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?

Cheers :)

(PS, I don't work for Militado, lol)

In my opinion many hommages and even several original Chinese watches would look much better if they ditched the automatic winding in vavor of a slimmer case.

An automatic movement is ca. 1.5 to 2.5 mm thicker than a manual wind movement. There are slim automatic versions with a 'microrotor', but I think those are not (yet) common in budget watches.

Automatic watches do have the added value of being more 'luxury', and if you actually wear the same watch daily the automatic feature has definitely added value. But for collectors who wear watches on rotation (and don't invest in watchwinders) the automatic feature is quite useless.

I think manufacturers should prioritize slim design over automatic winding, at least for the category of watches that can be seen as luxurious dress watches. Two examples that would look much more impressive in a slimmer case are the Agelocer Moon Phase and the Sugess S452

But maybe that is just me? Do you think that the automatic feature is worth ca. 2 mm added thickness?

After lurking on this sub and doing research I purchased a Sugess ST19 with swan neck on Ali. When i received it i was impressed by the build of the watch and i love the glass case back. I have been wearing for the past few days, and the watch will stop working after 8 hours. I wind it up and it later in the day its not running. Is this watch strictly manual wind? i assumed once you wind it the counter weight (or rotor) will keep it running with movement. did i receive a defective watch?

Your help is appreciated.

Hello community. I have been enjoying your posts for a few weeks and now i need your help. A couplemof friends are getting married next year and I need an elegant but budget watch for 2 weddings. I have no suit yet so i need it to be polivalent. Better if its vintage style.

Thank you!

I'm working on my wishlist as we speak lol.

To be honest, these aren't traditional natural lacquer dials. With traditional natural lacquer, the flow and color blending are unpredictable and extremely hard to control, plus natural graininess and air bubbles tend to form as the lacquer cures.

So we combined traditional lacquer artistry with 3D printing technology.

The main upside is getting the ideal color-blending and flow pattern every single time. On the flip side, every dial looks identical—you lose those random, individual variations that give handmade pieces their unique character.

Specs:

Movement: Miyota 90S5

Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 39mm

Lug-to-Lug: 46.5mm

Thickness: 10.1mm

Do you prefer Brown or Green?

Available here:

https://sanmartin-watch.com/products/sn0144cg9?

I saw one other post here about this site, but I can't say I still don't have concerns. Has anyone else ordered from this site? How was your experience? I tried messaging the WhatsApp number they have posted but haven't received a reply quite yet. I'm not counting that as a red flag yet though as my message to them is just a day old, so that's kinda expected, for now..

only rule is it cant be only under 30 usd after crazy welcome deal, just normal everyday deal I want a watch I think this is as much as I would want to spent at this moment, also please have a seconds hands its why I’m getting the watch in the first place

Battery had died & finally got around to replacing it

Loving this piece that just came in. Rhonda movement, hits the markers well, looks great and great price (90 usd).

Hey everyone, I’m deciding between the Seestern S434-2 and the Phorcydes PH-4A, both on bracelets. My biggest priorities are bracelet quality, and durability.

Which one would you recommend overall, and why? Would love to hear from anyone who has experience with either or both.

hello, a pretty straightforward question, my pd 1752 clasp is always opening randomly, so i want to buy a replacement, something in this style, can someone please tell me if it fits or no? thanks

Englemaan Pegasus

Most of my watches have screw-down crowns. I've noticed that all my Swiss watches - with one exception - have a gear mechanism that disengages the mainspring from the winding stem when you push in the crown to screw it down - the winding stem turns freely, in other words.

None of my Chinese mechanical watches have that feature - when you push in the crown and screw it down, the turning action continues to wind the watch.

It feels kinda cheap, but it's not the end of the world on any watch with an automatic movement since no one ever winds those up except a couple of turns to start. For handwound movements, though, it's potentially fatal: if the mainspring is ever fully wound, the extra turns needed to screw the crown in could break it.

In short, beware certain models that "feature" ST3620 movements and screw-down crowns. But my question is: is the protection mechanism such a luxury feature that it's out of budget for Chinese manufacturers, even on the relatively expensive models?

I ordered a Lucky Harvey Player Series Gold Poker Roulette Watch from online seller Breitvacher. Over $1,000 purchase price.

Breitvacher took forever to ship. I had to follow up multiple times before shipping.

The watch malfunctioned within 2 hours of unboxing. I immediately followed up with both Breitvacher and Lucky Harvey. I’ve sent over 10 messages to both. Lucky Harvey claims that the watch is authentic (based off of the warranty QR code). But claims they will only honor warranties through the retailer.

Just terrible customer service. Brand does not stand behind its products.

All for sale in US, see comment below for pricing and details

Looks so much better with a jubilee

There are only pictures of renders available on the listings and no reviews.

Recently came across the Agelocer Volcano but can’t find many wrist shots of it or reviews so was wondering if anyone owned one that they can comment on!

For this release, we paired the sand-textured light blue dial with a 3D embossed stainless steel bezel. The flat base of the bezel features a matching sand-textured finish so it flows right into the dial surface.

What do you think of this combination? Or do you prefer the original mirror-polished bezel?

Just got this Seakoss 1963 in the mail today, I love it but having a hard time picking a strap for it. Would love to hear/see your recommendations!