*Get up to 55% (50+5%) off Eskter wallets with my code: BENSWC by going to* partner.ekster.com/BENSWATCHCLUBNEW Which result from this test surprised you the most? For me, it was the fact that some of these clones look so clean under macro!
You should make this a series, Ben! Taking iconic expensive watches and putting budget options to the test with side by side comparisons. Could be interesting to see how clones of other brands or iconic watches compare…
The cronos is not based off Chrono-, its more of the opposite. Chrono prefix is based off the titan Kronos/Cronus/Cronos from mythology, who was the God/Titan of time
Octopus Kraken is in dire nee of a complete branding overhaul. They need to lose the name entirely... or at a minimum, get it off of the dial. I would say that they could just stick with the logo, as it's a major improvement over their old one... but then it would just look like an anus sitting at the top of the dial. Have you seen the anus? Once you do, it can never be unseen...
In 2020, I bought myself a Rolex OP for my 60th. But since then, I've also bought five watches from Cronos. The quality is quite stunning, and certainly on par with San Martin, which I also have. Cronos don't seem to have such a high profile as other brands, but I would highly recommend them.
Considering how damn good the lume is, I personally see Addiesdive watches (with quartz movements) more as the better alternatives to some low-ish end Casio stuff, rather than a true luxury replacement. Classic designs, above average finishing, waterproofing has never failed and they just keep running.
I really enjoy these types of videos, Ben, and would love to see more comparisons between AliExpress homage watches and the original luxury timepieces that inspire them. For future content, it would be great to explore homages to iconic models like the Black Bay 54/58, Rolex Submariner, and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, among others.
I have the Pagani, i got it because of good reviews, £60 ish price tag, the fact it has the logo on the dial rather than the name. I ditched the bracelet for a leather strap and love it.
I own the Baltany in 39mm. I liked the explorer look but would never spend the money for a Rolex. I also didn't want an exact clone so I went for their chocolate brown sunburst dial which looks amazing. The quality of the watch is fantastic, keeps fantastic time, the bracelet is comfortable and far exceeds my expectations for the £200 I paid. The sapphire crystal is so clear and the indices are very well applied and the lume is great. Baltany specialise from what I can tell in vintage homages of watches that can be difficult to find, and they do it so well that I may get a few more of their watches. They also have a UK website which means they avoid import duty and customer service should be pretty good. All in all I love my watch and can recommend it if you like the explorer look but don't want to spend a fortune.
Thanks for this, the Explorer is a huge favorite of mine! While the Baltany has been teasing my interest for a while it’s hard to square the clone/homage route. Currently have the Seiko 5 Dress KX and the Vaer S3 Tradition and while not homages of the Rolex they still both have a great Explorer feel to them while still having their own identity.
Got the Octopus Kraken, it's really a speechless gorgeous watch, 36mm, top tier of finish, better movement than other competitor, slimmer profile, even thinner thickness than 36mm original rolex explorer model...
I want to see this series for every single Rolex model. Currently I love the San Martin Ghost (submariner homage) and my Cronos GMT Pepsi dark bezel (Pepsi GMT), and a Sugess Daytona Le Mans edition. If there are other good homages I would like to see them go head to head.
I’m really keen to get a Rolex Explorer, but before I take the plunge I might get one of these, to see if I REALLY want one. See how much I wear it and like the look of it. Kind of like a free trial!
Thanks for the great review. There are so many Octopus Kraken watches that I love but just can't pull the trigger because of the name / logo. I've had my eye on an Oris Homage that looks beautiful as well, so much so that I've reached out to them to see if I could buy with a sterile dial but to no avail. I'd buy in a heartbeat if they offered a sterile dial option. Your video, at the least, confirms they appear to make a pretty solid watch in general.
Thanks for the excellent comparison. I personally have some rules that I follow when purchasing a 1:1 “homage” watch, but it’s hard to argue against one of the higher end Chinese Brands like Cronos and San Martin when it comes to finishing and craftsmanship. And with San Martin now coming out with original designs, they are starting to become undeniable. Thanks again!
@ For me, the watch has to be discontinued. For example one of my favorite watches I own is a Seestern Homage of a 62mas. I know Seiko reissued it but for me that’s fair game. No Homage of Micro Brands and if I buy a Homage of a modern watch, it has be at least ten times more expensive than the Homage. I know these are silly rules, but everyone has to draw the line somewhere, but that’s where I personally draw the line (s).
I have the Baltany 36mm. I enjoy it and the dial is very nice. I like that it is not exactly a clone but a little different while knowing exactly that it is a homage of the Explorer
Interesting video. Very usefull. So, nothing beats the Cronos Watches of course, nether San Martin. PT 5000 it's a great movmt, better than my Swiss watches, and The design, the shine, the dimensons don't have rivals. Of course talking about watches around 250 €. Baltany as stunning to, but I don't have anyone yet. The cronos submariner fade blue for example, is the must beautifull watch in my colection, whit Fortis a lot of Hamiltons, Seikos, Rolex, Midos, Glycine, Ventus, Pagani, Watch Dives, San Martin, all automatics and divers. The majority of homeges are garbage whith the NH 35. And the finishes are realy realy bad. The majority of the San Martin watches don't have the correct design, horrible dials, no shine no date I never by. The 37mm dive watches are so ridiculous. Who needs a sport dive watch with a 37mm???? Not even my wife uses them. Thanks a lot fir the revue.
watching as I purchased the Baltany in the 11/11 sale. Did i make the right choice ??? I'll find out shortly ;) I did get the brown sunburst dial though.
Very useful video, thanks. I have the Octopus Kraken (PT5000) and the Addiesdive 2023 and am very pleased with both. I prefer quartz movements to the inconvenient and less accurate automatic movements and have just ordered the Watchdives WD1016 quarts which I hope you will review soon.
One of the selling points is that a co-axial escapement doesn't need as much servicing, but you can replace an entire seiko movement several times for less than one Omega service fee lol
Hey Ben! Great comparison! Really great! I just wanted to draw your attention to the 36mm Addiesdive AD 2023-AC. It is an automatic version of the one you have shown here, featuring the PT5000 movement!!! A great little buzzer 🙂 Thanks again for your great work
Man, octopus keeps doing this. I had the Fifty Fathoms homage from them and it was amazing. Though I messed it up trying to fix the broken movement after a drop (shock absorption was nonexistent, this one looks much better). I wish they stopped putting the name and just kept the logo on their dials though.
Of all those watches I kind of like the San Martin the best. But it's a really weird combination of vintage 1016 etc with newer models. I had a Zeno explorer and Smiths Everest (MkI) which are much more expensive than these and still got things pretty wrong, to the point I sold them pretty quickly. Rolexs are clearly overpriced but one thing it always amazes me is that what looks like simple designs are really hard to replicate. A lot of watch companies try and fail. These might all be great watches on their own but one can tell they are miles away from the original with a quick glance.
Great idea and great video, the only thing I'd like to see is both the original and replica side-to side at the same time while you describe each model's exterior and finish.
To be honest if you want a Rolex then you're better off getting a clone or homage to begin with, because anybody who sees a watch branded Rolex just assumes it's a fake anyway, regardless of whether it is or isn't.
@@bulj Isn't that the only reason to buy Rolex? There are plenty of other top end and classier Swiss watches if you really want to spend 5 figures on a watch.
@@davidparker.2227 the only rolex I'd consider would be a Milgauss for the magnetic resistance... but at that point I'd just buy a cheap casio because quartz doesn't care about magnets anyway lmao
@@slaphead90this is ridiculous. Rolex is perhaps the most robust luxury watch at their price range with the absolute tightest QC and almost completely fully integrated, rather than so many “Swiss” brands which are really just Chinese.
Thanks for this prefect video, for watch lovers. I had 3 Rolex, now going on chinese one as I don’t like to be rape by swiss people, so bought a baltany with vintage lume and round glass, absolute excellent quality xplorer, next will be the cronos.
Fun video. I bought a Bliger 36mm, NH35, sterile dial four years ago. It still looks good, including the case, and it's unbelievably accurate: 2-3 seconds slow a day. Luck of the draw there, I'm sure.Took a while to get used to the sterile dial, but now I love it. It's my daily (not dress watch) wear. Ben's 5x to 10x enlargements might show imperfections, but a 1x it looks great. Just got a "nice watch" comment a week ago. The vast majority of people don't know it's an homage to a Rolex design, or care. Only watch elitists do. I have a 1501 Date and a 1680 Sub and have received not one comment on either. I agree with Ben though, If lasting lume is your thing, then this one is not for you.
A proper clone will cost (way) more than 210GBP/280USD, some of the class A fake Rolex cost on the upwards of USD600 which one is extremely difficult to tell the difference without a real one for a side by side comparison. It is just my take, but IMO these "homage" did not present a great value in term of quality to price ratio, there are simply original design that offer a better quality/workmanship for the price, a fun topic, but not something you want for your own.
I have owned 3 Rolex over the last 30 years, including a stainless steel Daytona from new, which I sold in 2022 after 18 years of ownership. For fun, I dived into the homage market. I have a few Pagani Design (look decent, but generally poor quality). I own one SanMartin, which is better than average quality. I own three Cronos, which I absolutely love; a Submariner date, a blue Submariner no date, and this Explorer. All of them are great quality and I really enjoy wearing them. I am not stupid - I know they are not real Rolex, but I have to say, they really do give me 95% of the Rolex experience, for 1% of the price.
I have had the Cronos in my cart for months, but I am always conflicted about buying an homage, especially a Rolex homage. They do look really good, though. Great video.
A homage watch might last decades and save some money in the short-term but it will never be the real deal. Whereas a real one simply is, and that is a great feeling to get from a long-term purchase. I bought a CWC for 3x the price of a MWC copycat, and I would again, because it is high quality with no cut corners.
Great video. But just for fun I'd like to see how the Chinese do against Swiss or other hommages, specifically the quality of the steel (is it really 316L?) and the lume.
I cannot see the point of owning one of these. It's basically like owning a prop or mock up. Every time you look at it you're reminded that you havn't got the real item. Also homages being a tiny fraction of the price tend to be a let down in some areas typically the crown. Cheap watches tend to have poorly made screw down crowns.
Took apart a fake Rolex recently using a Chinese movement that was VERY, VERY inferior to a simple Seiko NH35A. You won't see me talking shit about Seiko's NH movements anymore after I went through that shit, so respect to some of these brands for actually committing to the watch trifecta (good case, good glass, good movement).
If i were to get one of these it would probably be any of the ones with just a brand logo on it because they look more clean, SM logo is more appealing to the eye in this case. That said, personally i wouldn't get any of these, even the original rolex just looks like it's for people with no taste and too much money to spend like it has always been
Fun comparison. I wouldn't recommend buying watches like these ones. The whole point of buying a Rolex is that you've worked hard to afford that expensive watch. It is a form of expression of success. Purchasing a cheap/replica watch like this is like watching porn instead of going out and having real sex.
I have about 40 of these Chinese watches. Most are excellent value for money and look superb. Cronos is named correctly and IMO it's a pretty good name. Not a fan of the rest; in particularly Pagani which usually has notoriously bad lume. Addiesdive are great watches with a dreadful name and logo. With a good logo/name I would rank them second. Finally San Martin are the most overvalued of any Chinese watch - for the price you can actually buy a mid range watch in a reputable brand. Also I don't care about the packaging provided it is not a plastic bag - it just goes in the bin - will never be able to resell these. I hear good feedback on Octopus and may have had Phylida once as a young man. Cronos is my pick as #1.
I don't care for these watches, including the Rolex. Each to their own, but if you need to flex a Rolex, for what deficiency are you seeking to compensate? If you pretend to have a Rolex... Well.
So many of the comments here look like a bot wrote them. Its really weird seeing essentially the same comment but with the words changed around slightly.
Rolex is not COSC certified. They have their own thing chronometer thing, cause their brand is so strobg they dont see a need to pay a third part (COSC). They are probably as accurate as COSC though
Markus, all Rolex movements are cosc certified before final assembly. They take their cosc movements, then regulate them in house further then assembled. Then the fully cased watch is tested to be a superlative chronometer running at -2 +2 in 7 positions. 2 more then cosc , 1 more then metas or grand Seiko mechanical.
*Get up to 55% (50+5%) off Eskter wallets with my code: BENSWC by going to* partner.ekster.com/BENSWATCHCLUBNEW
Which result from this test surprised you the most? For me, it was the fact that some of these clones look so clean under macro!
You should make this a series, Ben! Taking iconic expensive watches and putting budget options to the test with side by side comparisons. Could be interesting to see how clones of other brands or iconic watches compare…
This is the best, most objective and valuable video you've ever produced.
Those "Chinese vs Swiss" type of videos are so addictive
Please do some more!
The cronos is not based off Chrono-, its more of the opposite. Chrono prefix is based off the titan Kronos/Cronus/Cronos from mythology, who was the God/Titan of time
Exactly, much easier a quick word look up than a baseless complain
So Thorn is actually based on Thor 😅
It would have been a better choice to use Kronos to differentiate themselves from chronometer
@@springbay1 Every Thorn has its Thor 😆😆😆
@@alex70max Tomaito Tomato Potato 😂
Cronos was the ancient Greek god of time. It’s spelt correctly and is probably one of the coolest and more imaginative names for AliExpress
This type of videos could become new series in the channel. Huge potential ❤
Octopus Kraken is in dire nee of a complete branding overhaul. They need to lose the name entirely... or at a minimum, get it off of the dial. I would say that they could just stick with the logo, as it's a major improvement over their old one... but then it would just look like an anus sitting at the top of the dial. Have you seen the anus? Once you do, it can never be unseen...
I have an Octopus Kraken Pelagos homage which features the "anus" at the center O. That looks a tad more legible, but still you can't unsee it.
Seiko had the penis Quartz and survived
I have a few Cronos models,excellent build quality and value for money.
In 2020, I bought myself a Rolex OP for my 60th.
But since then, I've also bought five watches from Cronos. The quality is quite stunning, and certainly on par with San Martin, which I also have.
Cronos don't seem to have such a high profile as other brands, but I would highly recommend them.
Considering how damn good the lume is, I personally see Addiesdive watches (with quartz movements) more as the better alternatives to some low-ish end Casio stuff, rather than a true luxury replacement. Classic designs, above average finishing, waterproofing has never failed and they just keep running.
You been dropping bangers Ben! This and your watch crystal comparison video are just on another level from other reviewers.
What a great review. It's the Cronos Explorer for me. I like the brand and would probably get it with the pt5000. Thanks for sharing
I really enjoy these types of videos, Ben, and would love to see more comparisons between AliExpress homage watches and the original luxury timepieces that inspire them. For future content, it would be great to explore homages to iconic models like the Black Bay 54/58, Rolex Submariner, and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, among others.
I have the Pagani, i got it because of good reviews, £60 ish price tag, the fact it has the logo on the dial rather than the name. I ditched the bracelet for a leather strap and love it.
Good stuff Ben. Really enjoyed this review. Look forward to more.
I own the Baltany in 39mm. I liked the explorer look but would never spend the money for a Rolex. I also didn't want an exact clone so I went for their chocolate brown sunburst dial which looks amazing. The quality of the watch is fantastic, keeps fantastic time, the bracelet is comfortable and far exceeds my expectations for the £200 I paid. The sapphire crystal is so clear and the indices are very well applied and the lume is great. Baltany specialise from what I can tell in vintage homages of watches that can be difficult to find, and they do it so well that I may get a few more of their watches. They also have a UK website which means they avoid import duty and customer service should be pretty good. All in all I love my watch and can recommend it if you like the explorer look but don't want to spend a fortune.
Both Cronos and Octopus Kraken are excellent brands, I've owned several watches from each and never had a bad example.
Which models do you have?
Finnaly "The Homages Watch War" we waiting for.
Great video, it’s a shame you didn’t have the Watchdives Explorer homage, VH31 movement 36mm looks beautiful. Watchdives are on fire at the moment.
Thanks for this, the Explorer is a huge favorite of mine! While the Baltany has been teasing my interest for a while it’s hard to square the clone/homage route. Currently have the Seiko 5 Dress KX and the Vaer S3 Tradition and while not homages of the Rolex they still both have a great Explorer feel to them while still having their own identity.
Got the Octopus Kraken, it's really a speechless gorgeous watch, 36mm, top tier of finish, better movement than other competitor, slimmer profile, even thinner thickness than 36mm original rolex explorer model...
Phylida is now treatable with antibiotics
I want to see this series for every single Rolex model. Currently I love the San Martin Ghost (submariner homage) and my Cronos GMT Pepsi dark bezel (Pepsi GMT), and a Sugess Daytona Le Mans edition. If there are other good homages I would like to see them go head to head.
I’m really keen to get a Rolex Explorer, but before I take the plunge I might get one of these, to see if I REALLY want one. See how much I wear it and like the look of it. Kind of like a free trial!
Great work Ben, spot on pitch and pace. I'd value seeing the same produced for the Explorer II.
I chose the Baltany with burgundy sunburst dial, it matches the colored lum perfectly.
This is great Ben. Thanks for doing this on your own dime and not sponsored.
happy Octopus Kraken 36mm owner here
Thanks for the great review. There are so many Octopus Kraken watches that I love but just can't pull the trigger because of the name / logo. I've had my eye on an Oris Homage that looks beautiful as well, so much so that I've reached out to them to see if I could buy with a sterile dial but to no avail. I'd buy in a heartbeat if they offered a sterile dial option. Your video, at the least, confirms they appear to make a pretty solid watch in general.
Octopus Kraken...can never get past the name. So close.
Thanks for the excellent comparison. I personally have some rules that I follow when purchasing a 1:1 “homage” watch, but it’s hard to argue against one of the higher end Chinese Brands like Cronos and San Martin when it comes to finishing and craftsmanship. And with San Martin now coming out with original designs, they are starting to become undeniable. Thanks again!
What are the rules?
@ For me, the watch has to be discontinued. For example one of my favorite watches I own is a Seestern Homage of a 62mas. I know Seiko reissued it but for me that’s fair game. No Homage of Micro Brands and if I buy a Homage of a modern watch, it has be at least ten times more expensive than the Homage. I know these are silly rules, but everyone has to draw the line somewhere, but that’s where I personally draw the line (s).
Everybody copies everyone else, just look at Ford and Aston Martin.
Great content Ben.
I quite like the san Martin logo
Thanks for this vid. I love the Explorer and there are so many choices.
I have the Baltany 36mm. I enjoy it and the dial is very nice. I like that it is not exactly a clone but a little different while knowing exactly that it is a homage of the Explorer
Great execution on this type of video. Really enjoyable, would like to seem more.
With regards to Cronos - he was one of the Greek Titans - father of Zeus. There are a few spellings of his name, but it does include Cronos
Pagani all day long for me!
Awesome video!
Octopus 🐙 Kraken is the best IMO. I’ve had the San Martin version and it was good but it left me longing for the glossy black dial
Super interesting video, Ben!
Interesting video. Very usefull. So, nothing beats the Cronos Watches of course, nether San Martin. PT 5000 it's a great movmt, better than my Swiss watches, and The design, the shine, the dimensons don't have rivals. Of course talking about watches around 250 €. Baltany as stunning to, but I don't have anyone yet. The cronos submariner fade blue for example, is the must beautifull watch in my colection, whit Fortis a lot of Hamiltons, Seikos, Rolex, Midos, Glycine, Ventus, Pagani, Watch Dives, San Martin, all automatics and divers. The majority of homeges are garbage whith the NH 35. And the finishes are realy realy bad. The majority of the San Martin watches don't have the correct design, horrible dials, no shine no date I never by. The 37mm dive watches are so ridiculous. Who needs a sport dive watch with a 37mm???? Not even my wife uses them. Thanks a lot fir the revue.
watching as I purchased the Baltany in the 11/11 sale. Did i make the right choice ??? I'll find out shortly ;)
I did get the brown sunburst dial though.
I have the brown sunburst and it is lovely.
I have another model of Baltany, the quality is really amazing!
Very useful video, thanks. I have the Octopus Kraken (PT5000) and the Addiesdive 2023 and am very pleased with both. I prefer quartz movements to the inconvenient and less accurate automatic movements and have just ordered the Watchdives WD1016 quarts which I hope you will review soon.
I once considered getting an Omega. Then I saw what it costs to repair them and never considered it again. Ridiculous.
One of the selling points is that a co-axial escapement doesn't need as much servicing, but you can replace an entire seiko movement several times for less than one Omega service fee lol
Hey Ben! Great comparison! Really great!
I just wanted to draw your attention to the 36mm Addiesdive AD 2023-AC. It is an automatic version of the one you have shown here, featuring the PT5000 movement!!! A great little buzzer 🙂
Thanks again for your great work
Man, octopus keeps doing this. I had the Fifty Fathoms homage from them and it was amazing. Though I messed it up trying to fix the broken movement after a drop (shock absorption was nonexistent, this one looks much better). I wish they stopped putting the name and just kept the logo on their dials though.
What a surprise you listed the three most expensive watches, that were given to you for free, as the best.
Truly great video! Pls make more like this 👏👏🙏🙏
i've always wondered how these homages compare to the real thing, thanks for the video
Of all those watches I kind of like the San Martin the best. But it's a really weird combination of vintage 1016 etc with newer models. I had a Zeno explorer and Smiths Everest (MkI) which are much more expensive than these and still got things pretty wrong, to the point I sold them pretty quickly. Rolexs are clearly overpriced but one thing it always amazes me is that what looks like simple designs are really hard to replicate. A lot of watch companies try and fail. These might all be great watches on their own but one can tell they are miles away from the original with a quick glance.
Ben you’ve GOT to do another fashion watch review like the Armani/Hilfiger video!
I bought the Addiesdive 2023, the mecaquartz, and I am not disappointed in any way!
Great idea and great video, the only thing I'd like to see is both the original and replica side-to side at the same time while you describe each model's exterior and finish.
Would have been good to have compared timekeeping with a timegrapher or app.
Would habe been interesting if you had seen how well they were running. The cronos i had was at +3 seconds a day.
To be honest if you want a Rolex then you're better off getting a clone or homage to begin with, because anybody who sees a watch branded Rolex just assumes it's a fake anyway, regardless of whether it is or isn't.
This would assume that you're buying rolex just to flex
@@bulj
Nobody in the entire galaxy is buying a rolex for their amazing utility and versatility.
@@bulj Isn't that the only reason to buy Rolex? There are plenty of other top end and classier Swiss watches if you really want to spend 5 figures on a watch.
@@davidparker.2227 the only rolex I'd consider would be a Milgauss for the magnetic resistance... but at that point I'd just buy a cheap casio because quartz doesn't care about magnets anyway lmao
@@slaphead90this is ridiculous. Rolex is perhaps the most robust luxury watch at their price range with the absolute tightest QC and almost completely fully integrated, rather than so many “Swiss” brands which are really just Chinese.
Clean or VSF is the closest
Thanks for this prefect video, for watch lovers. I had 3 Rolex, now going on chinese one as I don’t like to be rape by swiss people, so bought a baltany with vintage lume and round glass, absolute excellent quality xplorer, next will be the cronos.
Fantastic video!! More like this please :)
Nice work! How about the SKX for the next round? Or maybe the Rolex Submariner
someone has to do this one with a date window between 4 and 5 !
Cronos makes the best "homages". Their "Sub" homage is realy good too.
You should rewiev Tisell watches, very little rewievs of them but they look very nice.
Fun video. I bought a Bliger 36mm, NH35, sterile dial four years ago. It still looks good, including the case, and it's unbelievably accurate: 2-3 seconds slow a day. Luck of the draw there, I'm sure.Took a while to get used to the sterile dial, but now I love it. It's my daily (not dress watch) wear. Ben's 5x to 10x enlargements might show imperfections, but a 1x it looks great. Just got a "nice watch" comment a week ago. The vast majority of people don't know it's an homage to a Rolex design, or care. Only watch elitists do. I have a 1501 Date and a 1680 Sub and have received not one comment on either. I agree with Ben though, If lasting lume is your thing, then this one is not for you.
Great comparisons and review Ben.
Long live AliExpress cheapos!!!
👍🇬🇧😉
I like the look of the San Martin watches, but that logo.... I can't do it man.
Instead of a homage... i rather get a quartz Tissot Gentleman or PR100. Solid choices and not hommage per se
Cronos for me in two colors and they're very accurate.
great video, the octopus is wild 🐙🐙🐙🐙
A proper clone will cost (way) more than 210GBP/280USD, some of the class A fake Rolex cost on the upwards of USD600 which one is extremely difficult to tell the difference without a real one for a side by side comparison. It is just my take, but IMO these "homage" did not present a great value in term of quality to price ratio, there are simply original design that offer a better quality/workmanship for the price, a fun topic, but not something you want for your own.
I have owned 3 Rolex over the last 30 years, including a stainless steel Daytona from new, which I sold in 2022 after 18 years of ownership.
For fun, I dived into the homage market. I have a few Pagani Design (look decent, but generally poor quality). I own one SanMartin, which is better than average quality. I own three Cronos, which I absolutely love; a Submariner date, a blue Submariner no date, and this Explorer. All of them are great quality and I really enjoy wearing them.
I am not stupid - I know they are not real Rolex, but I have to say, they really do give me 95% of the Rolex experience, for 1% of the price.
I have had the Cronos in my cart for months, but I am always conflicted about buying an homage, especially a Rolex homage. They do look really good, though. Great video.
"The only thing worse than a fake Rolex is a real one"
-Jeremy Clarkson
A homage watch might last decades and save some money in the short-term but it will never be the real deal. Whereas a real one simply is, and that is a great feeling to get from a long-term purchase. I bought a CWC for 3x the price of a MWC copycat, and I would again, because it is high quality with no cut corners.
That was a great video :)
Hi Ben! Would like to recommend the casio watch collaboration watch with A. P. C. Wanna know your review to it hehe thanks!!
great video!
Great video. But just for fun I'd like to see how the Chinese do against Swiss or other hommages, specifically the quality of the steel (is it really 316L?) and the lume.
Do you think the Bliger will cause a blight ? Arf Arf.
Fantastic video.
FYI cronos is the greek titan of time. That is what the name comes from...
I cannot see the point of owning one of these. It's basically like owning a prop or mock up. Every time you look at it you're reminded that you havn't got the real item. Also homages being a tiny fraction of the price tend to be a let down in some areas typically the crown. Cheap watches tend to have poorly made screw down crowns.
Great video
Great vid!!! 🙏👍😊
Took apart a fake Rolex recently using a Chinese movement that was VERY, VERY inferior to a simple Seiko NH35A.
You won't see me talking shit about Seiko's NH movements anymore after I went through that shit, so respect to some of these brands for actually committing to the watch trifecta (good case, good glass, good movement).
If i were to get one of these it would probably be any of the ones with just a brand logo on it because they look more clean, SM logo is more appealing to the eye in this case. That said, personally i wouldn't get any of these, even the original rolex just looks like it's for people with no taste and too much money to spend like it has always been
Fun comparison. I wouldn't recommend buying watches like these ones. The whole point of buying a Rolex is that you've worked hard to afford that expensive watch. It is a form of expression of success. Purchasing a cheap/replica watch like this is like watching porn instead of going out and having real sex.
id love to see more from Merkur
Phylida has to be one of the worst Ali brand names. Sounds like an STI
I have about 40 of these Chinese watches. Most are excellent value for money and look superb. Cronos is named correctly and IMO it's a pretty good name. Not a fan of the rest; in particularly Pagani which usually has notoriously bad lume. Addiesdive are great watches with a dreadful name and logo. With a good logo/name I would rank them second. Finally San Martin are the most overvalued of any Chinese watch - for the price you can actually buy a mid range watch in a reputable brand. Also I don't care about the packaging provided it is not a plastic bag - it just goes in the bin - will never be able to resell these. I hear good feedback on Octopus and may have had Phylida once as a young man. Cronos is my pick as #1.
Great video, I'd personal buy a homage over a clone with my own money.
I don't care for these watches, including the Rolex. Each to their own, but if you need to flex a Rolex, for what deficiency are you seeking to compensate? If you pretend to have a Rolex... Well.
Tisell should be closest I think
So many of the comments here look like a bot wrote them. Its really weird seeing essentially the same comment but with the words changed around slightly.
Rolex is not COSC certified. They have their own thing chronometer thing, cause their brand is so strobg they dont see a need to pay a third part (COSC). They are probably as accurate as COSC though
Markus, all Rolex movements are cosc certified before final assembly. They take their cosc movements, then regulate them in house further then assembled. Then the fully cased watch is tested to be a superlative chronometer running at -2 +2 in 7 positions. 2 more then cosc , 1 more then metas or grand Seiko mechanical.
Cronos is the name of the Greek god of time
Interesting review, we’ll done…
👍👍👍
Where's the Watchdives? :)
I respect a Casio F-91 one hundred times more than any of these because it's legitimate.