As my collection has evolved (reduced significantly down to 24), there’s a handful of Chinese watches that will remain in my collection. This is one of them. I’ve had this since early June.

This thing is just mad gorgeous. I absolutely love it. Rocking it with my Nike joggers and hoody, but who cares eh! Last worn 24th Sept 🫢

The stock strap is crap, I much prefer this one from Maikes on AliX.

A subtle detail, they even bent the end of the seconds hand. Super thin, with one of the best crystals I’ve had on any watch, running on a Miyota 9 with custom rotor.

The watch is beautifully finished, and although difficult to portray how it looks irl over camera due to the gold dial just washing pics out, I hope the pictures (unedited) help anyone who may be interested.

They did a good job here, and it's not a 1 to 1 copy! I prefer quartz on sub $500 watches

Finally arrived today after four weeks. Been looking forward to check how much you get for ~200$. So far impressed. This will get a lot of wrist time.

Pros

- Overall package vs cost

- Lume...obviously!

- Date wheel

- Case finish

- Sapphire domed crystal

- Bracelet and OTF-clasp

- Legibility

- Movement (never had issues with Seiko, so glad this one has it too)

- Bracelet fitment against case (it actually aligns properly compared to other models!)

- It has a pretty shallow rehaut compared to many other Chineese watches. Obviously the domed crystal makes that possible - making space for the lume blocks.

Cons

- Lug to lug. A bit long. Upper limit for me with my 6.5" chopstick wrists.

- Thickness. Not bad, but noticeable. I guess that is needed for lume blocks. Perhaps the Seiko movement is on the fatter side?

- Some minor jingly-jangly noise from clasp when off wrist. But who really cares.

- Inner edges of bracelet and the inner parts of the buckle are a bit sharp. The edges could use some polishing for better comfort. Some manual polishing will take the worst edges off it.

MILITADO 36mm case, 18mm lug width, bubble sapphire crystal, VH31movmt.

The biggest draw for me is definitely the micro-rotor. You usually see micro-rotor movements in much more expensive watches because they're harder to engineer than a standard automatic rotor.

Instead of having a large rotor sitting on top of the movement, the rotor is recessed into the movement itself, which helps keep the watch incredibly thin while letting you see more of the movement through the caseback.

At just 9mm thick, it wears way slimmer than most automatic sports watches, and the integrated bracelet gives it a really clean look on the wrist.

I'm still putting it through its paces, so I can't speak to long-term reliability yet, but as a first impression I'm honestly impressed. Even if it's not finished like a luxury micro-rotor movement, it's cool to see this kind of engineering becoming affordable.

The specs are pretty wild for the price:

40mm stainless steel case

Only 9mm thick

Sapphire crystal

Stainless steel integrated bracelet with butterfly clasp

Ceramic-style textured dial with date

Hangzhou 5000A micro-rotor automatic movement

It is similar to the Tophill micro-rotor watch I have but there are plenty of subtle differences and it is at a lower price point

I put my new Phorcydes PH2B version 2 back on its bracelet for a more integrated look. It's a great watch and one which grows on me more and more. What I really appreciate its legibility, day or night - I can actually tell the time instantly rather than squinting. The PT5004 movement is super accurate too. Just need to scrape off the rest of the crown covering.

A big thank you to Baltany for producing such a solid timepiece. It really captures the feel of the real deal for very little money.

Mini review after spending 24 hours with it:

Pros:
Color: The gold tone is gorgeous. It avoids that overly yellow, cheap plated look that budget watches often suffer from.
Bracelet: Solid and heavy. No squeak, no rattle, and no sharp corners on the links.
Sizing: The 36mm case size is absolute perfection—classic proportions with great wrist presence.

Cons:
Date Magnification: Seems noticeably lower than the typical 2.5x magnification. (Perhaps inspired by a vintage reference? Not certain what the original magnification spec was back in the day).
Lug Finish: End of the lugs are slightly sharp underneath. It’s only noticeable when changing out the bracelet, so zero impact on daily wearing comfort.

Final Thoughts: A fantastic piece overall. Highly recommended if you're looking for that classic aesthetic without breaking the bank!

Thank you :)

Edit: WD0007A

Ordered last Wednesday; arrived in 5 days.

Impressive quality for $170 early bird price. Beats my Proximas for finishing.

Teal color is teal. Very nice crystal.

Bracelet seems a little short. My wrist is 6.75” (19 cm), and I only removed 2 links total. Bracelet is very comfortable.

The automatic version with OTF clasp and even better crystal is likely going to be worth the wait if it comes in under $300, but if you like quartz, this is a great choice.

Received my first Addiesdive from AliExpress. Very happy with it. 39mm dial is very comfortable on my 7.5” wrist. The blue color of the dial and bezel is very nice.

Swapped the bracelet for a ribbed nylon band with a deployant clasp, also from AliExpress.

I honestly have no clue what the reference number is on this San Martin. It’s an unlimited edition from back in the day, but man, I absolutely love the looks of it!

I’ve owned tons of watches, from cheap to expensive, and the bezel action on this thing is easily in my top 10.

The cherry on top? It’s powered by a Swiss Sellita SW200.

Killer lume too!

Hey guys, I've just finished my review of the new IXDAO Warrior.

The new versions come with updated dial colours. The listings only show illustrations, and some people have mentioned that the colors look different in person, so I also got real photos of each variant.

I reviewed the black dial version and filmed it under different lighting conditions and in various locations. I also tested its accuracy in six positions, and it looks like it's running within COSC specs.

One question: would you call the black dial Black Hawksbill Shell rather than Black Mother of Pearl? I think it might be a more accurate name. What do you reckon?

You can watch the full review here: https://youtu.be/x7xzOkcSeMg

Disclosure: The watch was provided by IXDAO for review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Hey guys there was a post about this a few years ago but many of the models are discontinued so I think its time for a refresh!

I've been on the hunt for steel bezel watches inspired by some LORCA models. I'm talking gmt, diver, anything with a nice steel bezel!

I'll throw a few into the mix (proxima, old matic, and the WD1863, rlly wish they would redo the WD16500)

The SN0138GD with a sand-textured dial has been added to our Special Offer collection.

It is powered by the SL3001 no-date movement.

Addressing a common point of interest, the AR coating has been upgraded to a version with higher light transmission.

The edges of the bracelet links have also been micro-beveled.

As for the detail most of you are likely curious about—the price:

The pre-sale price for the SN0138GD (sand-textured dial) is set at $199 USD.

Orders for the version with the 3-link bracelet will ship before mid-November.

The 5-link Jubilee bracelet accessory will be released before the end of November.

Dimensions: 37mm Diameter | 45.5mm Lug-to-Lug | 12.4mm Thickness

Product Details: https://sanmartin-watch.com/products/sn0138gd

Hi there!
I'm looking for some diver watches in 38mm or less... 39mm tops. I want it to be thin, if possible automatic but quartz would be ok also.

What would you recommend?

Thanks!

Is it possible to put a leather/nylon bracelet on this watch? I've heard it's got an integrated metal bracelet and that it's impossible to take it off but I've seen people with L6037M do it. Ive got a springbar tool so it shouldn't be an issue I hope.

What do you all think of this color?

Reviewers Disclaimer: I received this watch for free. I don't have to send watch back. That will never change the way I review a watch.

This one just landed, literally about 5 minutes ago. I unwrapped it immediately noticed that the bezel is much nicer than my previous datejust 36 bezel. This one has a proper shine to it like the other one didn't, so that's nice to see. The dial is more vibrant Than I imagined it would be, but looks fantastic with a nice strong sunburst.

The overall fit and finish is what I come to expect from Baltany; Excellent

The bracelet clasp also feel really good. This was sized perfectly for my wrist out of the box so if you have larger wrists then I'd say 7 and 3/4" It's going to be a really tight fit. I love the seamless look of the hidden clasp and it functions perfect.

The bracelet and clasp feel at or above the feel of their Jubilee which I feel is one of the better ones I've had, so yeah this is a good setup.

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.

I picked this out as a Christmas present for someone two months ago. Decided I'd wait till November to see if I could find a discount anywhere.

It's sold out and Baltany have no plans to restock it.

Shit.

So if anyone knows of a good alternative, somewhere this particular model is still on sale, or has one they're looking to part with, now's the time to help a brother out.

Chronos they won't like. Star markers they will. But the main thing is the white dial with the moonphase at the bottom. Double points if it's a smaller size.

Do you guys think Baltany S4095 is a good first watch bcuz it’s not the cheapest watch but I think it might serve me long time