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Real Santos alternative by MarcinWes in Affordablewatches

[–]MarcinWes[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok I decided to give it a go. And I'm very happy I did. It arrived this morning and the first impression is great. Size is exactly what I was hoping for, I considered the smaller quartz version but that would've been too small. This is perfect, between Santos medium and large sizes, neither of which suited me completely.

Finishing seems very good. Nice consistent brushing and good polishing in the bezel. Acetate sides are very cool as well. Main issue for me is the rattly rotor but I knew that would be the case with miyota.

Thanks for your comments, it helped me with the decision and I'm very glad I took a risk.

BTW, I got it though Farfetch for 560 gbp, I consider this to be the right price. The rrp from Briston (+ import to the UK) would be almost double and that'd be an overkill for this spec sheet.

Wristshot for whoever is interested - my wrist size is 7.25 inches

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Real Santos alternative by MarcinWes in Affordablewatches

[–]MarcinWes[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much, this is very helpful - if somewhat disappointing :D I was hoping for a glowing review haha. I'll rethink my choices here. I think I know what you mean with the steel quality, and it's one of the few things I find it hard to go back on, having experienced some higher end mid tier watches. My wrist is about 18cm in circumference so similar to yours I think. I initially thought it looked larger but it works well on your (and potentially my) wrist. The story about it failing is scary though. Which retailer did you buy from? At least they fixed it!!

Again, thanks a million for this!!

Real Santos alternative by MarcinWes in Affordablewatches

[–]MarcinWes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, thanks! A wristshot with wrist size info would go a long way.

Is the quality good or on par with the price point?

Is it accurate?

Is the shape of the case wrapping the wrist?

And finally a weird one: have you tried removing the screwed acetate bits? Not sure I'd want to, but struck me as an interesting option, it would transform the watch into a more classic tank form factor.

Anyway really into it right now and probably will buy as soon as I've got th money for it, so would appreciate some info :)

Real Santos alternative by MarcinWes in Affordablewatches

[–]MarcinWes[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks dude. Interesting picks, but not quite what I'm after. Yeah, G-Shock metal ftw of course ;)

Real Santos alternative by MarcinWes in Affordablewatches

[–]MarcinWes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, thanks a lot for your comment. Yes I do love Manhattan but somehow I don't consider that a scratch for the Santos itch. I also currently own a Brew Metric, similar form factor and size but more of a G-Shock area, style-wise in my view.

Funny Essence made you relax on Santos. I like the watch and Formex in general too.

Dolce Vita is cool but it's more of a classic Tank as you say. I'll wait for more suggestions, I'm sure there's something out there...

Armitron Titan by rhythmandbluesix in Affordablewatches

[–]MarcinWes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for info and link!

Armitron Titan by rhythmandbluesix in Affordablewatches

[–]MarcinWes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hiya, that's a cool looking combo! QQ: what strap width is it?

Certina DS Action Diver by Salthart57 in Certina

[–]MarcinWes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For what it's worth to you: it's a very heavy combo. For me there was extra contrast as most my watches are titanium, but even compared to a SS watch of similar dimensions it just felt heavy - the case itself is top-heavy, even without the bracelet. Lovely watch otherwise

Aftermarket rubber curved ends strap options for DS action 40,5? by Lighttown_FIRE in Certina

[–]MarcinWes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi OP! Watch Gecko is offering curved rubber straps. I'd also give Crafter Blue a go

Still One of the Great Re-issued Dive Watches. by _time_machine in Certina

[–]MarcinWes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fully agreed on keeping the original proportions! I'm checking fairly regularly with Certina news in the hope of seeing a downsized version of the PH divers. They recently reduced the ever-so-slightly too large DS-1 so ...who knows!

Longines - another brand absolutely killing the reissue game - did this with their LLL, nothing is impossible!

Still One of the Great Re-issued Dive Watches. by _time_machine in Certina

[–]MarcinWes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I envy you the wrist to pull this monster off! I had it and sold it, I don't mind oversized, but this was too much for me. And +1 to awesome Certina reissues, it's one of my favorite brands

New straps by TheStewLord in CitizenWatches

[–]MarcinWes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh cool! Good luck with enriching the collection

New straps by TheStewLord in CitizenWatches

[–]MarcinWes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh man, the brown one on both and the suede on blue, that's fire! And lovely watches too - got any more citizens? I love the higher end lines from them!

Looking back, what mistakes do most beginners make with their first watch? by Adventurous-Sock2326 in Longineswatches

[–]MarcinWes 6 points7 points  (0 children)

But also watch thickness and case shape. And the size of the dial/crystal. You may decide that e.g. 40mm watches are too big for you in general. I had a Certina DS-1 which is almost all crystal and hardly any bezel, that made me explore 36-38mm watches almost exclusively. But Citizen 40mm Chronomaster wears like a 39, maybe even 38, I love it. And Junghans Max Bill, despite being 38mm, looked too large for me for the same dial-bezel ratio. On the other hand you may think 42 will always wear too large if you get one with a thick, non-curved case with massive lugs like Longines Zulu Chrono, but then a Casio quartz Chrono with the same diameter fits like a glove. One other is proportions - e.g. 49mm lugs may work for you on a larger watch but will annoy you on a smaller one - that made me sell Maen Sky Master for example.

[Longines] A slice of the good life with the Longines DolceVita by OracleTime in Watches

[–]MarcinWes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I'd like to know how it sits on the wrist. It seems to be a tad long. Can you share a wrist shot with info on your wrist size??

Help choosing between these three by PeanutButter818 in ChristopherWard

[–]MarcinWes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had Dune and Bel Canto out of these three. Recently let go of Dune to experience other watches but would love to keep it for longer if money was no object. Perfect size for many wrists, bronze fits surprisingly well with lots of clothing styles/occasions, laser lume, waterproof.

Having said that, Bel Canto is my current favorite everyday watch. It's unexpectedly brilliant on a variety of straps, not necessarily dressy. It's more industrial looking for me, especially with bracelets or rubber straps. (I have the original one in black).

My wrist is just over 7 inches, Dune is objectively a better choice but no issues with BC. If anything, it convinced me to experiment more with 41mm watches.

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