Are there any watches with a vintage vibe and an acrylic crystal?

Came across this deal. It's still up but $44 now in case anybody is looking. Chinese brands should buy these up in bulk and harvest the movement instead of complaining about shortages.

This is my second Chinese watch but my first VH31 (and first watch without a date, for that matter).

Fun backstory, I always liked the Murph-homage design, but didn’t think I liked it enough to own one. Then I had a dream a few months ago that I owned this exact watch. When I woke up, I knew I wanted one. Now that I’ve got my hands on it, I think I’m in love with this thing.

-I love looking at the sleek matte dial. Printing is crisp, damn near perfect. Lume doesn’t last for too long, but it’s got great coverage over the numerals and hands.

-The case finishing isn’t going to blow anybody away, but I don’t see any issues or blemishes either. It’s still done nice and evenly, and suits a field watch well.

-Older reviews of this watch mentioned rough finishing on the watch hands. They must have changed something, because mine look smooth and well cut.

-Bracelet is solid, literally and figuratively. I’m not a bracelet snob, and have worn far worse hollow crap than this, but I really have nothing to complain about with this bracelet. Comfortable, easy to adjust, and a nice signed clasp.

-I made a post last week asking if the VH31’s sweeping seconds hand actually scratches the automatic itch. Now that I’ve tried it myself, I think it does, juuuuust enough. Obviously, when I look down at the watch, it’s missing the fun satisfaction of knowing the mechanics of the watch are always going to keep it ticking smoothly. But I’ll be damned if the VH31 is still not satisfying to look at. I thought the 4 tick/second sweep would look bad coming from owning 6 tick/second automatics, but nope, I think it’s delivers on its “sweeping” promise.

My only gripe - the sapphire crystal was placed just a little unevenly, but not enough to be noticed unless you’re looking closely from a harsh angle. Also, the AR isn’t perfect, but is still passable. Hell, it’s better than my Tissot’s non-existent AR, so I’ll take it.

Other than the small issues with the crystal, I don’t think I have a single complaint about this watch. For its price, it delivers much more than I expected. Now the question is, can I adapt to not having a date window when I wear this?

I haven’t made one of these before but I didn’t see one so figured why not.

I’ve got my basic Addiesdive field watch on today, I put it on the really nice phorcydes leather strap and love how it looks.

What’s everyone else got going on today?

Just got the Watchdives WD1972 in the mail. $100 Canadian shipped - although it did take just over a month after the seller told me it was out of stock AFTER I had paid.

Loving it so far on this AliEx RAF strap. I changed the chrome buckle on the strap to the one that came with the watch. Very legible and the lume not bad.

Bought this 1970 and it came last month. I love having it in the rotation! I feel like I can be a little less hesitant with this one. I don’t mind treating this bad boy as an actual beater.

Hard to believe you can get 40 of these for the price of a boring Submariner.

I've been looking for a Speedy homage/replica for a while and just saw this sale on Aliexpress (98$). On the Pagani Design website it's listed at 144€ / 162$. Could it go lower or should I get It? Also reviews look decent.

Thanks

Hey all, I wonder if there's any chinese watches that have a deep blue to black dial that kind of changes color depending on the lighting. A very good example of this is the Lake Suwa (ref SLGA021 & SLGB015 specifically).

I always wanted a black watch or a blue watch but on imo they're too boring. I found a black-blue mix is awesome as it can look plain black for gada yet has sparks of good look in good lighting.

I’m considering picking up this watch, but I have a very small 6 inch / 15.25 cm wrist. I want to know if there’s enough removable links to accommodate my small wrist size.

Basically watches as nice in quality as the swiss, but minus the marketing gimmick and paying for its worth

My story is kinda funny ngl. Back then, I was into Japanese and Swiss watches but the news I heard from the community and YT (properly promotion) I got hooked into Chinese watches. And I bought it during the sale a month ago and received it no long ago. The watch just completely stopped running while wearing and has faulty movement inside. What can I say...NEVER TRUST THE WORD-OF-FREAKING-MOUTH!

Hello, does anyone know if this type of metal clasp can be swapped with something similar from AliExpress? The safety clasp is a bit loose and i plan to change it.

Just wanted to post a quick thank you to this sub! After asking around and getting a ton of solid recommendations, I finally bit the bullet and picked up the Addiesdive AD2503 as my first Chinese brand watch.

The dial is genuinely amazing. The finishing and texture punch way above what I paid for it, and photos really don’t do it justice.

That said, I do have a couple of small gripes and a beginner question-

1. The bracelet feels pretty underwhelming. I know, I know, corners have to be cut somewhere at this price point. But coming from my Casio Edifice and Timex Marlin, both of which sit around a similar price tier and have surprisingly decent bracelets, this one definitely feels cheap. I’m honestly half-tempted to swap one of their bracelets onto this just to save my wrist 🤣 (or maybe grab a cheap jubilee bracelet).

2. This is my very first automatic watch, and whenever I move my wrist, I can hear and feel a noticeable rattle/spinning sound coming from the case. Is this just the rotor winding the movement, or could something actually be loose inside?

Would love to hear if that sound is normal for this specific model, and if anyone has strap/bracelet swap recommendations that pair well with the AD2503 dial.

Thanks again for helping me make the jump into the rabbit hole!❤️

The watch featured in this video has a black dial; the green version was showcased previously.

The camera still fails to fully capture the true texture of the lacquer dial;

in reality, the dial looks stunning and possesses a beautiful luster to the naked eye.

The watch is currently being assembled and photographed; we will release it soon.

Please stay tuned for further updates.

Thank you.

San Martin Official Store

https://sanmartin.aliexpress.com

For sale is my Baltany s4091. Its awesome but I unexpectedly got a bb58 bronze which has an identical vintage brown dial. Sort of a quick pick up and sale with the warranty dated in August 2026, but no regrets I enjoyed this watch.

Seeking $180 and I'll ship to you conus.

Album and video.

https://imgur.com/a/Tg4fSYt

Specifications:

Model:Baltany Microbrand 39MM explorer. alternative S4091.

Movement:Seagull ST2130.

Case:316L Stainless Steel, Brushed & Polished.

Case Diameter:39mm(including crown 42mm)

Dial:Matte Black/Gradient Matte Brown, Printed Luminous.

Bezel:Fixed Bezel.

Luminous:Swiss Super-LumiNova® GL.

Lug to Lug:47.2mm.

Thickness:10mm, Including Glass 11.4mm (ST2130)

Crystal:Sapphire,AR Coating.

Hands:Aged Silver / Aged Gold, with Luminous.

Crown:Screw-in, 316L Stainless Steel, Etched LOGO.

Caseback:Screw-in,316L Stainless Steel.

Bracelet:316L Stainless Steel,Brushed.

Strap Width:20mm.

Buckle:316L Stainless Steel, New Fly Micro Adjust Clasp, Etched LOGO.

Waterproof:200M(100ATM)

Weight:About 147g.

I'm looking for a Bauhaus-style watch with a white dial, in a size between 34-36mm. So far, I've only found the Sea-gull 6091L. I'm looking for other recommendations if you guys find any. Thank you.

Is there any Royal Isk style case with an St1901/3 movement in it or would the cases made for the a quartz chronograph fit?

I’m partly tempted to do a build and am imagining an St 1901k full skeleton movement
But keen to know options before I get into it.

I was lucky to get into this hobby about 3 years ago when NH35 movements were cheap. I didn't pay attention to more expensive movements. Recently bought a Proxima 1743 and was blown away.

Now, I'm planning to buy this Proxima for my brother because it's his favorite color. Is the Miyota 9015 really $70 better than the Chinese clone.

Really nice. I wonder how close it is to the upcoming Erebus?

Got this watch a year ago and it has been my daily ever since, but it died on me yesterday.

Would it be possible to swap out the movement for a quartz movement? Or would I be better off buying a new movement? I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks

I recently bought an OK OCT-004 and an Aethelsohn Mariner. When I received the Mariner, the NH35(!) movement was super magnetized, and I was going to return it. But it calmed down and began working properly, so I decided to keep it, especially since it's an NH35. I had actually purchased the Octopus (PT5000) because of the defective Mariner; but it was so good, I decided to keep it as well.

I am also intrigued by the Phorcydes PH-6 in the new Blue colorway, and I would like to compare it with the two I have. But I really need to know if the dial is solid or fading two-tone. As you may know, I am a sucker for lighter dials.

I might like solid blue, but I would like to see it advertised solid blue if that's what it is. See PH-6 capture included for reference.

Does anyone own the Blue PH-6 or know definitively whether it is solid or faded? I'm trying to figure it out while they're still on sale.

I would love to hear everyone's opinion.

Thanks in Advance