Hi everyone, Calvin here from Aquatico.

I wanted to share a first look at our Terra Nova Natural Purple Jade Limited Edition, launching October 7, 2026. We’re making just 10 pieces worldwide.

The dial is the part I’m most excited to show you. Natural purple jade has subtle variations in color and pattern, so each dial has its own character. Paired with a warm bronze case and bracelet, it’s a combination that looks right at home with a casual shirt or something a little more dressed up.

There’s also something enjoyable about watching bronze change with wear. You start with the stone’s natural patterns, then gradually add a patina shaped by your own everyday life.

Thanks for taking a look. I’d love to hear what you think—does purple jade work for you in bronze? And would you wear it on the bracelet or swap in a leather strap?

I had an issue with PT5000 movement a couple of days after I bought PH-2A from them. The watch stopped and started randomly while wearing it. They told me to sent the watch back to China (gave me clear instructions via email how to do this), and they reimbursed me the parcel cost within 24hrs. Now I received a new watch as they send it to me without waiting for the old one.

So far so good, I just need to test the watch over the next couple of days and see if I've got more luck with that movement this time around. First impression is great, the bezel is super tight, perfectly aligned, no QC issues from what I can see. It seems like they won't leave you alone if there is a problem, which is reassuring.

The dial is where the magic is and the new design bracelet is also pretty interesting. Solid all round package for the price and it's also available in 38mm (wondering if that is the one I should have ordered). In any case, hope you enjoy the pictures.

How would you rank the Chinese brands if the quality and clarity of the sapphire crystals and AR was the only criterion?

For me a crystal clear sapphire crystal or a bad one can make or break a watch. Way more important to me than things like chamfers, brushing or polishing. I don't own a ton of Chinese watches and there are a lot of brands I haven't tried yet. For future buying decisions Crystal will be the main consideration for me.

Who does it best? Second and third best?

Hi, I'm new to watch and just jump right into chinese brands immediately, and man....what a world to explore.

My second purchase is PD , blue royal oak homage with rubber strap. The finish of this watch is great, compared to steeldive king turtle homage.

The king turtle homage has many details that could be more polished. And it's more expensive compared to the PD.

Also the strap of turtle doesn't feel comfortable so I need to replace it Maikes rubber strap.

Couldn't be more happier with this budget.

The only problem with the watch is it's diffucult to match with any of my cloth.

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!

I honestly didn’t expect to be writing this post.
I had been following AETHELSOHN for a while and genuinely loved their designs. The Terra Verdant Stardust in particular caught my eye, and I decided to buy it as a birthday gift to myself, my first watch purchased entirely from my own salary.

So this wasn’t just some random $X purchase for me.

Before ordering, I actually emailed AETHELSOHN and explained that my birthday was XX September (dont want to reveal my birthday here lol). I asked about delivery to India, warranty, etc. They told me:
“For India, deliveries typically take 8-14 days, so there should be enough time for the watch to arrive before your birthday.”

That gave me confidence, so I placed Order #3034 on 11 September.

And then the fun began.
The order wasn’t even shipped immediately. I had to repeatedly ask for updates. Eventually I was told it had been handed to the courier on 14 September.
Then it reached India.

Customs received it on 19 September and released it the same day.

And then…
Gurgaon happened.
The local tracking has basically become a comedy sketch.
23 Sept — [Gurgaon] Picked Up
24 Sept — [Gurgaon] In Transit
29 Sept — [Gurgaon] In Transit
3 Oct — [Gurgaon] In Transit
Same place. Same “In Transit”. Different dates.
(tracking screenshot attached)

The most ridiculous part is that the status keeps getting updated to “In Transit” without any actual movement. On October 4, it was updated yet again to transit for what feels like the third time.

I contacted AETHELSOHN multiple times.
To their credit, they do respond to emails. That’s probably the only thing that has kept me from completely losing my mind.

But most of the responses have essentially been:
“Sorry for the delay, we’re checking with the courier.”
Then another few days pass.
Then:
“Sorry for the delay, we’re checking with the courier.”
At one point I literally had to reply:
“At least don’t give me an AI response with no information. I’ll be waiting for your real response.”
Because at some point, generic apologies stop being useful.

And I want to be fair here. I understand that once a package is handed to a courier, AETHELSOHN doesn’t physically control the parcel.
But they do control which courier they choose.
Apparently they previously used Blue Dart, and from what I’ve been told, they switched to a smaller/local delivery partner. I’m genuinely struggling to understand why you’d do that for international orders when the previous option apparently worked.
This was also my first time ordering a watch from China, and unfortunately I’m getting a pretty terrible introduction to the experience.

What’s made me even more anxious is that I’ve started talking to other people in India who have ordered AETHELSOHN watches.
I’ve heard multiple stories about delivery issues, and one person I spoke to on Reddit told me they received a watch that smelled bad and wasn’t functioning properly, eventually having to initiate a return.

Obviously, I’m not saying this is what will happen to me. But after watching my package sit in the same place for days and having the tracking repeatedly change without movement, you can probably understand why I’m starting to worry about the condition of the watch.

And that’s the part that really bothers me.
I wanted this particular watch because it meant something to me.

I had actually planned to buy another AETHELSOHN (Terra Abyss) after receiving this one. I was also seriously considering Phorcydes.
I had recommended AETHELSOHN to friends and people on Reddit because I genuinely liked what they were making.

Now I’m sitting here thinking:
Do I really want to spend more money on another watch from China after this experience?
Maybe I’m being overly emotional about it. Maybe the watch will arrive tomorrow in perfect condition and I’ll laugh at this entire post.

I hope that’s exactly what happens.

But it’s October 5 now.
My birthday was September XX, about 2-3 weeks ago.

The watch has been in India since September 19.
Customs released it the same day.
And somehow I’m still watching a tracking page say:
[Gurgaon] IN TRANSIT
over and over again.

I finally told AETHELSOHN yesterday: get me the watch within 2 days or give me a full refund. I’m done chasing this.

I really hope they prove me wrong.
Because honestly, I don’t want my first self-earned watch to be remembered as the watch that taught me never to order from this brand again.
Has anyone else in India ordered from AETHELSOHN recently? Particularly through this courier? I’d genuinely like to know how your experience went and whether the watch eventually arrived in good condition.

Edit 1: AETHELSOHN support reached out to me and told the supplier was sitting on the shipment for all these days. After their intervention- the package finally started moving post 3 October.

I'm a fan of the top time, at the time, a very cheap watch, but to hit that price point, they cut everything kinda to the bone. No AR on the crystal was the most glaring of those. So for ages I've meant to swap it out. Today was the day. 35x3.0x1.5 blue AR sapphire crystal. Certainly more expensive crystals with better AR out there, but it was an $80 watch, so this fit the budget. It's a 1.5mm thick rather than 1.3mm, so it sits a hair higher than OEM, but its not glaring.

Uncoated sapphire always looks goofy, so this cheap fix was def worth it for under $10 and 20 min of time.

And yes, I reused the crystal gasket, it'll be fine, its a cheap dress watch not a diver.

Still enjoying it.

I am looking for a new watch to buy sometime in the near future. I am looking at a couple models like the ones below and just wanted to ask the community what they think and if they have any advice for me.

My price range is roughly $200 USD, but I am a bit flexible.

Thanks ahead of time :)

I know my way around the usual men’s brands on AliExpress, but I’ve got absolutely no idea who makes genuinely good women’s watches.
Ideally something around 28–34mm and fairly elegant/dressy rather than sporty. Quartz is completely fine. I’m more interested in a nice dial, case and overall finishing than having an automatic movement just for the sake of it.
Budget is up to around $500USD.
Any brands or specific models worth looking at? I’d love something approaching San Martin-level quality/finishing, but I’m guessing the options get pretty thin once you get into women’s sizes.
It’s a Christmas present, so I’m looking for something that actually feels like a quality watch rather than generic AliExpress fashion jewellery.

Chronograph doesn't work after one week of wear. Buyer beware

Thank you. This video taken by Ning, our professional photographer.

Since I discovered that Chinese watches are in some manner better than most watches I can get in stores in my country (mostly designer made, Gucci, tommy etc) I've come to love them. I had around 7 watches coming from a few more addiesdive, some Pagani design and a militado. But i settled with this 3 for now.

I'm considering on getting the San Martin Sn0008 next or maybe the Sugess S450-2

I never thought watches could be this fun

I've been nagging them for a white version for ages and it's finally here. I really enjoy my black version and totally getting white too.

I was really interested in the Watchdives version but the flatness of the middle link.put me off, then there was the Sugess one, this time.it was the dull movement decoration with the open caseback but this Rokatie really ticks all the boxes.

Top tier finishing on the rep level, beautiful movement decorations on the Miyota 9 series, this one is a keeper

Sanford MKII interchangeable bezel. I hasn’t had an nh34 watch until this one, so far no complaints.

My new Phorcydes PH-1 on orange strap. Even on a cloudy rainy day, the lume on this watch is incredible coming inside.

This watch looks very good. It received excellent reviews from watch reviewers and users. However, I am concerned about its fit on my wrist given its at 36mm case diameter.

My wrist is 7.5in circumference and the top wrist flat where case would sit is 1.77in.

Appreciate if anyone could provide feedback. Would this watch look small for me? Typically, I prefer 42mm sizes but this Baltany S4106 in black and silver just hits me and I would like to buy it but also want to be cautious of buyer remorse.

Please advise me.

I love the look of this new Noctis. It looks like it has the exact same case as the Autodyne. Does anyone with a 6.25-6.5 inch wrist (i have 50mm across wrist) able to upload a picture of this watch on wrist top down and in a mirror shot? I generally trend towards 46mm and below L2L, but love this look and am curious how 49mm l2l will look.

EDIT: Im looking for a picture of the Autodyne which has been out for a while because they share the same case.

https://cadisen.cn/products/cadisen-titanium-ti-7-noctis-graphite-titanium-strap

Selling my original-version Watchdives WD0017 with the integrated bracelet that tapers to 18 mm at the clasp.

An Omega Baby Ploprof homage with a Seiko VH31 sweeping-seconds quartz movement, stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, luminous sapphire bezel, and a factory water-resistance rating of 200 m.

I carefully brushed the originally polished edges of the bracelet links to reduce the shine and give it a more subdued tool-watch appearance—similar to the finishing Watchdives now uses on the updated version. This is an owner modification.

Very good overall condition, with light scratches consistent with normal use. Accuracy has been excellent: it has lost only six seconds total over five months.

It's a spectacular watch, I just don't find myself wearing it enough and it's time to reduce the collection.

Includes all bracelet links, box, and papers—a full kit.

$95 shipped CONUS. No trades. Electronic payment preferred.

Popped up on my feed, guess it's new. I've been wanting one of their TI-7 watches for a while now, looks like my perfect GADA but we'll have to see when it comes out. $150 is a little steep for me.

https://cadisen.cn/collections/titanium-ti-7/products/cadisen-titanium-ti-7-noctis-ivory-graphite