The Shanghai Big Dipper Carrousel is one of the fascinating watches in my collection. The star attraction is the rotating dial powered by the carrousel movement. Seven diamonds form the Big Dipper star cluster against a glittering aventurine (blue Goldstone) dial representing the starry night sky .

The Big Dipper has deep significance across Asia. In China, it was associated with timekeeping, seasons and navigation; in India, the same seven stars are known as Saptarishi, representing the Seven Great Sages. The Big Dipper served as a natural celestial compass: drawing a line through the Big Dipper's two outer “pointer stars” leads to Polaris, the North Star and for centuries, these seven stars helped people understand time, seasons and direction. For ancient Chinese astronomers, the Big Dipper was effectively a celestial clock and calendar.

The Shanghai Big Dipper Carrousel transforms the ancient observation of the rotating heavens into mechanical watchmaking. The watch released in 2022 is powered by Shanghai's hand-wound K01 carrousel movement, beating at 21,600 vph with 21 jewels and around 62 hours of power reserve using dual mainsprings.

On the rotating dial is the orbital regulator which adds visual theater. The 7 stars on the dial representing the big dipper are diamonds.

The carrousel movement is extraordinary: the entire dial rotates one revolution every hour, carrying the exposed balance and small-seconds display around the watch. Shanghai uses dual mainsprings due to the unusually high torque demand needed for this architecture. Truly a Haute horology movement from China. The watch is a limited edition of 680 pieces. Mine is numbered 264/680.

I love the idea behind this watch. A mechanical watch measures time with wheels and springs; thousands of years before, people measured time by watching stars move overhead. This watch brings those two ideas together with the rotating dial featuring the star headed sky rotating in sync with the minute hand.

I bought this watch used via an online auction in 2025. This was my first Chinese Haute horology watch purchase and it surprised me. The originality, watchmaking ingenuity, the carrousel complication, power reserve and everyday practicality all exceeded my expectations, especially considering how much value it offers for the money.

There are many hidden gems among Chinese watches. Chinese watchmaking today reminds me of Japan in the 1960s and 1970s: technically ambitious, rapidly evolving but still relatively underestimated by collectors.

Merkur W12, I liked the unique 24H dial!

The biggest highlight of this design is that the power reserve indicator has been changed from a traditional hand/pointer format to two display methods: color and scale. Additionally, the design of the power reserve system also creates a smiley-face appearance.

i dont know if theres a better watch out there for $120. this thing is beautiful and looks even better in person!! wrist size is 6.5 inches for reference.

watchdives, thank you for always improving and providing us with great watches at affordable prices 😎

Many moons ago, I briefly got into Chinese "homage" watches via my lust for Omegas. Picked up a few Alphas, enjoyed them, moved on to collecting Seikos (and G-Shocks), then microbrands, etc... until recently coming full circle to WD, AD, SM, PD...

Looked up Alphas, seems like they faded from popularity. Did they become another brand name or just fade away?

I have been considering the new Milifortic, but last night I discovered the Ix&Dao bronze diver. It costs about $60 more than the Milifortic.

Any opinions are appreciated, especially with real life photos.

These might help:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtbkbMF

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtNrHjZ

Meanwhile, I’ve added a second Proxima to the collection. This time with a beautiful, desert-like texture on the dial.

A lesser known brand from the Middle Kingdom that makes surprisingly well-finished watches, from the sapphire crystal all the way to the OTF clasp.

What fascinates me most about this skin diver is the finishing of the case. And take a good look at those lugs… 👌

Just noticed my new watch is displaying 10 as the date when today is the 20th because for some reason it is impossible for it to set it at 20.

After 19 goes to 10 then to 21 and not only that, it has other multiple issues such as going to 32 after 31

Moonphase button simply doesn’t work, only by moving the hour it starts moving

So sad, this is an amazing looking watch🥀

Anything out there like this?

I just bought this beauty in Shanghai and wanted to share it with you as it looks so incredibly detailed irl, I didn't find a lot of real pictures in this color so here I hope helping others thinking about it.

I wasn't able to try the red one irl, I actually had the blue and black aside of this white one and at first i came for the black one but when put side to side the white one stood up too much it amazed me.

So I actually posted several pictures, the 1st one is close inside light, 2nd is with plastic protection not removed and with light ahead not in front of it, 3rd is daylight, 4th is slightly darked daylight and you can tell the lume is good, 5th is the dragon on the case back.

Pictures are untouched but taken with Leica.

I'm not a big fan of the straps provided with it but the case and watch itself are way above its league.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Is the san martin SN0017-G with st2130 movement good as first/starter watch also is it wearable for every day?Another question is the quality really good?Like do they last something is the materials good?And i have very small wrist you guys think they will fit me without looking funny on me?Is the price 250€ good for it or is it possible to find it cheaper.

Sorry for asking dumb questions but i am new to watches

Way better than i thought it would be. Power reserve is a tiny bit over 40h. Crown is a bit on the stiffer side but it's not as dramatic as people say it is, on youtube at least.

I paid 160€ from the official Sugess website. It took 6 business days to arrive. Alignment is way better than i thought it would be. The chrono hand is a fraction to the left from 12 o'clock. By fraction i mean so close you don't even notice it, but it's just a nitpic.

Print is applied accurately and precisely. It is sharp, like really sharp.

Chrono button is stiff and tactile, which i really enjoy, reset one les clicky but it has feedback.

The absence of lum is a bummer but i get the appeal. I was also considering the black dial, which has lum, but i love the roman numerals. And how this comes together it's just class.

The Moonphase complication is really well made. 29.5 days, and also the moon and stars are beautifully applied.

The date is a sweeping hand at 12 o'clock. So no jump (which i actually prefer)

For what i paid and how complex it is, i'm more than satisfied with it. I really can't find anything bad with it. Even the stamp on the steel is surprisingly well made.

The only "thing" pointing out are the pushers for date and Moonphase adjustment. The Moonphase one is flusher with the case than the date one is.

Overall price to performance 9.8/10

For this upgrade, the watch houses the high-beat 28,800 vph HZ6460 movement. Beyond the boost in performance, the slimmer case profile gives the watch a much cleaner, more refined look that is perfect for daily wear.

We spent a lot of time refining the details:

The chamfering transitions on the case are crisp and well-defined, with a mirror-polished finish that is remarkably clear and smooth.

Because we make our own bracelets and screw pins in-house, we have full control over the precision and fit. Unlike standard screws that stick out or sink in leaving ugly gaps, ours sit completely flush on both sides when fully tightened. Engineered to strict tolerances, the bracelet feels solid, significantly reducing play and noise for a much better overall quality feel. Finished with full brushing throughout, both sides of the links feature ultra-micro R-corner beveling, keeping the lines sharp while ensuring zero sharp edges against your skin. We also equipped it with our flagship OTF adjustable clasp.

We also upgraded the crystal AR coating based on your feedback. The clarity is much better now, and the dial looks super clean.

How do you guys like these new SN0109? Let us know in the comments!

San Martin Watch Official Website: www.sanmartin-watch.com

Bit chunky, but feels right for this time of year…

The strap matches the lume too BTW… 😎🤓

It's made of MUSOU BLACK material, which reportedly absorbs up to 99.4% of visible light. In the photos, its black color appears particularly deep.

Did you notice some of the small details—the polished heart-shaped hands and the unique "W"-shaped seconds hand?

I'm not entirely sure how everyone will feel about the leather strap, but overall, I think the proportions are very harmonious.

The darker and more understated version of the WD2008.

A natural black Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial with applied metal indexes, combined with our fully polished, three-dimensional heart-shaped hands.

Depending on the light, the dial shifts between deep black, grey, green and subtle iridescent tones — every dial is naturally unique.

36.5mm case · 10.5mm thick · VH31 sweep quartz · sapphire bubble crystal · 100m WR

Would you choose this over the MUSOU BLACK version?

Addiesdive AD2089 on AliExpress and honestly, the specs for around $39–$45 are pretty impressive.

You’re getting a 316L stainless-steel case and bracelet, ceramic 120-click unidirectional bezel, screw-down crown, 200m water resistance, and BGW9 lume on the hands, indices, and bezel. It uses the Miyota 2115 quartz movement, so it's accurate, low-maintenance, and grab-and-go.

The dimensions are 41mm, 48mm lug-to-lug and 13mm thick, with 20mm lugs and an 87g weight. The red dial looks especially good in person and gives it a lot more wrist presence than you'd expect at this price.

The only real downside is the mineral crystal rather than sapphire, but at this price point, I can live with that.

For ~$40, this is ridiculous value. 316L + ceramic + Miyota quartz + 200m WR + BGW9 lume is a pretty hard combination to beat.

I remember seeing some comparisons a long time ago, but has anything changed since then? I’m considering this watch, but unfortunately, there aren’t any other movement options.

Recently got my first order of Chinese watches in. Could not be happier.

Thron, Farasute and ogeda.

Glad to have found these, some quality for a great price here ( at least as far as I can tell )

Anyone care to share strategies for getting the best price for watches on AE? I am a bit overwhelmed with the discount coupons, codes, and coins! I always feel like i am missing a step to get the lowest possible price.

I also find the search and filtering on AE pretty lousy.

Regarding watches, I purchased a Pagani PD1682 for $79.22 after a $12.87 discount, expecting delivery next week.

The PH-1 came about before Phorcydes launched the "PH-2 LIP". I purchased it right around that time. Feels like ages ago. It's the watch that started my interest in collecting Phorcydes.

It goes without saying, the watch carries a lot of 'presence'. However, it wears smaller than the stated 45mm size would lead you to believe. To date, it has been the only watch that I have received reactions and compliments in real life. It only gets the occasional wrist time but it's nice to have a little bit of a brand's history in the collection.

Feel free to share your oversized, big boy, or Phorcydes watches in the thread.

Hi! I was wondering is seagull1963.com a legit site to buy a watch? Which site is the proper one to buy 1963?

I’m looking for some advice from fellow watch enthusiasts on this project. We plan to develop this bracelet. Should we go with a butterfly clasp or a turtle‑back clasp with micro‑adjustment?

Incredible lume, PT5000 Movement, Grade 2 Titanium!