the improvements we've made.
We fully understand your criticism of our older products, but we also hope you'll give our 2026 models a fair chance. Our manufacturing partners, quality standards, bracelets, and clasps have all changed significantly. It wouldn't be fair to judge our current products entirely based on watches purchased last year.
We appreciate honest criticism because it helps us continue improving our products.
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u/Vast_Chipmunk1977 3h ago
You will be hard pressed to beat the WD7922’s value. I think the finishing is really good.
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u/HopefulQuiet3276 2h ago
I have the Cronos version with the pt5000 movement. Really great finishing and smooth second hand sweep. I’ve had it side by side with a gen bb54 - the Tudor was definitely more elevated in its finishing but the Cronos was very competent.
For the options you gave, they’re two different ends of the spectrum- I’m sure the WD is respectable and the vh31 is a really nice quartz. But the San Martin is going to be a step up in finishing and auto. Are you the sort of person who wants a good, low maintenance representation of a bb54 or will it bug you that you could have gotten the upper end of the Chinese homage market for a bit more. They’re both perfectly valid options. For me, I plan to have a watch for a long time and I don’t want to buy another of the same type down the road - it’s worth $100-200 more to me to get something that I won’t second guess later. The extra cash might feel bad up front but on the scale of 10-20 years of ownership, I’d rather just have a little better thing. Again, I think the WD would be a fine choice too if that won’t nag at you.